Tuesday 14 Dec 2010

Tuesday Reading: Luke 2:49
 
Key Verse: Luke 2:49
49  And He said to them, Why did you look for Me? Do you not know that I must be about My Father's business?

Devotion:
I know we are jumping ahead a few years after Christ’s birth for this one but some things can only be revealed over time and that is one thing that we definitely need to remember! I can understand exactly what Joseph and Mary were going through at this time being in a big rush to get things packed up so that everything would go smoothly – but it is during those times that we tend to leave God behind instead of making sure that we take Him first. Thinking your child is nearby and then suddenly realising that they are nowhere to be seen does tend to stop and make you think!

Christ was born as a human so that He could ultimately and finally pay for the sin debt of the whole world through giving His life in our stead but it is not that fact that we look at today but the act or serving. Christ came to be a servant of God the Father. Whilst we cannot fully grasp how He can be Christ and God and Holy Spirit all at once we do understand each part. We understand how He came as a man to serve His heavenly Father. The first words that Luke recounts of Jesus are these words “...Do you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” What a statement!

How many times have you dared to tell others, sorry, but God comes first? Well, sadly we do not do that enough. It is no mere coincidence that the first commandment is that we love the Lord our God first of all. The surest way of showing that love is to willingly serve Him in our daily lives. Christ came to serve, and serve He did. Throughout His ministry He made sure that everyone knew that God came first. If we are willing to put God first in our lives then just maybe we will be able to expect Him to lift us up when we need Him to. If we only treat Him as an after-thought, then should we expect anything from Him at all? I praise God that I am able to meet so many people willing to serve Him so that through their example I may find strength to continue serving Him first of all too.

Points to Ponder:
Who do you serve?

What do you think God thinks of your attitude towards Him?