Guest post by Jeanette Andrade
December 25 Scripture Selection: Zephaniah 1-3
Food for Thought: Zeph. 3:17
Emmanuel, God with us, has come into our lives and does great things for us for which we can be so very grateful and be so glad for His coming to earth as our Messiah. Zephaniah reminds us of some of them:
First, the very fact that He is in our midst is quite significant. We are not alone. God is not some being detached from us and far away. No, He actually dwells within us as One with us (I Cor. 6:17), and nothing can ever separate us from Him. That is why He says He will never leave us nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5). That fact alone is of great comfort and leads us to communicate with Him from a much better perspective.
Add to that the fact that He is the Mighty One, more than powerful enough to save us from any situation. This concept is vital for our faith, as the apostle Paul stresses in I Corinthians 2:5: “that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” His power is not dormant, but mighty and available to save (see Is. 63:1)–another reassuring truth.
Even more reassuring is how He sees us and our position with Him. Paul says of all of us who have been born again, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus (Gal. 3:6).” As His sons and daughters, He loves us, and He rejoices over us, disregarding our flaws and counting us as righteous by the works of Jesus (Rom. 5:19). Like any good father, He enjoys His children and is glad to be with them. Singing over us, His love quiets and comforts us for “perfect love casts out all fear (I John 4:18).”
Today, we celebrate our Wonderful (the One full of Wonders), Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Is. 9:6) Who was the first born of many sons and daughters (Rom. 8:29), among whom we can count ourselves among His privileged children, on whom He dotes. With this perspective, we have all the more reason to rejoice this special day.
Digging Deeper (What scriptures can further enhance today’s reading?):
Getting Personal (What has God shown you in today’s reading?):
Confession of Faith (Example: Lord, based on Mat. 1:21 and 23, I understand that Jesus is God, and I receive Him as my personal Lord and Savior.):
Important Events on This Day (birthdays, anniversaries, etc.):
Very good, thank you.
Alfred