Inspiration
'The Birth of Hope'
Scarborough

Come We have a lot of needs in our day. Most of us focus so much on our material wants that we usually miss what is most needed in our lives. Our material wants will someday perish away into nothingness, but the deeper and more important need for God's spiritual supply to be poured into our souls will last for all eternity. To realize that He provides for us in this way gives us reason to be people of hope.

During this time of Christmas celebration, I encourage all of us to remember the hope that came to earth on the first Christmas centuries ago through the person of Jesus Christ. There was a lot of hopelessness in the day of His birth, but He came to bring hope that was not based on wishful thinking, chance, probability, or favor from a man-made source. He came to bring divine assurance of God's wonderful love and grace to all who will believe upon Him.

The prophet Micah was among those of the Old Testament era who, through the prompting of the Holy Spirit, looked ahead to the birth of Messiah. Several hundred years before the Savior's birth, the Holy Spirit gave Micah a glimpse of the coming Christ's power and plan. Although it was a society and time filled with the corruption of sin, God sent His word of hope that was to come. The Lord even announced the birth location of the One to come to save the people from their sins: "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times" of old, from ancient times"

(Micah 5:2, NIV). What a word of hope for those living in despair! That same hope is available to us today!!

As the time approached for the birth of Messiah, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph, the man pledged to marry Mary who would give birth to the Christ-child, and said, "She [Mary] will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21).

We know from the scriptures that Christ was born just as it was foretold, and He fulfilled the plan and purpose for which He came--to save His people from their sins. There is no other source of eternal hope. As the Savior so accurately said of Himself in John 14:6, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

You might be experiencing

ing a lot of spiritual and a lot of spiritual and

emotional turmoil during emotional turmoil during

this season of celebration. I this season of celebration. I

encourage you to remember encourage you to remember

that hope was born for you in Bethlehem over 2000 years ago. Christ brought hope that you can rest assured in for all eternity; it cannot be shaken by the uncertainty of our modern world. May these words from Micah 7:18 give you strength: "Who is a God like You, Who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy."

What hope we have in Him!