December 25 Daily Devotional

Bible Readings:

Luke 2:1-19, King James Version:
¹And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
²(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
³And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
⁴And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
⁵To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
⁶And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
⁷And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
⁸And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
⁹And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
¹⁰And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
¹¹For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
¹²And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
¹⁴Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
¹⁵And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
¹⁶And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
¹⁷And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
¹⁸And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
¹⁹But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

John 1:1-14, KJV:
¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
²The same was in the beginning with God.
³All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
⁴In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
⁵And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
⁶There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
⁷The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
⁸He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
⁹That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
¹⁰He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
¹¹He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
¹²But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
¹³Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
¹⁴And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Devotional:

When the world feasts at this time of the year, what does the Christian do about it? He can lose himself in the whirl, or he can use the time in communion with Christ. The miracle of the Incarnation is worthy of meditation at any time of the year, but when the Babe of Bethlehem is placed in the limelight by His enemies, there is greater reason for the believer's proclamation of Jesus' deity. Distortion of the true picture of Christ's person is seen by men at this season. Let us make sure that we witness of the God-man.

Only the Almighty can come into this world to be born of a Virgin. He was God—this child of Mary—existing before time, the Creator of time, before the angels announced his humble appearance among men in the form of man. Only when that is forgotten does sentimentality rule in the observance of Christmas. We may as well face the fact that the adoration of a merely human Jesus is idolatry. Only the Bible-believer can sing:

"Veiled in flesh the God-head see,
   Hail the Incarnate Deity."

The first advent of Jesus Christ was the coming of a Saviour, whose human nature was taken into union with the Divine nature for the purpose of working salvation for sinful men. Christmas does not exalt man. It does not speak of man's dignity but of his degradation. He came "to redeem them that were under the law." It took the Second Person ol the Trinity to lift fallen man from the abyss of sin. Let us not hear exhortations to man to lift himself. God has come to do the work which only He could do.

There are many temptations put before the Christian at this season to forget Calvary. "There is so much kindness and good-will in the air," it is said. Sin seems to lake a back scat when so many give to help the unfortunate. Be not deceived. Greater is the sin of failing to render praise to Immanuel at Bethlehem now than at any other time. Christ would say again, "Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one; that is God." He again calls men to recognize Him for His worth.

"Then let us adore, and give Him His right
   All glory and power, and wisdom and might,
All honor and blessing, with angels above,
   And thanks never ceasing, and infinite love."

We are very happy to make available to you this month these devotionals by the late Rev. LeRoy B. Oliver. They originally appeared in The Presbyerian Guardian during the late 1940's.

The description of his "Your Family Altar" page in The Presbyterian Guardian also fits this Web page: "The page is designed for both private and family use, whichever is most convenient in your case. If you do not have family worship in your home, we hope you will begin, and suggest using these readings. They should not, however, take the place of reading books of the Bible, or the Bible itself, through in regular course." It is those who abide (continue) in the Word who are truly Christ's disciples, who know the truth, and who experience freedom in Him (John 8:31-32). May these devotionals be used for the building up of God's people and to the glory of God.