The Gift That's Freely GivenSample

Amidst the celebration of His birth, we can easily move past the wonder of how Jesus came. It can be challenging to grasp the reality of Jesus, the very Son of God and the Word of God made flesh, leaving all the glory of heaven to enter the world He created in the most vulnerable way: as a newborn. Let the weight of this sink in for a moment as we focus on the humility of Jesus. Philippians 2 says that even though He was in the form of God, He did not count equality with God as a thing to be grasped but instead emptied Himself, being born in the likeness of men. Jesus didn’t come as many expected Him to. He didn’t come as a triumphant, victorious man conquering the Israelites' oppressors or as a powerful ruler overthrowing the government. The long-awaited Messiah humbly submitted to enter the very world He created in the same way any other man must enter. He came as a baby so that He might go fully through life, experiencing all the hardships, temptations, and challenges we face, and gain victory over them all. He came as a servant in humility and obedience. He did all this so that He could live the perfect life that we could not, ultimately fulfilling the law so that He might offer us the free gift of mercy, grace, and salvation as our perfect sacrificial Lamb. Meditate today on how the Lamb of God came to earth in the most vulnerable way as a newborn baby. God Himself took on flesh and humbled Himself to be cared for by His own creation. His mother and father held, fed, and cared for him. He had every need that any other infant would. This is the reality of our humble King. Take a moment to engage with Jesus and thank Him for His humility. He did it all so that we might be brought out of darkness into His marvelous light and behold His glory!