A Reason To Sing For Joy by Chaz Lowder On-air Minnesota, United States 3pm – 6pm CST Scripture: Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”  -2 Corinthians 9:15 Devotional: […]

Christmas is a celebration of the greatest gift ever given: God’s love made manifest in the birth of Jesus Christ. John 3:16 reveals the heart of the gospel—God’s unwavering love for humanity. In His great mercy, He gave His only Son to be the Savior of the world, a gift we neither earned nor deserved.

How amazing it is to know that the highest God has made himself a human to come to this earth, to be born from a young woman. God may have chosen to send His son Jesus as an angel, but he had to come as flesh and blood to humble himself and be able to live as human, then die and resurrect defeating death to fulfill his purpose of redeeming humanity to give us eternal life through his sacrifice.

When the world seem so dark, what is our hope for things to change? How can a cute little baby born in Bethlehem change any of that? The verses before Isaiah 9:6 tells us that at the time of Jesus’ birth, Israel was walking in deep darkness. The people were doing their own thing without God.

God supernaturally guided the seekers till they found the Messiah. When they found Jesus, they worshipped and presented their gifts to Him. There are few lessons we can learn from the wise men:

In the Old Testament book of Isaiah, Jesus had been prophesied that “He would be a light to the Gentiles.”
During the time Herod was king, a bright star appeared in the sky. Now there were some wise men whom had come from the east that saw this star.

It’s amazing to think about this kind of peace. The world Jesus was born into wasn’t peaceful—there was political unrest, oppression, and hardship everywhere. And if we’re honest, the world we live in isn’t much different. Life feels chaotic. There’s stress, worry, and uncertainty that weigh on us.

Understanding how Mary felt, with fear, Gabriel explained to her what was happening and reminded her that for God nothing is impossible. These words gave her the necessary strength to courageously accept what God had for her.

(Imagine a clock ticking) Tik, tik, tik,, being in any government waiting line is so frustrating, especially when there’s one of those loud clocks you can hear running. Waiting is part of our human experience that nobody likes, but it’s the time of year when we’re waiting a lot. We are waiting for a package to arrive in the mail, for the food to be ready to eat, and for friends and family to finally arrive. 

What do you ‘feed’ on throughout the day?  Feed your mind? Your body? Your soul? Does this ‘food’ give you life?
Reflect this season on the prophecies that pinpoint the Messiah as Jesus…and the metaphors that refer to His nature and character. In what ways is He pointing to you today?

The birth of Jesus is a story of humility. The King of Kings, the Savior of the world, was not born in a palace surrounded by royal comforts but in a simple, humble stable.

When you read some of the greatest stories in history there will be a tragedy that takes place, there’s no way out and all seems hopeless. Then a hero comes in to save the day, you know it won’t be an easy journey but you can’t help but to be overjoyed and cheer.