Dec 25 2024

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Isaiah prophesied the birth of Jesus about 700 years before it happened. Even though at the time it was in the distant future, Isaiah knew that the arrival of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, would change everything—for the world, and also for the people who believed in Him.

Through His death on the cross, Jesus made it possible for each of us to have a relationship with Him. No longer would animal sacrifices be needed. No longer would there be a veil between God and mankind. Jesus was the perfect and final sacrifice whose death tore the veil. Now, each of us can approach God as if we have never sinned because the blood of Jesus has covered every wrong.

Jesus came to Earth as a baby in a manger. His humble beginnings show us that He is not a distant God repulsed by our own suffering or shame. Much to the contrary, He stepped into a broken world that He knew would one day crucify Him even though He was innocent. He knew that the very people He came to save would nail His wrists to a cross.

But He came anyway. He lived to die because He loved us too much to see us withering in our own failures and following lesser gods. He was willing to leave His heavenly home and take residence in a humble town and work as a carpenter because He knew that through that sacrifice, salvation for the entire world would come.

As we celebrate Jesus' birth, we can rejoice in the reality that our God is not distant. Instead, He's right here with you and me, and all we have to do is reach out to Him to know His love.

Dear Lord, thank you so much for Jesus. Thank you for His goodness and humility and for His willingness to be the perfect sacrifice for each of us. Help me to live every day as if it's Christmas—since every day of my life is forever changed because of His willingness to come down and live among us. I love you, Lord. In Jesus' name, amen.

Dec 24 2024

Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. :

In this verse, we learn that Jesus dwells within us and that we dwell in Him. His Spirit comes to live inside us when we come to know Him, and it testifies to the reality that we are new creations in Christ. Knowing this changes the way that we view the world and gives us confidence when we find ourselves facing challenges.

The verse begins by saying that we dwell in Him. We live in a world that is created by God, and our bodies were knitted together at His command, but this verse goes even deeper than that. It tells us that we are covered by His love and protection in all circumstances. There is nowhere that we can go where He is not covering us.

In addition to our dwelling in Him, Jesus dwells within us. We are assured that He is always inside us. Whenever we are facing a difficult decision or terrible circumstance, we can ask the Holy Spirit to give us direction and we know that He will. We know that because He lives within us, it will never be possible for us to be separated from the Lord.

Think about this: As Christians, we are literally sandwiched between God! He is covering us and is within us—nothing can get to us that hasn't gone through God. When the adversary comes to hurt us, we are protected on the inside and out. There is no part of our bodies or souls that is not shrouded in the love and protection of the Lord.

Because of this, we have nothing to fear. The Lord is going to help us because He loves us, and He will prove Himself to be the ever-present help we need in times of trouble. His Spirit has clothed us in His protection, and we can walk wherever the Lord has told us with confidence in Him.

Dear Lord, thank you for covering me in so many different ways. Thank you for guarding my outside and my inside. There is no sandwich I'd rather be a part of! You are so good to me. Help me to remember your love for me in all moments of my life. I love you, Jesus. In your name, amen.