Last week I heard a disgruntled shopper complaining to a cashier in a department store. His comment was, "Why do we have this Christmas thing anyway? Who's idea was it to have this holiday?" Well, the answer to that question is easy. The commercialized holiday was man's idea, but the event we celebrate was God's.
When it comes down to it, some people don't have any comprehension why Jesus came to earth. Why was He born here and why did He live a physical life of thirty-three years? What was the purpose anyway?
To give a complete answer in this article is impossible, but I will give you an brief overview. With a little study you will see that Christmas is not just celebrating the birth of an ordinary child, but the celebrating of a great God with a great plan for you and me.
First and foremost, God sent Jesus to restore His relationship with mankind and make a way for man to have everlasting life. Because man sinned and had separated himself from God (with the help of the devil), God developed a plan to restore the relationship.
Without God, man was destined for death. God's plan was to bring life and to destroy death and destruction forever.
According to the Bible, 1 John 3:8 says "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil."
Jesus did not come to condemn the world. John 3:17 says, "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."
Jesus was not born just to give us a holiday. Jesus was born as the first part of God's plan to deliver man out of the bondage of sin. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we help to complete God's plan.
Jesus is not just a holiday icon. God's purpose in sending Jesus was to "deliver us and draw us to Himself out of the control and dominion of darkness and transfer us into the Kingdom of the Son of His love in Whom we have our redemption." (Colossians 1:13-14 AMP) Jesus is truly the Savior of the world. Celebrating His birth is a time of great love, peace, joy, and compassion.
Merry Christmas!
Devotion 0427