Day by Day

[Soldier4Christ]

"Jesus, Our Heavenly Best"

They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will rejoice in the bounty of the LORD – the grain, the new wine and the oil, the young of the flocks and herds. They will be like a well-watered garden, and they will sorrow no more. Jeremiah 31:12
   

This verse could indeed lead some to expect heaven on earth, but when you look closer, you see that the words are referring to heaven, not earth. As long as there are sinful people, there will be some sort of sorrow, even in the midst of a joyous feast. But we have a Savior in Jesus.

Jesus has redeemed us from all the sorrows of this sinful world, and He will come back to take us to a place where there will be no sorrow. Heaven isn’t some place where ghostly waifs float about among the clouds. Heaven is real … the place of a heavenly banquet where we can shout for joy that God gives us wonderful things. God gave us His very best when He gave us His Son Jesus to be our Savior, so we can also believe that He won’t withhold from us those things that bring joy.

There are joys in our lives now because God provides us generously with daily bread – those things we need each day. But our joy is mixed with sorrow because we live in a world of sin and death, and yet, we live in a confident hope until Jesus returns in glory.

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"Jesus, Our Substitute"

When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”). Luke 2:22-23
   

Joseph and Mary consecrated the baby Jesus to the Lord in order to keep a law that had been given by Moses thousands of years earlier. God knew long before Moses that Christ would be the firstborn son of a virgin mother, so He declared that all firstborn male children belonged to Him. However, instead of requiring lifelong service from each of these firstborn sons, He accepted the service of Levite men in place of the firstborn of Israel.

All of us belong to God because He created us and provides us with all we have. However, our sinfulness results in a debt that we cannot even begin to repay. When God’s only begotten firstborn Son came to the world, God did not exempt Him from service. Jesus served God the Father His whole life, in place of our incomplete service, and was sacrificed on the cross to pay for our sins. God did not ask for, nor did He accept, a substitute for the life of His Son; but He gave up Jesus for us and for our salvation. For this we thank and praise God forever.

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"A New Song"

Sing to the LORD a new song, for He has done marvelous things; His right hand and His holy arm have worked salvation for Him. The LORD has made His salvation known and revealed His righteousness to the nations. Psalm 98:1-2
   

When Christians sing this “new song,” we do not mean “new” in the sense that the song has just recently been written. The verse above refers to a song thousands of years old. Yet when sung by someone with a “clean heart” in whom the right spirit has been renewed, it is filled with new feeling and made into a new song. We sing to the Lord with hearts filled with love for Him who first loved us.

The Lord has made His salvation known to the world through His Holy Word. We do not sing “our own” song. Our new song boasts of the glory of the Lord and the marvelous things He has done. The salvation He brings to save us from eternal damnation gives us cause for celebration.

Christ’s gift of righteousness has brought healing to our wounded bodies and souls, giving us strength and newness of life. St. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” We celebrate our renewal through faith with songs of joy, giving thanks and praise to Christ our Lord, for He alone is worthy of our eternal praise.

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"God Is an Awesome God"

“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word.” Hebrews 1:3
   

God is awesome! He created the entire universe and all that exists through the mere power of His spoken word – and He continues to sustain all things through that same word.

How can we relate to such a being? What words could we possibly say to such a powerful God that would turn His favor in our direction? There are no words from us that can persuade God to do anything He wasn’t going to do in the first place. Fortunately we don’t have to. We can’t hope to approach God, so He comes to us. Jesus is God, yet He also shares our flesh. When we look at Jesus for whom He really is, we see God.

In Jesus, we see that although God is all-powerful and holy, He doesn’t consider us as small and unimportant. God considers us His beloved children for whom He would do anything, even suffer and die on a cross to save us. Although God is all-powerful, Jesus shows us that God is caring and compassionate. Above all else, God wants us to be saved. He accomplished our salvation through the coming of Jesus. And this is why we celebrate Christ’s joyous birth.

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"The Lord Is My Shepherd"

“He will stand and shepherd His flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD His God. And they will live securely, for then His greatness will reach to the ends of the earth” Micah 5:4
   

The image of God as a shepherd over His flock is used in various places throughout Holy Scripture, such as when God chose a shepherd boy to be the second king of Israel. God elevated David, a shepherd boy, to become king and then promised that one of his descendents would be the Savior of the world. In the 23rd Psalm, David himself poetically tells how God leads him like a shepherd; it is one of the most beloved and familiar chapters in the Bible.

The Prophet Micah looked forward to the coming of the Good Shepherd with eager anticipation. We look back at the birth of Jesus and celebrate. The Lord, our Shepherd, has come. We are secure in our salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, just as sheep are secure under the watchful eye of their shepherd. Christ has destroyed the power of our enemy, the devil, who seeks to destroy us by luring us away from God’s flock through temptation. But Jesus has won for us full pardon from our sins so that all who believe in Him shall never perish.

