“A sword shall pierce your own soul also.” (Luke 2:35)
These are strange words indeed which Simeon spoke to Mary after he had given thanks to the Lord. Amid all the joy and wonder of Christ’s birth, there is a note here of the future of the cross. The birth and life of Jesus was exceptional in every respect but it is only by His sacrificial death that His salvation is made available to us. It involved pain and suffering. It will also be painful to us as the message of the cross will cut through all the natural desires of our lives. This was not a feature that Mary reckoned upon in her life. Often, it is not with us either. So, when unexpected, or difficult things happen, we may be surprised. But, in the hands of God all events can be used by Him as part of the work of the cross in our lives. God wants to put to death all natural dependencies and every inclination of the flesh to replace it with total dependency upon Him alone and make us people who live according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh. This is the work of the cross and the reason why Jesus was born and became man. Has He been born in you so that the work of the cross may be done in your life?
PRAYER :- “Lord, thank you that your death as well as your birth works salvation in my soul.”