It is easy to become weighted down with all that is wrong in the world. A quick perusal of one’s Facebook feed, or catching an excerpt from network news, might convince someone that the only sane thing to do is run and hide. That is what happens when we walk by sight rather than faith. To combat this oh-so-frequent tendency, it is good to have regular reminders of the way things really are.
One such reminder came my way today as my husband and I were doing a devotional and prayer before he left for work. We use the series A Word in Season, by R.J. Rushdoony. These devotionals are not your run-of-the-mill niceties—they are high-octane fuel for meeting the challenges of the Christian life. The chapter reading for today was entitled “The Birth of Our Lord” and it was potent and timely for us. Here are some choice excerpts:
The accounts of our Lord’s birth give us the story of the world’s most glorious event and its greatest invasion. People today are ready to hear all kinds of nonsense about visitors from outer space and “star wars,” but the greatest invasion imaginable is a matter of indifference to them!
On that day, God the Son entered the world. He came as King to reconquer it for God the Father and to restore it to God’s original purpose, to be God’s Kingdom. He came with grace and healing to all who received Him by faith, and with judgment for those who seek to wrest the Kingdom from its rightful Lord.[1]
The reality of the incarnation (yes, even in August) encourages me to continue to do those mundane acts of faithfulness that I am presented with daily—to walk and not be weary, and to run and not faint. It also allows me to see the reality of my life with clearer sight.
Our Lord’s coming tells us of His great salvation, and it makes clear that life is only a tragedy or a disaster if we reject the King. Stop looking at the world with the eyes of dead men, who see nothing except wars and rumors of war, griefs, disasters, and the emptiness of sin. To see the world with dead men’s eyes is to be dead ourselves to the Prince of Peace and of life.
So, Merry Christmas (albeit four months early) and start singing those songs that are usually reserved for December. As Rushdoony encourages:
Let the Christmas carols resound in your heart with the joy of the King: “God rest you merry, gentlemen. Let nothing you dismay, Remember, Christ our Savior was born on Christmas Day.” There is joy in the world among those for whom the Lord has come.
Therefore, let the joy of the Lord be your strength (Neh. 8:10). We are not alone.
Our King has come, “and the government shall be upon his shoulder … Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end” (Isa. 9:6–7). This year, the next, and all the years to come are the years of our Lord, years of His reign. He shall judge all workers of iniquity in His own wise time, and His name is Jesus, Jehovah saves, “for he shall save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). Therefore, this is our day, our time, and our world, because we are the people of the King. Rejoice!
Are you singing?
[1] R.J. Rushdoony, A Word in Season, vol. 6 (Vallecito, CA: Ross House Books, 2015), 96-97.
The Kingdom-Driven Family 