Years ago when I was working for a church, I got the opportunity to write for a Christmas devotional they were putting out for the congregation. Recently while looking through some of my old stuff, I came across a copy my grandmother had saved for me, and was struck with how much the things that were on my mind at the time relate to what I have just written in Timeless. Apparently God had been working these things into my mind and heart much earlier than I thought. It is a good reminder that though we often forget the ways in which God has spoken to us and molded us in our times of hardship, the things he teaches us and the transformation he brings about linger on and shape how we approach the present and future.
Here is the text of the devotional:
Think for a moment of what you will see on nearly every street through the end of December: a Nativity scene of people, angels, and animals, all huddle around a manger, staring with awe at the baby who lies within.
We too seem to stare in awe at the baby in the manger this time of year, marveling (more often than not) that such an important person was born in such humble conditions.
But the reality of Christ’s birth goes much deeper than that, told most clearly in Philippians 2:7-8, which tells us that Jesus “emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of Men. And when He had come as a man in His external form, He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross.”
So this Christmas, I encourage you to not just go through th emotions. Remember your Lord Jesus Christ. Remember that He who laid the earth’s foundations—He through whom all mankind was raised from the dust—left His heavenly home and took on flesh to take up residence among us (John 1:1-3, 14).
Remember that He endured the dependence of an infant, the frailty of a child, the growing pains of a teenager, and the temptations of an adult—all without sin. Remember that He healed the sick and dined with sinners, defying the established human order and turning the eyes of His followers to the Father He loved. Remember that despite His sinlessness, He died a criminal’s death, flayed and staked to a wooden cross. Remember that He bore the wrath of God in your place, exchanging your hopelessness in sin for His perfect righteousness and buying your soul with His blood. Remember that He rose again, conquering death and promising that in the end you too will rise again. Remember that even now He is with you, filling you with His Holy Spirit until the day you leave this world, when you will at last behold Him face to face.
Don’t be tempted for a moment to regard this day as the world does: as a cute fairy tale complete with three wise men, chubby cupids, and cute little sheep. For at a moment in history, the Eternal God, Creator and Ruler of all that exists, became Man.
Marvel at the miracle of Christ’s birth, but do not linger everlong by the side of the manger. For your Lord is no longer wrapped in swaddling clothes, but is the Exalted One of God, He who has “the Name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow…and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10-11)
Remember.
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For more on my new book, Timeless: The Eternal God and His Enduring Message, see this post or check it out on Amazon.
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