GOOD ENOUGH

“Don’t be afraid. I’m here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide” Luke 2:10.

Also read Matthew 1:1-17.

 

The genealogy of Jesus mentioned some interesting characters. There is Tamar, who slept with her father-in-law, Judah. There is Beersheba, who had an extramarital affair with King David while her husband was on military assignment. There is Rahab, the renowned prostitute of Jericho. There is Ruth, who was legally banned by the law of Moses from ever having anything to do with Israel. These women stand in sharp contrast in their shortcomings to Elizabeth, Mary and Anna.

The men also offer a complete spectrum of humanity. The good, the bad, the faithful, the faithless, the proud and arrogant as well as the humble and self-sacrificing. We meet Abraham the father of faith, and Matthew is careful to put in Jacob (not Israel) in the list. Jacob was the deceptive trickster (as opposed to the born again Israel). We meet Judah, whose one night stand with a prostitute turned out to be the preferred lineage for the Messiah. Though we are often blinded by the accolades and achievements of David, we know he slept with a woman and killed her husband just so he can cover up his illicit moral failure. Again it was out of this most corrupt of all his marriages that the Messiah opted for.

As the Christmas story progresses, we see diligent shepherds and innkeepers doing their best and often getting too involved to understand the impact of the moment. We see pagans (Wise men from the east) scribes, scholars and priests who knew where the Messiah should be born but too lazy to walk the short distance to worship him. We see a King Herod and his court too blinded by hatred to adore Him.

It is not always obvious, but the Christmas story reminds us that we are all worthy of receiving God’s grace. We are all worthy of hearing the story of His birth and even much more of the salvation that He brings. It may not be the angel announcing it to us, it just be ordinary people like shepherds who have no theological training or the right kind of anointing, or it may even come from the mouth of people who don’t even practice Christianity. You are good enough to hear this good news! God will use any and every way possible to ensure that you participate in this wonderful story. The big question is, will you?

Don’t allow the moral failures hold you back. Don’t allow your political positions or your academic positions to hold you back. Don’t let business get in the way. Make this Christmas the one that brings you home to God. He has been waiting all along. If you have never made a commitment to serve Him before, or if you have fallen short of your commitment in the past, today is a great opportunity to worship the King again with these words:

Dear Jesus, thank you for coming into my world as sinful and dark as it is. I yield my spirit, my soul, my body and all my earthly possessions to you. Come dwell in my heart. I come as I am, please accept me. In Jesus Name. Amen.

#GOD COLOURS; TRUE COLOURS (A Deep Words Devotional Material)

#Celebrating the Second Anniversary of a great vision through the visionary, Aleele Paago.

 

 

***Please share with others and let it bless them as it blessed you***

 

Stay blessed.

 

©TRANSFORMING WORDS SERIES

(Transforming the World through the Word)

 

Also visit www.christapoet.wordpress.com every Monday to read your favourite TWS alongside poems from great poets.

THE RIGHT TIME

“Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel” Isa. 7:14 (KJV)

“Before I shaped you in the womb, I knew all about you. Before you saw the light of the day, I had holy plans for you: A prophet to the nations, that’s what I had in mind for you” Jer. 1:5.

“You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in your book!” Psa. 139:16 (LB).

“They could hardly contain themselves: They were in the right place! They had arrived at the right time” Matt. 2:10 (MSG).

Timing is of the essence, not just in the calendar of human activities but in the agenda of God. The Christmas story in its allegorical allusions clearly demonstrates this and man’s futile attempt to control ‘right’ time.

According to Matthew 2:16, the wise men arrived Jerusalem probably two years after the birth of Christ unlike the shepherds who arrived a couple of hours after the unbelievable incident. The two groups of worshippers arrived at the right time!

