IS IT HARD TO LIVE FOR JESUS?

“I open my mouth and pant, longing for your commands” (Ps. 1:1-2)

“The transformation of a mind through the study of God’s Word cannot be accomplished via shortcuts.” – Glenn McDonald.

This past couple of days I had the privilege of sitting with many Christian Indian leaders. We were planning courses and curriculum for some Seminaries around the country. I felt truly humbled being with them, as most of them were pioneers in the mission field in India. One morning they gave me the task of holding devotion prior to breakfast. You want to talk about feeling inadequate to teach a group of men, then this was it.

As I thought about what to teach, I remembered a devotion I had done at Graystone Church while I was there for a leadership meeting. I felt this would fit appropriately for us, as it was a great challenge. I presented the devotion and ended with a couple of questions that I wanted to ask. I asked them if it is hard to live for Jesus, and what, in their opinion, is the hardest thing about living for Jesus in today’s world.

Often when questions like these are presented in devotions to leaders (whether secular work or ministry work) you expect a lot of the typical answers. They will say yes and give what I call some platitude answers. They are true, but they only give the basics. We will admit that it is hard to live for Christ and say the hardest thing is following His commands, or walking the walk all the time. Evangelizing is the hardest or reflecting Jesus to our families. These are great answers, but they are just “safe,” or “platitude” answers, because they keep others out of reach and it also keeps our walls up. It gives an answer, but dodges the truly personal.

While sitting and waiting for the group to answer, I expected the same answers. To my surprise they were extremely open and vulnerable with one another. They talked about not putting their wives first in their Christian walk, dealing with humility in their own life, about some personal struggles within their families. They said it was sinful and said they need to repent continually over these issues and asked us to pray for them. I was extremely humbled by the answers and it allowed me to be open as well. These are men who have lived up to 20 years in the ministry field, or are still in the field. Men who have lived each day waiting on God to deliver their meals sometimes, and would at times live off 2000 Rupees a month ($50 USD).

In my eyes they were true men of faith who have sacrificed the easy road for the sake of Christ. You can see how God has blessed them and how their faith has been used to bring many to Christ in India. Again they were teaching me and the other Americans there about vulnerability and openness with other men of faith. They truly longed to walk closer with Jesus and to develop a deeper relationship.

I was thankful to be part of it and grew from their openness in their lives. We are all struggling with issues in our walk with Christ and we need to be able to open up with other believers, knowing they will pray for us and not be afraid of what others think. They were not concerned about my opinion, but with what Jesus thought and wanted prayers so they could be closer in their relationship. They also know that as believers together we would not think less of them, but know we all struggle and need prayers.

It presents a great challenge for all of us as believers. Are you afraid to be open with other believers? Why? Do you care more about what they think or what Jesus thinks? Why are we so worried? Maybe they will tell others. And? If we are truly walking with Christ we should not be worried about it. If there is something you are so afraid of sharing with other believers, then you truly need to work on that sin and even more so need to find help in overcoming it through your pastor or Christian counselor. Even then, you would probably help many by sharing your struggles, especially if you are a leader. People need to know that everyone struggles, as we all fall short of perfection.

The only way to truly overcome is by knowing the truth as Christ says in John 8:31-32, “ ‘If you continue in My word, you really are My disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’” We have to be in the Bible, and truly long to follow the commands it tells us, as that is the only way to overcome. We have to long to follow what Christ says about overcoming sin and developing a deeper relationship with Him.

What is the hardest part of following Jesus for you? Have you shared that with other believers so they can pray for you? If not, why not?

Can you say like Jeremiah did in 15:16, “Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts.”

“The further we move ahead as disciples, the more we discover that God speaks to us through the same text of Scripture in ever deepening ways.” – Glenn McDonald

Great Article on the Resurrection by Dr. Norman Geisler

Dr. Geisler critically looks at a book that is now out, but as you will soon see, the article is well worth the read, even if you have not read the book. It will give you great evidence for the truth of the resurrection. It will give you many insights that you can use when witnessing and talking about the truth of Jesus raising from the dead. Enjoy!
http://www.worldviewtimes.com/article.php/articleid-4397/Brannon-Howse/Norm-Geisler

President Bush a Socialist? Hmmmm. . .Maybe.

