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Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
--John 8:12
For many years of my life, I was a late-riser. I never liked getting up early if it wasn’t absolutely necessary. In fact, the idea of waking up before the sun rose was almost nauseating to me.
But then we moved to Florida, and I kept hearing about the beautiful sunrises over the ocean. So one morning, I woke up to watch the sun rise. It was spectacular! From that time on, I got up to see the sun rise. And one of my favorite things about watching the sun rise was how slowly it emerged.
You see, when the sun rises, it doesn’t just appear in the sky. Instead it starts with darkness … then bands of color begin to light the horizon. Soon, reds and oranges illuminate the eastern sky. And then you begin to see that big yellow ball peeking over the ocean, rising slowly until its circle appears fully on the water. It’s amazing!
When heaven touched earth and God came into the world, it was like the dawning of the day. He could’ve just appeared, but instead He smiled on the world and His light began to slowly shine. He came to redeem us, to pay our debt and bring us out of the darkness.
On that silent night so long ago, the light began to dawn.
Thank God for that light today.
Sent to Save
Friday, December 20, 2019
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
Romans 8:2–4
From the moment that Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden, the plan that God already had in place before the creation of the world went into effect. It did not take Him by surprise, and He did not have to come up with a backup plan to account for sin and address man’s need of salvation. There is nothing we can do to atone for our sins, so God took it on Himself to provide a solution. That was and is our only hope of avoiding the eternal separation from God and punishment that is Hell.
John, who was particularly close to Jesus, perhaps more than any of the other disciples wrote, “And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world” (1 John 4:14). Jesus healed the sick, but that is not why He came. He fed the hungry and calmed storms, but that is not why He came. He commanded demons to leave those they possessed, but that is not why He came. Jesus came to save us from our sin.
There is a lot that goes on this time of year. It is easy for us to get swept up in the busyness of the season—often with good things—and lose sight of what is most important. Christmas is the celebration of the birth of the Saviour. Dr. John Rice wrote that Jesus was, “Born to die for sinners, born for crucifixion day.”
Today's Growth Principle:
Jesus Christ was sent into the world to live a perfect life so He could be a Saviour for sinners.
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