Greetings to you…”the Apple of His Eye”…in the marvelous name of Jesus Christ – THE Risen Savior! Yes, it is damp, gray, cold – but it is still the day that the Lord has made and we must rejoice and be glad in it! Here we are at almost the last day of the year…and what a year it has been – are you ready to leave it behind? Have you got a few things in you mind and your planning for the days ahead? I pray that you haven’t lost your hope! Today I will be praying for you, asking Father to plant the words of Philippians 3:13-14 – But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on…in your spirit…and may you receive His grace, mercy, and peace.
This morning I read of a painting that was in a New York art gallery…it measured 7′ 11″ x 17′ 9 ” and it came with instructions from the artist to get close to the painting rather than stand at a distance. He suggested that you would see the colors better, almost to the point of being engulfed in them and not be distracted and that you forget where you were.
Oddly enough I think that is the methodology that God uses with the Christmas story. He wants us to get close, not stand back. He wants us to enter the scenery…to smell, to hear, to feel. He doesn’t want us to be distracted. He wants us to experience the life-changing wonder of what was happening. He wants us to be overwhelmed. He wants us to gaze into the manger and see the baby. He wants us to turn away and return to our life utterly humbled, holding our breath, hungry to experience it over and over again, totally transformed by a power we cannot explain.
So please take some time and read once again…slowly and thoughtfully Matthew’s account and then Luke’s account…get close!
Something to ponder…be blessed!