Tag: Encouragement For The Downcast

¹⁶ Thus says the LORD God: If the prince makes a gift to any of his sons as his inheritance, it shall belong to his sons. It is their property by inheritance. ¹⁷ But if he makes a gift out of his inheritance to one of his servants, it shall be his to the year of liberty. Then it shall revert to the prince; surely it is his inheritance—it shall belong to his sons. ~ Ezekiel 46:16-17

The Father has given us Christians, His children, a share in the inheritance, thus making us coheirs with Jesus, His Son. It is, if you will, a Christmas present from our Heavenly Father. The Scriptures teach that the whole earth and everything in it are His, even the people, because He created everything. Jesus declared in Matthew 5:5,

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

That is a promise from our LORD and Savior. He looked for the most perfect gift that He could give us and found that there is no gift greater than the love of His Son Jesus, who gave His life for everyone who will accept His forgiveness. Then He made us joint heirs with Him so that we will reign and rule with Him. It was the perfect Christmas gift.

There is a Christmas song by Buck Owens called Christmas Shopping, and in the song he explains that he is trying his best to get everybody something that they wanted, then he says, “But I didn’t know what to get you.” Our God, however, was not confused at what to get us. He gave us Jesus, born of a virgin, laid in a manager, the perfect Lamb of God. But it doesn’t end there. The song says:

Well, I must’ve walked a hundred miles or more
I went to every store in town
My feet started swellin’ and my head started achin’
And I couldn’t find a place to sit down
But to tell you the truth well, I really don’t mind it
I could even walk another mile
‘Cause on Christmas mornin’
When they open up the presents
Well it’s worth it just to see them smile

That is what Jesus did for us, but the only thing is, He did it to the extreme. He walked hundreds, even thousands of miles, during His earthly ministry, healing the sick, preaching the good news, raising the dead, feeding the hungry, and just all around doing good. Then He was falsely accused, found guilty, although there was no guilt to be found, wrongly sentenced to capital punishment on the cross, He suffered terribly and there He died. But on the third day, He rose again and is coming back for us, those who love Him, to give us our inheritance. His death and resurrection are the perfect Christmas gift. For Him, it was worth it to go through all of that because, on Resurrection Morning, when the dead in Christ rise, we will be with Him forever. It will be our Christmas morning.

God declared through Ezekiel that if the prince gives a gift to any of His children, it shall belong to us. Therefore, what Jesus has given us, no one can take it from us, it is ours forever. So, don’t give up, and don’t give in; hold on to Jesus so that you will receive your Christmas Inheritance.

Father, thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to die so that we might live. Help me to live my life pleasing to You so that when Jesus comes back, I might receive my Christmas Inheritance. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

³⁹ In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, ⁴⁰ and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹ And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ~ Luke 1:39-41

The Scripture said, “In those days…”. In what days? The days just after the Angel Gabriel visited the virgin Mary to tell her the good news that she would bear the Son of God. The Holy Spirit then overshadowed her right after she accepted the assignment, and she conceived in her womb without knowing a man because all things are possible with God. Therefore, it was in those days that the Scripture speaks of right after Mary received the good news about her being the birth mother of Jesus, the Son of God, and the Savior of the world.

According to John, the brother of James, the angel Gabriel also told Mary that her cousin Elizabeth, who was old and beyond childbearing age, was also pregnant with her firstborn son, who would be the forerunner of Jesus. This forerunner that Isaiah described as ‘One Crying in the wilderness’ would grow up to be John the Baptist. Now, as Mary entered the house of Zechariah, she greeted her cousin Elizabeth, and as soon as she heard Mary’s greetings, little John the Baptist leaped in his mother’s womb, and his mother Elizabeth was also filled with the Holy Spirit.

That is one of the promises of Christmas. Not only do we receive salvation from Jesus, but we also are filled with the Holy Spirit. No good thing will our God withhold from us. He is kind and generous and ever so patient with us, even those who are wayward. For it is not His desire or His will that anyone perish. Jesus came as a baby in the manger. He grew into a man and went around doing only good. He healed the sick, raised the dead, and preached the Good News to those who lived in darkness. He suffered, died, and was buried, and was raised to life again on the third day. Now, He is seated at the right hand of the Father, making intercession for us.

His word still speaks because He still cares and loves us. So, the next time you are feeling like no one loves you, remember the Christmas gift of the Holy Spirit. He is the Comforter. He is the One who bears witness with our spirit that we are sons and daughters of the Most High God. We are not orphans. We are not left alone. We are not losers. We are precious in God’s sight because we are His children.

