Author: davidgoundry

A Christmas Devotion #4

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Luke 2:10-11; But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord”.
Have you ever felt special? Have you ever had that moment when everything is about you? Where all of the affection in your world seems to be directed towards yourself…..
Well, growing up I felt special every time December 25th rolled around. Waking up Christmas morning in a home full of joy, love and excitement. Trying my hardest to get to the presents as fast as I could only to be prevented by the Christmas routine of looking in every room but the room with the tree in, just in case there had been presents left there. This childlike frustration/anticipation only added to the growing glee with my heart. Whether I was unwrapping all of the He-Man Figures that I had asked Santa for, or as I grew older and saw the love that my family showed, by picking out gifts that they knew I would love, I always felt special. Opening these gifts as a child felt like the best time of my life because I felt so loved. I felt special at the dinner table wearing my tacky paper hat, sitting next to my granddad as we would all partake in the meal and Christmas pudding that my mam had made for us. As a child I felt like that day was just for me. Sure my brother and sister had a great time too, and the day was for them as much as it was for me, but, I felt like it was all done for me. This feeling that I have had over the years on this day (which I am sure many of you share) was an overwhelming sense of joy and personal elation.

Now, as the years pass by these feelings find a new deeper root within the very citadel of my soul when I read passages such as Luke 2:10-11. “Today in the city of David there has been born for you a Saviour”; this blows my mind. The angel from the Lord was very specific when he said “born for you”. It tells us of the very deliberate plan of Christ, that He came to this earth as a Saviour for you and for me. Verses such as these only go to add to the already highly personal plan that God has for our lives. You can imagine how special these shepherds felt when the angel came to say these things to them? As we read on in the text we see something extraordinary happen. A heavenly host, a multitude of angels appeared proclaiming peace on earth and goodwill to all men. Around 1264, Thomas Aquinas penned these words in a hymn; “Panis angelicus, fit panis hominum, Dat panis cœlicus”. (Bread of the Angels, Is made bread for mankind; Gifted bread of Heaven). Truly, in this moment the ‘bread of Angels’ was given to us….. Our true Bread of Life, Christ Jesus.
My prayer this Christmas, is that you will feel like the special chosen person in Christ that you are and that you will have great joy this Christmas season because there has been a Saviour born for YOU!

A Christmas Devotion #3

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Isaiah 42:1; “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My Elect one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations”.

In England we have a chocolate covered variation of Turkish Delight which is one of sweetest and most delicious bars of sugary goodness I have ever tasted. As a child entering into the confectionery shop it would always be the candy bar that would carry a unique ‘aura of specialness’. To the point that if you purchased it over any other candy, you would leave the local shop feeling giddy. And yet, although my young taste buds delighted in consuming my sweet purchase, it was a delight that lacked depth and gone as soon as it had arrived. However, if I could bottle the delight I felt and magnify it several thousand times, I may scratch the surface of the depth of delight that we find here in Isaiah, as he pens words about the coming Messiah.

What a blessing it must have been for the Father to say this about His Son. The part of the verse which stands out to me here is, “My Elect one in whom My soul delights”. This really gives us a picture of how the Father feels about His Beloved Son. Not only does it state that Jesus was the Elect One, the only one that could come to this earth and give Himself as an offering on our behalf to save our lives, but also, that the Father delights in His son. This reminds me of Jesus’ Baptism, where the Spirit of God descended upon Jesus like a dove and a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased”. Notice that this statement from the Father comes before Jesus had started His earthly ministry. This is a proud Father indeed.

For all of us that are found in Christ, this principle applies to us. No matter what we do here on earth, whether it be good acts that we do or in the times that we stumble, it does not change the fact that we have a God that loves us beyond our wildest comprehension. Not only this, but I am convinced that His soul delights in those who are found in Christ, who have been chosen to be the Fragrance of Christ. (That notion is still a mystery to me. Why the Father would choose us to play a part in making Christ ‘smell good’).

