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And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
Luke 2:7
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom
2 Timothy 4:1
Devotional
Over the last twenty-four days, we’ve seen how Jesus is the Son of God and Son of Man, born of a virgin in an overpopulated town with no room for a newborn baby to sleep comfortably. We’ve looked at His lineage and saw how His royalty threatened the local ruler who made an attempt on His life. His family took Him and fled to Egypt where He lived in exile. When it was safe again they moved back to their homeland, to a backwater dump of a town called Nazareth.
When the time came Jesus was appointed and baptized and began his ministry teaching in parables, working miracles, and flipping tables. No matter what He did, He was despised and rejected, sought out only for what miraculous signs He could do with little attention paid to His words. He entered Jerusalem on a donkey fulfilling ancient prophecy, and instead of being celebrated the people rallied for His death.
He was arrested, scourged, abused, beaten, and forced to carry His cross to the place of His murder. What little He had was stolen from Him as He hung, bleeding, and dying. They pierced His side and the blood and water from His broken heart gushed upon the ground. He died among criminals but was finally shown some compassion as He was buried in a rich man’s tomb.
All His life, He was despised and rejected. Only in death were kind deeds found for Him. And then, He arose. He shook the Earth with the power of His resurrection, and walked forth from that tomb. He tore the temple vale in two with the power of His love, showing us that we no longer have to sacrifice goats and sheep to atone for our sins because He has atoned for all sin.
All of this was prophesied and all of this came to fruition. But still, more is prophesied about Him. Jesus will return in glory! Jesus will return to conquer His enemies and set the captives free. Jesus is not done yet.
So the question is put to us here and now, will we respond to Jesus as the world did during His life or will we respond to Jesus the way His perfect, sinless life deserves? Will we bow on our knees and cry out: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” Will we welcome Him with open arms, obedient hearts, and feet that move quickly toward love and good deeds?
Today is Christmas, and it’s time for us to remember:
Jesus was born homeless so that He could identify with us and offer us an eternal home.
The carpenter’s son was born not to craft tables, but to hang from a wooden cross.
Without the cross, there would be no Christmas for us to remember. Without the resurrection, none of this would be noteworthy.
Today is Christmas, and it’s time for us to remember… no tree has ever been decorated as lovingly as that tree at Calvary.
As you sit around cherishing this blessed holiday, I pray that you would be thankful for Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection. I pray that you would consider the weight of what He gave up so that you could live eternally. I pray that you would be ready for Jesus. Ready not only for His return, but ready to be His hands and feet here on Earth from today until the day He calls you home. Go and be His ambassador here and now and help others get ready for Jesus.
This is the final devotional in a twenty-five part Advent series looking at various prophecies about Jesus. A summary of all the advent devotions can be found here.