returned glorifying and praising God. As mankind’s Saviour, Christ is the Anointed One whom God sent, designating Him to take away the sin of all mankind. The shepherds had known of other deliverers such as Moses and Joshua, but none of these could save them from their sins. According to Luke 5:11, He wasn’t simply Christ, but Christ the Lord! That means it is His sovereign right to rule and reign. It refers to a re lationship that signifies we’re com pletely dependent upon Him. No mat ter what our personal pride or sta tion in life, dependency is a way of life. What a leader is our Saviour! He’s not the kind of master we had in Satan. The Lord has rightly pointed out, “No man can serve two masters.” The fact is, we’re all bound to some concept, guide, or con trol in life. God’s perfect will is that the only true and trustworthy Mas ter is the Lord Jesus Christ. He wants to save us from sin and then lead us into the paths of righteous ness. Luke 2:20 says that the shepherds “returned, glorifying and praising God.” They weren’t griping because they didn’t have a new staff or coat. They weren’t complaining because of their circumstances, but rather re joicing in what God had done. Glo rify in the Greek means to think or to hold an opinion. This is an internal concept. How we need to hold in our hearts the proper thoughts (Luke 6:45b). These con cepts are of such magnitude that they well up in our hearts and we can no longer control them from be ing expressed in glorification and praise. The shepherds held within their hearts the message of the angels. But what about you? Is your heart exhilarated because of what the Saviour has done for you? We mentioned a young couple who 4
had become engaged, and the joy and anticipation it brought to their hearts. What couple, after the mar riage day itself, hasn’t experienced a “let down” feeling when it was nec essary to return to a routine of life? There is not always an eternal bliss as some of the songs would have us believe. In our Christian living there is a danger of falling into a routine and forgetting the magnitude of what God through Christ has done for us. After Christmas, there needn’t be an emptiness or vacuum. There needs to be the thrill, which was experi enced by the shepherds when they heard the message for the first time. The Saviour alone can deliver us not only from sin but also from the judgment of God. Have you lost the joy of Christmas as well as the joy of salvation? You have if your ideals are centered only in activities and things. Let us catch again the thrill of the shepherds so that we might go forth glorifying and praising God.
Students at Biota College have the opportunity to gain practical experience from their classroom in struction. Pictured is Todd Lewis, a junior from La Mirada, Calif., speaking on behalf of the students at a recent luncheon which honored the editor of the LA MIRADA LAMPLIGHTER, Mr. Dick Hurley.
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