Hello, and welcome back to the One Thing Podcast. So, here we are, just a few days away from Christmas, which can mean a lot of things to many people—last minute gifts, traveling that’s going to have to happen, lots of food, exchanging gifts, time with family, all the things that are involved with holidays. But the one thing I was really thinking about today is really what we find in Christmas, what we see in Christmas, in the Word.

"The favor of God."

Really, what comes to mind is favor—the favor of God. You know, He sent His one and only Son. Jesus was born among men! The great Lord of All, the King of Heaven, the one and only Son of God was given from God as a precious gift to all mankind. How Jesus really is the favor of God! We can see a couple instances in the Word
between the book of Luke, and even the book of Matthew, of how God was pouring out His favor into a couple people, and we remember Mary.

The Angel Gabriel had approached her, and how did he greet her? He said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored,” meaning, “Listen, the favor of God has come upon you. He is going to birth His Word, the living Word, in your life.”
What awesome news is that, for each one of us, that God is looking to do the same things in our lives!

Furthermore, we remember Elizabeth, Mary’s cousin. She was an older woman and she was a barren woman. She was never able to have a child of her own, in sadness and in shame. But, the angel also had approached her husband and had given them the good news that she would bear a child, John the Baptist. She said, herself, in Luke 1:25, “In these days, He has shown his favor in taking away my disgrace among the people.”

Elizabeth was under the favor of God. He was going to produce fruit in her life, fruit of the Word that God had given through His messengers. So, today, as we come closer and closer to a wonderful day of celebration, may we just take time to thank God. Thank God for His favor over our lives—that His Son has come and He is here with us even now. Emmanuel, God with us!

"His favor is the Lord Jesus Christ."

God made a way for us to receive His favor, and His favor is the Lord Jesus Christ. What a great gift! We can barely fathom how awesome Jesus is and how He saves us. He comes as the Savior of all mankind, that those who turn to Him and look to Him receive the very favor of the Lord God, Himself.

Praise God for this Christmas season, and may we thank Him for His favor, and may we walk in all that He’s called us to walk in, in the life and the light of His Son, Jesus.