“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. You have multiplied the nation and increased its joy”
Isaiah 9:2-3 NKJV
Welcome to the 51st Weekly Devotional Recap of the year! In reflective preparation for Christmas, this week, we learned about how Jesus’ coming brought light, peace, love, joy and hope to the world.
On Monday, we learned that when God proclaimed, “let there be light” at the creation of the world (Genesis 1:3), the light that He referred to was Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6-18). The coming of Jesus brought light to a dark world, and that light gives life to we who have received Him (John 1:4). Hence, the Bible says that we have been delivered from the power of darkness and translated into the kingdom of God’s dear Son (Colossians 1:13).
Tuesday’s devotional emphasised Jesus as the ‘man of peace’, Shiloh (Genesis 49:10). Contrary to what the Jews believed, Jesus did not come to lead them to war against the Roman empire. He came to reconcile them as well as the rest of the world, to God the father (Ephesians 2:13, 2 Corinthians 5:18a). He brought peace between God and mankind (Romans 5:1) by taking away the sins of the world.
We saw on Wednesday, how the coming of Jesus was a demonstration of God’s love for mankind (John 3:16). Through Christ’s coming, not only are we beneficiaries of God’s love but His love has been shed abroad in our hearts (Romans 5:5) in such a way that we can extend the same to others (1 John 3:16). As we celebrate Christmas with our loved ones, we must tell them about the salvation that God offers through Christ Jesus.
On Thursday, we delved beyond the mere lyrics of the song, to fully appreciate how the coming of Jesus brought ‘joy to the world.’ We saw the examples of Anna (Luke 2:36-38) and Simeon (Luke 2:25-35) who waited patiently to see the birth of the Messiah as promised by God. At the sight of Jesus, these two burst out rejoicing and giving thanks to God for the fulfilment of His promise to mankind and we should do the same. The salvation that Christ offers is worth rejoicing about (1 Peter 1:8).
Friday’s article reminded us that we have hope in the assurance of salvation which we have received. The second coming of Jesus will bring an end to the tribulations and sufferings of this present world (Romans 8:18).
As the festive season draws closer, don’t lose sight of why we are celebrating. Jesus, the giver of light, peace, love, joy and hope, is truly the reason for the season!
Have a great weekend!