Author: davidgoundry

A Christmas Devotion #8

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Gal 4:4-5: “But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons”.

Have you ever known anyone that has been adopted? I have had the privilege of knowing a few people who were adopted over the years. One friend of mine when I was at school stands out in particular. I will spare the details but when it boils down to it, my friend was given the chance of living a life full of everything that his childhood mind could imagine. Every birthday, every Christmas, the feeling of love he must have felt must have been overwhelming. He knew he had been given something that was a blessing to him. When we look at Christ being born for us so that we might be adopted as sons of the living God, it makes the true greatness of an earthly adoption pale in its comparison. To think that we were born into sin and lived in the darkness of that sin for a time; did we really deserve to have that feeling – and more importantly, position; of being adopted into a love that we can not comprehend? The answer of course is, No! But that is the beauty of being saved by grace and through this act, being adopted into the Kingdom of God as sons and furthermore, heirs of God through Christ. Heirs! Wow! As an Englishman the word heir carries a very special meaning. For instance, Prince Charles will not become the King of England because we voted him in, he will become the King of England because it is his birth right. He is the heir to the throne and no democratic process in the world can stop the theocratic ruling. Praise the Lord that in a much grander way it is the same with us. We are heirs also due to our birth, our new birth in the Spirit. A true theocratic position that no vote can alter. Now we get to experience a love that far surpasses the great love that an earthly adopted child receives.

So be thankful to the Christ-Child this Christmas, that he was born for you, so that you might have a life that you don’t deserve at all.

Isn’t it great to know that we have all been adopted into the same family! We are all brothers and sisters!

What kind of love is this? It is Christ’s Love.

A Christmas Devotion #7

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Luke 1:35; “The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God”.

When I think about Christmas time and the Incarnation of Jesus Christ I am always filled with wonder at just who Jesus Christ actually is; He is the Son of God. In the practice of apologetics we defend our faith from all types of attacks upon the scriptures and most specifically upon our Lord, Christ Jesus. To know what we believe and why we believe it is important in an age when so many other religions infiltrate our cultures. The dividing line between Christianity and cults can be found in the answer to one simple question, “Who do you say that Jesus Christ is?”. If the answer is anything other than Jesus Christ is God and the only Son of God, you can quickly surmise that you are dealing with a cult. This is why it is so important to know the scriptures which point to Jesus Christ’s deity and human nature. The GodMan, ‘In whom dwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily’. And because of what the Son of God did at the Cross and in that Judean Tomb, we who are found in Him are now are called the sons of God. Mind Blown!!!

To know that it wasn’t just any baby born in Bethlehem that night, but the Son of God, fills my soul with delight. Every Christmas time I marvel at the love that God has for us, that He would send His only begotten Son to die for me. Let us not forget just what an awe inspiring event this was. The whole of history came to a crossroads the day the Son of God took on the form of human flesh and dwelt with us.


“Our Good Shepherd,
With His Staff and Rod,
Incarnated for us,
The Son of God” 

A Christmas Devotion #6

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Luke 2:13-14; And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased”.
Several years after the angels had proclaimed this, Peter and John were on their way to the temple and as the past through the Gate called Beautiful they saw a lame beggar asking for alms. We all know the story, that this beggar was healed in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. When all the people saw this miracle they were amazed, but it is what Peter said that really catches my attention. He said to the people ‘why do you look so intently at us, as if by our own godliness we made him walk, it is by the name of Jesus Christ that this was possible’. It was Peter’s intent to make sure that all the Glory goes to God. This is a good example for us today. We now live in what is quite possibly the most narcissistic and self-glorifying age yet. An epoch of time where the spirit of man is so strong that the words ‘I did that’ or ‘I deserve this’ seem to come from people thinking that is their inalienable right to be number one. Apparently it is so easy to take credit for something that we have been a part of, when really the credit and the glory should go to God and to God alone. It was Isaiah who wrote, ‘I am the Lord, that is my name; I will not give My Glory to another’. Sometimes we can quickly forget just how ‘Awesome’ God truly is and that He is the Maker of all things and one day every knee shall bow before Him. This is the God that we serve, a God of supreme Sovereignty, an all powerful God. Let us not forget this fact.
If God has said He will not share His Glory with another, let us remember that when God does something through us of Eternal significance, that we are merely a willing tool in the Hands of an almighty God. Through our obedience we become that piece of clay that Jeremiah talks about, being molded by our Creator into a shape and a design for His purpose. I say that there is nothing more satisfying in life than to know that you have made yourself pliable in the Hands of our Lord. He is the One who has done the great things in our lives today.
So, be like the angels heralding Glory to God and be like Peter and John and make sure that the people who witness the Power of God through you, see Jesus and not you.
“Glory to God in the highest”.

A Christmas Devotion #5

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Isaiah 9:6,7 “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of Peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will accomplish this”.

What an unbelievable portion of scripture this is. There is so much prophecy in this Messianic text that we could delve into but it is the phrase, “There will be no end to the increase of His government or of Peace” that we shall fix our gaze upon. If there is anything that the enemy will try to rob us of, it is peace. Unfortunately, at this time of the year many people are losing their peace and getting stressed over things. Whether it is looking for that perfect gift for someone, only to find someone else got the last one or worrying about the financial implications of the season, a lack of inner tranquility seems to raise its ugly head. It is saddening that our peace can be taken from us, in what should be the most peaceful season of all. We sometimes need to take a step back and look at who is the ‘reason for the season’ and who it is that we joyfully serve. It is a Lord whose increase of Peace will never cease in its expansion. Peace ever-increasing! That is something we simply can’t understand. I say, ‘thank the Lord for the fact that we can’t fathom His Peace’. The Word of God tells us that the Lord will give us the Peace that surpasses all understanding. Just take a moment to think about that. If God gave us a peace that we could understand via our own intellect, it would not really be the peace we need. It has to be a peace that surpasses understanding, a peace that we can’t bring under the submission of our own knowledge. This type of peace we can truly rest in, knowing that the Lord’s Peace to us is a gift that is far above anything we can comprehend.

The 1st Century writer Epictetus said this: “While the emperor may give peace from war on land and sea, he is unable to give peace from passion, grief, and envy; he cannot give peace of heart, for which man yearn for more than even outward peace.”

Don’t let your Peace be robbed from you this Christmas season but look to the Ancient of Days who will never cease to increase in Peace.