(Revelation 3: 14 – 22)

Laodicea  was  known  for  its great wealth.  Christ told  the Laodiceans to buy  their  gold  from  Him  (real spiritual  treasures).   The city  was proud  of   its   cloth   and   dyeing industries.    Christ   told   them   to purchase white garments from Him

(His righteousness). Laodicea prided itself on its precious eye ointment that healed many eye problems. Christ told them to get medicine from Him to heal their eyes so they could see the truth. Christ was showing the Laodiceans that true value was not in material possessions but in a right relationship with God. Their possessions and achievements were valueless compared with the everlasting future of Christ’s Kingdom.

God would discipline this lukewarm church unless it turned from its indifference toward Him. God’s purpose in discipline is not to punish but to bring people back to Him. Are you lukewarm in your devotion to God? God may discipline you to help you out of your uncaring attitude, but He uses only loving discipline. You can avoid God’s discipline by drawing near to Him again through confession, service, worship, and studying His Word. Just as the spark of love can be rekindled in marriage, so the Holy Spirit can reignite our zeal for God when we allow Him to work in our heart.

Don’t be like the Laodiceans – what they could see and buy had become more valuable to them than what is unseen and eternal. Wealth, luxury, and ease can make people feel confident, satisfied, and complacent. But no matter how much you possess or how much money you make, you have nothing if you don’t have a vital relationship with Christ. How does your current level of wealth affect your spiritual desire? Instead of centering your life primarily on comfort and luxury, find your true riches in Christ.

(from the Life Application Study Bible – The NEW LIVING TRANSLATION)

Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last

He can see beyond my future

While covering my past

Greater than any man that ever lived before

Jesus, my eternal Lord

Before the world’s foundation

The Ancient of Days has always been the spotless Lamb

And for our sin was slain

But He conquered death forever

Empowered by God’s Word

And still today He reigns as King and Lord

Forever King of kings

And Lord of lords

Deeper than the valley

Higher than the stars

Everything you’ll ever need and so much more

Jesus Christ

King of kings, Lord of lords.

~ DON MOEN

Let’s go!  That’s the response the shepherds  made   to  the   angel’s invitation  to  visit   the  new-born Messiah. (Luke 2:8-20)

How did the shepherds know where to go? The angels had not told them precisely where the manger stood. Undaunted by the lack of travelling instructions, the shepherds searched until they found Joseph and Mary and the new-born Baby wrapped in strips of cloth just as other Bethlehem babies were wrapped when they were born.

We are not told what the shepherds did when they saw the Baby. Neither are we told how long they stayed. What we are told is that they believed and that joy overflowed from them from the moment they saw Him. Joy flows from us when we know we are loved. God’s Christmas gift to these shepherds through the angels was just this: the news that, at the beginning of the new era that the Messiah’s birth heralded, they were included and not ignored, accepted and not rejected, chosen and not cast aside for being ‘unclean’. For shepherds who were criticized by the rabbi for being ceremonially soiled, this healing, liberating message gave them a brand new start in life. No wonder they were bursting with joy. Joy flows from us, too, when we know that we have something worthwhile to share with others. No wonder the shepherds gossiped the Gospel to all they met. They had seen the promised Messiah with their very own eyes. They wanted everyone to share the good news. Joy is contagious and those who heard their tale reveled in it. No wonder they returned to their fields and their flocks glorifying and praising God.

(Joyce Huggett, JOY TO THE WORLD)

At its deepest, most honest level, worship is a response … a response to God for all He is, and for all He’s done. It’s not even our idea! God Himself is the author and initiator of worship. Our task is simply to respond to Him, to bow before Him, to come humbly, yet boldly into an awareness of His presence.

Maybe “simply” isn’t the best term to use here, because worship isn’t always a simple thing. It often demands a sacrifice. It sometimes requires real effort. And it always calls for, well, a response. It may be inconvenient at times, and we may not always feel like it. But then, worship is not about us, is it?

So, what will your response be this Christmas? More busyness to fill your day? More projects to fill your home? More events to fill your calendar? How about this as your Christmas response – an offering of worship to our King?

It won’t always be convenient, friend. And you can count  on not  always  feeling  like   it. In   fact,   the   very   nature   of modern-day    Christmas  in  our society   will   probably   infringe   on each attempt  you  make  to   respond with  everything  that’s   you  to   the One  who  gave  up  everything    for you.

But  trust  me   on   this,  it  will   be worth   it.

(Marty Parks, A CHRISTMAS OFFERING)

Yet, were someone to chance upon the sheep stable on the outskirts of Bethlehem that morning, what a peculiar scene they would behold.

The stable stinks like all stables do. The stench of urine, dung, and sheep reeks pungently in the air. The ground is hard, the hay scarce. Cobwebs cling to the ceiling and a mouse scurries across the dirt floor.

A more lowly place of birth could not exist.

Wide awake is Mary. Somehow Mary knows she is holding God. So this is He. She remembers the words of the angel: “His kingdom will never end.”

He looks like anything but a king. His face is prunish and red. His cry, though strong and healthy, is still the helpless and piercing cry of a baby. And He is absolutely dependent upon Mary for His well-being.

Majesty in the midst of the mundane. Holiness in the filth of sheep manure and sweat. Divinity entering the world on the floor of a stable, through the womb of a teenager and in the presence of a carpenter.

She touches the face of the infant-God. How long was Your journey!

This Baby had overlooked the universe. These rags keeping Him warm were the robes of eternity. His golden throne room had been abandoned in favor of a dirty sheep pen. And worshipping angels had been replaced with kind but bewildered shepherds.

Meanwhile, the city hums. The merchants are unaware that God has visited their planet. The innkeeper would never believe that he had just sent God into the cold. And the people would scoff at anyone who told them the Messiah lay in the arms of a teenager on the outskirts of their village. They were all too busy to consider the possibility.

Those who missed His Majesty’s arrival that night missed it not because of evil acts or malice; no, they missed it because they simply weren’t looking.

Little has changed in the last two thousand years, has it?

(Max Lucado, GOD CAME NEAR)