Read: Luke 4:1-19 Key Verse: "The Spirit of the LORD is upon me" (Lk. 4:18)
"How can this be?"
When Mary asked that question the angel said, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you."(Lk. 1:35) The
Holy Spirit is the third person of the triune Godhead. He is the
power and the activity of God. Christmas can happen because the Holy
Spirit will bring it about. He did it for Mary and He can do it for
you.
When Jesus grew up and began His ministry the Holy Spirit gave Him
strength and worked through Him. When he was baptized the Holy Spirit
came upon Him(Lk. 3:22). Then Luke four says, "And Jesus, full of the
Holy Spirit returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the
wilderness." (vs. 1) "And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of
the Spirit." (vs. 14) In the synagogue He took the scriptures and read
from Isaiah, "The Spirit of the LORD is upon me."(vs.18) Though, as
Son of God, He could have acted on His own, He clearly acted only by the
direction of and in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God is
how Christmas happens.
God's goal in your life is to form Christ in you so that others can
see Him. This is a process that begins when you receive Christ as
Savior and continues as you follow Him. It is a miracle that only God
can do. It is easy to ask, "how can I be Christ-like?" The question is
similar to Mary's "How can this be?" The answer is that it can happen
only as the Spirit comes upon you, Mary could not have produced any
baby, let alone the Son of God, by herself. Jesus tells us that by
ourselves we can do nothing, Yet, when filled with the Holy Spirit, we
can do amazing things as He works through us.
Let our Christmas prayer be, "Father, I surrender to Jesus Christ as
LORD and ask your Spirit come upon me and take control of my life."
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