The Christmas Story is a Stepping Stone
What would the world look like if Jesus had not been born?
Verse of the Day
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Today’s Devotional
Most things in life are a slow process. It takes 9 months to grow a baby before it is ready to be born. If you want to lose weight, it is a long, slow process of making daily choices toward your end goal. Getting a college degree takes years. The list goes on and on. Things just take time.
In most of these instances, there are specific moments in the process that you can identify as stepping stones in the journey.
The Christmas story is one of those stepping stones. The birth of Jesus Christ was an identifiable event in the history of the world that was a significant event in the reconciliation between God and His created beings. Without the birth of Jesus, there would be no ministry of Jesus. No water turned into wine. No healings. No sermon on the mount. No parables. No calling us out on our religious “rules”. No showing us what love looks like. No crucifixion. No resurrection. No promise of the Holy Spirit.
I don’t read the above verse and think of Christmas. But without the birth of Jesus, I would earn the wages of my sin. That wage, what I have earned and deserve, is eternal separation from God. There is no worse punishment than separation from God. God is the source of every single good thing in heaven and on earth. Being with God and within His will is the only place where we can find peace, joy, love, contentment, faith and wholeness. Being separated from God puts me in a place of despair, sadness, shame and ultimately punishment and death.
Let’s think of what our lives would be like if Jesus had never come. Personally, that’s hard for me to imagine. There would still be one God, but we would still be living under the law. We would not have the New Testament. We would have no example of what servant-love looks like. We would have a much less clear picture of the character of God. Daily, we would be earning the wages of our sin instead of forgiveness and grace offered through Jesus.
As the Christmas season is upon us, let’s look at the Christmas tree and lights and decorations and think of Jesus. Baby Jesus. Who had to be born in order to live, teach, minister, love, suffer pain, die and rise from the dead in order for us to be reunited with the Father. His love for us is that big. This season reminds us of a beautiful step in the journey of our salvation. It can remind us that the wages of our sin have been paid, and that the gift of eternal life with God awaits us.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
How can you live today with gratitude for the gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus?
How can you change your perspective of the Christmas season to one that is fully focused on Jesus?
How can you do something today to thank Jesus for paying your debt?