December 15, 2010 His Hands on You

His Hands on You

Day 30: Luke 2:8-9 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

SOMETIMES when I’m playing with or conversing with one of my granddaughters, my attention may drift from what she’s telling me. When that happens, she’ll put her hands on my face and turn my face to her face, look me in the eye and say, in effect, “Pay attention, Grandpa. I’m talking to you.” She gets my attention, and I’m back on track.
Through the Christmas story, we see God coming to Zechariah, Mary and now the shepherds. Very powerfully, in the form of an angel and a multitude of angels, God has come to put his hands on the faces of those he has chosen for a special task in his plan to send his Savior to the world.
The glory of the Lord that night over the dark sheep pastures stopped the shepherds in their tracks, woke them up, and turned their eyes upward to see and hear the wonders of God come down to earth. This announcement transformed their lives.
When Jesus ministered to the world, he continued to demonstrate God’s glory. Through his love, his forgiveness, his healing, his sacrificial death and his resurrection. Jesus’ ministry message was, “The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” (Luke 19:10) And countless people received physical and spiritual healing.
Today, God’s glory comes to us in the power of the Holy Spirit. God’s message is loud and clear. Do you hear his gift of life, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. 7 All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.” Rev 21:6-7


Pause and Consider: God wants to look you in your eye and tell you how much he wants to save you.

A Worthy Savior
Read Revelation 5

Rev 5:4-5 Then I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll and read it. 5 But one of the twenty-four elders said to me, “Stop weeping! Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to David's throne, has won the victory. He is worthy to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

WHO IS WORTHY? Our Savior Jesus Christ is worthy to open the scroll. He has obeyed the Father and honored you. Yes, he is worthy.
The Lord gives John a glorious vision of his majesty. John has lived a hard life testifying for his Lord. He is at the end of his life. And Jesus, John’s ever-loving Lord, is showing John that his Lord truly overcomes the sin that keeps the sinner from true worship.
In essence, it seems Jesus reminds John that he has overcome. He is triumphant. Jesus has also told the church: “I stand at the door and knock for you.” He seems to be preparing John and the church for a most difficult, even terrible time in the future.
In the coming chapters the vision continues with very difficult and terrible things that occur in the world. But we must always understand these difficult events in the context of God’s reign.
The war of Evil opposing Good rages. And we know that the Lamb of God has already triumphed. Jesus has conquered evil because he has conquered death. Victory belongs to the Lord.
What are your struggles today? Look to the Holy God for strength to walk through the battles in your life. Walk with confidence that your triumphant Lord leads you to a triumphant life.


Pause and Consider: how Jesus gives you the tools to deal with the trouble.