Continuing to celebrate
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. (John 3:16a )
I looked up lists focused on complaints about people’s spouses. There were three common complaints from the wife’s list that won’t surprise anyone: “He doesn’t communicate,” “He is too demanding and “He’s no help.”
“He doesn’t communicate.” What if God’s love ebbed and flowed according to the quality of your prayer life, your communication with him?
“He hardly ever speaks to me!” What if God’s love ebbed and flowed because of the deficiency in your Christian life?
“He’s too demanding.” What if Christ’s love was tied to the degree of contentment, peace and gratitude in your heart each day? Or tied to the absence of complaining or rejoicing in his abundant goodness?
“He is no help.” What if God’s love for you increased or diminished according to the degree of your usefulness in serving Him and His mission in the world?
“He doesn’t communicate. He’s too demanding. He’s no help.”
We should thank God that this love does not depend on our performance in the Christian life. Our verse doesn’t read “Because you improved your deficiencies, God gave His one and only Son.”
Where would we be if the love of Christ fluctuated according to our deficiencies in our Christian life? Christ loves us as sinners and he loves us now in spite of all our deficiencies. This is the Christmas gift we continue to celebrate. While the world was still sinful, God loved the world as he gave his one and only Son to trade places with us.
Let us pray: Lord, thank you for loving us despite that we still continue to sin. Be with me this Christmas season as we celebrate your birth.
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