Open Heaven (December 25th) The Greatest Gift RCCG Devotional

                                      Open Heaven (December 25^th)

Topic: The Greatest Gift ( Written by E.A Adeboye)

Memories: For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Colossians 2:9

Read: Luke 2:8-20

Glory in the Highest
8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And [a]behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a [b]manger.”

13 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[c] toward men!”

15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. 17 Now when they had seen Him, they made [d]widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. 18 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

The greatest gift a person can give is the gift of himself. If Abraham understood this, he would have not complained to God of not having a child after God had offered Himself to him as a gift, saying in Genesis 5:1^b:

“Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.”

In like manner, God has offer himself as a gift to all of mankind in the person of Jesus Christ ( 1 Timothy 3:16). As you celebrate His birth today, you need to understand the magnitude of what God has done in sending Him into the world for the salvation of mankind. No wonder He said to the Samaritan woman in John 4: 10:

“If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is the said to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.”

If you catch the revelation that Jesus is God Himself wrapped up as a gift just for you, your perspective will change from asking for petty things to desiring more of Him in your life. Having Him in your life is more than enough for you. This is why Colossians 2:10 says:

“And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:”

Those who know who He is and have received Him into their lives know that they need nothing more. Having Jesus in your life grants you access to all the resources of heaven, so what more do you need beyond Him (John 16:15)? To give us a better understanding of this mystery, the Holy Spirit asks us a question we should pounder on in Romans 8:32, saying:

“He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?”

It is one thing to be offered a gift, and it is another thing to accept this gift. It is one thing to accept an offered gift, and it is another thing to know the worth and capabilities of that gift. Ultimately, for person to benefit from the benevolence of a gift, its content has to be unpacked and deployed to meet the need of its recipient. Have you accepted the Greatest Gift that God can give into your life? Today is the great day to do so if you haven’t. He is standing at the door of your heart waiting to enter in, if only you acknowledge that He loves and care for you, and that He shed His Blood on the cross of Calvary to cleanse your sins. After acknowledging this, you need to declare it with your mouth and also confess your sins to Him. Ask Him to come into your life to reign over you as your personal Lord and Saviour. If you have done this, congratulations! You will begin to discover so many things about the Greatest Gift of God as you begin to study about Him through a Bible, and these will propel your life to the zenith. Hallelujah!

Bible in one Year: Proverbs 26-28, Zechariah: 12:10-13:6

Hymnal: Sing Hymn 6

Prayer Point: Father, I thank you for giving me the gift of Yourself in Jesus, and I thank you that I amcomplete in Him; I therefore confess that I lack, sickness and failure have no place in my life.

 

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