Subtitle: Let the sin you confess make you exceedingly grateful that there is a Savior. And thank God that He's right there with you in whatever you're going through.
Excerpt: A stomach virus, a Christmas Eve gathering, and a snowstorm with a power outage made for a memorable Christmas. Despite the challenges, the family found warmth and togetherness, and the message of needing a Savior was clear.
Scripture
Our verse for today comes from Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
Background
Wow. That was one Christmas to remember. Around our house, it began about two weeks ago, as a stomach virus began working its way through our family. It gradually made its way through four or five of us, wrapping up its work on me Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The bug seriously put in jeopardy our annual tradition of hosting a Christmas Eve family gathering, a family event that has been held for at least the past 40 years. A cousin or an aunt would call and ask, “Is everyone alright over there? I hear you all have been sick.” But as I steered clear of the kitchen and its varying aromas, other family members stepped up and helped everything go off without a hitch. Everyone came and enjoyed it, and hopefully no one caught anything more than Christmas cheer. But if so, this is the season of giving, right?!
Application
Once Christmas was celebrated, the kids woke up the day after almost just as excited, as snow had fallen and kept falling until lunchtime. We ended up getting around 10 inches of winter wonderland and were able to go out and sled, make snowmen, and throw lots of snowballs at each other. But in the midst of the snowfall, we lost power to our house. That morning around 7am, all went silent and cold. So for the majority of the day, as the house got colder, the ten of us spent much of the day together in the den, kept warm by the gas logs in the fireplace. Various ones would venture out, but there would always be some combination of myself and my wife, the six kids, my mom, and my mother-in-law hunkered down by the fire. And though we didn’t make it to church, the message of Christmas for me was all too apparent. We need a Savior. Numerous childish disagreements and arguments over silly toys or topics, from people of all ages, reminded me how selfish and self-seeking we naturally are, whether stuck in one room together or not. And God’s timing is perfect. The stomach virus, our Christmas Eve party, missing a white Christmas by one day, it all fit God’s plan. So praise Him for whatever comes your way. There’s no chance it’s all because of chance.
Charge
As we seek Him today, let the sin you confess make you exceedingly grateful that there is a Savior. And thank God that He’s right there with you in whatever you’re going through.
Salvation – Eternal Life in Less Than 150 Words
Distributed by – BCWorldview.org
