Daily and Weekly Christian Inspiration
A survey ranked Jesus as # 3 of the top influential leaders of all time simply because His followers are less faithful in obeying His commandments!
“How many observe Christ’s birthday! How few, His precepts!” ~Benjamin Franklin
John 14:15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments”
Have you ever wondered why the King of Kings was not born in a palace but rather in a lowly stable? It may surprise us but it was no surprise to God that there was no room in the inn. It was planned in the mind of God from eternity for He was born not only as the Son of God but the LAMB of God. Lambs are not born in palaces or hotels but in stables and surrounding fields like all other lambs. The place of His birth in a stable defined His purpose to be the Sacrificial Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
May we all like the Grinch in the children’s book “How The Grinch Stole Christmas” eventually gain some insight and wisdom into the real meaning of the Christmas season
“He puzzled and puzzled till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. Maybe Christmas, he thought… doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps… means a little bit more!
How could it be so? It came without ribbons!… it came without tags!… it came without packages, boxes, or bags!
But this… this sound wasn’t sad. Why… this sound sounded glad. Every Who down in Whoville, the tall and the small, was singing, without *any* presents at all! He hadn’t stopped Christmas from coming, it *came*! Somehow or other… it came just the same.”
Galatians 4:4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
Since we are all born with an Adam nature and born as sinners separated from God, where could we ever find someone who was sinless, who could take the penalty for our sin by taking our place of judgement? It had to be someone who did not inherit the Adam nature. The only way this could possibly happen was to have someone born physically without an earthly father since sin is inherited through our fathers’ bloodline not our mothers’. But everyone male or female inherits that Adam nature since we all have earthly fathers.
There was only one born who did not have an earthly father, that one was the babe in the manger in Bethlehem. Yes, even He did have an earthly mother who had been born of an earthly father, but biologically the blood of the mother never intermingles with the blood of the fetus, thus He could be born without a sinful nature. The chemistry is in the blood, sin is in the blood, and life is in the blood.
If this babe had an earthly father He would have been paying for the penalty of His own sin.
He had to be the perfect Lamb to be found worthy to take away the sin of the world.
If He wasn’t born of a virgin we are still in our sins for His sacrificial death would not have been an acceptable sacrifice when He presented His blood in the Holy of Holies in the heavens.
When the Father by the power of the Holy Spirit plants His seed in our spiritual wombs we are “born again” of a different bloodline through the New Birth as we now can become the children of God.
Surely the Christmas story is The Son of God becoming a man to enable men to become the sons of God.
Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
CHALLENGE:
Except we become as little children we cannot see the Kingdom of God.
Celebrate the miracle of the Virgin Birth this season with childlike wonder and faith.
To your enemy . . .forgiveness,
To your opponent . . .tolerance.
To a friend . . . your heart.
To a customer . . . service.
To all men . . .charity.
To every child . . . a good example
To yourself . . .respect
1 Peter 4:10 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves:for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. Use hospitality one to another without grudging. As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.