Washington Times
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
EXCLUSIVE: RNC draft rips Bush's bailouts
Ralph Z. Hallow (Contact)
EXCLUSIVE:
Republican Party officials say they will try next month to pass a resolution accusing President Bush and congressional Republican leaders of embracing "socialism," underscoring deep dissension within the party at the end of Mr. Bush's administration.
Those pushing the resolution, which will come before the Republican National Committee at its January meeting, say elected leaders need to be reminded of core principles. They said the RNC must take the dramatic step of wading into policy debates, which traditionally have been left to lawmakers.
"We can't be a party of small government, free markets and low taxes while supporting bailouts and nationalizing industries, which lead to big government, socialism and high taxes at the expense of individual liberty and freedoms," said Solomon Yue, an Oregon member and co-sponsor of a resolution that criticizes the U.S. government bailouts of the financial and auto industries. Republican National Committee Vice Chairman James Bopp Jr. wrote the resolution and asked the rest of the 168 voting members to sign it.
"The resolution also opposes President-elect Obama's proposed public works program and supports conservative alternatives," while encouraging the RNC "to engage in vigorous public policy debates consistent with our party platform," said Mr. Bopp, a leading attorney for pro-life groups who has also challenged the campaign finance legislation that Mr. Bush signed.
See related story: Jeb Bush Senate bid a GOP remedy?
If enacted, the resolution would put the party on record opposing the $700 billion bailout of the financial sector, which passed Congress with Republican support and was signed by Mr. Bush, and opposing the bailout of the auto industry. The auto bailout bill was blocked by Senate Republicans, but Mr. Bush then reversed course and announced that he would use financial bailout money to aid the auto manufacturers.
The RNC usually plays a policy role only every four years when it frames the national party platform, which typically is forgotten quickly.
In 2006, some party members presented a resolution challenging Mr. Bush's plan to legalize illegal immigrants and enact a guest-worker program. Mr. Bush's lieutenants fought back, arguing that the party should not tie the president's hands on a policy issue, and the RNC capitulated, passing an alternate White House-backed resolution instead.
This time, the backers of the new resolution say they will not be deterred by a fight, and say they have the numbers to pull off this rebellion.
"We have enough co-sponsors to take this to the RNC floor" at the party's Jan. 28-31 annual winter meeting in Washington, Mr. Bopp said. "I will take it to the Resolutions Committee, but I intend to press this issue to the floor for decision."
North Dakota Republican Party Chairman Gary Emineth said it's time for the RNC to end the disconnect between what the party platform says and what elected Republicans do.
"It is time the party gets involved in policy issues and forces candidates to respond to the platform," Mr. Emineth said. "Frankly the way we view the platform is a joke. We work hard to drive our principles into the platform, then candidates ignore it."
"If the party doesn't move in this direction, we will continue to be irrelevant. Whoever has the larger star power will continue to win, and what they stand for and believe will become less relevant," Mr. Emineth said.
House Minority Leader John A. Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, both of whom voted for the financial bailout but opposed the auto bailout, declined to comment.
White House spokesman Tony Fratto defended the Bush administration's actions, saying, "We understand the opposition to using tax dollars to support private businesses we also oppose using tax dollars to support private businesses. But this was the necessary and responsible thing to do to prevent a collapse of the American economy."
Several RNC members including some of Mr. Bopp's fellow conservatives are not pleased with the idea of having it make policy instead of simply minding the campaign fundraising store.
Ron Nehring, chairman of the California Republican Party, said the party also can't be seen endorsing a do-nothing approach.
"We have to be careful not to confuse passing resolutions for action, or creating a situation where people interpret the lack of some resolution as an excuse for inaction on an important issue," he said.
The resolution says: "WHEREAS, the Bank Bailout Bill effectively nationalized the Nation's banking system, giving the United States non-voting warrants from participating financial institutions, and moving our free market based economy another dangerous step closer toward socialism; and WHEREAS, what was needed, and is still needed, to fix the banking industry is not a bailout, but rather a commitment to fiscal responsibility."
The financial sector bailout passed the House by a vote of 263-171 with 91 Republicans backing it, and passed the Senate by a 74-25 vote with 34 Republicans in favor. The auto bailout passed the House by a 237-170 vote with 32 Republicans supporting it, but was blocked by a Republican-led filibuster in the Senate, with just 10 Republicans voting to advance the bill.
The RNC's sole job historically has been to raise money for candidates and to pass the party line down the food chain to state and local leaders. Policy has been set by the party's congressional leaders and, when a Republican sits in the White House, by the president.
The same has been true for the Democratic National Committee.
The Bopp-Yue vanguard say they are determined to change that.
"For the past eight years, the RNC has been the political outreach of the White House," said Arizona Republican Party Chairman Randy Pullen, another resolution co-sponsor who led the 2006 immigration fight and who opposed Mr. Bush's "economic policies promoting the 'ownership society' because they would eventually lead to the financial meltdown we are currently experiencing."
"It is now time for the RNC to assert itself in terms of ideas and political philosophy," Mr. Pullen added. "If we don't do it now, when will we?"
Mr. Bopp, a social conservative who has served as counsel to pro-life groups, said, "We must stand for and publicly advocate our conservative principles as a party 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days of the year."
The RNC revolutionaries leave no doubt they mean to turn the committee into policy-producing and enforcing machine.
"In the long run, we want to see this committee play an active philosophical-policy leadership role for the national GOP," Mr. Yue said.
But it remains unclear whether the rules or the machinery exist for enforcing such a resolution on Republican elected officials.
Jon Ward contributed to this report.

