ACCEPT HIS GIFT
Luke 14:16-22

Jesus came to a synagogue in Nazareth where He was brought up, “And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written, ‘The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.’” (Luke 4:17-19)Jesus identified Himself by pointing out the gifts that He had brought to every man and none could relate with all that He was reading, as recorded by the prophet Isaiah long before the birth of Jesus. Today many know His name and many celebrate His birth, but greater numbers are yet to accept His gift. Jesus came to give Himself as a present; a gift for all who will accept Him. Jesus declared, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” (Revelation 3:20)How can you not hear His knock of gift? Jesus, the Anointed One, is here to heal every broken heart but the brokenhearted are not opening their doors and He will not force Himself to enter someone’s heart that is broken and needs to be fixed. The Spirit of the Lord that He, Jesus, was carrying is a gentle Spirit; not a forceful or competitive spirit. The captives remain captive because they have yet to capitalize in on the privilege of grace that came for their freedom. The blind remain blind because they refuse to look up to Jesus. Many are attempting to see through other gods instead of theOne and Only God. Also, many are putting man in the place of Jesus and by that virtue, the vision is not clear enough for them to move in the right direction. Jesus is the Lord and Savior and that demands looking up to God through Jesus. The birth of Jesus made salvation available and that cannot be manipulated nor monopolized by any man because it is not from man, but rather is from God to every man. Jesus came for the poor so that He can make them rich in the things of the Lord. Knowing about Jesus is half knowledge and to know Jesus is not enough when your behavior does not comprehend with Him. Jesus wants us to be like Him and to be like Him is to behave like Him. Do you believe in Him? If you believe in Jesus, then behave like Jesus. Behaving like Jesus is being known in Him. Behaving like Jesus is not of determination, but it is by the grace of God.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to be known in Him today.

THE WORD IS BORN
Luke 1:39-45, John 1:1-8

Have you given the Word a dwelling place in your inn? While Mary was carrying the Word, she went and visited Elizabeth who was carrying John the Baptist at the time of Mary’s visit. The Bible records during that visit as she “…entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.”(Luke 1:40-41)When Elizabeth heard the word of greetings from the one who was carrying the Word of God, the babe in her leaped and the effect the Holy Spirit had made Elizabeth speak out with a loud voice. After she spoke she testified, “For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.” (Luke 1:44) Jesus, the Word of God, was on His way to the face of earth in human form when He began to operate as a source of joy. He came with joy and joy was His mission. Once in royal David’s City, in lonely cattle shed, joy came to this world by the grace of the Almighty Gracious God with a plan and purpose to deliver all who had been held captive. He came to give hope to the hopeless and to make life everlasting a possibility for all who will turn to the Word and accept living in the way of the Word. Jesus brought joy to the world for those who would make the choice to accept Him as their Lord and Savior. The joy that was brought by Jesus was not meant to be a seasonal joy, but all year round and everlasting joy. The lack of knowledge about the Word is a trap for a seasonal joy. John, a disciple of Jesus, was privileged to hear, see and touch Jesus. By virtue of John’s relationship with Jesus, in his documentation like other disciples, he stated, “And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.” (1 John 1:4) Jesus also confirmed it in John 15:11, “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” Accepting Jesus and living for His glory is to be living all year with a joyful heart. A joyful life is a demonstration of faith that believing in Jesus cannot fail in every area of life. Jesus is our joy and joy is the only access unto God. Without joy, assessing the presence of God is not possible. The Psalmist confirmed it, “In Your presence is fullness of joy…” (Psalm 16:11) Let the joy of the Lord be yours all year round and undeniable strength from God will reign and rule your life.

Prayer for today: Ask that the Word will have more power and meaning in your life.