How can it be that the person that arrived to meet a whimpering baby wrapped in blankets and the person that came to meet the baby as a toddler could be said to have arrived at the same time? This is a beautiful allegory of Christmas, whenever you come to worship the King in truth and in spirit is the right time. Heaven does not count in days and months and hours as we do, heaven counts in purpose and dispensations. The purpose of the shepherds was to spread the news to lowly townsfolk and to bear witness that indeed this event took place as the baby’s mother would later narrate. The purpose of the Wise men’s visit was to provide the finances required to make the trip overseas to Egypt and to announce the King in Herod’s palace. Note however that both groups set off the same night they heard the good news and saw the star. How about you? When you hear the good news of Jesus do you delay?

There is an even deeper connotation to the right time in the Christmas story. Why does Joseph occupy the exact position he does in the genealogy of Christ? Why did Ruth occupy that particular place in history? Why are you alive at this particular time in history? Do you think it is mere coincidence? The prophecy that mentioned a virgin will conceive was given over 700 years before it eventually happened. Why did it take that long? The people that were alive as at when the prophecy was given by Isaiah thought the prophecy will fulfil in their days.

Have you ever queried why you were born into a particular family, in a particular culture or country at a particular time? The answer is all unveiled in this beautiful Christmas story. There is a role only you can play and it has been determined from the beginning of the world that you must be available to fulfil that role at the right time.

Now is the right time for you. Here is the right place for you. Will you play your part or will you disappoint heaven?

Prayer: Lord help me fulfil my role in history. Grant me the grace and the courage to become all you have determined for me to be in this dispensation. Amen.

#GOD COLOURS; TRUE COLOURS (A Deep Words Devotional Material)

#Celebrating the Second Anniversary of a great vision through the visionary, Aleele Paago.

 

***Please share with others and let it bless them as it blessed you***

 

Stay blessed.

 

©TRANSFORMING WORDS SERIES

(Transforming the World through the Word)

 

Also visit www.christapoet.wordpress.com every Monday to read your favourite TWS alongside poems from great poets.

ARE YOU AT THE RIGHT PLACE?

“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field … and lo the angel of the Lord shone around them” Luke 2:8-9.

Also read Luke 3:1-2.

It is said that success is preparation meeting with opportunity. In your regular day to day living, you will need to pray to be at the right place at the right time. The problem really is that it is beyond our capacity as humans to determine what the right time is and our guesses of what the right place is may often be wrong. Lot decided on what the right place was, by looking at the physical conditions of the land. He was wrong.

Zechariah was at the temple at the time of prayer. It was a “once-in-a-lifetime”   opportunity to have that service. It was there in that temple (a right place) that God visited him. Mary was alone at home. Not a very right place for a holy visitor. But God showed up in the ordinariness of her home. It was the right place. The shepherds were out in the field away from town and the comforts of their beds and the doting of their loved ones. Yet God visited them there. They were at the right place.

One of the greatest lessons from Christmas is this: YOU ARE RIGHTLY LOCATED WHERE YOU ARE RIGHT NOW. From the temple, to the lowly home of Mary, to the far wilderness where the shepherds stayed and even as far as China and India, God reached everyone and not one person missed. You are at the right spot this Christmas.

But being at the right spot will amount to nothing if you are not sensitive enough to hear what the Spirit of God is saying. There were guests staying in the same compound where Jesus was given birth to, yet they had no clue of what has happened at the backyard. They were at the right place but they missed. There were scribes and priests in the temple when Jesus was born, yet they never saw assign or encountered an angel. Even the priest that dedicated Jesus never knew who the baby was!

I want you to be assured this Christmas, and always, that you are never too far from God. He can reach you right where you are now. Wherever God shows up is the right place.

Prayer: Oh Lord, show up today in the ordinary circumstances of my life and grant me the grace to be sensitive to your presence and to obey when you do.

#GOD COLOURS; TRUE COLOURS (A Deep Words Devotional Material)

#Celebrating the Second Anniversary of a great vision through the visionary, Aleele Paago.

 

***Please share with others and let it bless them as it blessed you***

 

Stay blessed.

