Corona Devo 656

Christmas has come and gone, again. So much preparation, build-up, effort and exertion...and then "Poof!", we are on to the next thing.

But don't leave that Baby in the manger and walk away for another year. Jesus wasn't born for one bloated day of presents and food. He is so much more. And as His sons and daughters (we are!), He has so much more for us than what we did (or did not) experience on Christmas.

“I will put my teaching within them, and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people." ~Jeremiah 31:33

~~~~~~~~~

In the beginning (Old Testament) time of God's relationship with us, the division between His Holiness and our sin was satisfied by prescribed temple sacrifices such as the firstfruits of the harvest and the first born male of cattle and sheep (Exodus 34), but Jesus being born (to us) in that stable changed everything.

Jesus changed the sacrifices "required" to God because His birth in Bethlehem signified the birth of the last sacrifice that would ever be necessary to satisfy the sinful gap that gapes between us and God. Jesus both proved and altered what was "required" for the Israelites...and us.

“Don't think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.  ~Matthew 5:17

The Israelites knew and understood (by God's command) that there must be a mediation (intervention) between their current state (which involved sin) and their desired state of being in union with God. The old covenant (agreement and promise) arranged by God was temple sacrifices. The new covenant (agreement and promise) arranged by God was delivered to the world as Mary delivered the baby Jesus in that stable that we remember each Christmas. Don't leave the Baby in the manger and walk away from Him. It was for us and for our salvation, and for our hope that He was born.

(13) Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity. (14) Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. (15) That is why he is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant.  ~Hebrews 9:11-15

The story and timeline of the Bible and Jesus are like a beautiful puzzle that God created with us in mind. Have we ever noticed how intricately the pieces fit together? And that we have a special place in God's puzzle?

Don't leave that Baby in the manger.  Pick Him up.  Hold Him near.  Give Him attention in your day and throughout your day.  

In the Old Testament, God was present, but with the onset of Jesus, He became personable.  Relatable, approachable, even intimately involved with us.  He became our new covenant.

“But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel after those days,” says the Lord. “I will put my teaching within them, and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. (34) And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the Lord.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already,” says the Lord. “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.”  ~Jeremiah 31:31-34

Do we feel like we know Him already?

We should. And if we don't, then we can. That was the whole purpose of Jesus being born in that stable--so that we could come to know Him, and so that He could change our lives.

Don't leave that Baby in the manger.  

Jesus gave so much preparation, build-up, effort and exertion--We can't just move on to the next thing.

Don't wait another year to consider Him and His significance.  Don't wait another moment.

Blessings, 

sarah

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com

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