Typical Mindset

James 1:5-8, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all with out reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts are like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

What is the mindset of the average American and then what is the typical mindset of the Christian trying to witness? Why does witnessing not effectively work, in the sense that the message is not delivered in a manner that the person truly understands and then has the choice to make? How many of us pray to be more like Christ and then complain when we are persecuted or what seems like a tough time comes along? Your worldview is not truly lined up with Christ then.

Why is the Spirit not moving? Is it not time? Is it the delivery or is it both at times?

Have you ever asked yourself these questions? If not, then why not? We are to be a witness to those around us, and proclaim Christ to unbelievers, but if we do not understand them or ourselves then there is no way we can be effective.

Think about what the average Christian thinks and then ask yourself why? It is because of us, the Christians not living and teaching correct doctrine. It is also a failure to live out Christ in a correct fashion. If this is you then it is because your worldview is incorrect and needs to be corrected.

David Kinnaman from Barna.org writes, “First, only about one out of every 10 Americans is able to articulate a perspective that embraces an orthodox view of God, believes that Jesus did not sin, affirms the reality of the Holy Spirit, and acknowledges the existence of Satan. This leads to the second realization: Many people, even in the church, don’t understand the very basic structure of the supernatural realm. God is thought of as a great benevolent force; Jesus is seen as a ticket to heaven; the Holy Spirit has little space in our thoughts, words, or prayers; and Satan is laughed off as a medieval fabrication. How can the church be the church when millions of committed Christians don’t even take a biblical view seriously?”

This is because many Christians today do not have a worldview that is Biblically founded. If we were teaching a correct worldview and living it out then at least within the church there would not be the large discrepancy that Mr. Kinnaman has found in his research.

We cannot effectively be a model or preach to others if our worldview reflects what they are already doing. “Rather we are to recognize that God enables and empowers us to live above such standards, beyond the reach of the satanic influences on society, to live in a way that transcends the way the people around us behave.” – Dr. Charles Kraft

The problem today is that in many cases there is no difference between the Christian and the average person in worldview. How then can we witness when the world sees no real difference? Our worldview is to be different then this world and should be seen by those watching us. It should be natural because we line ourselves up with the Word of God and live as Christ did. Romans 12:2, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

“Even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting.” (Romans 1:28).

PEACE WHAT PEACE?

Isaiah 9:6, “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

What do you think of when someone says to you that Jesus is the Prince of Peace? That He was bringing Peace to earth? We hear all the time, “Peace on earth and goodwill towards men.” Maybe He was bringing Peace between men if we followed Him? Do all you believers out there get along with one another? I don’t think so.

