Verse of the Day 12/23

Matthew 3:2-3   "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." ³ For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,

"The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
'Prepare the way of the Lord;
    make his paths straight.'"   English Standard Version (ESV)

Reading today's verses you may not think of them often in terms of the Christmas story.  Isaiah prophesied of the coming of the Savior but he also prophesied of His forerunner, John the Baptist who would prepare the way, lay the groundwork for Jesus' earthly ministry.  The word that I'd like to focus on today as we draw nearer to Christmas is "prepare".  John was drawing peoples attention away from the world and  pointed  towards Jesus, the coming One who actually was already there.

Some of our favorite hymns of the day speak of that word prepare.  In Joy to the World we sing "let every heart prepare Him room".  It speaks to cleaning out the clutter in our lives so that we can focus our attention and our devotion to Jesus in order to truly celebrate the greatest gift.

Another hymn that we sing is "Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne" in which the author confirms that "there is room in my heart for thee."

Thou didst leave Thy throne and Thy kingly crown,
When Thou camest to earth for me;
But in Bethlehem's home was there found no room
For Thy holy nativity.

Refrain

O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,
There is room in my heart for Thee.

May that be the state of our hearts this Christmas, "there is room in my heart for Thee", if that is the case, our hearts will be prepared to receive joy, truly celebrate the gift of Jesus and the salvation He offers, and that our hearts and lives may be channels, straight paths for His love to flow through us.  We can do this knowing that He is preparing, preparing a place for us in eternity (see John 14).

Billy Graham writes,"God speaks to those who are prepared in their hearts to listen."  May we get away from the last minute preparations for Christmas and put some time aside to prepare our hearts to listen to what He is saying to us in His Word, through prayer and in services over the next couple of days leading to Christmas.

Joy to the world, the Lord is come, let earth receive her King, let every heart prepare Him room, and heaven and nature sing....

--   In Christ,  Mike    Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com  Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,  in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV    

Matthew 3:2-3The Message (MSG)

Thunder in the Desert!

3 ^1-2 While Jesus was living in the Galilean hills, John, called "the Baptizer," was preaching in the desert country of Judea. His message was simple and austere, like his desert surroundings: "Change your life. God's kingdom is here."

³ John and his message were authorized by Isaiah's prophecy:

Thunder in the desert!
Prepare for God's arrival!
Make the road smooth and straight!