We have reached the
last month of 2018 and it seems to be slipping away quickly! According to the
retail industry, Christmas was in full swing before Halloween –- or at least
they wanted us to feel that way so we would rush about and make purchases that would
certainly make us ‘merry and bright’!
But as believers,
our joy runs deeper than any shiny bauble we can purchase, or the warm glow we
get when surrounded by family and friends.
God has showered
His blessings of love, Life, and Light on those of us who deserve His wrath. He
has accomplished all of that through His precious Son, Jesus Christ --- the
Lamb of God and the Lion of Judah. God began weaving His tapestry of Salvation
before time began.
LOVE
John 3:16
“For
God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
Romans 5:8
“But
God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us.”
1 John 3:1
“See
how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called
children of God, and such we are.”
1 John 4:16
“We
have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love,
and the one who abides in love, abides in God, and God abides in Him.”
In the Old
Testament, the prophet Micah extols God as the source of salvation to His
people.
Micah 7:18
“Who
is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and passes over the rebellious act of
the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He
delights in unchanging love.”
LIFE
John 14:6
“Jesus
said to him (Thomas), ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes
to the Father but through Me.’”
John 11:25-26
“Jesus
said to her (Martha), ‘I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in
Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?’”
LIGHT
Psalm 27:1
“The
Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? . . .”
John 8:12
“Then
Jesus spoke to them saying, ‘I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me
will not walk in darkness, but will have the Light of life.’”
LORD
Genesis 2:7
“Then
the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils
the breath of life; and man became a living being.”
1 Thessalonians
5:9-10a
“For
God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord
Jesus Christ, who died for us . . .”
LAMB
OF GOD
John 1:29
“The
next day he (John the Baptist) saw Jesus coming to him and said, ‘Behold, the
Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’”
Revelation 5:11-13
“Then
I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living
creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and
thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice,
“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to
receive power and riches
and wisdom and might and honor and
glory and blessing.”
And
every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and
on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying,
“To Him who sits on the throne, and to
the Lamb, be blessing and
honor and glory and dominion forever
and ever.”
Revelation
12:10-11a
“Then
I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and
the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the
accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our
God day and night. And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb . .
.”
LION
of JUDAH
Revelation 5:5
“And
one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold the Lion of the tribe of
Judah, the Root of David, has conquered . . .”
Where does your joy
come from this Holy Season? May we never forget that our joy is rooted in the
risen Lord who, in obedience to the Father, came to earth as a baby; lived a
sinless life; died an excruciating death on the cross; and rose to give us
eternal life.
May our hearts echo the song recorded in
Exodus 15:1-2
“Then
Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to the Lord, and said,
“I will sing to the Lord, for He is
highly exalted; . . .
The Lord is my strength and song, and
He has become my salvation;
This is my God, and I will praise Him;
My father’s God, and I will extol Him.”
Merry Christmas and
may the God of all grace and glory fill you with His presence this season!
