Advent Reading ~In His Word ~ December 11, 2020
Mary
had to be brave when she was full term and still they had to go to Bethlehem in
Judea to be registered for the census.
Today
we are lucky the census come s to us, and I know some women who were with child
when it came around to them. It was not so fearful as it was for Mary as she
had to either walk or possibly ride on a donkey as they were not that rich it
probably would not have been a Camel. Plus that would have been even more uncomfortable.
And
because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in
Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in
Galilee. He took
with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child. And
while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. Luke 2:4-6
But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die,
but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an
eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who
have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be
transformed. For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will
never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. Then,
when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this
Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where
is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” For sin is the sting that
results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us
victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. So, my dear brothers
and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the
Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. 1
Corinthians 15:50-58
Christ Jesus had to be born to man so that He could bring us that
victory over death, and because of this we can be brave each day. We can trust
that obedience to the rules will keep us safe, but more than that we can trust
that God will keep us safe even unto the end.
In our case today it could easily be something to fear, but let us not
fear, let us go forth and conquer with Jesus the fear of death! Let us follow
His example and be bold in the sharing of the truth with others that Jesus is
Lord. Let us walk our lives out as a testimony to Him and His goodness by being
brave and full of faith, strong in His love that we may continue forward not
wavering in our hope that He will bring us through whatever comes against us.
Share His peace, love, and joy today! Remember to smile even in the mask!
If you are stuck home today, smile at your family and others in
the household you live in. Share His love with them if not one else! If you can
share it with someone on the outside via email and phone calls, texts, and
messaging. There is no reason we cannot share God’s love in one way or another
unless we are stuck in a power outage with no cell service in which case you
are probably not reading this…unless someone printed it and mailed it to you!
In other words, do what you can to encourage someone today, even
if its only yourself, that Jesus is Lord of all, He is in the driver seat and
He will walk with you each day that you live your life according to His Word.
In Jesus name.