Author: Gospel Folio Press

Book Preview: This is an excerpt from the book 31 Days at Bethlehem’s Treasure (Vol.2) written by Shane Johnson.

A great devotional to pick up in December!

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December 21 – Morning

“Glory to God in the highest…” Luke 2:14

Three little words: “…in the highest.” What do they mean? Upon reflection we discover they are not little words at all, but lofty ones and full of meaning. In exchange for His abject lowliness we ought to give Him the highest, fullest, greatest praise we can muster.

There are three ways we can understand the words “in the highest.” First, it might mean that God received glory in
the highest realm, the heavenly realm, as opposed to the earthly, on that night of His coming into the world. Note
that “a multitude of the heavenly host” (Luke 2:13), not just a few, but a multitude, arrived to give Him glory that first
Christmas night. Cherubim, seraphim, angels, archangels, principalities, powers, all were in attendance to witness and announce the incarnation of the Christ. In every neighbourhood, down every street, in every abode, the birth of Christ was heralded in the heavens. With a little imagination we can hear over the intercom throughout the golden street the announcement resounding: “Hallelujah! Christ is born in the city of David tonight! Go quickly! Tell the shepherds, redemption has begun!” Up to that point, the pinnacle of all angelic experience was to witness the birth of Christ. If they sang at creation (Job 38:7), surely they must have danced with joy over the incarnation.

Yet the angelic proclamation could be taken in another sense. The idea could be bound up in the degree of glory the
Lord achieved through the Incarnation, which was the highest. Never before in the history of earth, nor in the history of angels, had God so humbled Himself. The furthest He had gone in humbling Himself was “to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!” (Ps. 113:6). If it was humbling to the Lord to concern Himself with the events of heaven and earth, how much more humbling must it have been to become one of its citizens?

Imagine what it would be like to be the CEO of a global company. It would be an act of humiliation just to visit and
oversee the workers who swept the floors of the factories of your corporation. Now imagine yourself becoming that
sweeper! Imagine cleaning the floors and ministering in the lunchroom to the tired, aching workers, and at the same time being treated with contempt. Such is the story of Christmas. Men and angels, let us marvel at the One who crouched so low! “Let loving hearts enthrone Him” (What Child is This, William C. Dix).

But perhaps we are to understand the angelic proclamation in yet another sense. Perhaps the idea is “Glory to God to
the highest degree.” In this sense, the angels are commanding all mankind to give God their “utmost for His highest”
(to borrow a phrase from Oswald Chambers). Yet, in the light of the humble circumstances of our Saviour’s birth, perhaps we should give our “utmost for His lowest.” Loud should be our singing. With all our might we should serve Him. Generous should be our giving. Droplets of praise are a poor exchange for rivers of blessing. Likewise, crumbs of gratitude, dispensed on Sundays only in the form of singing, are an insult to the One who daily spreads a feast for us.

Glory to God in the highest means God should get every ounce of praise due to His name. Fully God gave Himself to us; fully we should give ourselves to Him.

Let the cherubim and the flies
Let all the earth and purple skies
Let all creation’s symphony
Peacock the glory of God.

Book Preview: This is an excerpt from the book 31 Days at Bethlehem’s Manger, written by Shane Johnson.

A great devotional to pick up for December!

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December 14 – Morning

“And when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.” Matthew 2:11

Christmas, for the world, has so much to do with receiving; but Christmas, for the Christian, has everything to do with giving. “When they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts unto Him,” the Scripture records. “What am I giving for Christmas this year,” should be the first question on our hearts, not, “What am I getting?”

The frankincense brought by the wise men from the East was an act of worship, an acknowledgement of His deity. Frankincense in ancient times was offered on altars in worship to the gods. The fact that these men had brought incense to the Babe indicates that, in their minds, He was the divine One.

Incense in the Old Testament was intricately involved with the offerings of the altar. The holy incense of the Tabernacle, which was not permitted for private use, was concocted by the perfumer and reserved for the sole purpose of worship (Ex. 30:37). Anyone who dared to use it for themselves was cut off from the people.

Likewise, in Leviticus, it was written that if anyone offered a grain offering to the Lord “…[he shall] put frankincense thereon” (Lev. 2:1). Had these wise men from the East unwittingly laid frankincense upon the sacrifice? Mary and Joseph, who were familiar with the Old Testament offerings, may have faintly understood these things.

Indeed, the infant would ultimately give Himself for us, “an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour” (Eph. 5:2). That incense would be burned at the cross and would ascend into the throne room of God, bringing pleasure to His nostrils. Like Noah’s altar of old, after the Flood, God would smell a soothing aroma arising from the cross, causing Him to say in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake…” (Gen. 8:21). The ultimate fulfillment of Noah’s offering found its counterpart at the cross. Let us send up offerings of
incense this Christmas through the praises of our lips to the One who came down to die.

The cross was cruel and bleak and dark
Beneath that flood of rage,
But Thy dear cross became our Ark
And brought us through unscathed.

We were like Cain, lost fugitives,
Young rebel Absaloms.
Thou gave Thy soul that we might live
In New Jerusalem.

Jesus, Thy great vast love sublime
Swells our poor paltry hearts.
In all Thy ways Thy beauty shines.
How good, how kind Thou art

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“If you want to seriously meditate on the great truths of what really happened just over 2000 years ago, and how it shook both heaven and earth, forever, you will not be disappointed with any page of this fresh and rich devotional book written by a man I have come to respect very much.

Shane Johnson has provided us with two meditations for each day of December, predominantly with a focus on the Incarnation – God becoming a man, in real though sinless human flesh – to help us not only understand the plan of God, but to motivate us to worship and serve Him. The last few days in the book shift the focus away from the “Christmas” theme, as Shane points to a new year of putting this renewal of adoration into practice, by first addressing what we really believe.” – From the Introduction by Peter Bolton