VERSE:
Luke 2:22-24
22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him [Jesus] to Jerusalem [to the Temple] to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”
LESSON:
Be consecrated to the LORD!
This verse describes what Mary and Joseph did on the eighth day after Jesus was born in order to consecrate him to the LORD. The Old Testament Law required that parents consecrate [dedicate] their first-born son to the LORD. Mary and Joseph did what the Old Testament Law required. We may not be living in Old Testament times, and we may not be the "First-Born", but God still calls us to consecrate [dedicate] our lives to him. At this sacred Christmastide [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmastide ], consider how fully you have dedicated your life to God. My prayer for you is that each day you awake...you strive to rededicate your life to God.
