Our Joy and Comfort

It is our joy and comfort to be united with the Son of God. Do you comprehend what this means? He is our Head—we are His body. From Him we receive our life, our salvation and all good things. In fact, our condition would be incredibly miserable if we were not protected and maintained by Him. We might not recognize it at the moment, but a miserable condition can lay hidden for some time, or we might rationalize the miserable condition away. However, we could not reach up to God, unless Jesus Christ first condescended to us, and He has already approached us in His birth when He clothed Himself in our flesh and made Himself like us. We couldn’t have our current position in Him, Who is seated at the right hand of the Father in glory, unless He first stooped down to us. He was made a real man and assumed a condition in common with us. This is why, when He is called the only “Mediator between God and man.” The term “very man of very man” applied to Him. Also, because He is “very God of very God,” He is called “Emmanuel,” that is, “God with us.”

Pastor Randy Booth, Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, Nacogdoches, TX

In the Likeness of Men

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, ⁷ but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. ⁹ Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” ―Philippians 2:5-11

Prayer

O Lord, we were unable to save ourselves when you sent Your Son into the world. He humbled Himself for our sakes that we might be exalted in Him. Even as we groped for Him, yet He was not far from us. “For in Him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:27-18). Indeed, He opened our eyes and turned our hearts that we might lay hold on Him; indeed that we might  be united to Him in every way; in His death and in His resurrection. We praise Your for Your saving grace! Amen.

Advent Action

Jesus condescended to us―He became one of us―that He might speak to us in our language. In order to remind ourselves of His reaching down to us, let each of us find a child to commune with. Read them a story, ask them questions, and grant them your undivided attention.