I get it that some days we clearly don’t feel like the resurrected people that we are. Yeah, we’ve been transformed, renewed, forgiven and made righteous through Christ and now the old is gone and the new lives on with Christ’s resurrected power in us, but yet we fail to live it out where the rubber meets the road.
So, we’re in a slump and a snag? So we fail, we fall, we feel all in but our shoelaces, however, we have important choices to make and so we do. We either choose badly or we choose wisely. We can choose to spiral down the ‘sin’ slope farther with a bitter spirit, and revenge, or we can choose to wise up, rise up, stop blaming others, and take responsibility for our actions. We can choose to move ahead, beyond the guilt of failure! I love how Peter rose up after his failure and denial of Christ, don’t you? Where Judas fell under the weight of his guilt and ended his life in remorse, Peter went on with Christ, with sins forgiven, and preached 50 days later.
Peter chose life after his failure, where Judas chose death out of remorse. We have the option to do the same. Christ’s resurrection power dwells in us and His forgiveness empowers us to keep shining even after a fall. Yeah, so make wise decisions even in the consequences of bad choices and choose life. Choose the resurrection power of Christ in us, the hope of glory!
Christ’s coming as a newborn baby was God’s gift of humility to humanity. God, the creator of all things, left the brilliance and the highest of heavenly heights and sweet and majestic glories of heaven to enter into our wretched world! He came fragile, helpless and in need of love, care, nurturing and the tender hearts of a mom and dad. His name was Jesus and He grew into a child, a teen and on to a young adult! He walked among us experiencing life as we know it yet because of His divine genealogy and inheritance, He was without sin.
So, this Christmas Advent season of celebration, savour that sweet and powerful hope that His birth begins to bring into a world of need, for such a time as this! Yeah, His death and resurrection went down in history and because of His whole gift of sacrifice, there is now a totally awesome new life in Christ available for us today. He can be present in our lives as we live them out daily in His presence. Seek Him, as the wise men did, find Him as the shepherds did, Praise Him as Mary did, right where you are, in your less than perfect surroundings and situations, and be in awe of a Savior and a mediator, sent by God, who came to serve, to seek and to save. Isaiah’s prophesy of so many years ago did come true when the promise of a Heavenly Royal King to be born was a promise of hope for a needy people. Let that same Hope fill you and your beautiful soul with a glorious wonder and anticipation as we begin this first week of Advent! Isaiah 9:6″For to us a child is born, to us, a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Hope and Healing In Hard Places 