Exactly what kind of Peace was Jesus talking about? When Jesus says in Luke 7:50, “Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.” Or in Mark 5:34, “And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your affliction.” Was the peace that everything was now fixed? All was good? They were healed, but they still went home to their regular lives. It does not say that Jesus made them wealthy and blessed them.

During this time, to be loved and blessed by God was to be healthy, wealthy and wise, which is why Jesus spent so much time on money. What peace then? Sure happy for a while that you are healed, but then the real world sets back in, and you realize that bills need paid and you still live in the same house, or apartment, or no home at all. Does not sound so peaceful to me?

Let me tell you about a man I know and have read about named Jesus. I read that this “Peace” bringing man made a whip out of some cords and chased the money changers out of the temple, along with the sheep and oxen. He then poured the changer’s tables over and their money poured all over the ground. I figure this disrupted everything for at least the rest of the day and caused all kinds of strife and trouble. How does this bring Peace to earth?

Get this! Jesus has these real close friends that He calls His disciples and they follow Him everywhere listening to His teachings. One day Peter, one of the disciples, questions Jesus on what He says. Did not seem like such a bad statement. Jesus said He was going to die and Peter said such a thing should not happen. Then Jesus says to Peter, and I quote, “Get behind Me, Satan!” Did you get that? He calls Peter Satan for just saying that His mentor should not talk about His death. Peaceful talk? I don’t think so.

There were these people that would question Jesus, and they were not the nicest people, but maybe Jesus would show how to be “Peaceful.” How does Jesus respond to the Pharisees and Sadducees accusations? Let me quote Him again, because it is just so good and I would not do it justice by describing it, “Snakes! Brood of vipers! How can you escape being condemned to hell?” All I can say is WOW! What kind of example of Peace is that? I am guessing they were not very happy after being called names and told they are bound for hell.

We forget many times about the Lion and always want the Lamb. Jesus was not tame and was not always “peaceful” while on earth. Many times He said and did things that offended many people to the point they wanted to kill Him and ultimately they did. What kind of peace was He talking about then? Why is He the Prince of Peace?

John 16:33 says, “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

John 14:27-28, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.”

It is His peace in this World. Through Him we have peace eternally. Knowing that we are His and we will be with Him in Heaven and then on the new earth some day, that should give us an inward peace here in this world of chaos and sin. This world is perishing, but those of us who know Christ are going to know the true peace of Jesus either after we die or when we are raptured before tribulation.

If someone wants Peace there is only one true way and that is through Christ and there is no other way. That is why every other Religion is by works. Hindus have Yoga rituals, or worship rituals, and karma. Muslims have their 5 pillars of faith they must do and their good works, and on and on it goes with all other religions. Christianity is the only faith that offers Peace through a person by faith, Jesus Christ.

As you celebrate the birth of our Savior this Christmas, remember He is the Lion as well as the Lamb and the Peace He gives is through Him and not through this world.

NOTHING BUT COPIES & ERRORS

2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,”

Hebrews 6:18, “that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie. . .”

How in the world can the Bible be accurate? It was written over a thousand years ago by a bunch of Jewish men, and since then has been translated many times in many languages. How can we even believe that what we read is reliable? As a Christian, I claim that the Bible is the Word of God and therefore inerrant in its original writing. But, if there are copy errors in today’s editions then how can I trust it? How can I tell anyone to believe it then?

Having a lot of copies actually helps the cause of proving the reliability of Scripture, especially when copies from different geographical areas all line up together. You take the different languages from different cultures and they all say the exact same thing and this makes a great proof test of reliability, especially when they are from different time periods as well. There are 5,664 total Greek manuscripts and 24,000 copies in Latin, Ethiopic, Slavic, and Armenian manuscripts. Sir Fredrick Kenyon noted, AThe number of manuscripts of the New Testament, of early translation from it, and of quotations from it in the oldest writers of the Church, is so large that it is practically certain that the true reading of every doubtful passage is preserved in some one or the other of these ancient authorities.” (Geisler, Systematic Theology I, 463).