Thank You, Father, that we are loved by You. Thank You for giving us the promise of Your Holy Spirit. Fill me today, like You filled Elizabeth and the 120 believers in the Upper Room, as well as the early believers in the book of Acts. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

² But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for Me One who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. ~ Micah 5:2

This is Micah’s Christmas prophecy that came to pass over 2,000 years ago when Jesus was born of a virgin, the virgin Mary, right there in Bethlehem Ephrathah. It was just a little place with a little name but a huge promise. Ephrathah, though small and insignificant, would be the birthplace of the Promised Messiah. A ruler so great that there will be no end to His rule nor a transfer of His power. He will have an everlasting kingdom with an everlasting throne.

If such a great promise was spoken over an insignificant place, and fulfilled, how much more us who are called by His name can look forward to great things? We do not have to be from a huge, important city. Nor do we have to have an earthly royal bloodline. Our name does not have to be great upon the earth in order for God to give us great promises. He uses the humble, the meek, and the insignificant and raises them up to greatness.

So, just because you were not born wealthy or come from a prominent family does not mean that God will overlook you. All you have to do is to be a willing vessel and God will fill you and use you. Even if you are broken, just like the potter fixes marred vessels, God will put you back together and mold you into a useful vessel. He is the repairer of the breach and all that is broken.

That is our Christmas promise from our LORD and Savior. He will love us, use us, and take care of us, no matter who we are or where we come from, as long as we are willing and obedient. That is His promise to us.

Father, thank You that I don’t have to be rich and famous for You to see and recognize me. But that you take notice of the lowly and the unimportant. I totally submit to you, LORD Jesus, make me a useful vessel that You can use, although I’m worn and broken. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

² But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for Me One who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. ~ Micah 5:2

Micah prophesied that a ruler so great that there will be no end to His rule, nor a transfer of His power will come from this place, Bethlehem Ephrathah. This is Micah’s Christmas prophecy of the coming Messiah that was fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth. The Savior of the whole world. This Messiah, Jesus Christ, will inherit an everlasting kingdom, and an everlasting throne.

How is this possible, when kingdoms rise and fall all of the time? There has never been an everlasting kingdom. It will happen because His coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. In other words, His origin is from eternity. Jesus did not begin to exist at the time of His birth. Jesus existed even before time began. For John 1:1-5 declares that it was through the Word, Jesus, that all things was made and without Him, not one single thing was created that was created. Jesus is not only the author and finisher of our faith, but He is the creator and upholder of all that exist in heaven and on earth and in the seas and oceans.

Not only is Jesus the ruler of an everlasting kingdom, but there will be no usurpers in His kingdom. No wars, nor lawlessness. No lack, nor want. No fear, nor dread. Only love, joy, peace, and the fulfillment of a true utopia. The sun will not even burn down on the heads of the citizens of that kingdom, because Jesus will be our light, and the Father will be our supplier.

Let us, therefore, live to this end. Let us purposefully live so that we will be chosen to enter into that kingdom when Jesus comes back to make up His jewels. We are His jewels. We who love Him and keep His commandments, and who look forward with a strong, burning desire to His return.

Father, thank You for choosing me. Thank You that You gave me the opportunity to live for You. Now strength me this Christmas so that I might make my election and calling sure. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

¹⁴ All the officers of the priests and the people likewise were exceedingly unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations. And they polluted the House of the LORD that He had made holy in Jerusalem. ¹⁵ The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. ¹⁶ But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD rose against His people, until there was no remedy. ~ 2 Chronicles 36:14-16

According to the Scripture, it was not only the people but the officers of the priests who were unfaithful. Actually, it was the officers that were listed first, suggesting that it was them that led the people into following all the abominations of the nations around them. Meaning that they got caught up in idol worship. The worship of false gods. But not only were they unfaithful, but they were exceedingly unfaithful. Thus, they polluted the House of God with their idols.

Yet God was compassionate with them, not wanting wrath and judgment but mercy and grace. But the people would not listen. In fact, they mocked the messengers that God had sent. By scoffing at His prophets, the people despised God’s words. They did this until their time of grace ran out, and there was no more remedy for them. So, God had no choice but to pour out His wrath on them.

Now, understand this. It was not their personal failure that sent the nation into exile, but rather, it was their corporate decision to reject the LORD their God, Who had brought them up out of the land of slavery into a good and spacious land. A land flowing with milk and honey. They chose to reject the goodness and the mercy of their God for the lies and deceit of the enemy.

Therefore, God had no choice but to send them into exile as He had threatened.

How does that affect me? Well, the lesson here, I believe, is that personal failures, not even those done out of your own self-will, will separate you from God if you will do as David did, repent before the LORD, and not do it again. Always remember, we have an advocate in heaven by the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who makes intercessions for us day and night.

But what will permanently separate you from God is your open rebellion and your blatant rejection of Him by choosing other gods and despising His Word. If you have strayed away from God, repent. Ask for forgiveness and come back to Him; the Father is waiting with open arms. He loves you much more than you even know.

Father, I have sinned; please forgive me. I repent before You with a broken heart. I am so sorry for my rebellious actions. Thank You, Jesus, for Your shed blood that cleanses me from all sin and shame. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.