The Greatest Gift 2

The Greatest Gift 2

She will bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus [the Greek form of the Hebrew Joshua, which means Savior], for He will save His people from their sins [that is, prevent them from failing and missing the true end and scope of life, which is God]. Matthew 1:21 AMPC

It is easy to celebrate Christmas and be grateful for all we have received, but let us cast our minds back on that first Christmas season. First, there was nothing festive about it, and no fanfare. The world didn't care who or what was coming; so it made no difference. And we have the family of the hour, Joseph and Mary, already engaged to be married, and then Mary was found to be with child, even though Joseph had not had anything sexual with her. Decision time: stay or flee? And he didn't act irrationally or without thought. The Bible records that he quietly contemplated what to do.

Today's extract is God's response to all of Joseph's contemplations. First, there was a divine choice by God on who the vessel would be. Mary wasn't the only virgin in her time; in fact, being a virgin was the only option as the alternative was death. There had to be something else, and it must have had to do with the heart. Mary received the news and believed it, and for God, that's all you can do. There was a divine and eternal purpose at work here, and God was looking for someone with an eye on eternity; one who would work with Him to establish God's purpose in his/her generation. Am I such a person?

And the purpose is the salvation of ALL men, irrespective of leanings, origin or creed. The name and assignment of the child is also foretold, leaving no one in doubt as to what Christ was coming to the world to do. Every other thing became an additional assignment; the first and most important was the one tied to his name: Jesus- which means Saviour. And he's capable, because by His life, death and resurrection, he has set the pace on what to expect and what is the end of all who trust Him. He leaves no doubt as to where my decisions today will end up.

The end of all life and the true scope of life is the discovery and pursuit of God. Nothing else will satisfy, no matter your net worth. Nothing else can fill the void only God can occupy. He calls out to all of us, as He has always done since creation, asking us to trust Him. Would you? Would I? His time of favour is here.