And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed?
That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.
Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them.
“Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior - yes, the Messiah, the Lord - has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!”
While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
- Luke 2:6-7
We didn’t have room for you when you were born. We turned You away. Yet what do You do?
Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.
- John 14:1-3
You forgive us and prepare a place for us so we may be together anyway.
Your love is amazing.
If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight were filling you with light.
Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else:
“Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer:
‘I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I don’t cheat, I don’t sin, and I don’t commit adultery. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’
“But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying,
‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’
I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
- Jesus
Luke 12:25
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.
If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight were filling you with light.
In one of the villages, Jesus met a man with an advanced case of leprosy. When the man saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground, begging to be healed.
“Lord,” he said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.”
Jesus reached out and touched him.
“I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!”
And instantly the leprosy disappeared.
