Saturday

December 19

“But Mary was treasuring up all these things in her heart and meditating on them.  The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had seen and heard, just as they had been told.” 

Luke 2:19-20 (HCSB)

When something exciting happens, my first instinct is to tell someone. I want to tell them all about the good news—I want them to be excited with me! I also sometimes want to ponder these happy things, allowing them to soak in.

When reading through the story of Christ’s birth, I cannot help but think what my reaction would have been to hearing such exciting news—would I have held it in, thinking on the goodness of the Lord, or immediately gone to tell everyone I knew about such wonderful news?  In verses 19 and 20 of Luke 2, I think we see two reactions to hearing the good news of the birth of our Savior. Mary treasured up all of the goodness in her heart, mediating on the Lord and what He had done, while the shepherds praised God and glorified Him for what they had seen.  While these reactions probably looked very different physically, both revolved around glorifying the Lord.  Both Mary and the shepherds realized that the great things they were witnessing came from God, not anyone here on Earth.  As we enter the Christmas season, I want to choose to recognize this—that all good comes from God, and He deserves all of the glory for this good.  I want to be aware of what I am meditating on in my heart—is it glorifying to the Lord—and also aware of what I am outwardly praising.

I pray that the gospel is my main thought, every day, and that I daily choose to praise and glorify Him for what He has done.