Because of Jesus we shall remain under the care and protection of our Good Shepherd forever.

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"Nothing to Chance"

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.” Luke 2:13-14
   

What an amazing event this must have been! A multitude of heavenly beings praising God as Bethlehem shepherds watched. The angels were overjoyed because God was overjoyed. The “heavenly host” testified that Jesus, the Son of God, had just been born for the salvation of mankind; God’s plan of salvation was coming to fulfillment.

Heaven must be such a wonderful place that those who have already been received into heavenly glory rejoice that God Himself became man to bring salvation to people from all nations. They are overjoyed that multitudes will share in that heavenly bliss and glory. The angels were proclaiming what God was doing for us, not for them.

They also announced peace to us on earth. Our peace and joy comes from the assurance that God Himself who became one of us has accomplished our salvation. God left nothing to chance so that our salvation could be assured. We no longer have to fear that God might punish us because of our disobedience; instead we rejoice and give Him the praise and glory for bringing salvation to us through Jesus.

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"No Disappointment Here"


But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. Titus 3:4-5
   

You’ve probably all heard the following lyrics: “He knows if you’ve been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake.” Santa has become known for rewarding the good and punishing the bad. After all, this is the way the world works and Santa is a very worldly guy.

Fortunately, Jesus doesn’t work that way at all! Scripture tells us that, apart from Jesus, “there is no one righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10). If our salvation depended on the theory of Santa, then no one would be saved … because no one could ever be good enough to earn salvation on his or her own merit. Jesus saved us because He is merciful, not because we deserved it.

Jesus knows exactly how full of sin we are, and yet He came to save us at great personal cost. No wonder St. Paul tells Titus about the “kindness and love of God our Savior.” Santa might be a symbol for kindness and generosity, but he can’t compare to Jesus. You can truly put your faith in Jesus and never be disappointed.

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"The Greatest Gift

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:10-12
   

Today we celebrate the long-expected promise fulfilled in the birth of Jesus. Love was born at Christmas, and there is no greater gift than the joy that comes from knowing that Christ our Savior was born for the forgiveness of our sins. The Good News is that the birth of Jesus brings salvation for all who believe.

How sad though that worldly gifts remain the focus for so many. They miss the joy in the beautiful words of the angel that the Savior is “for all the people.” It may indeed be news that a Savior has been born, but unless you believe in Him as your Savior, it is not good news. Nothing could please Jesus more than to have everyone come to know that He has saved us from the dreadful punishment for sin … and that is exactly what He has done for you.

Our joy is the gift of God Himself born to us, wrapped in cloths and laid in the manger. He is the greatest gift given to all people, and for those who believe, He is the greatest gift received.

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"Pause – Ponder – Prepare"

And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior …” Luke 1:46-47
   

Mary had a lot to ponder. Almost as soon as Mary hears the news from the angel that she is going to give birth to the Savior of the world, she signs a song of praise to God. We should note that her song – the Magnificat as found in Luke 1:46-55 – is about what God has done throughout history to bring salvation to the world.

Even when Mary does mention herself, she says, “from now on all generations will call me blessed.” She doesn’t say that she is better or more worthy than anyone else – in fact she admits her own sinfulness when she calls God “my Savior.” The Magnificat does exactly what she is saying – it glorifies God by telling what He has done to save us. The words are beautiful and are just as true for every Christian today as they were for Mary.

Truly all generations of Christians can call Mary blessed for being chosen by God to be the mother of our Lord, yet all who believe in Jesus as Savior are even more richly blessed. Jesus is the mighty one who has done great things for you and me and all people. Jesus deserves all the praise and glory because He has accomplished for us what we could not – salvation from our sins.

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"The Songs of Christmas"

December 23, 2006

“Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation.” Isaiah 12:2
   

Music plays a big role in Christmas, which it has for centuries. If you look past all the songs about the winter weather, seasonal sentiments, magic-talking ice sculptures, and gift-bearing bishops, you’ll find a large collection of songs about Jesus, born on Christmas Day.

The best Christmas carols tell the story of how Jesus was born and why he was born … to be our salvation. And while the birth of Jesus truly gives us little to fear, in the days of Isaiah, there were valid reasons to be afraid of God coming into the world. His chosen people hadn’t really been faithful and God would have been justified in coming in “power for punishment,” rather than coming in “humility for salvation.”

But God assures us that He comes for our salvation. Even in our weakest moments, we need not fear because God is our strength and our song. As you sing the songs of Advent and Christmas, remember that God arranged the coming of Jesus to bring us salvation through Him.

“Hark the glad sound! The Savior comes, The Savior promised long; Let every heart prepare a throne, And every voice a song”.