ANY AVAILABLE INN?
Luke 2:1-7, John 2:13-25

Do you have a room for the Lord in your inn? At the time of the birth of our Lord and Savior, there was no available inn for the Lord to come forth into the wicked world. At the time of the birth of Jesus, Joseph must have been exhausted in his attempt to locate any inn and as a result, they ended up in a manger. The Bible also records, “So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:6-7) Can you account what or who has filled up your inn? Many are celebrating the birth of Jesus without Jesus having a place in their inn. It is important to have Him in your inn and celebrate. It is not important and neither does it add anything to you celebrating the birth of Jesus without you having Him in your inn. Most inns back then and still so today are filled with self, moneychangers, deceivers and those who have no regard for the business of the Lord. Thus so when the Lord arrived in a town where there was no room for Him in the inn, He had to lay and dwell in a manger. Imagine having Jesus’ birth in a specific inn at the time of His birth. Such an inn would have become the biggest hotel franchise in the whole world today. God is a perfect God and knows tomorrow from today. If you will consider yourself as an inn for a moment, do you have a place for the Lord to enter? Just as He could not be brought forth in the inn, so He could not allow Himself to be drawn to the life in the temple. The temple was supposed to be used for the glory of God, but it was being used as a den of thieves. Jesus “… found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, ‘Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!’” (John 2:14-16) Jesus was not recognized at the inn during the time of his birth and while He was around the temple was also relegated from what He should be. Can you create a place for His birth in your inn? Celebrating His birth without Him in your inn will not prevent eternal termination when the trumpet sounds.

Prayer for today: Lord Jesus, instruct and teach me in the way I should go; guide me with Your eye.

NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE
Luke 2:1-24

God alone will make a way where there is no way. God alone will convert frustration to celebration. He will convert mockery to miracle and will turn stagnation to motion. With God, nothing is impossible but all things are possible. As a believer in the name and the power of the Almighty God, you can rest assured that nothing should be considered accident anymore based on the understanding that God has delivered you. God is not a God of accidents, but rather is a God with a divine purpose and agenda. It was not an accident when the angel of the Lord visited Zacharias to announce the birth of John the Baptist neither was it an accident when it was revealed to the Virgin Mary that she was going to have a child who was to be named Emmanuel. That same angel during his visit to Mary to reveal the birth of Jesus stated, “Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.”(Luke 1:36-37) Are you experiencing or dealing with a situation that seems to have no way out? Are you living a Godly life? With God nothing will be impossible. The angel from the Lord said to Mary that there is nothing impossible with God. What He said to one speaks to all and if you are on God’s side, nothing is impossible. The One who came through an avenue that is impossible has made every situation to become possible in your life. Also, it was not an accident when Caesar Augustus was passing a decree that requested for the entire world to register for census. Caesar August was ignorantly passing a decree for the divine plan and purpose of God to come to a manifestation at the appointed time in the appointed place. At the time of registrations for the census, Joseph went with Mary to go and register in Bethlehem where it had been foretold would be the birthplace for Jesus Christ. Luke 2: 6-7, “So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”It was not an accident that shepherds were the only available ones and not doctors, priests or government officials to pay the first visit to Jesus. Accidents do happen and any kind of accident that is beyond your control is within God’s control if you will begin to see through the eyes of God. It is never too late for Him to turn around all the impossibilities to possibilities. Believe in Him who came through an impossible avenue and He will touch your impossibility.

Prayer for today: Lord let Your living Word have its rightful place in my life.

BE POSITIVE
Luke 1:39-56

As a child of the Most High God, allow positive thinking to take over your mind set. Proverbs 16:3, “Commit your works to the LORD, And your thoughts will be established.”  As a high priest, the work of Zacharias was committed to God. However, when it was time to have his thoughts established, he could not get it right. Having been barren for long, the angel visited him while he was standing on the right side of the altar of incense. (Luke 1:11) The angel said, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.” (Luke 1:13)  Zacharias could not receive his prophecy and questioned the angel when he responded, “And Zacharias said to the angel, ‘How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.’”(Luke 1:18) Zacharias’ thought was not in line with his prayer request at the time of his visitation. Zacharias’ response prompted the angel’s statement, “But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.” (Luke 1:20) Having positive thoughts can make a whole lot of a difference in how the journey on earth is propagated. As a child of God whose work is committed unto God, it is important not to think and see our request as being there when it is yet there to be seen. Just as Zacharias was visited, so Mary received her visitation when the angel of the Lord appeared to her and said, “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.” (Luke 1:31-32) Mary did not dispute the message, but asked an appropriate question of how that could be. As a virgin, it could be considered as an appropriate question; unlike Priest Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, who served God in the highest ground and yet could not place God in a higher area of trust in his thinking. Zacharias was mute through the pregnancy of John the Baptist. Have you been placed on a higher ground of service in the Lord? If yes, much is expected of you and any less can bring forth painful consequence. Mary did not dispute, but rather received the message of the angel stating, “…’behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.’ And the angel departed from her.”(Luke 1:38) Mary heard the message and she received it by seeing when it was not yet there.

Prayer for the day: Open the eyes of my heart Lord and cause me to constantly receive Your message.