We have copies of the New Testament from within a couple of generations of the event, as compared to most ancient manuscript copies, which are within 5, 8, and even 10 centuries afterwards. This is interesting. The only closest ancient document that has even close to the copies of the New Testament is Homer=s Iliad with 650 Greek manuscripts. The only problem is the copies are from the 2nd and 3rd century, and the Iliad was written around 800 B.C. Makes a very lengthy gap compared to a couple generations of the Bible, yet anthropologists, historians and literary critics all attest to the Iliad’s accuracy. Makes a great case for the Bible’s accuracy then! If the Iliad with a couple thousand years difference between the original and the first copy we have is accurate, then surely the Bible is accurate when the difference between the copy and original is a matter of 20 to 30 years.

That might be, but there still seem to be a lot of errors in the Bible. Those can also be accounted for as well. Today, we can rest assured that the Bible we read is reliable and accurate. God is not fooled and is able to make sure that His word is protected from the errors of man. As Dr. Geisler would say, “Just as man can draw a straight line with a crooked stick, God can write an inerrant book with sinful men.”

One reason for variation is that the scribes might have had a memory lapse or their memory played a trick on them and they wrote the words in the wrong order, but still the right words for the sentence. This is no big deal in Kione (Biblical) Greek. In Biblical Greek sentence sequence does not matter, because one word functions as the subject of the sentence regardless of where it stands in the sentence. Meaning, just because the word sequence changed the meaning does not change. This makes many of the variations inconsequential. It would be equivalent to the differences in spelling a word. A simple example would be Shopping Center or Shopping Centre, different spelling, but it is still a place you walk into to shop.

It is these types of errors that account for the majority of the errors within the Bible. There are no errors that have taken away the context of what was written from the beginning. Not to mention that we have the New Testament to within a couple of generations to the original. No early text compares to its legitimacy. If you discount the Bible then you have to discount every early text found thus far in history, leaving us with no account at all of our past.

Let me end with this simple question. Can you or I write an inerrant book? Yes! Page 1: 2+2=4. Page 2: 3+3=6. Page 3: 4+4=8 and so on. You get the picture. If both you and I can write an inerrant book, then by all means the infinite, omniscient God can. If it is the best attested book in History and it is reliable then we better pay attention to what it says about Heaven, Hell and how to avoid one and attain the other.

John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Christian Yoga? Is It Possible?

“The word yoga is frequently used in Indian philosophy. It means “union” and connotes uniting the individual self with the higher self.” – Handbook of Hindu Mythology by George M. Williams

1 Peter 1:13-16, “Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

If you were told that you could take a pill that would help live longer, give you more energy and make you smarter, but it would change your personality which would negatively effect your relationships with the ones you love the most; would you take it? Say it would cause a schism between you and those you most care about that would make your life miserable, even though you would live longer, have more energy and you are now smarter. Would it be worth it?

I was sitting with a group of Ph.D. students eating lunch, or having tea, I can’t really remember which, but we were sitting nonetheless and I asked a question. I asked them what they thought of yoga being performed by Christians. The looks I received were very interesting. I think they thought I was asking one of my notorious “trick” questions and trying to fool them in some fashion.

They all sat there looking at me as if I had just shot someone. They had these confused, and some almost dazed looks on their faces. One finally asked me what I meant. I asked again, “What do you think of Christian yoga? Do you think that Christians can practice yoga?” None of them believed you could practice yoga as a Christian because of the Hindu connections to it. Even the name itself is Hindu in origin, meaning uniting with your pure reality, which is Brahman, as everything is Brahman.

I told them that churches hold yoga classes and that many Christians participate in yoga in the States. They could not believe that churches would allow yoga to be performed in their church. “Wait a minute,” I said, “many just use it for exercise, or at least that is what they tell me.” They said you cannot separate the two. You can try all you want, but why not just have a class where you stretch then. Why does it have to be yoga? Yoga has much spiritual connection tied to it. They were acting almost offended by the concept, as they are witnessing and telling Hindus their way is wrong and here we are in the West incorporating their spiritual practices into our church. Welcome back Corinthian church!

There is Jnana Yoga, which is salvation by knowledge and inward meditation, and then there is Bhakti Yoga, where salvation is through devotion to one of many deities. How about Karma Yoga, which is salvation by works as ceremonies, fasting and sacrifices, and then Raja Yoga that is a meditation technique that helps you take control over your body, breathing and thoughts. Yoga is tied spiritually to Hinduism, and to all it entails. They could not see the disconnection and neither should we.

