Blake Allen, Dunbar Cave Campus Pastor, LHBC
Romans 8:31-32
“What, then, are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He did not even spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us everything?”
Christmas has passed. Lights will be put away. Presents have been opened and stored away or put to use. Some gifts have been regifted. Some gift bags have been recycled and tucked away for next year. Families are back home or will soon return now that Christmas day has passed.
It may be the day after Christmas but the reason for the season is still the reason of today. Christmas is all about Jesus. But so should the day after Christmas be as well. The worship given to Jesus on Christmas should be the same devotion we show Him everyday.
This day after Christmas, as I reflect, I am reminded that Christ came so that we would never perish. He is the anchor to our souls, a guide for our salvation. Though we lost our footing from time to time, Christ held us up by His strength and power.
F. B. Meyer wrote about two Germans who wanted to climb the Matterhorn. They hired three guides and began their ascent at the steepest and most slippery part. The men roped themselves together in this order: guide, traveler, guide, traveler, guide. They had gone only a little way up the side when the last man lost his footing. He was held up temporarily by the other four, because each had a toehold in the niches they had cut in the ice.
But then the next man slipped, and he pulled down the two above him. The only one to stand firm was the first guide, who had driven a spike deep into the ice. Because he held his ground, all the men beneath him regained their footing. F. B. Meyer concluded his story by drawing a spiritual application. He said, “I am like one of those men who slipped, but thank God, I am bound in a living partnership to Christ. And because He stands, I will never perish.”
In Christ, I am anchored. He is our solid rock, our firm foundation. He has given us everything we need for life and salvation. It’s comforting to know that God went the distance for us. Paul tells us in the verses about that He did not even spare his own Son. I can’t imagine giving up my son for generations of people who mocked me with their lives and rebelled against me. And yet, God loved us so much that He gave His only Son. And whoever believes in Him shall not perish but live.
As if that weren’t enough, Paul says that He grants us everything with Him. All we need for joy, comfort, peace, life, love, etc., all is found in Him. Everything you need is in Jesus! This truth reigns not only on Christmas day but the day after Christmas, and all the days which follows that day.
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Heavenly Father, thank you for sending your Son to rescue us. Jesus is our solid rock, our firm foundation. May we stand upon that foundation everyday of our lives. In Jesus name, Amen.
MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK:
Isaiah 53:5- But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.