Thursday, December 21 (resending)

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2017
(Resending this entry due to an e-mail error)


"... The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing." (Zephaniah 3:17)


This verse does not come from today's reading, but it has been circulating in my mind since we read it earlier this week. From this verse, we understand that God takes "great delight" in His children and "rejoices over you with singing." What a fantastic promise!

Given our finite understanding, we cannot fully grasp the depth of God's love for us - and the joy that He experiences in His relationships. It brings to mind Jesus's noting that, if we love one another and abide in our relationship with God, our joy will be "complete." The phrase from Zephaniah suggests that God experiences this fullness of joy through His relationship with us, too.

Does your past - or your present - make it challenging to fathom God's love for you? Do you ever feel undeserving of God's affection? The Incarnation, Jesus's taking on human form to live in perfect obedience and to become a perfect sacrifice for us, speaks to the depth of God's love. As Romans 5:8 explains, "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." He looked on the crowds with compassion, and He knew of those who would follow Him, including us.

As you recall the miracle of the Incarnation, please fix your mind and heart on the glory of God's amazing gift and the lavishness of His love. May His singing over us lead us to awe, worship, and greater joy as we follow Him wholeheartedly.


Lord God, thank You for sending Your Son in human form so that we might receive forgiveness through His perfect obedience and perfect sacrifice. Give us clean hands and eyes so that we might know You better at this Christmastime. Help us to experience the overflowing joy that You desire for Your children, rooted in an abiding trust and the certainty of Your presence. In Jesus's Name, amen.


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