Merry Christmas!

A few years ago, after marrying my husband, I walked into his beautiful family tradition of reading Luke 2 on Christmas morning. Listening to the story of Jesus' birth put the whole meaning of Christmas into perspective and started the morning off just right. Needless to say, we will definitely be carrying on this tradition in our family!

I don't know about you, but it's not everyday I read Luke 2. As I was re-reading this chapter and really taking in the way Jesus entered this world full of sin, I feel like I got to know him even more. Jesus, the son of God (let that sink in a little bit), decided to enter the world in a stable. Picture a barn full of hay and animals. I'm sure the smell was not preferred, nor was it probably the cleanest, most elegant place. But it was definitely a perfect entrance in God's eyes.

God is not about THINGS. He did not need Jesus to be born into a palace in order for people to understand who he was. He had the perfect plan and that plan included having a virgin mother and a carpenter father. That plan included an angel naming him before he was even conceived. That plan included him to be wrapped in cloth and then lie in a manger since there was no guest room available for them. God knows all things and was ready for his son to take on all of the sins of the world in order to forgive them.

When thinking about how Jesus entered the world, and understanding who he is, I can learn a lot about his purpose on earth. His purpose was to spread the good news. His purpose was to make disciples. His purpose was to perform miracles, and his ultimate purpose was to die on the cross for all of us.

Knowing we are called to be like Christ, I try to relate his purpose to my purpose here on earth now. My purpose is to spread the good news, to make disciples, to believe in him, and to accept that he died on the cross for my sins. If my life's purpose is anything but this, I am robbing myself of joy, and not accepting what Jesus did for me on the cross.

As you celebrate Christmas today, think about the true meaning and the fact that Jesus knowingly came down to earth to live a perfect life and die on the cross for each of our sins. He loves all of us no matter what we do. All he asks is that we believe in him and what he did for us!

CHALLENGE

Read Luke 2 and thank Jesus for coming into this world with the purpose of being our savior.

What is your purpose in life? How does it align with Christ's purpose for us?