Jesus fulfilled his mission for all who would dare to become believers

He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. – John 1:11-12

We are days from Christmas Day when we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. The fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden ushered sin into a world that was created sin free, and the more mankind multiplied, the more sin grew.

God was not pleased with man’s disobedience and rebellion – doing what was wrong and serving idol gods – so he sent his only begotten son, Jesus the Christ, on a mission for the redemption of man’s soul. Mary of Nazareth of the City of Galilee, who was engaged to be married to Joseph of the same place, was chosen to bear in her womb, the divine conception of our Lord.

The angel Gabriel was chosen to deliver the good news from above.

The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you, So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” – (Luke 1: 28-35)

God’s love for the world, in spite of their sins, was so great that he sent his only son to die for the world, but specifically, the people of Israel’s redemption. But Israel was not receptive, but rejected, hated and eventually killed by his very own people. This paved the way for all those who would believe that Jesus was the Messiah, the Savior and the Son of God.

Our text is clearly declaring that even when we claim to be seeking the will of God, we tend to go astray and follow our own path. There are only a few days left in 2022 and many were the disappointments, appointments, sorrows and gladness, life and death thus far. We have gone astray from godly teachings, moral and spiritual upbringing, principles of deportment, manners, courtesy and honesty. We have gossiped and lied thus twisting and damaging the truth, plotted for the downfall of others rather than plan for their upliftment, enlarged our tents of greed and flattened houses of need, ignored the altar but embraced sacrifices on the altar, forsaken the God of our fathers and went a whoring after false Gods.

But hope reigns supreme as the year draws to a close. God is still merciful and forgiving. His ears are attentive to cries of confession and repentance. He is a loving father who will receive all who have gone astray, wayward and prodigal. He is able to give what is asked for, open doors that are being pounded upon, and recover all that was lost, stolen and denied to you.

What a wonderful time of the year! Jesus came, fulfilled his mission and the powerful beat of that mission continues for all who would dare to become believers.

• E-mail haystreet241@gmail.com or rubyanndarling@yahoo.com. Write to P.O. Box, 19725 SS Nassau, Bahamas, with your prayer requests, concerns and comments. God’s blessings.