“The LORD is the portion of my inheritance, my cup [He is all I need]; You support my lot. 6The [boundary] lines [of the land] have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me.” Psalms 16:5-6 AMP
Are you satisfied? It is a simple question yet controls everything that we do! As we approach Christmas day, thoughts of family and friends and smells of the season fill the air. Some are rejoicing with new babies born and the expectations of the future. For others, the memory of lost loved ones clouds the joyous emotions of the day. What is true is that we can rest in the fact that God so loved the world that He gave! The book of Hebrews reminds os that,
“[looking away from all that will distract us and] focusing our eyes on Jesus, who is the Author and Perfecter of faith [the first incentive for our belief and the One who brings our faith to maturity], who for the joy [of accomplishing the goal] set before Him endured the cross, disregarding the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God [revealing His deity, His authority, and the completion of His work].”
Hebrews 12:2 AMP
It was for our benefit that Him who know no sin became sin on our behalf. The book of Philippians reminds us,
“Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5Have this same attitude in yourselves which was in Christ Jesus [look to Him as your example in selfless humility], 6who, although He existed in the form and unchanging essence of God [as One with Him, possessing the fullness of all the divine attributes–the entire nature of deity], did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped or asserted [as if He did not already possess it, or was afraid of losing it]; 7but emptied Himself [without renouncing or diminishing His deity, but only temporarily giving up the outward expression of divine equality and His rightful dignity] by assuming the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men [He became completely human but was without sin, being fully God and fully man]. 8After He was found in [terms of His] outward appearance as a man [for a divinely-appointed time], He humbled Himself [still further] by becoming obedient [to the Father] to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Philippians 2:4-8 AMP
Is that enough for you this Christmas season? Our verse today is clear that the writer does not need anything else in his life to be satisfied except the presence of God! I love the second part of this verse;
6The [boundary] lines [of the land] have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me.”
Psalms 16:6 AMP
Sometimes we do not understand why the Lord has placed boundaries in certain places. We can be sure however that He loves us and has committed never to deceive us! It is learning to live within the boundaries of God’s love that will bring victory and peace to our lives. The world is trying everything it can to convince us that God’s ways are not the way. It is offering every form of fulfillment known to man, but they are all empty cups that can never quench the thirst we have for the presence of God.
On a cold stary night, the Savior of the world was born in humble stable without all the pomp and circumstance of a royal birth. Yet, God Himself proclaimed the news as the angles cried out, “for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord!
Wishing you a very merry Christmas and a blessed New Year! Pastor Ken & Adrienne