Timing is important. How many of us believe that? Anything that happens before time is called premature and anything that happens after time, is called overripe or spoilt.
This Christmas season, let’s spend some moments reflecting on the significance of Christ’s birth.
Galatians 4:4 is an incredible verse. It says, “When the time came to completion, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law” God’s Word says, “When the time came . . . ” At just the right time God sent His Son. That represents the miracle of the moment.
The Bible says, “When the time came to completion, God sent His Son . . . ” But the reality is, most people missed the miracle of the moment. Most people did not recognize the significance of Christ’s birth at the time. People were much too busy to pay any attention to the young girl giving birth to her first child out in a stable there in Bethlehem.
At just the right time in history Jesus was born. The coming of Christ into the world was not a matter of chance or coincidence. His coming was part of God’s divine plan established before the foundation of the world.
- He came at the right moment
This miracle of Christmas helps us to understand that God saved us just on time. He is always a miracle working God and all things take place in his Kingdom in His time.
John 11
Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”
4 When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, 7 and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”
8 “But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?”
9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light. 10 It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.”
11 After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”
12 His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” 13 Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.
14 So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, 15 and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”
16 Then Thomas (also known as Didymus[a]) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Now Bethany was less than two miles[b] from Jerusalem, 19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
21 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24 Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
28 After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” 29 When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.
32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked.
“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
35 Jesus wept.
36 Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”
38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 “Take away the stone,” he said.
“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”
40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”
43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go. ”All things in our lives take place for the glory of God.
This Christmas season, it’s going to be new. Jesus will come and renew our lives. We may have been waiting for quite sometime now but remember, He comes at the Right moment.
Also, the essence of the miracle totally depends on the timing. If it is not the right time then it will never stir up our faith. Jesus came at the right time into our lives to save us. If he would have come a little early or little late then we would have missed it. Why do we call something a miracle because of the precision of time of the happening. Believe, trust God will come. But draw near to him as you wait for Him to come.
This Christmas my response would be ‘Lord I believe you will come and I want to draw closer to you’.
- He provides at the right moment
Psalm 145:15 says, “All eyes look to You, and You give them their food at the proper time.” Psalm 104:27 says, “All of them wait for You to give them their food at the right time.” Deuteronomy 11:14: “I will provide rain for your land in the proper time, the autumn and spring rains, and you will harvest your grain, new wine, and oil.”
Romans 5:6 says, “For while we were still helpless, at the appointed moment, Christ died for the ungodly.” When do you need a miracle? When you have no more options and no more resources, you are in a position to receive a miracle from God. He has promised to come at just the right time and provide just what you need for the moment. When we are utterly helpless, Christ still comes to us today.
Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”
3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”
6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”
“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.
“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.
9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram[a] caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.” Genesis 22: 1- 13
It’s not only materialistic provision that God provides.
He provides us with encouragement
He provides us with energy
He provides us with inspiration
He provides us with people who will lift us up
He provides us with His Salvation.
God provided His son and that is the miracle of the moment.
This Christmas let’s prepare our hearts to receive God’s provision. Let’s not forget that He provided an ultimate sacrifice for our redemption and that we may once again have that access to God.
Christmas is all about remembering that God kept His promise of long ago and provided us with His son.
III. He says now is the right moment
Second Corinthians 6:2 says, “I heard you in an acceptable time, and I helped you in the day of salvation. Look, now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation.”
We may believe or have an idea that if I don’t do it now it will never happen. but that’s not true
On the other hand many people have waited for the right time but what if God is saying the right time is now act on it and we keep procrastinating it till we miss it and settle for a mediocre plan. So be alert and do not vile away precious moments.
The birth of Jesus had precious moments and it was for a time which many of them grabbed like the shepherd, 3 wisemen but there were a few who died in their disbelief. The Old Testament prophecies concerning the coming of the Messiah were completed. At just the right time God sent His Son!
Parable of the ten virgins – the time the bridegroom came, that moment and then it was all over.
“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
9 “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’
12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’
13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. Matthew 25:1-13
Time is now for change
Time is now to act
Time is now to repent
Time is now to Forgive
Time is now to welcome Jesus into our lives
Time is now to live
Time is now to love
Time is now to give
Christmas is a time of introspection. Jesus was born in a manger, so that He can easily be approachable by all. There were some who grabbed the opportunity at the right time to have glimpse of this messiah, however, there were some who totally ignored it. Christmas is the miracle of the moment to set all things right not because it is end of the year but because we recall what God has done for us.
He provided His son for us at the right time.
Sandra wife of Virjil, The Renewed Hope Community is situated in the heart of the city between Old and New Panvel. We can confidently share that Renewed Hope Community is a Church in Kamothe, Church in Khandeshwar, Church in Khanda Colony, Church in Karanjade, Church in Panvel, Church in New Panvel, Church in Karanjade because we are centrally located and these places surround our church Venue.
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