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Grace and Love
Andrea Lende • December 23, 2020
Luke 1:26-33
Grace and Love
You can also listen to the devotion and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/Grace-and-Love-eo5ncq
Luke 1:26-33
“Now in the sixth month [after that], the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee named Nazareth,”
“To a girl never having been married and a virgin engaged to be married to a man whose name was Joseph, a descendant of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.”
“And he came to her and said, Hail, O favored one [endued with grace]! The Lord is with you! Blessed (favored of God) are you before all other women!”
“But when she saw him, she was greatly troubled and disturbed and confused at what he said and kept revolving in her mind what such a greeting might mean.”
“And the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found grace (free, spontaneous, absolute favor and loving-kindness) with God.”
“And listen! You will become pregnant and will give birth to a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus.”
“He will be great (eminent) and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His forefather David,”
“And He will reign over the house of Jacob throughout the ages; and of His reign there will be no end.”
My heart is blessed every time I read this passage.
As the busyness continues in these last days of preparation to celebrate the birth of Jesus, this passage brings me great joy and great peace.
No matter what is happening around us, the Lord is gracious.
His grace abounds.
He sent His Son so we may be blessed beyond measure with eternal life.
While we are here on this earth, we are able to walk through this life with His Spirit in ours – One with us.
Jesus told us this.
We are One with God as He is One with God.
I am ever so thankful and blessed this day to remember the Love Who came from heaven to bring Himself here to us.
Today I choose to be grateful – above all else – that our King came to save us and love us with a love that cannot be fully understood by my small human heart.
May you be blessed this day as you reflect on the immense Love Who came to save you and bring you closer to Himself.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for reminding me in such a precious way of Your immeasurable Love Who came to save me. Thank You for Your Word that continues to teach me and bless me as I read it. As the busyness of these days overwhelm my body, may You fill my soul. Fill my spirit with Your Holy Spirit, Father. Keep my mind on You and in a state of great thankfulness for Your never-ending grace. May Your peace be upon me and the family You have given me this day, Lord. May Your blessings be received with thankful hearts. Thank You for Your abundant provision and for taking care of all our needs. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM with you and your household this day and every day, and I take pleasure in blessing you, My child.
Response: Undeserving of Your love and care, thank You, most gracious and Almighty God.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.