“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
God incarnate became a man, and He died for our sins and rose the third day. Don’t let that ever cease to amaze you! God very God, the Almighty Creator of the universe, humbled Himself and became a human being, clothing Himself in flesh. Jesus Christ, the second Person of the Trinity, was born as a baby in Bethlehem, fulfilling hundreds of Old Testament prophecies. The joy of Christmas is that God loves you so much that He Himself came to die on the cross and rescue you from your sin. He is the Holy One–the Messiah! He came to save us, and He died and rose so that we can have eternal life with Him. What a miracle–what a Savior! What a God we serve!
Philippians 2:5-8
5Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
Merry Christmas to you and your family! May you draw closer to our precious Lord and Savior this new year!
One crisp morning, as I was out for a walk, a barren tree caught my eye. Its branches looked dead, and it appeared lifeless, buried under winter’s gloom.
As I examined it more closely, however, I spotted three distinct species of colorful birds playing in it, one of which was a rare kind I had never seen before. Even as I glanced below, a bonus surprise awaited me: an adorable rabbit fed on the grass underneath.
The sight of this tree and the life hidden among its branches reminded me of Christ’s resurrection. He brings new life to the things that are dead in our lives. We might look at a painful or disastrous situation and only see dead, dry, barren sticks. But what encouragement to remember that God will cause new life to spring forth, and one day soon, we will see all the marvelous ways in which He will resurrect the things that have died.
Christ is risen! The grave could not keep our Savior. He arose in glory and power, and because He lives, we have hope in Him. Without His resurrection, our faith would be very empty indeed, as Paul asserts in 1 Corinthians 15.
As we celebrate Christ’s bodily resurrection, let us rejoice in the fact that He also brings resurrection to our everyday lives.
When I was younger, I thought that God’s plan for Mary was the very best calling for any woman who has ever lived and that nothing else could ever be as special as being Jesus’ mother. At the root of these thoughts lay the deep desire to do great things for God.
Last year, as I was listening to the Christmas song “Breath of Heaven”, which speaks of the Nativity from Mary’s imagined perspective, I gained fresh insight. As Mark 3:35 says, “For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother.” Only one woman was called to be Christ’s literal mother, but each and every believer, in a very special way, carries Christ within them. He dwells in their heart.
Just like Mary, we wonder what we’ve done that the Father has chosen us to bear the image of His Son. We wonder if wiser people could have taken our place, and yet we offer all we are to His plan.
As Mary did, may each of us strive to surrender entirely to the Lord and say “Behold, the …servant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to Your word.” (Luke 1:38)
Luke 1:45 NKJV
“Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”
It is not Christmastime, but the astounding concept of IMMANUEL–God incarnate–is a major part of our every day lives as believers. Here are some of the lyrics to one of my favorite songs–“For God Is With Us”–that puts this concept in a beautiful perspective.
“No room for a King/no celebration and no ceremony in that little town/nobody would think/ this is the story of the coming glory….the Body was broken/and it was finished/so let us begin/the celebration and the ceremony…oh, how the world forever changed/for God is with us!”
Stop and ponder this a moment. GOD–the Creator of the universe–the omnipotent, omniscient, almighty God–the only One Who is worthy of all our praise and adoration–the Lord of all things–condescended to earth in human form–for us! GOD, veiled in flesh, came down from His heavenly home to save us! Jesus Christ, the very image of God and God Himself, was born in the lowliest state–for us. ALLELUIA!!!
Oh, friends, let us praise and worship our God! He is the ONLY One worthy of all our adoration! Let Him be Lord in our lives! He is holy–He is awesome–He is full of glory and grace! Let us bow to Him in reverence and praise HIM ALONE today. Alleluia and amen!!!
John 11:25-27 (NKJV) Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
Resurrection Sunday has always been special to me. My name, Anastasia Irene, comes from Greek and literally means “Resurrection peace”. The verses that my parents gave me when I was a baby are John 11:25-27.
These gorgeous ice plant flowers, some of my favorites, truly capture the joy of Resurrection Sunday!
I have always cherished the truth that because Jesus arose from the dead, we will be resurrected one day to live eternally with Him. However, this year, He has given me two new perspectives on resurrection.
The first symbol of resurrection is that of a kernel of wheat.
John 12:24
Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.
Kernels of wheat
In John 12:24, Jesus is mainly predicting His death and resurrection, but this passage can also apply to our earthly lives. It speaks of His resurrection power available to us here and now. Each spring, as we plant the seeds into the ground and cover them with dark soil, it feels as though that would be the end. Yet, in His miraculous power, God causes new life to burst forth from that seed, and sprout, and grow into the fullness of its beauty.
Is there anything in your life that feels dead–a dream, a desire, a long-nurtured hope? What if those areas of our lives that we thought were dead are, in some amazing way, only the beginnings and are rooted in the resurrection power? Is God able to take what things we have buried and assumed gone forever and resurrect them in a whole new way? The astounding news is that He IS able, and He DOES and WILL! That which feels like the end in our lives is God’s way of burying a seed deep into our hearts; for one day, the growth from it will astound us!
Perhaps, He allows some things in our lives to die so that He can raise them up “for the glory of God” (John 11). If Lazarus had not died, Jesus would not have had a chance to display His glorious resurrection power and bring many sheep into His flock. Make a list of areas in your life that feel dead and pray Jesus’ resurrection power over each one.
The second symbol of the resurrection we experience on earth is that of a butterfly.
Painted lady butterfly on a rose
2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” Just as a butterfly is freed from her cocoon, we become a new creation when we put our faith in Jesus! Our sinful inner man dies, and we experience God’s resurrection spiritually, even though our physical bodies still await redemption. Let’s live like we are resurrected by God’s mighty power! Give all your pain to God, and He will resurrect it for His glory! Amen!
