Savage2Saint Sobriety Dec. 22, 2023

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. - Luke 2:7 (KJV).

The birth of Jesus of Nazareth. To some, it is nothing more than a nativity scene at Christmas. For others, it is a make-believe story they heard as children. But for those of us who call Him Lord, the miracle birth of Jesus Christ is the most exciting event to take place for mankind since the creation of Adam!

There are over 350 prophecies in the Old Testament about the birth/life/death of the prophesied Messiah that Jesus fulfilled. The promised Saviour of the world being born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14), born in the town of Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), and born from the bloodline of King David (Jeremiah 23:5) are just a few that prophecy specifically of His birth. To have a handful of these prophecies to come true would have been impressive. To have literally hundreds of prophecies written down by multiple people, centuries apart, over the better part of half a millennium prior to His birth is, well, impossible...or possible, if every last detail is true. As the angel told Mary in Luke 1:37, "For with God nothing shall be impossible." (KJV).

The birth of Jesus represents the faithfulness of God. If He says He'll do it, He does it! He promised us a Saviour and He delivered like only God can! When no ordinary king would do, God Himself stepped into our sinful world (John 1:1). When the sins of the world were everywhere you look, God became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). His Name is Jesus! The God who said, 'Let there be light,' (Genesis 1:3) became the Light of the world (John 1:9)! God's faithfulness was true then and His faithfulness is still just as true today.

Paul tells us in Hebrews 13:8, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." (NLT). In other words, Jesus Christ is still bringing Light into the darkness. Just like the star that guided the shepherds to the manger in the middle of a dark night, the Saviour of the world is here guiding us in our darkest moments. When we are alone, afraid, discouraged, and holding on by a thread, our faithful God is right there with us. Guiding us. Protecting us. Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. - Isaiah 41:10 (KJV).

When I stop and think about the faithfulness of God in my life it is truly humbling. That the Creator of the universe cares enough about me to carefully craft my story from the train wreck that was once called my life. How He has taken all my failures and mistakes, my let downs and never was good enoughs, and turned me into someone I can live with when I look in the mirror. The best part...He's not done with me yet. Philippians 1:6 says, "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:" (KJV). History has proven that God is faithful to perform down to the tiniest of details. Even the details in the insignificant life of one of His sheep.

So, this Christmas, let's give praise to the faithfulness of our Lord and Saviour! His faithfulness for what He has done in our lives already and the faithfulness to still perform what He says He is going to do. He said He was coming the first time and He did. He said He will come a second time and He will! Merry Christmas!!!