December 22, 2024 Devo

December 22nd, 2024

“It’s All About Jesus!”
The Birth of Jesus – The Shepherds
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.” – Luke 2:9-10 (NLT)
“Good News”

Years ago, before he ever became an icon of American Christianity, I heard Rick Warren say something that forever impacted my life. He said, “The Gospel is Good News. Telling people ‘The wages of sin is death,’ is not Good News. In fact, it’s not even news anymore! The Good News is that ‘There is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.’”
The point he was making was subtle, but powerful. Jesus Christ didn’t come to tell people how bad they were. He came to show them how good they could become. If you grew up with hellfire-and-brimstone preaching, you get the point. The approach is, “You’re bad, God’s mad, you’re going to hell, so sad.”
Now contrast that to the angel’s pronouncement to the shepherds. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.” The angel didn’t point out to the shepherds how awful they were. He didn’t condemn them for the lives they lived or the way they spoke. Nor did he tell them that they were going to hell in a handbasket. What he DID do was tell them that there was Good News and cause for Great Joy because a Savior had come who could change their lives and the lives of everyone in the world. The angel gave them HOPE. The angel brought LIGHT to their darkness. And the angel pointed them to GRACE.
Think about it. Does it help you more for me to tell you that you’re a horrible husband or for me to tell you I’ve got some ideas on how you can be an incredible one? Does me telling you that you’re a lousy person make you want to change or does me telling you how you can become someone others want to be around motivate you more? Would you be drawn to God more if I told you that God was so mad at you that He sent His Son to condemn you or if I told you that God so LOVED you that He sent His Son to save you? Do you get the point?
The angels came to bring brilliant light to a field of darkness. They came to bring hope to a group of people who basically felt they were hopeless. They came to proclaim to remind the world of something they had forgotten. God is FOR US and not against us. I think we might do well to proclaim that message a little more ourselves. That’s God’s Word for you today.