Daily Devotion -Philippians 2:5-8 - Christmas Upside Down
Read Philippians 2:5-8 NIV
I watch the dazzling lights of the Christmas tree and the smiling faces of my friends. A happy family gathered around the tree, laughing and spreading good vibes. I am thankful to be with them this Christmas but I can't participate fully in their excitement and joy. There is a coldness in my stomach, and a hot tear is burning in my eyes. This Christmas is so much different – a Christmas upside down. Nobody can understand my pain.
And then I hear this gentle voice in my thoughts, "I can. I understand you, my child and I deeply care."
On Christmas Eve we celebrate the glorious night when God enters our world as a baby. But for the rest of the universe, such an act equals unexplained humiliation. God, the Creator of the universe, formed into a normal human being, lived a life limited by the flesh, and died nailed to a cross. Why?
To become Immanuel - God with us, He needed to become one of us, subject to the limitations and needs of the flesh. In this way, He is fully able to empathize with our weaknesses and struggles and to intercede for us as our High Priest. (Hebrew 4:15 NIV)
As fully man, Jesus can understand us completely, more than any other human being on this planet. And as fully God He is able to help and comfort us perfectly.
Christ's birth and death are an example of how God can turn something good even in the darkest hours in history. The cross and the resurrected Christ prove that there is nothing strong enough to take away our reason to have joy in the Lord.
Living in this time of history is not easy. The world seems out of control with a global pandemic erasing our normal, sending waves of uncertainty, chaos, and fear. Maybe you are tempted to feel abandoned by God in such a time as this.
Pondering the wonder of the incarnation that introduced God's Kingdom, I am awed and humbled. My heart is aching but the Healer is at work. He is still sitting on the throne; He is still the master of the world's history. He was, He is and He is to come.
Read the full devotion at https://devotableapp.com/daily-devotion-philippians-2-5-8-christmas-upside-down/