 

©TRANSFORMING WORDS SERIES

(Transforming the World through the Word)

 

Also visit www.christapoet.wordpress.com every Monday to read your favourite TWS alongside poems from great poets.

ANSWERED

 

“But the angel reassured him, ‘Don’t fear, Zechariah. Your prayer has been heard. Elizabeth, your wife, will bear a son by you’” Luke 1:13.

Angel Gabriel stood talking to Zechariah in the Holy Place and his first words unveil a very powerful message God wants to unveil this Christmas: “Your prayer has been heard …” The Angel goes on to mention the exact prayer that has been heard and answered. This prayer was a prayer that Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth, had stopped praying several years back. Yes, there was a time that was all the petition they could bring before God.

Day in, day out as they worshipped, they would ask God for a child. As they prayed, their bodies aged. They became even more fervent in prayer. Then they decided to become even more faithful in their service, perhaps God will see their genuine efforts and bless them.

But some prayers are bound by time. There are time frames within which when the answers don’t arrive we give up and conclude it wasn’t God’s intention for us. In some cases that may be true. This was one case where it was a definite lie from the pit of hell.

Your prayer has been answered! When? The day you prayed with faith in the God that answers prayers. But it may take a process before that answer is delivered to you. This couple waited for a lifetime before their answers will be delivered. For some, they will even run out of life, but a child or grandchild will eventually reap the answer to that prayer.

Be consoled. Your prayer has been heard and answered. Your unspoken prayers were logged in heaven and answers have been dispatched to earth. The prayers you have given up on will be answered on a day when you had forgotten all about it. Trust God. No genuine sincere prayer is left unattended. He is not too busy with the affairs of the world to not have time for your request. You are his primary responsibility and the comfort is that the prayer was heard and the answer will soon be here.

Action: Today thank God for every unanswered prayer in your life.

#GOD COLOURS; TRUE COLOURS (A Deep Words Devotional Material)

#Celebrating the Second Anniversary of a great vision through the visionary, Aleele Paago.

 

***Please share with others and let it bless them as it blessed you***

 

Stay blessed.

 

©TRANSFORMING WORDS SERIES

(Transforming the World through the Word)

 

Also visit www.christapoet.wordpress.com every Monday to read your favourite TWS alongside poems from great poets.

THE DOUBT OF REASON VS THE DOUBT OF FAITH

“Mary said to the angel, ‘but how? I’ve never slept with a man’” Luke 1:34.

Also Read Luke 1:26-38.

When Mary had this encounter with the angel, she had every reason to doubt. It was an impossible proposition, beyond her wildest imagination. It was beyond the knowledge of science of her days. It was beyond what the natural laws permitted. Pregnancy, without sexual intercourse or assisted childbirth methods even in these modern times, is impossible. It cannot be done.

Mary had the doubt of reason. Logic denounced what faith was proclaiming. This battle is a legitimate battle that must be fought by all who dare to accomplish anything worthwhile in their lives. Anyone who dares to ascend to the heights to which God has called him/her must battle with reason and logic. Oh it’s never been done before … No that’s an impossible task … the government doesn’t support that industry … you don’t have the financial backing to attempt that project … you don’t have a godfather or influential connections in the corridors of power … nobody in your family (or community or even nation) ever attempted that … you are only one man and a tree cannot make a forest … the reasons will keep coming to attack faith.

Every time God gives you a remarkable promise, it must go against reason and logic. If it doesn’t you won’t need faith and without faith it is impossible to please God; even if you go ahead to finally achieve it without faith, God will not be pleased or glorified in the endeavour. So if you are ever faced with the doubts based on reason then be assured you have started right. This is not to suggest that our dreams and ideas must not be subjected to the rigorous test of reason and reasonableness they should be. But a word from God cannot be subjected to such a test. A promise of God will fail the test of reason. Abraham tried it and failed. God’s promise to you carries sufficient power to fulfil itself. Reason says water cannot come out of a rock, faith says it will because God said so. Reason says, a man cannot walk on water, faith says a man will walk on water because God said so. Reason says a virgin cannot be pregnant, faith says:

“I’m the Lord’s maid, ready to serve. Let it be with me just as you say” Luke 1:38.

