LUKE’S CHRISTMAS GOSPEL OF JESUS: A 30-Day Christmas-Time Devotional.

What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?

Luke 1: 32-33 (MsgB)

[32] He will be great, be called ‘Son of the Highest.’ The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; [33] He will rule Jacob’s house forever—no end, ever, to His Kingdom.”

So, what do you want to be when you grow up?

A fireman? A doctor? A teacher? An astronaut?

Do you remember being asked that question when you were young? Or, if you’re like me, maybe you’re still asking yourself that very question!

For Jesus, I love to imagine what He might have said when His friends asked Him this question. I’m sure, in humility, Jesus must have passed on that one, replying with a smile, “God only knows!”

Or, maybe His line was, “I want to be a good carpenter, just like my dad. Building good things for God!”

I truly doubt that Jesus smiled at His friends and said, “How about, Messiah?”

Yet, while Mary and her son, Jesus, probably never said it publicly, the fact remains that who Jesus was going to be when He grew up was spoken very clearly by Gabriel about three decades prior to the start of Jesus’ ministry.  Later in Luke’s second chapter of his gospel story, it says that Mary held all of these amazing words of promise about her son, Jesus, “in her heart.”  I’m wondering at what point in Jesus’ life did Mary began to tell her oldest son the kind of stuff Gabriel proclaimed over Him prior to His conception?

Amazing words, aren’t they?

Powerful prophetic words. Words so amazing, I’m wondering how a person could hold onto them.

Can you imagine how hard it was at times for Mary, and quite possibly even for Jesus, to keep these powerful words of promise in your heart in the midst of 30 years of an ordinary life in Nazareth?

Jesus and His mother, Mary. Living a very humble life in a very ordinary village, surrounded by ordinary, everyday people. No signs of any of these amazing promises being true. No miracles. No signs and wonders. No crowds. No applause. Just words of promise given by God’s messenger prior to this baby’s birth. Makes you appreciate the gift of faith, doesn’t it?

So, what amazing words of promise does God want you and me to hold tightly in our hearts today? Could it be that we live in a season very similar to the time just prior to Jesus’ first advent? Could it be that we, like Mary, are called to hold onto Jesus’ promised Messiah-ship in similar ways in our day and time?

Not an easy thing to do at times, is it?

When everything around us points to the contrary, can we, like Mary, hold firm to these words of promise about her son, Jesus? And, who we are in Him?

My prayer: May I, Lord, be more like Mary, holding deeply in my heart the unique promises given by Gabriel, speaking about who Jesus was, is, and always will be. Breathe the gift of faith into my life today, Father, so that all of Your promises that come through Your precious Son, Jesus, are fulfilled in Your time and in Your way. For Your name’s sake. Amen.

My questions to ponder: So what ramifications are there for my life if these amazing promises spoken about Jesus are still true? If indeed, Jesus is the ‘Son of the Highest’ and has a Kingdom that has no end, ruling forever, how should that affect my life today? Am I willing and able, like Mary, to hold onto these specific promises during my life time, making sure the things of this world don’t deter me from holding tightly to these great words of promise about my Savior?

So what is God speaking to you today? Are you practicing the Kingdom presence of God?

We hope you’ll enjoy these 30 blogs that walk you through 30 days of Advent (Nov 26 – Dec 25). Here’s the homepage for the entire series.

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