December 21, 2015 – Romans 15:12

And in another place Isaiah said “The heir to David’s throne will come, and he will rule over the Gentiles. They will place their hope on him.” Romans 15:12Those words jump out and thrill my heart – They will place their hope on him.  Who can live without hope?  As a Jew, did Isaiah understand what he wrote?  Would Gentiles and not the Jews place their hope in the one who will be born as heir to David’s throne?  How would that come about?What about being God’s chosen people?  Didn’t that count for something?  A wise man once told me that if he didn’t follow and believe in God, what else was there?  Hope comes from believing God from our tip toes to the top of our heads, with all that is in us.  From believing and hope in God only, we find that fountain of irrepressible joy that bubbles over even in the direst of circumstances in life.Insecurity vanishes and confidence in trusting God conquers all fears.  How will that be?  A tiny babe, an heir to David’s throne, was born in a stable, the King of the Jews, and King of our hearts through the power of the Holy Spirit.  This is God’s plan.  Not believing in Jesus as our Lord is trying to negate all that God is from our hearts.God loves us so…which is evident in every petal of each flower and every sunrise.  But when He prepared for Jesus to come to this earth as our Savior, He went all out.  Our God gave the angels an exciting song song to sing to the shepherds –“I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!  Why Bethlehem? At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.)  All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea. God created a star to lead the Wise Men to the house where the newborn babe lay. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy!  Do you know Jesus?I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13