who is this king of glory?

"The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold."
-Psalm 18:2

With the new film "Captain America" coming out in theaters soon, I was reminded of heroes. There are many tales of knights, crusaders, warriors, kings and the underdogs who came out to win victoriously. What is your favorite story of a hero? Maybe the people who housed escaping Jews from the Holocaust? This thing that stands out among heroes - what is it about them? Bravery? Valor? Honor? Strength?

What stands out most to me is their passion that they have for living for more than just themselves. That makes them heroes to me. And you know, I have most found this hero in Jesus Christ. He is God who came to earth to not just show us the way to go but to rescue us.

• He came, not ostentatiously but humbly in a manger. 
• He came, not only to love just those who were thought of as well-respected in community or those in power, but also to love the weak, the brokenhearted, the widows and the children. 
• He came, not at a yell but with a message filled with hope, forgiveness and God's plan to redeem, rescue and guide a weary world.

We can so easily fall into the siren tune of turning away from our Creator and Savior, and yet - and yet, He sees us fully and wants us back. He wants us back enough to sacrifice for us. In fact, He is the sort of God Father to run to us with open arms like the prodigal son's father. He wants us to believe in Him - to trust in Him and to ask for His help because He is wise and good.

Knowing this hero is monumental.

Who is this King of glory?

I think Third Day's lyrics below and the words in this link - "King of Glory" sung live by Third Day - capture Him well.

"Who is this King of glory that pursues me with his love
And haunts me with hearing His softly spoken words
My conscience, a reminder, of forgiveness that I need
Who is this king of glory who offers it to me?

Who is this King of angels, oh blessed Prince of Peace
Revealing things of heaven and all its mysteries
My spirit's ever longing for His grace in which to stand
Who is this King of glory, Son of God and son of man

His name is Jesus, precious Jesus
The Lord Almighty, King of my heart
The King of glory

Who is this King of glory with strength and majesty
And wisdom beyond measure, the gracious King of Kings
The Lord of earth and heaven, the Creator of all things?
He is the King of glory, He's everything to me"

How will we respond to such love, such bravery and such sacrifice? Will we trust Him with our lives?

a spark on an ordinary, dark night

"The shepherds began saying to one another, 'Let us go straight back to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.' 

So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as he lay in the manger. When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child…

The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told to them" (Luke 2:15b-17, 20, NASB). 

Aisles and aisles of red, green and white was all I could see for a while. My shopping cart was popping out with the same colors as I emerged from this sea and approached the check-out line. Then - in the middle of this busy day - a man at the check-out begun talking with me about Christmastime and church. And there it was - a glimmer in the middle of the day of Christ, our Savior, who was part of God's plan to sacrificd Himself as a ransom for all. This message is for all people. Even on the seemingly most normal of days, God is at work to spread this message, to save us and  to draw us all closer to Him.

That night, I was reminded of the shepherds' reactions in Luke 2, the night of Christ's birth:

• First, they were terrified by the angel that visited them in the fields (v. 9). Who wouldn't be? A heavenly creature appeared during their work shift and in the dark.
• They went to see what the angel had told them (vv. 15-16). After hearing the angel's message that the Savior was born in Bethlehem, they decided to check it out. They were filled with joy to see that what the angels had told them about Jesus was so accurate.
• They praised God and told others what the angels had told them about the Child (vv. 17-18, 20). And they brought glory to God.

I pray that God helps us see each day - no matter how ordinary or how unusual it seems - as a time that He can move and bring light along with His love. I pray He gives us His heart, along with the words to share what He has shown us about Him, this good news for all people, that our Savior is here.

"But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you 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 Savior, who is Christ the Lord'" (Luke 2:10-11). 

Looking Forward

"For the grace of God has appeared with salvation for all people, instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous and godly way in the present age, while we wait for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:11-13, HCSB). 

What motivates you? Lately, pictures of Corpus Christi have been motivating me keep up my runs, since I will be running in a long distance race there soon. There is this feeling within me that can emerge, though - a feeling that routine runs will wear away at me and drain my energy. When I remember why I am excited about that run in the future, my mind shifts. My heart lifts. I remember why I love to run, and even what may seem like a purely mechanic routine is a good time as I remember the end goal with its purpose and meaning.

As believers, we have this future hope that Jesus will return one day. This hope comes from God's promises. He is an unchanging promise keeper. God is Lord over all and Jesus, our Redeemer. With help from the Holy Spirit, we can seek to live our lives as His people, representatives for Him until He comes again to restore His kingdom on earth. My hope is that as we seek to follow God, we shift our eyes from obedience that can look like routine and see the underlying love for our Savior that can drive all of that.

Kelli Martin

Let's be a people who love Him from the inside out. Let's share with others and pray that they see that our obedience is a work of the Holy Spirit. Let's pray that God renews our hearts daily so we can reflect Him more.

"So we must not grow tired of doing good" (Galatians 6:9a, HCSB). 

"God, create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast spirit in me" (Psalm 51:10, HCSB). 

Recommended song: "Absent from Flesh" performed by Sojourn Music. You can see a YouTube video here or listen to the audio version here. This song was inspired by the hymn written by Isaac Watts, and you can find the words to that here.

Merry Christmas!

"'Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, 
For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people, 
And has raised up a horn of salvation for us 
In the house of David His servant - 
As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old - '"
(Luke 1:68-70, New American Standard Bible).

Jesus was the answer for the Jews and the world for a Redeemer, because He was God's fulfillment of His promise to send a Savior to the world.

"The Lord God of Israel," the faithful One (Psalm 18:2, Luke 1:70), who created the world and provides for it, sent Jesus. Jesus was born through the line of David (Matthew  1:1). This was important, because it fulfilled the old prophecies that God gave years and years before (Genesis 22:18, Psalm 89:3-52, Luke 1:32, Galatians 3:18). As my friend Jenna once said, "Jesus was God's Plan A."

Jesus did not Himself sin, yet His sacrifice paid the price for our sins (Hebrews 9:12). We see the all-powerful God's great love, kindness, and grace in that He sent Christ to us (Luke 1:76-78). Through Him, we are able to be forgiven from our sins, when we ask for it out of a genuine faith, so we can have this good relationship with Him and then walk with Him (Luke 1:79).

Enjoy celebrating our great Savior with loved ones today! Let us pray we get the chance to share who He is with someone else this week. Praise God that He is Emmanuel, God with us.

Best wishes for a merry Christmas!

Recommended song: "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" by Sojourn Music www.youtube.com - "O Come O Come Emmanuel"