Bible Reading

Devotional

There will always be two kinds of laughter around the birth of Christ, which is the center of our faith and the heart of the Bible. The cynical laughter of unbelief continues—like bad music. May God have mercy on those who laugh loudly or smile politely at the story of the virgin mother and child. But the other kind of laughter, about the fulfilled promise, also continues to resound.

This laughter is an echo of the sound that was first heard in Abraham's tent, where two old people gazed at their baby. "Isaac," they said. "Laughter." God has done the impossible.

The promise of a son, so often repeated to childless Sarah, came to Mary in the fullness of time. Again, it was a human impossibility: "How will this be since I am a virgin?" But when the angel had spoken to Mary about "the power of the Most High," she bowed in faith and received the blessing. Mary sang a psalm before she sang a lullaby: "My soul glorifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior."

Mary's relative was Elizabeth, who was too old to have a baby. Therefore God showed her that he is God and that the salvation God brought into the world is exclusively his work. So Mary sang and Elizabeth laughed. And Zechariah—well, he couldn't believe at first that such miracles would happen so long after the days of Sarah and Abraham. But when God allowed him to speak again, he joined the chorus of song and laughter, praising God, who had kept "the oath he swore to our father Abraham."

We continue to carry our crosses along the highway of faith. Some day the joy that began in Genesis 25 and the laughter that is so rich in Luke 1 and 2 will resound without end, "when all flesh shall see the token that God's Word is never broken."

REFLECTIONS

Read Mary's song (Luke 1:46-55) and make it your own song of joy to the Lord.

Daily Devotional

February 29

(Monthly Theme: Living with God)

Three Hundred and Sixty-Six

by Rev. Andrew Kuyvenhoven

Text

" 'Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?' " —Matthew 6:27

Bible Reading

MATTHEW 6:25-33

Devotional

If you read this page on the date for which it was written, you will read it only once in four years. This is the day that makes every fourth year longer than the normal ones. Today we add one cubit—if not to the span of our lives, then to the span of this year.

It doesn't really make any difference how you count your days. You may do it by the Julian calendar or by the Gregorian calendar, or you may count by the cycles of the moon. We cannot really add or subtract from the days God has measured out for us.

Our days are numbered.

But it does make a big difference what you mean by this confession. Some races and religions believe that fate rules people's lives. They will expose themselves to danger and do other irresponsible things, saying that if their god wants them to die, they cannot stop him, and if their time is not yet up, they'll get away with it.

Christians also believe that their days are numbered. But when they say this, they don't fear their fate but trust their Father. And they couple their belief in a sovereign God with a conviction of human responsibility. God is not fate but Father, and we are not puppets but people.

The fact that we have a limited number of days allotted to us by an all-wise God has a double influence on our lives. We don't spend our days in anxiety. We live responsibly and take normal precautions, but we are not going to worry about all that could possibly happen, for we know that nothing can happen without the will of our heavenly Father.

Second, we use our days wisely. We receive them gratefully and dedicate every one of them to the service of the Lord, knowing that this service of the Lord will continue after we have fulfilled the number of our days on earth.

REFLECTIONS

Bring whatever makes you anxious and worried to the Lord, who has numbered your days and who loves you always.

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.