2008-12-18 08:57:00
"Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12).
At seven years of age a thoughtful child wrote out an acrostic, spelling out the letters of his name and expressing his strong faith in God.
I – I am a vile polluted lump of earth
S – So I've continued ever since my birth
A – Although Jehovah, grace doth daily give me
A – As sure this monster, Satan, will deceive me
C – Come therefore, Lord, from Satan's claws relieve me
W – Wash me in Thy blood, O Christ
A – And grace divine impart
T – Then search and try the corners of my heart
T – That I in all things may be fit to do
S – Service to Thee, and Thy praise too.
I wonder how many of you have ever formulated such an acrostic for your name? I sure haven't!
This Christmas season many of us will sing carols with words so familiar that we may pay little attention to their rich meaning. Let us consider just one line from a great Christmas carol that most of us know well and will likely sing sometime during the season. It was written nearly 300 years ago by Isaac Watts and is still sung all over the world. He wrote a number of other great hymns that we sing to this day, but this is probably his hymn that is most universally sung.
There is a single line in the hymn I want to focus on today: "Let earth receive her King." I consider the conflict all over the world, particularly in the land of Christ's birth. Bethlehem is essentially closed up due to terrorism and violence. And there are so many places of strife from domestic to foreign.
The prayerful imploring of Isaac Watts is just as appropriate today as it was when he wrote it and when John wrote the words of the daily text: "Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God." The children of God are those of any generation, of any nation, of any skin color, of any economic level, powerful or powerless, who have received the King, who have believed in His Name. And all over the earth today many are receiving the King. Have you received Him?
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Father, there is nothing we can do in our own power or charm to receive Your favor, but we do receive Your forgiveness as we believe on Jesus and the wondrous work of His redemption through death on a cross. Then we are no longer orphans but are adopted into the family of believers who call You Father. And the amazing blessing is that You call us Your children. We receive You as our Father, our Savior, and our blessed eternal King.
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