Ordinary Lives No More

After all the hype and preparation for Christmas we now get back to quieter days before the New Year celebration.  The shepherds who were visited by angels were back on the hillsides looking after their sheep and yet they would never be the same again because they had looked on Jesus, the newborn baby the angels had told them about.  Mary and Joseph likely wore the same clothes, had the same hair styles, and were just as poor the day after Jesus was born as the day before and yet they too were dramatically changed by the birth of the child Mary brought into the world.  How were we impacted by the celebration of the birth of the prophesied Saviour? Perhaps today is a day to assess our everyday lives and seek God to give us direction and purpose for the year ahead. 

We are ordinary people but when we encounter God we become those who are dramatically changed forever.  The guilt and shame of our past sin is removed and we are given right standing with God.  We have been set free from the power of Satan and can stand firm in the dignity, honour, and acceptance of God who declares us whole persons in Christ Jesus.

While we don’t yet know the full story of our lives any more than the shepherds and Mary and Joseph knew theirs, God knows what is coming and He is preparing us by working deep within our souls to give us everything we need, so our ordinary lives shine brightly in a way that attracts others to this same wonderful relationship with God through Jesus.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, You know every day of my life, past, present and future.  As ordinary as it may seem to me or others, help me to trust that You are working in me to do something that is wonderful that will have a lasting impact for good.  Amen

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