Devotion 12/20, Prepare Your Heart

The angel said to [Mary], “Do not be afraid, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever.” Luke 1:30-33

The angel did not worship Mary or pray to her; he simply greeted her. He did not say she was ‘full of grace’, but highly favored.
Mary was in need of a Savior like every other human being is. The Word of God says that “ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) God however did consider her a good and godly woman to carry and raise His one and only Son though, proving that she did indeed find favor with the Most High as our passage states.

The angel announced that her son’s name shall be Jesus, the name Jesus means (Jehovah is the Savior). Yes, she was going to give birth to the long awaited Messiah! He would be great both as to His Person and His work, for His identity would be the Son of the Most High. The reign of His kingdom will never end! David and Jacob’s reign ended because they were only human beings. Jesus however is God’s Son, His kingdom is eternal, His is a universal kingdom.

As God’s children this holiday is precious to us! We are celebrating the birth of our Savior, for without Him and His bloodshed on the cross for our sins, we would be doomed to spend eternity in hell. So, I will absolutely celebrate Christmas, not because of the gift giving of family and friends, but because of the eternal gift of salvation that my Lord Jesus brought to me and all who will accept His gift some 2000 yrs ago (Ephesians 2:8-9)!

Jesus is identified by many names stated or implied in the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John). Notice how Jesus is identified in just this one passage: child, son, Jesus, great, Son of the Most High, King, son of David, and leader of Israel (Jacob). Jesus exhausts all descriptions, and yet chose to be limited to imperfect descriptions by becoming human. But this flood of names and descriptions helps us find Jesus as our Savior in every trial and blessing of life. Jesus is Savior for all seasons.

Holy and Almighty Father, I thank you for all the ways Jesus is described and all the names he is given. They help me see the breadth of his nature and the depth of his character. Please bless me that I may always find a dimension of Jesus’ ministry or a name or description of Jesus to help sustain me, when I walk through the shadows of doubt caused by satan. Help me, O Father, to see Jesus and not my preoccupations and biases so that when he comes again, I will know him, and he me. Through the glorious name of the Savior I pray. Amen.

Magnificat, Mary’s Song. The enormity of what’s about to take place, it’s almost overwhelming, but it’s not. It was foretold in prophesy. We anticipate with great joy the coming of The King of Kings.
Lord, I need help preparing my heart for the presence of your son, Emmanuel. Open my heart to His greatness and wisdom, that I may be the best witness for Christ that I can be. Thank you for your presence in my life and all the grace and mercy that comes with my faith in You. In Christ’s name I pray, Amen.