“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.” Isaiah 9:6-7
It finally hit me. It hit me deeper and in a more meaningful way than it ever had. It hit me in such a way that all I could do was worship, cry, and wonder “why”. What realization you ask? The amazing truth that Jesus himself would come down to earth to suffer the worst death imaginable by choice to save me, a depraved, wretched sinner who deserves nothing close to this miracle.
The amazing truth that Jesus himself would come down to earth to suffer the worst death imaginable by choice to save me, a depraved, wretched sinner who deserves nothing close to this miracle.
I had experienced a rough day. I was stressed, anxious, and overwhelmed. For me, that is a combination for disaster. I soon found myself in sinful behavior that I so desperately have confessed to God in the past that I wanted to be done with, yet there I was again. I had recently read Paul’s words about repetitive sin as you see here: “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do (Romans 7:15)”. This verse had never felt more relatable. I went to work the next day, weary and defeated. That morning, during our staff worship time we sang a Christmas song that talks of how Christ came to earth to suffer and die to reconcile us to God. The beautiful lyrics overwhelmed my soul in a way they had not before and I was left truly reflecting on the fact that I am never going to be good enough. I knew in my mind that that was true and that was why I needed Jesus. But the reality of my depravity and need for a Savior hit more real than it ever had in that very moment.
Sometimes I think that the more “churched” we are, the less we are amazed at the work and person of Christ. We get accustomed to the stories and forget to truly meditate on God’s Word and what the Lord has done for us. Christmas is such a joyous time for the Christian because we get to celebrate our Lord and Savior fulfilling his promise to his people by sending Jesus down to earth to be the ultimate sacrifice for our sins! As we see in the above passage in Isaiah, our Savior is our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace! He is our everything and all we could ever need! We see Jesus later explain who he is in his teaching during his earthly ministry. “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life (John 8:12).” What greater truth do we have to reflect on and turn into worship to our Lord and Savior during this season! However, how often do we actually celebrate this truth in the Christmas season as opposed to just doing “all the things” this time of year. May we take the time this Christmas to reflect on Christ as the light of the world who came down to earth as a baby to be the greatest sacrifice needed for our salvation. May we also share this truth with our lost family and friends that we spend this season with. What more amazing gift could we share with them this Christmas than sharing the truth of the gospel?
God still sent his son, Jesus, to come down to earth as a baby in the most humble way possible so that he could be the sacrifice needed for me to be reconciled to God!
Even though I mess up and sin more than I want, God still chose me. God still sent his son, Jesus, to come down to earth as a baby in the most humble way possible so that he could be the sacrifice needed for me to be reconciled to God! This is the most amazing miracle!
