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bigmike

DAILY DEVOTION
The King
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
Isaiah 9:6-7
From the earliest days of the church, there were assaults on the doctrine of the deity of Christ. Starting with the Gnostics who opposed Paul and John, numerous heresies arose claiming that Jesus was either not really human or not really God. But the Bible spells out the truth for us, not just in the New Testament but also in Old Testament prophecies. The coming Savior always was and always would be God. Nothing about that changed when Jesus was born in Bethlehem. He was still in perfect unity and fellowship with God the Father and with the Holy Spirit. He lived a perfect life so that He could be the sacrifice for the sin of others rather than His own.
When we think about Christmas, we should not lose sight of the depth of mercy on display as the Son of God came into the world, both fully human and fully divine. In our day it is not unusual to hear people say that Jesus didn't claim to be God, but in fact, He did. “My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one” (John 10:29-30). The Christmas celebration honors the birth of the King of kings and Lord of lords, not just another baby born into the world. Jesus is our perfect, sinless Savior, and He deserves all of the praise, honor, and glory we are able to give—and much more.
When we recognize who Jesus truly is, it is not difficult for us to understand we must obey Him.
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