Devotion for the week...
I'm posting this week's devotion a day early, so it actually falls within Advent, rather than on Christmas Day. I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas!
It's the fourth week of Advent! For this Advent season, I'm sharing devotions first published in 2017. So far we've looked at hope, peace, and joy. Today we'll take a look at love.
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When we love someone, we often sacrifice things for that person. Maybe we sacrifice time doing something we want to do in order to do something they want to do. Or maybe we don't buy something we want because we need that money in order to buy something they need or want.
If you are a parent, you understand this concept of sacrifice quite well. For our kids we give up everything from nights of unbroken sleep to the keys to the car, depending on the age of our kids. We give up hours and hours of our time to help with homework or taxi them to the places they want to go. We buy them new jeans every couple of months because their legs just.won't.stop.growing and we can't have them walking around with their ankles showing.
Now, just for a moment, think about what Jesus sacrificed in order to be born in Bethlehem. Paul wrote, "In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness" (Philippians 2:5-7). Think about this for a moment: Jesus was not limited by a human body until he came to earth for us.
Imagine what it would be like to never be limited by fatigue, hunger, thirst, pain or sickness. That is just part of what Jesus gave up to come here.
I have been sick with a head cold all this past week. It has been driving me crazy because there are so many things I want or need to do, but I just haven't had the energy to do much. Then it hit me: Jesus probably suffered head colds while He was here.
We don't often think about Him putting up with the problems caused by sickness, but I can't see how He would have avoided it for all of His 33 years.
Sure, a head cold is a small thing to put up with. But Jesus left heaven, where there is no sickness, pain, death or crying, and came here to earth where He had to deal with all of those things.
Why?
Because He loves us.
If you are a parent, you understand this concept of sacrifice quite well. For our kids we give up everything from nights of unbroken sleep to the keys to the car, depending on the age of our kids. We give up hours and hours of our time to help with homework or taxi them to the places they want to go. We buy them new jeans every couple of months because their legs just.won't.stop.growing and we can't have them walking around with their ankles showing.
Now, just for a moment, think about what Jesus sacrificed in order to be born in Bethlehem. Paul wrote, "In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness" (Philippians 2:5-7). Think about this for a moment: Jesus was not limited by a human body until he came to earth for us.
Imagine what it would be like to never be limited by fatigue, hunger, thirst, pain or sickness. That is just part of what Jesus gave up to come here.
I have been sick with a head cold all this past week. It has been driving me crazy because there are so many things I want or need to do, but I just haven't had the energy to do much. Then it hit me: Jesus probably suffered head colds while He was here.
We don't often think about Him putting up with the problems caused by sickness, but I can't see how He would have avoided it for all of His 33 years.
Sure, a head cold is a small thing to put up with. But Jesus left heaven, where there is no sickness, pain, death or crying, and came here to earth where He had to deal with all of those things.
Why?
Because He loves us.
So in your worst moments, when you feel lonely or like no one cares, know this: Jesus loves you. He loves you enough to have given up all of heaven and to have taken on all the infirmities of these human bodies, just so He could come and save you.
That is the true reason for this Christmas season!
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