DECEMBER 15 WHEN GOD CAME DOWN By Ray Pritchard President, Keep Believing Ministries Adjunct Faculty, Word of Life Bible Institute
Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. (Isaiah 45:22)
"Christmas means we all need saving, and Jesus is the Savior we need." That might make a good banner to hang over the front door of every church – at least it would serve up a dollop of humility every time we passed under the banner. Those of us who believe in Jesus aren’t any better than anyone else. Sometimes we seem like we’re worse than a lot of people, but that’s not the point. God came down to us. That’s what happened in Bethlehem long, long ago. If you ever visit the Holy Land, one of the sites you will visit is the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. The church was built over the reputed spot where Mary gave birth to Jesus. To get inside, you first walk across a broad plaza and then come to a very small entrance. In fact, it's so small you have to duck down low to get inside. The entrance is deliberately made low because, several centuries ago, the local big shots liked to ride their horses right into the sanctuary. The priests felt that was inappropriate, so they lowered the entrance to force the great men to dismount before entering the church. The same is true of salvation. If you want to go to heaven, you've got to get off your high horse. Until you do, you'll never be saved. The familiar words of Phillips Brooks are a delight at this point:
How silently, how silently, the wondrous Gift is given. So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His heaven. No ear may hear His coming, but in this world of sin, Where meek souls will receive Him still, the dear Christ enters in.*
So He does! May that be your experience this Christmas season.
*“O Little Town of Bethlehem.” Phillips Brooks, 1867.
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