When we start dipping our hand into other religions and taking from them things we like and think we are sanitizing them by taking out the spiritual aspects, we are fooling ourselves. Just because you think you sanitized it does not mean the spiritual world thinks they are sanitized. Adding to Christianity from other faiths is syncretism and is exactly the problems the Corinthian church was having. They wanted to incorporate all their pagan practices back into the church and Paul had to deal with it.

We forget about the Spiritual dimension to our faith and just because you don’t say “OM,” and instead say something else, does not make it better. Hindus don’t mind if you use Jesus in place of OM if it helps. The stretching and breathing are all control devices, especially how they have you do them. You are opening yourself up to areas that you are not aware of and if most knew the dangers they would not do it.

Yoga will start to make a schism between you and God spiritually. It just will, because there are spiritual connotations to it, whether you want to admit it or not, and whether you want to believe it or not. Truth is true regardless of what we think. Yoga was developed for spiritual purposes and not Christian, but Hindu and if it is not for God then it is against God. When we perform these rituals we open ourselves up for spiritual attack that can and many times will start to hurt your relationship with God.

Can Christians just stretch like professional athletes? Can Christians meditate on God’s word like He tells us? What is the purpose of Yoga? Maybe one should find out before incorporating it into their Spiritual lives.

1 Thess. 5:21, “Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.”

Unique!

Have you ever had someone tell you that you are one of a kind? Or, like in my case, that they are glad there is only one of you? Do you think that you are unique, that there are none like you?

The other day I was traveling back from the doctor, which if you know me, you know that happens a lot in my life no matter where I live, and I was stopped at a light. I was looking at people, as I usually do, and there was a driver that looked exactly like my pastor from Ohio. It was freaky. The only difference was that the driver was Indian and a taxi driver and my pastor is white and a pastor. Have you ever seen someone else’s twin in another race? I have many times.

What about when someone has a child? What do people do right away? She has your eyes. He has your hair. He screams just like you. She smiles like me. We make similarities between them and the parents and other family members. Does this make them unique then? Aren’t you the same way? Then are you truly unique then? Am I?

Another question for us to answer: If I was to disappear from the planet right now would anything change? Would anything be different? My family would be upset and hurt for a while, but they would live and move on with their lives. Everyone reading this would continue on with their lives, and even some may be happy. What would happen if you disappeared? Would the world change? Nope. The world would keep going.

There is only One who is truly Unique and that is Jesus the Christ. It is because of Christ’s uniqueness that we are unique and important. He gives us the fullness and the reason we are to be on this planet. He gives the reason for our very existence. Jesus is the very reason for our very being.

We are now in the Christmas season and suppose to be celebrating the birth of Christ, which in itself is a very unique event. When was the last time you sat back and thought about the birth of Christ and how unique it really is. His birth was predicted in the Old Testament hundreds of years ahead of time.

Back in Genesis 3:15 we are told He would be born of a woman, I know that is a gimme, but it is still there. Isaiah 7:14 then says He would be born of a virgin, which is confirmed in Matthew 1:21 and following. Jesus was prophesied to be out of the seed of Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3 and 22:18; cf. Matt. 1:1 & Gal. 3:16), from the Tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:10; cf Luke 3:23, 33 and Heb. 7:14), and a descendant of David (2 Sam. 7:12f; Matt. 1:1), and then lastly born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; Matt. 2:1 and Luke 2:4-7).

Nothing about Christ is plain or similar to someone else. Not even His birth! If you study Christ’s life you will continue to find that the way He lived His life was very unique and nothing like we live ours. If Christ disappeared and did not exist then neither would you or I, making His life very important and very unique.

Jesus was unique in that He never sinned (Luke 23:47), He performed unique miracles (John 2:7, John 6:11, Matt. 14:25), and He resurrected from the dead (Matt. 17:9).

We are unique because of Jesus and we are not unique because of ourselves. We are born like everyone else. We live the same, sinned the same and we will die the same. Christ was none of these, and because of Him we are unique and have a purpose. As you shop and celebrate with family this Christmas, remember the ONE who makes that truly possible – Jesus Christ.