Obtaining Mercy

(A Countdown to Jesus’ Birthday)

On the fifth day of nativity – God provided a star, a sign and a song to show the way to His Son.

God’s plan was no secret.

He set a star in the heavens to show the way.

He sent an angel to announce it.

He told the shepherds where the Baby would be found and what He would be wrapped in.

Then He orchestrated a song of praise by an angelic host.

God wants you to know His Son! It is His greatest desire.

As we celebrate the birth of the Christ child, I pray that YOU know the CHRIST!

What a shame it would be if you knew all about the baby Jesus of Christmas, but you’d never met the Saviour of the World Who died on the cross to save you from your sins.

Jesus came as a baby, lived a perfect life, and died to pay the penalty for our sins. Then He was buried, but rose again three days later.

It is up to us to accept His gift of forgiveness and salvation from Hell. When we turn to Him in surrender and choose to trust Him to take us to Heaven when we die, we are assured a home with Him forever.

Hebrews 7:25-26 “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens”

Jesus saved us by living a life we couldn’t live and dying a death that we deserved to die.

Have you received Him today?

(A Countdown to Jesus’ Birthday)

On the third day of nativity – God provided angelic announcers when the world took no notice.

Luke 2:13-14 – “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

Joseph and Mary were all alone while waiting on the arrival of the Lord. No one knew Mary was laboring while Joseph was preparing a place for Jesus to arrive, making sure all the physical needs were met to the best of his ability. There was no fanfare for their sacrifice, their willingness to be used by God, the humble and righteous lives they led to even be blessed with this holy task.

And Jesus was born just like every baby had ever been born before Him. There was nothing special that brought the attention of the town or the visitors there to pay their taxes. His birthplace was humble and his birth unnoticed.

It is very common for the world to completely miss or ignore the work of God. And along with that, they also miss those who do the work of God.

Occasionally, even the people of God are so caught up in their own lives that they don’t see those who are doing the work all around them.

In your service for the Lord, don’t concern yourself with being seen and noticed by man. Most of the time, people do not notice or understand the sacrifice we make to serve the Lord. They cannot see our heart or know our motives.

We will, in most cases, not receive applaus for our service to the Lord.

But God knows.

He sees our sacrifice. He treasures our work. And He will reward it in His good time.

When you feel that no one notices, remember the Heavenly Host that is looking down on us; and rejoice with them that the work of God is being accomplished here on earth.

Matthew 6:6 – “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.”

(A Countdown to Jesus’ Birthday)

On the second day of nativity – God provided a manger, when the world had no room.

Luke 2:7 – “And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.”

A manger is a feeding trough, where they put the hay, straw and vegetables for the animals to eat.

We have no idea if Joseph and Mary found the manger in a stable, a barn, a cave or in a lean-to behind some busy inn.

We only know that when the baby Jesus was born, there was a soft place to lay Him.

How precious the Psalms must have been to Mary and Joseph, as they lived out this tremendous story of absolute faith in God. I can imagine them whispering these verses of comfort to one another, as they huddled together awaiting the birth of the Christ child.

Psalm 119: 49-52 – “Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope.
This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.
The proud have had me greatly in derision: yet have I not declined from thy law.
I remembered thy judgments of old, O LORD; and have comforted myself.”

In the midst of our difficult circumstances, when we are in pain and without a friend to provide comfort, when we do not know how to provide our family’s most basic needs, we can rest in the truth that God takes care of His own.

God will meet every need as you travel through this life, walking in obedience to His commands.

There will be a soft place to rest, even in the midst of your trial.

II Corinthians 4:3-4 – “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;
Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.”

(A Countdown to Jesus’ Birthday)

On the First Day of Nativity – God provided the Messiah to a virgin in the family of David, in the city of Bethlehem, just as He’d promised.

We first see the promise of One who would overcome Satan in Genesis 3:14-15. We also hear God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 22:8 that God would provide Himself a Lamb.

We read the prophesy in Isaiah 7:14 – “…Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son…”

And in Micah we find “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah…out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel…”

God clearly set out a plan for the birth of the Saviour of the world. In Luke we see the culmination of that promise.

Luke 1:26-27 “…the angel Gabriel was sent from God…To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.”

Luke 2:4-5 “And Joseph also went up from Galilee…unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.”

Although the nation of Israel was looking for the coming Saviour, they made so many assumptions about how He would come. They were looking for a King.

They were not expecting Him to come to a young virgin girl and an upright carpenter who would’ve quietly divorced her, were it not for an angelic visitor in the middle of the night.

Quite often, the Lord will do His work in a completely unexpected way. He will use people who seem unqualified and unskilled. He will work quietly instead of with great pomp. He will use the weakest of this world to accomplish the truly great deeds.

If you are waiting on God to fulfill a promise to you, keep your eyes open to His working and moving. Stay in His Word daily to be attuned to the slightest movement toward that promise. Be wise to keep a humble, obedient spirit as you daily do the things you know are right to do each day.

God will show up in His time and in His way: maybe with a chorus of angels, or a bright star, or with a shout and a trump…and maybe with a still small voice.

If He promised, He will provide.