Monday 16 December 2013

Coming Up: Sonday 22 December 2013

Looking Forward to a King

What had happened to God's promises? The people of Israel were beginning to despair. God had promised them a mighty king who would reign on the throne of David forever. Instead, the people were in a foreign land being oppressed by God's enemies still looking forward to a king promised by God. This Sonday we will see how Jesus, born at Christmas time, is the true king who lived, suffered and died for the sake of His people and who will reign over them forever. We too must submit our lives totally to this incredible King.

Monday 16 December 2013

Read: Genesis 3:1-7 This was the day. The day that everything changed. The fateful day that the entire course of human history was irrevocably adjusted. This was the day that it became necessary for mankind to have a new king, a king who wouldn't be born for thousands of years.

The setting was perfect. The world was totally in order. Relationships were without difficulty. Mankind was perfectly happy in a world with no suffering, no disease and no death. God, the creator and the rightful king and ruler was in charge and the people submitted perfectly to Him. It truly was very good.

This is the day that all of that was upset. Mankind, in a single act of defiance, chose to depose the rightful king from their lives and install themselves as king. Adam and Eve, tempted by the serpent, chose the course of action that could 'make them like God'. Adam and Eve decided to rebel against God's rightful authority in order to install themselves as the highest authority over their own lives.

The consequence was terrible. Mankind brought upon itself the rightful punishment for rebellion against God, death. Not only physical death but spiritual death also, separation from God forever. The curse that resulted from this action spread out from them. The serpent was affected, all the men and women who would descend from Adam and Eve were affected, indeed the whole ecosystem of the world was adversely affected by the rebellion against God.

It would take thousands of years for the true king to come at Christmas time. Many times before then mankind would try to deal with this problem of rebellion. Many times they would turn back to their own ways, setting themselves up as the ruler of their own lives. The only hope would be for a new king to come. This king would provide hope for millions and would ultimately deal with the curse of sin forever. This good king could deal with the consequences of that first rebellion and restore the world to its rightful state.

As we celebrate Christmas let us sombrely remember that fateful day when mankind rebelled against God and let us always remember that we too seek to usurp God from His rightful place as king so that we can rule our own lives. Our only hope is Jesus Christ. He is the good king, the rightful ruler and the only answer to sin. Let us praise Him forever.

Prayer: Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.

Adoration:

Confession:

Thanks:

Supplication:

• Praise God that He provided a good king at Christmastime to deal with the problem of sin and death. Praise Him that despite your and my rebellion against Him He chooses to love us and to turn our hearts towards Him. Pray that God would forgive you for the times that you seek to rule your own live and that He would help you to submit everything to Him.
• Pray for those Christians around the world who are facing increased persecution during this time of the year. Pray that God would protect them and keep them safe. Pray that they might be bold in sharing the gospel with others, no matter the cost to themselves. Pray that God would reveal to you how you can be supporting these brothers and sisters.

My Additional Prayer Points

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