By Gloria Wessner.
Who knew…
That we all have such a devastating and eternally destructive problem in our lives.
Who knew…
That there wasn’t one thing we could do to help ourselves with that problem.
Who knew…
That humankind was so destitute and in need of perfect love and rescuing and didn’t know it.
Who knew…
That there was someone out there who knew this.
Who knew…
That He would do something about it.
Who knew…
That His love would compel Him to send us a gift that only He could give.
Who knew…
That it would take the innocent Lamb of God as a baby to be this gift.
” That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:8-12 NIV)
Who knew…
That God would give of His one and only Son to be that gift.
‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,…” (John 3:16a NIV)
Who knew…
That the baby Jesus, now grown up, would have to suffer so much, die and rise again from the dead in order to solve humankind’s dilemma because we couldn’t solve it ourselves.
‘…that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.’ (John 3:16b NLT)
Who knew…
That our dilemma was sin – a condition from wrong choices and thoughts that we all have been guilty of but keeps us estranged from God and from having life with Him now and for eternity.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 NLT)
Who knew…
That God was the only one who could do something about our sin. And He did.
‘Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live.’ (Galatians 1:4 NLT)
‘Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.’ (1 Peter 3:18 NLT)
‘But our High Priest (Jesus) offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand.’ (Hebrews 10:12 NLT)
Who knew…
That if we accept this gift in our heart this Lamb of God called Jesus, our dilemma is solved and our sin is taken away.
‘He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. (Psalm 103:12 NLT)
‘This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins’. (1 John 4:10 NLT)
‘You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins.’ (Colossians 2:13 NLT)
Who knew…
That by accepting this gift of forgiveness because of what Jesus did for us; we can live in all the fullness He meant for us to do in this life.
‘The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.’ (John 10:10 NLT)
Who knew…
That God will walk with us through every circumstance of life, giving direction and guidance (even though sometimes it doesn’t seem so).
‘No temptation has seized you that isn’t common for people. But God is faithful. He won’t allow you to be tempted beyond your abilities. Instead, with the temptation, God will also supply a way out so that you will be able to endure it.’ (1 Corinthinians 10:13 CEB)
Who knew…
That at the end of life, if we have accepted this gift of Jesus and forgiveness in our heart, when this body dies we will live to be with God forever in Heaven.
‘For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.’ (Ephesians 2:6 NLT)
‘For the Lamb on the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.’ (Revelation 7:17 NLT)
Who knew…
That anyone, at any age, no matter who they are or what they have done or said, are free to talk to God, the same as when I talk to a good friend, and tell Him that they would like to accept this gift of forgiveness for their wrongdoings, realizing it’s because of Jesus and His choosing to give His life as a sacrifice so they are able to receive this and have eternal life with God in Heaven forever.
‘…We can see that God has also given the Gentiles the privilege of repenting of their sins and receiving eternal life.’ (Acts 10:18b NLT)
Who knew…
That when I choose this gift, I have resources available given to me by God, to help me grow in my friendship and relationship with Him so I learn to live for Him, learning to put Him first in my life.
‘By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.’ (2 Peter 1:3 NLT)
‘Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness’. (Colossians 2:7 NLT)
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‘For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver, He paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. God chose him for this purpose long before the world began, but now in these final days, he was sent to the earth for all to see. And he did this for you. Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And because God raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory, your faith and hope can be placed confidently in God. Now you can have sincere love for each other as brothers and sisters because you were cleansed from your sins when you accepted the truth of the Good News. So see to it that you really do love each other intensely with all your hearts. For you have been born again. Your new life did not come from your earthly parents because the life they gave you will end in death. But this new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God.’ (1 Peter 1 18-23 NLT, 1996)
Who knew…
Maybe this Christmas you have a yearning to receive the Lamb of God, God’s gift, into your life. Feel free to write me at gloriawes@hotmail.com, and I will be glad to write back to you.
‘The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’ (John 1:29 NLT)
Jesus, the Lamb of God, gave his life for His children because of the selfless sacrifice He made for His lambs.