Seven days before Christmas! All the prophecies in the Old Testament about our Lord Jesus were written several hundred years before Jesus was born. Prophecies are foretellings of what will happen in the future. When God speaks to His people in the Old Testament, He normally speaks through a prophet. For example, the prophet Isaiah prophesied a lot about the coming of our Lord Jesus. Isaiah 40:3 says, "A voice of one calling: 'In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.'" The prophet Isaiah told the people about John the Baptist, who was going to prepare the hearts of the people to believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior. When John the Baptist began his ministry, he was preaching about repentance and water baptism. As the people received the message of repentance, John baptized them in the water to signify a repentant life. However, they still needed to believe in Jesus to be saved, for only Jesus could baptize them with the Holy Spirit to seal their salvation. Baptism of the Holy Spirit is when the Holy Spirit comes into those who believe in Jesus and live in them (Ephesians 1:13).
It is incredible that God told the people of Israel about John the Baptist preparing the hearts of the people for the coming of our Lord Jesus through the baptism of repentance. One thing that we can learn in today's devotion is that there is nothing that happened to Jesus that our Heavenly Father didn't know ahead of time. Everything is planned by our Heavenly Father. Jesus' born, death, and resurrection were all part of God's master plan to save us from our sins. Our God is all-knowing. He knows the past, the present, and the future. There is nothing that surprises Him. We can be surprised by sudden changes in our lives, but not our God. Our lives can be unpredictable. We are here today and gone tomorrow. However, our lives are in God's hands. We may not know what our future holds, but God does, and this is the security that we have in our Lord Jesus.
Let this Christmas be a time of rejoicing and not worry about tomorrow or next year. As God sustained us all throughout this year, He will certainly take care of us tomorrow and next year, for He knows our future and our lives are in His hands.
Questions for application: (Think through these questions carefully, meditate on them while answering them, and let the Spirit of God speak to you.) Why should I not worry about tomorrow and next year? Do I trust God today, tomorrow, and next year? What should be my attitude this Christmas, knowing that God has my life in His hands?
Take a moment to write down all your worries today. Then, lift them up to God in prayer, surrendering them to His will and trusting in His guidance.
Prayer:
Dear Father in Heaven, thank you for reminding me today that you have my life in your hands and that I am secure in you. Please help me not to worry about tomorrow and next year but to completely trust in you, especially this Christmas season. In your name, Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Opmerkingen