Posted on December 22, 2023 by Elizabeth Welte in Freedom Fighters
“The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined.”- Isaiah 9:2 (NKJV)
Allow me to start todays Freedom Fighter with this prayer from the pen of 19th century Lutheran Church Pastor, Johann Konrad Wilhelm Löhe: “Be a pillar of fire unto our hearts and minds always, that these may follow You even in the darkness; and grant that we be ever found before You as the children of the light of eternal day, and not as the children of the darkness of night; though Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.” This woulda been nice to mediate through this as the pink candle of Advent was lit, but the church I’m going to doesn’t do the candle lightening during Advent, I mediate through it anyway.
So, it’s a mere few days away from the big moment, Christmas morning!! Bet there’s gonna be a lot of “rejoicing” over what Santa brought to children and what adults exchanged among themselves. That kinda moment just lights up a living room like nobody’s business, doesn’t it? Yet little do many know that the Light Of The World had already stepped down into darkness, by becoming one of us, so that He may open our eyes so we’ll see. English Puritan, Thomas Watson, says this, “That Christ should clothe Himself with our flesh, a piece of earth which we tread upon; oh infinite humility!” Well, when you put things in that sorta description, I guess folks aren’t gonna bite down on the real reason we’re celebrating the incarnation of Christ. But wait, there’s more.
“Christ’s taking our flesh was one of the lowest steps of His humiliation. He humbled Himself more lying in the virgin’s womb than hanging on the cross. It was not so much for man to die, but for God to become man was the wonder of humility. ‘He was made in the likeness of men.’” It is a fulfillment of promise on God’s behalf that we should rejoice this Christmas season. Because when He said, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” (Genesis 3:15) God meant it. So, while everyone is moshing around in the wrapping paper, verbally rejoicing in the gifts they received from their loved ones, remind everyone to make room for rejoicing in their hearts for The One that is the bestest gift of all… Jesus Christ!
“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 8:38-39
Whenever you find yourself back in Romans 8, take notice to how the apostle Paul makes his stand. From, “Therefore there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” all the way to “nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” You see Paul assuring his reader (or listener) that when God fulfilled His promise to send Messiah to us, He also guaranteed that He would fulfill every other promise He ever made to us. “And the LORD, He is the one who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed” (Deuteronomy 31:8) comes to mind.
Maybe it is out of this conviction that Paul pens these words to the Philippians, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” (Phil 4:4) When you need divine rescuing, when you need forgiveness, when you need to be transformed and made anew, when you need to be delivered from adversity, be assured that the very real incarnation of Jesus is your guarantee that God will deliver on His promises to you. They may not be things you had on your Christmas wish list (for those using the naughty/nice columned paper), but they are things He planned for you from the foundation of the world. So, take heart, He overcame the world. Now, rejoice!
Now, allow me to wrap this up with some words from Paul David Tripp, “Past grace is your guarantee of present grace and of all the future graces you will ever need. And at the very center of the guarantee is the promise of God’s eternal love. God sent His Son to us because He loves us. His Son now lives within us because God loves us. And we will live with Him forever because God loves us. As you celebrate the birth of Jesus, celebrate the unbreakable love that His birth guarantees you.”
Amen?
I would like to wish you all a very, Merry Christmas. “The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
Written by Chris Hughes: Chris is a child of El Elyon, a son, a husband, a father, and has recently become a grandpop. He has an education in Biblical doctrine and is a graduate of The Colony of Mercy, 11/2003. He has been a Freedom Fighter contributor since 2008. You can email him at cphughes515@verizon.net.
Think About This: “The Christmas story is one big, beautiful promise. The fulfilled promise of Jesus’ birth guarantees that God will, in His perfect timing and in His wise way, fulfill every other promise he has ever made to us.” – Paul David Tripp
The Daily Bible Reading: Hebrews 10-12. You can download our 2024 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here.
This Week’s Verse to Memorize: “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.” 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
Consider a retreat at America’s Keswick retreat center.
