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In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
--John 1:4-5
It doesn’t take much looking today to see that the world is in darkness–intellectual darkness, political darkness, and moral darkness. But because Christ has come into the world, we who have lived in the darkness have seen a great Light. On the night when Christ was born, that star punctured the blackened sky and signaled the coming of the Savior. And now God is with us.
The Bible tells you and me that God dwells in unapproachable light. And in our humanity, our fallen state, we can’t know God, nor stand in His presence, or experience His love. We are far away from Him, “enemies” and “aliens” in His sight.
How could you and I ever stand in the light of the pure, pristine holiness of God Almighty? Well, man could not approach the Light, so God gave us the Light. That night when Jesus was born, when God became a baby and the infinite became an infant, a door opened and the entire universe changed as Jesus began to pave the way to the Father.
Jesus paid the price for our sins, and opened the gates of Heaven.
As you reflect on Christ’s birth this year, don’t forget that without Him, you and I would still be in darkness. So take time to reflect on His perfect light that He’s given to you!
Seeking the Messiah, Missing the Man
Thursday, December 19, 2019
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap:”
Malachi 3:1–2
The coming of Jesus was prophesied long before it happened. Through the centuries, those who believed God’s promises looked eagerly for the Messiah to appear. A. W. Tozer said, “Come near to the holy men and women of the past and you will soon feel the heat of their desire after God. They mourned for Him, they prayed and wrestled and sought for Him day and night, in season and out, and when they had found Him, the finding was all the sweeter for the long seeking.” There were many people who were truly serious in seeking the Messiah.
Yet when Jesus did come, many rejected Him. This was because Jesus did not conform to their expectations. He did not overthrow the Romans. He refused the traditions that had directed people’s focus from God to self-righteousness, and instead preached repentance and what God actually said in His Word. Many of the people wanted a Messiah on their terms rather than accepting Him as God sent Him. Jesus came with love, compassion, and humility, but He also came with a blazing light of truth that demanded a response.
God is so perfectly holy that sin cannot remain in His presence. It will either be confessed and forsaken, or it will drive the person away from the truth. Jesus said, “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19).
Today's Growth Principle:
We can only come to God on His terms—never on our own.
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