Orientaton

Friday, December 13, 2024

Good morning, Lord

Father in Heaven, I seek You first-Your peace-Your knowledge and discernment. Build my trust. I take up my cross and follow...In Jesus' name...

Verse of the Day: Matthew 2:4-6

4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea..."

Memory verse: Psalm 139:23–24 (ESV)

23  Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 24  And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

Today's reading:   Joel 1-3 Revelation 5

Orientation

 There is what is now known as a famous cross in our town out on top of a hill by the interstate. It is called the Empty Cross. As you approach it from a distance, you cannot see so well the 'empty part'. It looks like a very large ordinary cross but then as you get closer to a frontal view, you can see that it is hollow in the middle.

The message is that Jesus did not stay on the cross-He was taken down, buried, and rose from the dead. He defeated death for us.

But it depends on your orientation-where you stand when you look.

Jesus came to change our 'orientation'-how we 'see' God and everything else, really. How we process things in our lives is our 'orientation'-the way we see things based on our early conditioning and many other factors in life.

Divine orientation is ours in Christ-how God does things-how God sees things-how God thinks. Our basis for knowing these things is the Holy Scripture-The Bible.

Christmas is about seeing the world as God sees it. It is about seeing needy and lost sheep who need a shepherd. It is about bringing the message of God coming as a child to live and experience life as we know it and then to provide an eternal solution to the sin problem.

It is about viewing God from the front-not the side-face to face in His light. This season reminds us that God's plan is to provide-to provide for us salvation, joy in Him, courage, hope, peace-to freely give us all that is in His heart.

 Our empty cross says that Christ has defeated death and has given us life in Him-that is what Christmas says.

...because He loves us...

Father in Heaven,

Your name is all glory and honor. Let Your kingdom come. Give me Your bread for today's trials and victories. Forgive me for being so self centered.

Great and mighty God above all,

In the name of Christ Jesus,

Amen