Walking With Christ

3 days until Christmas.

John 1:9-13 (9)The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. (10)He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. (11)He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. (12)But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, (13)who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.(ESV)

The magi or wise men followed a star that was above the earth to find the true light that had entered into the world as a child. The world at that time was under the rule of law. The Mosaic laws could not save. They could only condemn. They couldn’t help someone find what was right. They just convicted people of doing wrong. In other words, the world was a very dark place in a spiritual sense. There was no marked pathway that was guaranteed to be safe to tread. It was the anticipation of the coming of the messiah that held the world together. Jesus became that light in the darkness that made the path visible and clear.

The world didn’t understand what was happening and truly leaned on their own skewed and imperfect understanding of the promises and prophecies from before. When Jesus came with a message that didn’t perfectly line up with what they thought His message should be then they rejected Him and His message. They didn’t know who they were rejecting.

We, as believers today, face this same challenge. There are so many contenders who want us to follow them instead of the true light. There are so many voices that claim to be from the wilderness. Even as believers, it’s easy to get distracted by the noise in the world. Imagine how hard it is for non-believers. Seeking truth, in such a noisy and violent environment where trust is a luxury and everything is a commodity to be traded or sold to the highest bidder, is such a challenge.

Yet, we believe. We believe in the name of Jesus. We believe that He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died on the cross to pay for all of the sins of the world, rose again three days later, and ascended into heaven. This belief has power. It has transformative power. It can change an alcoholic, drug addicted, angry, {Insert any in a long list of negatives} monster into a human being with true love and joy not just for themselves but for complete strangers and even their enemies. This belief is a very personal decision. Only the individual can decide to believe or not. Only the individual can decide to follow that light. Like the wise men who set out on a perilous journey in faith, we too, step out in faith just by deciding to believe when the world tries to tell us that we are crazy. Those who decide to believe are called the children of God.

To be children of God, according to John, means that we were not born of blood but of God. We are born again into the kingdom of heaven. The physical part of us will most likely pass away and be destroyed by the ravages of time. Our spirit, our soul, which is not controlled by the flesh or our own wills will live eternally with Jesus in heaven. To be born of God means that we are free from the shackles of this world and the sin that owns it. We are free from the will of man and flesh alike. That doesn’t mean that we won’t be tempted. It means that we are no longer owned by these things. This means that we are no longer a slave to our flesh and sin.

There is joy in this freedom. Since we know that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1), we have no reason to fear the judgement that comes with death. We know that we are going to make mistakes but we also know that there is no guilt or shame with those mistakes because they have been forgiven. This isn’t a license to sin more. We have to choose which master to serve because we can only serve one. We either choose to serve our flesh and live in sin under the law or we serve a loving Father by following His son Jesus while living under the saving grace that forgives mistakes.

This choice transforms our daily lives. Some have been blessed to have lived most, if not all, of their lives as believers. This doesn’t mean they haven’t seen the adversity that everyone sees. It just means that the change might not be as visible in them as it can be in others who waited until later to believe. For some, the change is radical and can even frighten those around them. It can be hard for friends and family to accept such a radical and sudden change. It looks different for every person. It is as unique as they are. That moment is personal and truly unique which makes it exceedingly profound.

God knew the moment when each of us would turn to Him. He anticipated and looked forward to that moment. He prepared the way for it to happen and celebrated that moment even though He knew the exact moment it would happen. Think about what it means to have God anticipate your arrival in His arms and look forward to that moment when He can finally say, “Well done, good and faithful servant”. All because, like the wise men following the star, you stepped out in faith to follow the light of the world and, in doing so, became a child of God. Before that moment, it was impossible to imagine what life would be like on the other side of that choice. It was impossible to see all of the amazing blessings. The trials and tribulations we each find on that journey are far outweighed by the joy and reward that we now anticipate. We couldn’t imagine the joys of being a Christian and now that we are one, we can’t imagine what those first moments in heaven will be like.

Follow the star. Reach for the true light. Get closer to Jesus than ever before. Read the word. Pray. Know that you are loved because you are worthy of being loved. You are fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God almighty. He knit you together in the womb with a plan and a purpose for your life knowing that you would face unique challenges and trials that would test you and sometimes hurt you. The pain wasn’t desired but the outcome was. You have survived every dark night and valley. You have chosen to believe in the name of Jesus to be reborn into eternal freedom.

If no one else has told you this, allow me be the first to say, welcome home. He’s been expecting you.