Daily devotion – The greatest invitation ever given
Luke 2:10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
The Child born King in Bethlehem, was Jewish indeed, but He was not just a Jewish Saviour. The angel told the shepherds that first Christmas Eve, that the Savior who is Christ the Lord, had come to save both Jew and Gentile. The Gospel was available for all who would receive Him born in a stable.
John 3:16 compliments what the angel spoke to the shepherds, “For God so loved the world….that whoever….believes in Him….!”
This is the wonder of Christmas, and the spread of God’s love. His Son was going to die for the world’s sins. Sometimes we think that we are too bad, too far gone, to be able to be loved by God or accepted by Him. No, this Child had come to bring light to a dark world that whosoever would receive His grace would be saved. No matter their birth, no matter their past.
To me this is why Christmas truly is so wonderful and a time for us all to rejoice. The Bible says “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. That there is none righteous no not one.” But the Bible also says the invitation to be saved, to be forgiven is open to all who would repent of their sins and believe that Jesus died in their place for their sins. “For the wages of sin is death!”
Christmas is the largest and greatest invitation that has even been given out. This is why Paul could write, “Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
People of all ages, of all backgrounds, of all nations, have been invited to come see the Child born King and to worship Him.
What I love about this in closing is this – that God invited me to come to Him. I count it a great privilege to be invited yet alone to be received into His kingdom. But it doesn’t stop there, He adopts me and you into His family whereby we can call Him Abba Father!