Luke 2:16-20
And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
What Of Today’s Verse…
The shepherd’s reaction to baby Jesus is exactly what our reaction will be when we see the returning Jesus: we will glorify and praise God for all the things we see and hear and will find that they are just as God has promised them to us. Since God kept his word in the first coming of Jesus, we can be assured that he will do it with the Second Coming of Jesus!
Let Us Pray:
Faithful and all powerful Lord, thank you for being trustworthy and true. Help me to be faithful to you in what I do and say! And think during this stressful yet marvellous time. May I never lose faith in the coming of Jesus and may my faith in him ever shape my life to be more pleasing to you. Amen.’
Words of Wisdom
Giving…
It is more blessed to give than to receive.
— Jesus Christ
This is a day of giving.
Christians around the world pause today to celebrate the birth of Christ, and the spirit of giving which is so gracefully embodied in that first Christmas almost 2,000 years ago.
Jesus said that it is more blessed to give than to receive. It is a simple truth, even self-evident, yet magnificently profound and powerful. For life consists of giving. We are each of us, unique, with our own contributions to make. At the same time, we are part of a greater whole. Giving is what keeps us connected. The more we give of ourselves, the more we strengthen our own unique aliveness. The gifts we give become part of the world around us, where they grow in value with each life they touch.
Anything that we truly and sincerely give, we will never lose.
True giving means giving of one’s self. The physical object, if there is one, is merely a token. The essence of the gift is in the giving, in the expression of sincere love and caring. When you give a part of yourself, it is not gone; it is bigger and better than ever.
Giving is the most self-serving thing you can do. And therein lays the beauty of life.
