Jesus Was Born To...
Beloved,
We are just a few weeks away from Christmas Day. Children, young and old, are excited or getting excited as we approach this day of victory and triumph for the whole world. We choose to celebrate by giving and getting gifts while often rarely reflecting on why we are giving and getting gifts. The response that it is because it is Christmas marks a time of year; but, as Christmas becomes more and more commercialized, do we miss out on the real meaning?
Jesus was not born to give you a day off.
Jesus was not born to give you a reason to spend money...that you may not really have to spend.
Jesus was not born to create a heightened expectation of what someone should give you...whether you have been naughty or nice.
So, why was Jesus born?
When questioned by Pontius Pilate regarding whether or not He was a king, Jesus said, in John 18:37,
"For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth."
Day off? Nope.
Buy presents? Nope.
Get gifts? Nope.
Testify? Yes.
He came to testify, to give His testimony, to share the Gospel. That is why He was born.
Now, Jesus did not stop there. In the same verse, He continued,
"Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."
Beloved, hearing means words are received. Listening means that the words received have an impact in and on your life.
Has Christ's truth impacted you?
Has Jesus changed your life?
Has Jesus' birthday been more to you than a day off, a day to give gifts, a day to get gifts?
Do you understand that Jesus was born so that you could receive the truth that God loved you so much that He sent Jesus to be the living truth to show you the way to eternal life?
Beloved, all the other things that come with that fact are trimmings but are not the substance.
During this Christmas season, make sure that you find time to celebrate the Christ in Christmas and the great truths revealed in Him.
For, if we miss out on why He was born, we actually miss Christmas.
Remember, we have put HOPE Wednesday on hiatus until the New Year. But, our hope that comes from God is with us eternally.
On the personal front, many of you pray for me and my family as I do for you and yours, and as we do for each other. God answers prayers. My son, Hamilton, got the job offer we have been praying about on paper. It is official.
Hamilton is a son of the Cain family; but, more than that, He is a son of the Zion family, a son of God, the God who immensely, intensively and intentionally loves us all.
I share this as a word of encouragement for us all to keep on praying, to keep on believing, and to keep on expecting.
We should keep on thanking God for sending us Jesus to allow us to approach our Heavenly Father with an expectation that He sees us, He hears us, and He blesses us.
As you celebrate in this season, do keep on remembering that we have this access because Jesus went to the cross, He hung on a tree. Think about that a little more than what you put under or get from under the Christmas tree.
And, remember, God loves you and I love you too!
Be blessed,
Rev. Cain
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