God's Son – Be Still…

Christmas 🙏 Luke 2:1-7 – Obedience

Read Luke 2:1-7

The Christmas story never gets old. I know people that play Christmas music year round just because of the hope it brings. There is something indescribably special about the miracle of Christ’s incarnation. Knowing that God loved us that much to send his son into this world can leave you speechless if you let it. All our hopes and dreams can be met by that darling infant King.

But the Christmas story is more than the hope and promise of salvation. We shouldn’t be surprised that there are multiple layers of blessing and wisdom we can glean from this story. The lesson we’ll focus on today is Obedience.

Mark 1:9-15 – From Baptism to Temptation

Read Mark 1:9-15

I can’t even fathom the transition Jesus endured. He went from the high point of his baptism to being drawn into the wilderness to encounter the craftiness of Satan. The passage says Jesus was “compelled” to spend these 40 days in the desert. That’s a long time to be tempted by evil.

Mark’s gospel account of these two life events seems like the condensed version when compared to other gospels. Both were significant milestones in Jesus’ life. The baptism appears in all four gospels, and the temptation in three. Both events take place before Jesus begins his ministry.

Hebrews 1:1-4 💛 Jesus is God’s Son

Read Hebrews 1:1-4

The Book of Hebrews was written to the Jews to help them understand how Jesus fulfilled the law so they would recognize Jesus for who he was and accept his authority. It was difficult for the Jews, and sometimes even for us, to grasp that Jesus was the Son of God. It would have been dangerous for these Jews to be seen as Christ-followers, so this book will also serve to empower them with truth. We may find even today the temptation to fall away from our faith.

As we’ve been reading different texts to help us understand who Jesus is, this one encourages us to want a relationship with Jesus. He is certainly someone I want to associate with. I like this quote from Aaron Rogers, quarterback of my team (Green Bay Packers). “Surround yourself with really good people. I think that’s an important thing. Because the people you surround yourself are a reflection of you.” Don’t we want the world to see Jesus reflected in us?