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"Real Faith"

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
   

These words remind us about the importance of faith. Advent is about eagerly anticipating what is coming; yet it is rooted in what has already come. We can trust that God’s promise of forgiveness and salvation through Jesus Christ is truly free and is for us. And because God, the Holy Spirit, gives us Christ’s forgiveness and salvation through faith, He is called the “God of hope.”

This Advent we may eagerly anticipate celebrating of Jesus’ birth, but the celebration itself should not be what fills us with joy and peace. What fills us with God’s joy is that our Savior has already come and has won our salvation, and that He is coming again to bring our salvation to its ultimate fulfillment.

Until Jesus comes back for His second (final) coming, we live by faith through an extended Advent season. We trust that just as God has kept His promise in Christ’s first Advent, so He will also keep His promise of a glorious reunion with Jesus. This faith is what fills us with joy and peace as we hope for Christ’s coming. Because God is trustworthy, our hope is absolutely certain and true; therefore we are filled with joy and peace … right now.

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"Real Comfort"

Comfort, comfort My people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins. Isaiah 40:1-2
   

What if you believed that this Christmas you would receive “double for all your sins.” Would you find that comforting? You might say, “That depends … double what?” If it were double the punishment, then you would surely not take comfort. However, as God proclaims the coming of the Savior of the world through the words of Isaiah, He brings comfort indeed.

God instructs the prophet Isaiah to give a threefold message of double comfort: First, he is to comfort God’s people that their “hard service had been completed.” Second, their “sin has been paid for,” as Christ would pay for the sins of all people. Finally, God’s people hear about a double reward from the Lord’s hand. This reward doesn’t come because we or anyone else deserves it or because God feels sorry for any pain that’s been inflicted. No, in spite of our sinfulness and the punishment w deserve, Christ Jesus has made sure that we receive a double reward of God’s grace, much like Job received (compare Job 42:12 with Job 1:3).

Have you found this comfort?

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"Real Repentance"

In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” Matthew 3:1-2
   

John the Baptist figures prominently in the Advent Bible readings even though he was still a baby when Jesus was born. But Advent is about preparation, and 30 years after Jesus was born, John prepared the faithful to meet their long-awaited Savior. His message was simple and straightforward: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” Christ’s kingdom, however, was not to be a worldly kingdom, but a heavenly kingdom.

Repentance is an important part of our life in Christ’s kingdom, but it is not what brings our salvation. Christ’s life and death is the cause of our salvation. To repent is to turn away from sin, but we cannot make God save us, no matter how or how often we repent. God commands us to repent, not because we can save ourselves, but because He knows that a repentant sinner will remain in faith, while an unrepentant sinner will lose his faith. We certainly do not repent as often, or as sincerely, as we ought; but God’s forgiveness in Christ Jesus remains certain.

Let us then repent of our sins, for the kingdom of heaven is near. But let us not put our faith in our repentance; instead let us put all our trust in our King, Jesus, who has redeemed us from all sin.

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"Real Peace"

… the Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:5-7
   

We hear a lot about “peace on earth” at Christmas, especially from the chorus of angels in Luke 2:14 who sang, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.” Yet we don’t see peace on earth, even among Christians.

Although Jesus was peaceful, He endured much violence and hatred. He also knew that because we are sinners in a sinful world, we would not live completely peaceful lives either. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told His followers, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness … Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me” (Matthew 5:10-11).

The peace that will “guard your heart” is not a peace you can readily see; this peace comes from trusting in Jesus for your salvation from sin. Since Christ has saved us and remains near to us, we can be at peace even during the worst tribulation the world would bring. It is not a peace that comes from a lack of conflict; it is a confidence that Jesus will rescue us no matter how difficult the situation.

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"No Fear"

The LORD has taken away your punishment, He has turned back your enemy. The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm. Zephaniah 3:15
   

People do strange things when they fear punishment. A child may commit some small offense but because he fears an imagined punishment, he doesn’t go to Mom or Dad to confess; instead he tries to cover it up or keep it secret. The loving parent understands that such situations are often opportunities to teach the child and there may be little, if any, punishment. However, if the offense is covered up and continues, not only does any repair or clean-up become more difficult with time, but the offense often multiples as every opportunity to repent passes by.

In this way, Adam and Eve acted like children when they first disobeyed God. They knew the punishment for disobeying God was death and, because they feared death, they tried running away from their Lord who loved them and would save them. God gave Adam and Eve the same message He spoke later through Zephaniah: The Lord has taken away your punishment. He has defeated your enemy, the devil. The Lord is with you and you need never fear any harm.

Advent is about the coming of the Lord. We eagerly look forward to His coming and confess our sins, trusting that Jesus has taken away all our punishment. We need not fear any harm.