Just some early morning thoughts from me to you…
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined…
For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Isaiah 9: 2, 6 (NKJV)“And the King shall answer and say unto them, ‘Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me.’”
Matthew 25: 40 (KJV)“Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
Matthew 20: 26b-28 (NLT)“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”
Matthew 7: 12 (NIV)
Have you ever noticed how a lot of your days seem to be about you. Focused on whatever you, yourself, are going through.
How you are feeling—physically, emotionally, spiritually.
Worried about all the uncertainties before you. Making ends meet. Getting through a tough time with no opening in sight. Hurting through the struggles in an important relationship.
Wondering how it will come out for you.
Looking back on my days, I am a bit embarrassed to have to admit there’s some truth to that.
Soon, we will celebrate once again the birth of Jesus Christ.
A moment where God showed the world with a touch of His magnificent love, that He was not thinking of Himself—as He sent His Son to be born, to live, serve and minister among us, then die on the cross, and rise to life.
For you and for me. Pretty tough way to show it, but He was thinking about you and me.
And Christ served, and touched and lifted lives in the world here, and was the pathway to save them for eternal life through and with Him.
Every last thing He did was for you, for me, and for all the world.
And we are reminded in the passage in Matthew, that one day when we stand before Him, we want to hear Him acknowledge our life lived here, by His example, with these words—
“Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me.’” Matthew 25: 40 (KJV)
To touch the world, to lift and save lives with Him, as He did.
To live a life not about us, but about the world around us.
Martin Luther King, Jr., reached up for help to do that, as he asked this of God—
“Use me, God. Show me how to take who I am, who I want to be, and what I can do, and use it for a purpose greater than myself.”
And Booker T. Washington offered, when faced with those moments where it seems to be all about what we’re going through, to remember that—
“If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.”
A few things for us to think about today and in the days to come as we begin our journey toward that moment at the manger, and the birth of the Babe of Bethlehem.
The One Who came for us, not Himself.
The One still today, doing every last thing, for us.
In His Name–Scott
You will be moved to tears as you watch this powerful video and listen to Gentri’s moving presentation of the beautiful hymn, “O Holy Night.”
