Otis L McCoy - His glory in song

Christmas in Eden

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed (Genesis 3:15).

Although you may not see it at first glance, Christ is in this verse. He is the ultimate Seed of the Woman who would one day come to crush the serpents ugly head. In the process his heel would be bruised on the cross. In short, this verse predicts that Jesus would win the victory over Satan but would himself be wounded at the same time.

As the centuries rolled on, Satan kept winning victories and God kept raising up men and women who would continue the godly line on the earth. I like to think of this verse as the top of a wide funnel. When the promise was given, no one could have imagined the coming Jesus Christ. The seed of the woman simply meant that he must be a member of the human race. But after the flood the line was narrowed to Noahs descendants, then later to Shems descendants, and later came to rest on one manAbraham, the father of the nation Israel. Then to his son Isaac, to Isaacs son Jacob, to Jacobs son Joseph, and then to Josephs son Judah. Centuries later the line was narrowed to the house of David. Finally some nine centuries after that, the line came to rest on the firstborn son of a virgin named Mary. What started with the whole human race has narrowed to just one manJesus Christ.

He didnt come in the usual way; he came by means of a virgin birth. No one before or since ever entered the world as he did. Thus he is the ultimate seed of the woman since no man was involved in his conception.

When God wanted to save the world, he didnt send a committee; he sent his Son.

When God wanted to say, I love you, he wrapped his love note in swaddling clothes.

When God wanted to crush Satan, he started in a stable in Bethlehem.

Even in Eden, God was planning for Christmas. He was thinking of you before you were born because he knew that one day you would need a Savior.

As we begin our Advent journey, lets remember that Christ came in fulfillment of a promise made amid the wreckage caused by Adams sin. Our sin may be great, but as the promise is greater than the transgression, through Christs great sacrifice we have been set free.

Lord Jesus, with your own blood you kept the promise God made. Glory to you, our Savior and King. Amen.

The Shoulders of Jesus

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6).

I have always been intrigued by a phrase in this famous Christmas verse, And the government will be on his shoulders." It means something like this: "The weight of the world will be on his shoulders." This is a profound truth, especially for those of us who feel like we're bearing the full weight of the world on our own shoulders. Tim Hudson tells a story about George McCauslin, who some years ago served as director of a YMCA in western Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh. It was a difficult situation because the YMCA was losing money, membership and staff. McCauslin worked 85 hours a week trying to solve the problem. He found himself getting little sleep at night. He took little time off. And even when he was away from the job, he was worrying and fretting about the problems of the YMCA. He visited a therapist who warned him he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Somehow he needed to let go and let God take charge of his problems. But how do you do something like that?

The breakthrough came one day when he took a notebook and ventured into a forest not far from where he lived. As he walked through the cool woods, he could feel his muscles starting to relax. Sitting down under a tree, he sighed and felt at ease for the first time in months. He took out his notebook and decided to let go of the burdens of his life. He wrote God a letter that simply said, "Dear God, Today I hereby resign as general manager of the universe. Love, George." Looking back on that moment, he reflected with a twinkle in his eye, "And wonder of wonders, God accepted my resignation."

I think many of us need to do what he did. We need to resign as general manager of the universe. Are you worn out from trying to solve every problem, help your children, take care of your parents, get your coworkers shaped up, and in general trying to fix your siblings and parents and roommates and friends and neighbors? Are you exhausted from trying to repair all the broken people and the messed up situations all around you? No wonder you're tired all the time.

Here is where the message of Christmas becomes all-important. Ponder the Babe in the manger. He came to set us free from the terrible burden (and inevitable failure) of trying to run the universe.

Let the weary world rejoice. Christ is born! He can carry the full weight of all your problems, for "the government will be on his shoulders."

Holy Lord, thank you that your shoulders are strong enough to carry all my burdens today. Amen.

Wonderful Counselor

He will be called Wonderful Counselor (Isaiah 9:6).

Literally this title means a wonder of a counselor, speaking of the wisdom of his plan. The word wonderful means astonishing or extraordinary. The writers of the Old Testament used it for acts of God which man cannot understand. The word counselor means advisor or ideal ruler.

This means he is a reliable counselor. Those who come to him will never be led astray. Talk radio is filled with people who make their living giving advice to others. Much of it is good, some not so good. But the Lord goes to no one for advice. And when anyone comes to him, he gives them the counsel they need.

He is therefore the perfect teacher and the ultimate counselor. This gives us insight into his working. His plans are not our plans, his ways not our ways. He will accomplish things beyond human comprehension, and he will do it in ways we cannot fathom. He will do the greatest work ever accomplished, and he will do it successfully. A violent death would not be mans way to victory, but it was Gods plan and our Lord carried it out perfectly.

As the Wonderful Counselor, he gives wholesome direction to His people. Those who follow him will not walk in darkness but in the blazing light of day.