It’s the time of year when each of us reflects on the end of the old and the beginning of the new. We make decisions to change, perhaps improve, or at least “start over again.”
THINK about the Old versus the New Covenant? Did we need a New? What was the real purpose for the Old, anyway?
To answer this for you I surveyed once again the thoughts of the apostle Paul.
And I’ll say it this way—the Old Covenant made man mindful of his sin and need for HELP! More often than not, for a man to change his way he needs to hit rock bottom… when he comes to the END of himself, it marks the beginning of something new. Isn’t it a fact… unless you KNOW you have a need that you can’t solve, you won’t seek for the answer?
When someone is at the bottom, usually the only way is UP. AND the greater the NEED, the greater the appreciation there is for HELP! Paul described the condition of the world when he said, “…all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” He went on to say that there are none righteous, no not one. This sounds like a spiritual rock bottom, doesn’t it? Whether man is totally unaware through ignorance or the noise of the world is so loud that he is greatly distracted, I believe that the heart of every one has a longing to be made right.
This is why, at this time of year, we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. When the world had no hope and no answers for the condition of man, God’s love sent His only Son into the world. He is the perfect sinless substitute and the only hope for the world. When Jesus went to the cross with a perfect heart on behalf of the world, He paid the debt in full and canceled the punishment for our sins; HE made it possible for man to have a relationship with God. I remember hearing this when I was four years old. I may not have known what rock bottom was as a child, but I understood that Jesus had a gift for me that He wanted me to have. I have grown to understand the significance of what Jesus really did for me, and for this reason I remind you of what Jesus did for each of us!
This holiday season, as you celebrate the birth of Jesus, be extremely thankful that ALL your sins are forgiven. And know that we have received a New and better Covenant through Jesus’ finished work at the Cross—it’s a DONE deal! As you think on this, you will find amazing joy. AND the more this means to you, the greater thanks you will have. This is God’s grace!FacebookTwitterEmail
