To appreciate the beauty of Christmas, we must recognize the ugliness of Christmas too. God decided to be born in a manger, and when we think of the manger, we see it as a beautiful, clean place with lights and music, but the reality is that a manger was simply a stable, a stall where animals were kept, with filth, manure and darkness (remember, there was no electricity back then.)Maybe God decided to be born in a stable to show us that the pure, clean, Holy God was intervening and saving a filthy, unclean and sinful world. The Word of God says in 1st Timothy 1:15 “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.” Many times during Christmas, we celebrate the first part of the verse “… Christ Jesus came into the world…” and forget the rest “…to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.”
In Matthew 1:21, the angel told this to Joseph: “She (Mary) will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." Praise His name for Christmas! Jesus was born, yes, but He grew and eventually died on a cross to pay for our sins and resurrected on the third day to give us the hope of eternal life.
Merry Christmas!
2 comments:
Thank you for pointing out the part that we always seem to forget. He never does anything without purpose.
Love U
Anntoinette
Hi Rod,
Merry Christmas! It is so true, that reality is very different then what we imagine about the stable, the smell, all the uncomfortable things that we would rather not think about.
Phil 2:7 but He emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
Praise be to God for this indescribable gift!
Life is also, very different then we sometimes would like it to be or perhaps we even think it should be. Troubles do come...our life is but a vapor...
Oh that we may grasp the love that has been poured out for us. How deep and wide and high it is. That we may rejoice in knowing God. That we may press on for the joy set before us.
Wishing you all the very best this Christmas season, love you guys,
Alexa
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