The doubt of reason can be overcome by the doubt of faith.

Prayer: Dear Lord, let it be with me according to your word, and not according to my thoughts or reasons in Jesus Name. Amen.

#GOD COLOURS; TRUE COLOURS (A Deep Words Devotional Material)

#Celebrating the Second Anniversary of a great vision through the visionary, Aleele Paago.

 

 

***Please share with others and let it bless them as it blessed you***

 

Stay blessed.

 

©TRANSFORMING WORDS SERIES

(Transforming the World through the Word)

 

Also visit www.christapoet.wordpress.com every Monday to read your favourite TWS alongside poems from great poets.

SWITCHING OF DOUBT

“But the angel said, ‘I am Gabriel, the sentinel of God, sent especially to bring you this glad news. But because you won’t believe me, you’ll be unable to say a word until the day of son’s birth. Every word I have spoken to you will come to pass on time, God’s time” Luke 1:19-20.

“A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything or destroy it!” James 3:5.

Have you ever wondered why God made Zechariah dumb from the Holyplace in the temple? The answer is very simple, yet very profound. God in making Zechariah dumb was showing us how to combat doubt, how to switch off the doubt colours from our life-colours.

There were only two possible ways of stopping Elizabeth from conceiving; one was to prevent sexual intercourse with her. This was a very strong possibility given what we know now in medical science. Depression causes impotence, just as much as fear and anxiety. These were ingredients already present in the life of Zechariah. It will take just a little pus to make him temporarily impotent and delay the process of conception.

The second way to prevent conception in Elizabeth’s case was the reason Zechariah was made dumb.

“Life and death are in the power of the tongue, they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof” Prov. 18:21.

With the heart a man believes, with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Your words create your world. If God didn’t stop Zechariah from talking, he would sow such terrible seed of doubt in his wife that she will never be able to conceive or carry the pregnancy.

The fight of faith boils down to this one thing: what you declare with your mouth, you will do with your hands. It is the works of your hands that manifests and yields results.

What others say to you is vitally important in your walk towards destiny, but no matter how important it is, it pales into insignificance when you place it side by side with what you say to yourself. Faith comes by hearing, but action starts by speaking. God stopped Zechariah from talking altogether whether good or bad, because He didn’t want to take the risk of infesting the unborn child with doubts.

When you carry a precious seed you need to stay a lot quieter about it. You need to speak only to the people who can add the right values to that dream. But above all else, you need to speak only the right words and you need to speak those words in prayer until your dream is birthed.

Is it not amazing how we are all courteous to complete strangers yet speak in very demeaning ways to members of our family? Is it not surprising how we speak encouraging words from the pulpit and yet discourage the people that live with us at home?

What are the words you are declaring this Christmas? Are they words filled with life or do they exude death in you and your hearers?

Action: Call up a family member who has been on the receiving end of your unedifying talk and reassure them their aspirations are achievable through God. Support them in prayer today.

#GOD COLOURS; TRUE COLOURS (A Deep Words Devotional Material)

#Celebrating the Second Anniversary of a great vision through the visionary, Aleele Paago.

***Please share with others and let it bless them as it blessed you***

 

Stay blessed.

 

 

©TRANSFORMING WORDS SERIES

(Transforming the World through the Word)

 

Also visit www.christapoet.wordpress.com every Monday to read your favourite TWS alongside poems from great poets.

 

THE COLOUR OF DOUBT

“Zechariah said to the angel, ‘Do you expect me to believe this? I’m an old man and my wife is an old woman’” Luke 1:18.

