“Our Daily Bread”   

http://odb.org/2012/12/14/i-invented-it/

The Daily Devotions of Greg Laurie                                  

http://www.harvest.org/devotional/daily-devotions/home.ht

Luke 2:8-11… And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. ¹⁰ And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. ¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.  (KJV)

“God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” was a Christmas carol with an unknown author; and is believed to have been written in the 15^th century, but was not published until 1833…  see link… http://www.sharefaith.com/guide/Christian-Holidays/holiday-songs/god-rest-ye-merry-gentlemen,-the-song-and-the-story.html

The lyrics to this Christmas carol describe the shepherds that the angel came upon, telling them that the Son of God was born in Bethlehem… “From God our heavenly Father A blessed angel came.  And unto certain shepherds Brought tidings of the same, How that in Bethlehem was born The Son of God by name:  O tidings of comfort and joy, Comfort and joy,  O tidings of comfort and joy.”   Here is the link for one version of this Christmas carol, along with a video…  http://xmasfun.com/Lyrics.asp?ID=22

The Old Testament predicted the Messiah; hundreds of years before Christ was born… Isaiah chapter 53, has one of the most dramatic prophecies of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ… Here is the link for this short chapter…     http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=isa53&version=NKJV

The pertinent scripture is found in…Isaiah 53:3-5… He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. ⁴ Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. ⁵ But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.  (NKJV)

The prophet Isaiah goes on to write about unredeemed man’s sinful pride and self-centeredness back then (and now), in…Isaiah 53:6…  All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.  (NKJV)

The opening scripture reveals that the long awaited Messiah was finally here !!  And with much praise in the air, Luke records this, in…Luke 2:13-14…  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: ¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”  (NKJV)

Scripture reveals Jesus telling us about rest for our souls, for those who come to Christ with a repentant heart, in…Matthew 11:28-30… “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”  (NKJV)

What a great time of year to be able to find the spiritual rest Jesus tells us about in this scripture…  The Christmas carol “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen”, starts out with this stanza… “God rest you merry, gentlemen, Let nothing you dismay, Remember Christ our Savior  Was born on Christmas day, To save us all from Satan’s pow’r  When we were gone astray; O tidings of comfort and joy,  Comfort and joy, O tidings of comfort and joy.”

In breaking down “Let nothing you dismay”…dismay means “sadness or depression”…  I believe the author is telling the shepherds that this baby Jesus is bringing “tidings of comfort and joy” to the world; and rest for the souls of those who put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior… This freedom in Christ is indeed, the reason we as Christians have “comfort and joy” !!

Heavenly Father, as Christmas day comes closer, urge all Christians to remember the price Your Son Jesus Christ paid for them on the cross…  Help us Lord, to find the comfort and joy you want for all of Your children…as we submit our lives to Your will and Your ways…  I pray for this perfect peace for all of Your children…and rest for our weary souls…in Jesus’ most precious name and for His sake…Amen…

written by bruce r mills