Scripture Reading: Luke 2:9-11 (New International Version)
“Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Saviour — yes, the Messiah, the Lord — has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!”
Thought for the day:
These days there are scams everywhere. One morning, I sat at my computer to check my email and was interested when I read the subject of one of the emails: “£10 free for all readers”. I get so much spam email but despite being disappointed so many times before after emails like this, I decided to take this one at face value and read more.
Everything looked quite good – all I had to do was go to the store between certain dates to pick up the “Free £10 voucher”. I began to think how busy the store would be if everyone who had received this email turned up at the same time. Then, right at the bottom of the email, in VERY small writing was the statement that made all the difference: “Terms and conditions apply. Minimum spend £100 in a single transaction. Sales items exempt. Voucher must be redeemed within 5 days.”
What seemed like good news for all the readers actually turned out to be an offer only for those who could afford to pay £100.
Our verse today is not like that spam email. The bible teaches us that everyone has been separated from God because of sin. There is no way in which we can bridge that gap through leading a good life or by following a set of rules. Sin requires a Saviour. Well, when the angel appeared to these shepherds, every word was true: Good news for ALL people.
Today, the Saviour has been born! The way back to God has been revealed and this is great news that should cause us all to be full of joy! Jesus is the Saviour of the world and all we need to do is to accept Him! No terms and conditions. Absolutely no minimum spend! The debt of sin is so great that we could never pay it back. We can’t even make a substantial contribution!
But Jesus has been born and He’s going to pay everything on our behalf. He’s going to ensure that we have everything we need for life and godliness. We can now live as God wanted us to live – in a personal relationship with a Holy God and that really is “Good News for All the people!”
Prayer and Application:
I know we’ve done this so many times, but in the light of today’s verse, just spend a few minutes in a prayer of thanks for your salvation. Thank God for sending Jesus and praise Him for this amazing free gift.