Can doubt co-exist with faith? That is a very big question, so don’t jump to an answer yet. Zechariah was a Levitical priest. He served faithfully in the temple from his early twenties and was now an aged man. His faith was never in doubt. He never allowed his domestic challenges interfere with his religious obligations.

Note that Zechariah did not go into the temple looking for an angel. Note that he did not go into the temple that day crying like Hannah and wondering what offerings and vows he needed to make to activate God’s blessing of fruitfulness. He had been through that stage and concluded that God had destined him to remain barren and childless. Have you gotten to the point where you give up in prayer? When you just conclude it is well beyond repair and beyond God? It may have been the death of a spouse, or a child, or a sibling you loved so much. Death is the perfect picture of the irredeemable situation and Elizabeth’s womb was dead. So the prayer had been suspended. No use. But wait!

God just showed up and yet when confronted with this encounter, Zechariah, a priest at work in the temple, had no sufficient faith to accept god’s revealed plans for his life.

If the purpose for the childlessness was hidden, the purpose for the fruitfulness was now revealed. We always find it easier to live with the unknown will of God, but the revealed will of God confronts us with a question of faith, deep personal faith. We can rationalize what we don’t know, but we must accept or reject what we now know.

Zechariah found it difficult to accept what God revealed. Do you know what God has revealed about you? Do you know God’s plans for your life? Is it so staggering that you are struggling to believe? Is it so impossible that you are convinced it can’t come true?

Zechariah’s place in the Christmas story is to remind us that at such points when our faith is unable to rise up to meet God’s word, there is still sufficient grace in God to bring it to pass. Do not let the doubt of reason paralyze you.

Zechariah doubted if his wife could ever conceive again, yet he took the necessary actions to get her pregnant. Though he doubted in his head, he acted in line with God’s word. That is the winning formula. Reason will always doubt faith, but it is your actions that will always carry the day. That is what God will bless.

As you prepare for Christmas this year, as you plan your gifts and purchases, plan to also act in line with the biggest dreams God has sown in your heart. Then go ahead and take the first step and leave the rest for God.

To answer the question, Yes, doubt can and do live with faith. And fear co-exists with courage – all the time.

Prayer: Lord help my unbelief, cause my faith to grow and fulfil your promises concerning me and my family from today. Thank God for his promises that you have given up on. In Jesus Name. Amen.

 

#GOD COLOURS; TRUE COLOURS (A Deep Words Devotional Material)

#Celebrating the Second Anniversary of a great vision through the visionary, Aleele Paago.

***Please share with others and let it bless them as it blessed you***

Stay blessed.

 

©TRANSFORMING WORDS SERIES

(Transforming the World through the Word)

Also visit www.christapoet.wordpress.com every Monday to read your favourite TWS alongside poems from great poets.

 

CRACKS IN THE WALL

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost” Matt. 1:18-20.

 

“If you fall to pieces in a crisis, there wasn’t much to you in the first place” Prov. 24:10 (MSG).

 

Imagine that you are engaged to a beautiful girl you met in church. This girl clearly live her faith life and her godliness was your major attraction. Then imagine this very ‘holy sister’ walking up to you to announce that she was pregnant! Imagine how earth shattering that announcement could be on your wedding plans.

 

Obviously she had betrayed your love and trust. Even though she swears she is still a virgin, how on earth could that be possible? How on earth can you be pregnant without sexual intercourse?

 

Imagine the ridicule from your friends. Imagine the condemnation from your church obviously the fiancé is the main culprit. You bot know that premarital sex is well outside of the norms and is a definite ‘NO’, yet this is what you must both face from this moment forward. Imagine the rejection in the society.

 

We often underestimate the weight of the decisions that faced Joseph at this point in his life. In one moment his hopes and humble life came crumbling apart. It was not a small crack in the wall, it was a gaping hole. If he disowns the pregnancy, Mary would be subject to death by stoning under the Jewish legal code. If she gives birth to the child, that child will be barred from full legal status of legitimate males in Israel. The foundations of the life of Joseph and Mary and the unborn child was shaken violently by the enormous events of the first Christmas. They had difficult choices to make. Jesus will always ask us to make difficult choices, make no mistakes about that.

