A visitor to our home decidedly stated that the Nativity figurines that I have in every room was a bit obsessive and eccentric. He said that he did not need a figurine to remind him of what Jesus accomplished for us on Calvary’s cross. He informed me that Jesus’ sacrifice was what bought our salvation for us and is a common theme of the Bible.
So, I asked him, “How often do you think about what Jesus suffered throughout His lifetime in order to pay our penalty for our sins?” (Isaiah 53:3). He thought for a moment and then hung his head, “Well, any time that I read a verse about it in my daily devotion, or during Christmas when I hear the Christmas carols sung.”
I simply replied, “Exactly. That is why I have a trophy of the Nativity in every room. So, I can thank Jesus multiple times every single day for what He did for me.”
A difference of opinion … a divergent viewpoint … neither is right or wrong. It is simply a matter of focus. I choose to focus every day on my intense gratitude to Christ for giving up His glorious existence in Heaven, for what He suffered during His selfless lifetime of 33 years, for His horrendous persecution, and for His final torture on the cross - all for my sake.
He was slain for my transgressions and bruised for my iniquity (Isaiah 53:3). What a small tribute to His accomplishments are my various figurines of His lonely birth in a stable. He did it for my sake, and I choose to praise His name for this privilege each time one of these trophies of the Nativity attracts my attention.
During His lifetime, the Spirit of the Lord was upon Jesus, and anointed Him to proclaim the good news to the poor, to proclaim freedom to those captives to sin, to heal sick bodies and deceived minds, to bring a liberating life to anyone oppressed of the devil, and to declare the year of the Lord’s favor upon mankind (Luke 4:18-19).
Although Isaiah and King David never knew Jesus personally, their precise predictions of what was to come are so exact that they inspire me to listen to God’s Spirit each moment of the day in order to ascertain the will of God for my life and for His glory.
The Spirit of the Lord is within the spirit of everyone who humbles him/herself to the point of believing in Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf, and who turns away from their sinful lifestyle and rotates towards holiness instead (Romans 8:9-10). Jesus is our Savior, and our soon coming King.
Prayer:
Father God, we can never thank You enough for taking on a human form and sending Jesus to suffer as we do. Now He serves as our advocate for all of our prayers (1 John 2:1). Jesus sits on the throne at Your right hand and makes intercession for our daily needs (Romans 8:34). He gives us the glory that You gave Him, so that we can be united with You, just as You and He are one.
Help us to realize the importance of those words, and to allow the impact of this truth of personal unity to sink into the consciousness of our soul, so that they will change our whole outlook on our life here on the earth. Remind us that our life is now redeemed because Jesus atoned for our sin debt by His supreme sacrifice throughout His life and His crucifixion on our behalf (1 John 3:1-2). This standing guarantees our inheritance as co-heirs with Jesus of Your entire Kingdom throughout eternity (Romans 8:17).
Thought for the Day:
Glory and honor and praises are due to the Lord for His amazing selfless life on this earth; therefore, everything that we do, even if it is as minuscule as what we eat and drink, should be done for His glory and for the furtherance of His Kingdom on the earth; how will people hear unless someone tells them and gives them the opportunity to switch from the wide road of destruction to the narrow road of glory with God for eternity.
- Romans 10:13-15; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Matthew 7:13
