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Let me share a quote with you from a Youth Walk
devotional I read this morning. It is
God’s message to humanity when He sent Jesus:
“Yes, you’ve continually chosen to walk away from Me and
live in sin. But even though I haven’t done anything wrong, and I am the One
betrayed, I’m going to pay for what you’ve done – with My own blood and My own
life. But instead of just wiping the spiritual slate clean on my end of things,
I’m going to come to earth in person so that you can see Me, and know Me, and
witness the price I am willing to pay for you.”
Read the last line over one more time. “so that you can see
Me, and know Me …” Awesome stuff. But what can we see and know? Well, check
this verse in Hebrews out:
“The Son (Jesus) reflects God's own glory, and everything
about him represents God exactly.” Hebrews 1:3 NLT (abbreviated)
So, Jesus is the ultimate analogy. He is the ultimate representation.
He is the face of God we can see, stare at, and approach without fear.
He is the unnecessary gift of God. Its true, the slate could
have just been wiped clean. But, instead all human history after Him has been
given this amazing picture of God.
I think current Christianity really believes that the only
real gift Jesus gave was our salvation. I do not believe this. There is a
second gift. Perhaps it is an even greater one. While Jesus’ death can save us
from hell, His life gives us a model for how God would live our own. I mean,
look at the gospels. We seriously get 4 different glimpses into Jesus’ life. We
can view Him at multiple angles and analyze his actions. If we truly desire to
be disciples of Christ, then we must seek to learn from Him.
During Christmas, try to celebrate what that baby Jesus
meant for our lives now. Baby Jesus isn’t a symbol of death or sacrifice. He is the symbol
of a life started whereby all of human history that followed could reflect and
see God with us (Immanuel). May our lives forever reflect His gift.
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