 

In the dry harmattan winds of tropical Africa that is prevalent during Christmas, mud walls often crack as they lose their moisture to the dry, dusty winds. Thatch roofs become so brittle that every slight pressure will cause damages. Two things take place when these cracks happen to our homes. It reveals the hidden contents of our homes to strangers and passers-by and two, it lets in the elements winds, dust and sunshine.

 

These two things happened to Joseph and Mary and all others involved in the first Christmas. The contents of their hearts were revealed. What is it that is stored in your heart? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks and actions follow and these are you true colours.

 

I was privileged to be in the labour room with my wife during the delivery of our first child, it was a difficult delivery that lasted seven hours. While my wife battled through her experience, my attention was drawn to another lady in labour in an adjacent room. It wasn’t her screams that drew my attention, it was the abusive invectives and cursing trades that made me wonder the kind of woman she was. She most likely was not the cursing type, but that was what her pain brought out. That’s what stored in her heart.

 

But Joseph had a ray of light into the dark night of uncertainty. It came like a dream, a shaft sunlight through the broken thatch; a waft of wind – dusty with doubts, yet filled with the colours of God’s love and assurance.

 

Is there a crack in your life? Let the God elements come in. Maybe your heart’s door is barred by reason or culture and habits, you need a crack. What a Christmas gift!

 

Prayer: Heavenly King, you broke through barriers of time and humanity to reach down to man. Break through every barrier in my life that hinders the display of your full glory. Amen.

 

#GOD COLOURS; TRUE COLOURS (A Deep Words Devotional Material)

 

#Celebrating the Second Anniversary of a great vision through the visionary, Aleele Paago.

 

***Please share with others and let it bless them as it blessed you***

 

Stay blessed.

 

 

©TRANSFORMING WORDS SERIES

(Transforming the World through the Word)

 

Also visit www.christapoet.wordpress.com every Monday to read your favourite TWS alongside poems from great poets.

 

TRUE COLOURS

“Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colours. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way” James 1:2-4 (MSG).

 

The Christmas story is splendid with the different hues of humanity that colour it. It is glorious to see how these colours blend to form the perfect Christmas lighting effect that has warmed hearts and homes for over two thousand years and counting. While it is wonderful looking at the colours displayed by Zacharias, Elizabeth, Anna, Simeon, the Shepherds, The Wise men, Joseph, Mary and many others that make up the Christmas story mosaic, it is even more important to consider the kind of colour you are today. Because whether you know it or not, you are a brilliant part of this never-ending Christmas story.

 

How do you know your true colours? Today’s passage clearly states that your “faith-life… shows its true colours” only when it comes under pressure. The promise of a child showed the hidden doubts of Zachariah. The pressures perceived infidelity revealed the true heart of obedience in Joseph. The proximity of a new born King revealed the insecurity of Herod.

 

Like the innkeeper, do you let the pressures of business make Jesus take the lowly cowshed? This innkeeper wasn’t insensitive to the young couple, from every indication he would have given them a room if there was any, but all the rooms were taken and he couldn’t have thrown his guests out. He at least provided a secure place where the young mother could give birth away from the street. Some other persons may have turned them away completely from his property. But if he had known the magnitude of the events taking place that evening and the kind of child to be delivered in his home would he not have willingly given of his own room?

 

Will you someday regret not have given your best because you belittled and misjudged or were even completely unaware of the importance of the moment? Will the pains of life cause you to bring out colours filled with hate? Will the weight of your dream cripple you from running after it? Will the price of that God-given vision become too expensive for you?

 

You are more than these. Yes, there will be moments of doubts. Yes there will be moments when our eyes are blinded by tears and our songs stifled by sobs. But through it all, let the pressure bring out your true God colour of hope, courage, perseverance and ultimately joy.

