The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:5
Every single person, at some point in his or her life, goes through a time of darkness. Whether it be a darkness of failure, darkness of sin, or the darkness of sorrow, there’s no escaping the fact that darkness is all around us. This darkness causes many to wonder, “Will the darkness win? Will evil prevail?”
The answer to that question was given over 2,000 years ago when Jesus Christ was born into the world. To many in that day, it looked like the darkness was going to win. And while most people were afraid of the darkness of oppression by the Roman Empire, Jesus opened their eyes to the reality of something even darker… the darkness of their own sin.
But in the midst of that darkness, God sent Jesus into the world to shine a great light… a light so bright and so overwhelming that those who experienced it were forever changed.
God sent a bold answer all those years ago that while the darkness may sometimes seem overwhelming, goodness will ultimately triumph over evil. Jesus was the light of the world, and whoever believes in Him already has victory over sin and death. Trust Him for that victory today.
In Christ, you can overcome the darkness and have victory over sin and death. Trust Him today!
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
John 1:10–13
Gaius Octavius Thurinus was born into a wealthy but not noble Roman family in 63 BC. His father died when he was only four years old, and much of his youth was spent with his grandmother. While still a teenager, Octavius distinguished himself as a leader by successfully guiding a group of shipwreck survivors through enemy territory to reach the Roman army headed by his great-uncle, Julius Caesar. He was designated as Caesar’s heir, and following the murder of his relative, rose to become the leader and first emperor of Rome. Caesar Augustus, as he is known to history, owed his power to the adoption offered him by Julius Caesar.
Ever since sin entered into the world, each person born has been under the curse of sin, and part of Satan’s family. Jesus said, “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it” (John 8:44).
The beauty of the Christmas story is that Jesus became the son of Mary so that we would have the opportunity to become sons and daughters of God. It is not through our merit or worth that we achieve this exalted standing, but through His grace that we receive adoption.
Today’s Growth Principle:
The new birth through Jesus does not just change our eternal destiny, but our family as well, making us children of God.
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