Today I will break my pattern a little bit and go to some different scriptures, so we may remember why Jesus Christ came to this earth.
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.” (Isa 9:2,6-7)
“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. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Tim 1:15-17)
In these two passages from Isaiah and Paul we learn many reasons why Jesus came to earth:
– He brought light to this dark place
– To counsel and bring peace
– To [eventually] reign as our king
– To bring forth justice and righteousness
– To save us from sin and eternal separation from God
– To exhibit grace, mercy, and patience
– To enable us to receive eternal life
– To bring glory to God the Father
That list isn’t even exhaustive, though it is a pretty good reminder of why we celebrate the birth of Jesus. We remember all of these things, and more. We also remember that it was God’s extravagant love that sent Jesus to die for our sins as a gift to us.
My challenge for today is to love others abundantly as God and Jesus love us – let’s be generous and lavish the love of Christ on those around us. Let’s bring glory to the Father, as Jesus did, by showing the world just how much we care. Let’s be a light in this dark place and conduct ourselves with righteousness, grace, mercy and patience.
Jesus, please teach us how to do this. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
~ Conqueror in Training