December 18 Child
“O holy Child of Bethlehem”
Pray
Lord God, my times are in Your hands. I give You my yesterdays, that You may forgive me; I give You my todays, that You may lead me; and I give You all of my tomorrows, that they may be lived to Your glory. Amen.
Read – Isaiah 9:6
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”.
Reflect
Every child is a sign of hope. Every time our lives are enriched by a baby we make an investment in the future. We say, “I know what the papers say, that our children will inherit a much more dangerous world, where resources will be fewer and peace more elusive than today. But I believe that God has a future and a hope for us. My child is heir to His promises; God will not let us down.” So we refuse to believe the naysayers and the doom-mongers who predict unprecedented catastrophe. We trust in the God who has been faithful throughout long generations. Our children, and our children’s children, are in His hands.
Such hope would be misplaced, were it not for the sign God gave in Bethlehem. When God broke into our world He overcame the darkness of despair with the light of hope. Despite the malevolent intentions of King Herod, the guilty indifference of Pontius Pilate, and the murderous violence of those who sent Him to the cross, Jesus proved that love wins, in the end. In Mary’s Child a light burned in the darkness, and the darkness could not put it out. Neither shall it, ever.
Throughout the centuries, evil has done its worst, but God’s Kingdom continues to grow. Every child of God is a sign that hope is not in vain, and that one day death itself will be swallowed up in victory. Until that day, hold fast to the hope that is ours in Jesus. Cling to the promise of the coming again of Christ, the King of kings.
No comments:
Post a Comment