God can delight in us due to the obedience of His Son, Jesus Christ, that came in the flesh and dwelt among us. Let us be joyful together this Christmas season that Jesus Christ our Lord has given us this opportunity to delight God’s Soul. 

A Christmas Devotion #2

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Luke 2:6,7; “While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in clothes, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the Inn.”

The world can be a pretty cruel place sometimes and rejection is one of the things that many of us struggle with. It is not hard to have a rejection complex if for instance, as a child you grew up without one or even any of your parents around. Or, if you had friends that pushed you aside in favour of their own needs and desires. These events in our lives leave their mark. It’s so easy for us to just give up and quit trying when everything seems to be going against us. This fruitless path of least resistance seems to be one that we choose with peculiar regularity.

Now, on this particular night everyone was rejecting Joseph and Mary as they searched for a place for Mary to give birth. As a husband and father of two, I could only imagine the frustration and rejection I would feel if nobody would provide a place for one of my children to be born. However, this birth that Luke is talking about isn’t just any child that was going to be born, it was the Christ, the Saviour of the World; even so, rejection was not far away. Like a lion waiting for the moment to strike his prey, Satan was readying his assault. And in the midst of all the rejection of this evening, the scriptures never point out that Joseph and Mary lost control and simply decided to throw in the towel, they simply kept looking for somewhere that would accept them, rather than reject them. We must remember that the nature of this fallen planet and the evil prince that is at work here, WILL always offer us the hand of rejection rather than acceptance. It was Jesus himself that told us ‘not to be surprised when the world hates us, because the world first hated Him’. This is what we deal with every day. But, thanks to our Lord, we are more than conquerors and can accomplish all things in Christ who strengthens us.

When you find that there is ‘No Room’ for you, turn to Christ your redeemer and you will find more acceptance than you could ever imagine.

A Christmas Devotion #1

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Matthew 2:10,11; “When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshipped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh”. 
Don’t you just love starting a new journey? I remember as kids how excited we would be sitting in the back of the car playing our imaginary musical instruments as we waited for our destination. I have often wondered what the Magi were thinking as they started out on their journey to find a King. Full of excitement and a knowledge that something great was just ahead. 

After seeing the Star in the sky that would guide them to the birth place of this King we are told that they ‘rejoiced greatly’. What a great journey this was turning out to be for them. Although it was a long journey and many scholars suggest that Jesus would be around 2 years old when they arrived in Bethlehem; this must have been a journey where every step was worth it’s weight in gold. Surely the Magi could not be blamed if they had been looking for a palace to find this King, after all where else would a King be born. A palace of some grandiose proportion would be fitting, and yet, it seems that they find the Child with His mother in a regular Judean house. The place that they found the Child was obviously not important to the Magi, just look at what was really in their hearts when they eventually arrived at the birth place of Jesus. “They fell down to the ground and worshipped Him”. These wise men, were just that, wise. They weren’t bothered where this star led them, as long as it led them to the King. The Bible does not say that these men fell to the ground in the presence of Herod, even though he was at the height of his ‘royal grandeur’. Worship belongs to God and God alone. Man, angel or demon does not deserve nor warrant our worship. After worshipping Christ they presented their treasures. Notice that they humbled themselves and laid themselves down before presenting their gifts. It is the same with us too. Every man must humbly submit himself to Christ first and when we have done this we will have no problem laying down our treasures before him. After all, the crowns that we receive when we move on into eternity will be most glorified at His feet. 

When was the last time we fell to the ground and worshipped Him and did what these wise men did? This should be something that we should do more often, not just at Christmas time when we are reminded of these scriptures, but throughout the year. We might be surprised at the dreams, visions and words that God will give us when we humble ourselves like the Magi. Who, let us not forget, also  received divine intervention from God about their journey back home. 

Never be ashamed to fall on the ground before your maker.