Rejoice! Again I Say Rejoice!

 Thought for Today - December 5, 2022
Rejoice! Again I Say Rejoice!
Glory To God In The Highest!  How Great Is Our God!
By: Robert A. Searles

     Oh pen! Fly swiftly across this page and proclaim to the world the glories of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.  Born in a manager, in a cattle stall, a long time ago as an obscure peasant child.  Wonder of wonders that his birth was announced by a heavenly host of angels, and shepherds were made to fear and gaze in amazement as the announcement was made that this was the promised Messiah, the Christ child whose name would be Jesus who had come to save his people from their sins.

     “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon  them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.  And the angel said unto them, fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord,.  And this shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes  lying in  a manger.  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” Luke 2: 8-14.

     The hymn writer has posed the question - ”Who is he in yonder stall, at whose feet the shepherds fall?”  Then he goes on to answer his own question - “Tis the Lord! Oh wondrous story! Tis the Lord the King of glory!  At his feet we humbly fall, crown him, crown him Lord of all!”  These are the words of the hymn writer, Benjamin R Hanby who lived between 1833-1867.

 Truer words could never be spoken.  He is the King of glory.  We celebrate on Christmas day with great joy, the birth of this special child, “in yonder stall”, who was indeed the very  God of glory, while on earth as a man, he had no place to lay his head.  He grew up and became a man, and though he was deity, temporarily laid aside his divinity in order that he might identify with all men in their sufferings and temptation; and take upon himself the sins and condemnation of all men, and die in their place on a cruel Roman cross.  Praise God, the cross and the tomb was not the end for Jesus, for when the women came to anoint his body they found the tomb empty because he had risen.

     “The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach., until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:  To whom also  he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs,  being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining  to the kingdom of God.” Acts 1: 1,2,3.

     What a great God we have, who loved each of us so much that even while we were sinners, he would leave the glories of heaven and condescend to the level of sinful men!

      As we celebrate this Christmas season and  as we gather with family and friends around our Christmas tree or dinner table and enjoy the gifts, food, and fellowship, let us stop and consider what the day is all about.  This is the day we celebrate the advent of our Lord, when “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3: 16.

     There are not enough words in the English language, or any other language for that matter, to adequately proclaim the majesty and magnificence of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. If you do not personally know this person who was born in the Bethlehem stable so long ago as your Lord and Savior, he is at this moment offering himself to you as your sin sacrifice.  He grew up, became a man, (even though he was God), and bled,  died and suffered, and rose again for  our salvation and justification.,  There is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.  There is no other means of entrance into heaven except by him.  He is the way, the truth and the light.  He is the door by which all must enter into heaven and the presence of God the Father.  The word of God says that whosoever will may come, and whosoever will come to him he will in no wise cast out.

     What better time could there be to receive God's unspeakable gift of love, the forgiveness of all sin, past, present, and future, through his son, the lord Jesus Christ?  Simply approach him, believing his word with a  repentant heart, and ask him to forgive your sins and come into your heart and there abide forever, and he will.

     The shepherds received the glad tidings of Christ's birth with joy and gladness.   If you have not done so already, why not receive the glad tidings of God's extended grace to you for your salvation with joy and gladness and gratitude on this Christmas day?

Telehelp Publications Christian Literature Ministry

                                       Psalm 26: 7