 

Prayer: Dear Lord reveal every weakness in me and replace it with your strength. Let the pressures of my life bring out your divine qualities in me. In Jesus Name. Amen.

 

#GOD COLOURS; TRUE COLOURS (A Deep Words Devotional Material)

 

#Celebrating the Second Anniversary of a great vision through the visionary, Aleele Paago.

***Please share with others and let it bless them as it blessed you***

 

Stay blessed.

 

 

©TRANSFORMING WORDS SERIES

(Transforming the World through the Word)

 

Also visit www.christapoet.wordpress.com every Monday to read your favourite TWS alongside poems from great poets.

 

ALL DRESSED UP

“You lifted him high and bright as a cumulus cloud, then dressed him in rainbow colours. You pile blessings on him; you make him glad when you smile. Is it any wonder the king loves God? That he’s sticking with the best?” Psalm 21:5-7 (MSG).

Growing as a child in poverty stricken Africa, one of the things that signalled the coming of Christmas, apart from the dry dusty winds of the harmattan, was the sound of carols and the beautiful decorations that came up in every home. But all of these paled into insignificance in expectation for our Christmas Dress. The Christmas outfit was always the most expected and most anticipated Christmas item. Without it, everything else would be a gloomy shadow of Christmas. What was it that made this particular dress so special; even if a few days later, the magic of the cloth would have evaporated?

The Christmas cloth symbolized the love of our parents for us, and their desire that we don’t look shabby on the most important day in the calendar. That is exactly what David describes in the passage above. God dresses us up in rainbow colours. Even Joseph’s coat of many colours does not compare in the faintest way to the beauty of what God has dressed you with this season.

God dresses us up not just for Christians but for our roles in life. Our robes don’t look alike but they definitely are not drab. Some robes may appear unappealing like the infertility of Elizabeth, some robes may appear stained like the doubt of Zechariah, or the sorrow of Anna; others may be completely stainless like that of favoured virgin Mary. Some robes are just plain ordinary work cloths like those of the shepherds who stayed in the field late that night to feed their flock. Some robes are not-so-ordinary work cloths, they are the specialists and leaders in science, government, religion. Some robes are coloured in hope and expectation like Simeon’s and some robes are to remain almost unseen and anonymous like Joseph’s.

Satan hands out robes too to the unsuspecting. Herod got a robe of hatred, the religious leaders got robes of complacency and most people today will get robes of commercialization and nonchalance.

The most amazing Christmas cloth that first Christ mas was this: God, creator of heaven and earth, the bright image of His majesty, took on a Christmas cloth that is most baffling. It is not the “swaddling clothes” in the manger but the cloth of death!

“Since the children are made of flesh and blood, it’s logical that the saviour took on flesh and blood in order to rescue them by his death. By embracing death, taking it into himself, he destroyed the Devil’s hold on death and freed all who cower through life, scared to death of death” Heb. 2:14-15.

God came dressed up in in humanity that humans could be like God. Have you got Christmas cloth? Are you dressed up like God yet? Is your God-cloth stained? Are you holding strongly to your cloth of humanity? This is the right time to check up on your dressing. The Christmas family reunion is coming and only those properly dressed will be allowed in (Matt. 22:8-14).

Prayer: God help me stay properly dressed in my spirit and conformable to your image today and always. I exchange my garment of fear, pride, failure, hatred etc., for your garment of love and righteousness. In Jesus Name. Amen.

#GOD COLOURS; TRUE COLOURS (A Deep Words Devotional Material)

#Celebrating the Second Anniversary of a great vision through the visionary, Aleele Paago.

***Please share with others and let it bless them as it blessed you***

Stay blessed.

©TRANSFORMING WORDS SERIES
(Transforming the World through the Word)

Also visit http://www.christapoet.wordpress.com every Monday to read your favourite TWS alongside poems from great poets.