John 1:9-13
The true light that shines on everyone was coming into the world. The Word was in the world, but no one knew him, though God had made the world with his Word. He came into his own world, but his own nation did not welcome him. Yet some people accepted him and put their faith in him. So he gave them the right to be the children of God. They were not God's children by nature or because of any human desires. God himself was the one who made them his children.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
My mother-in-law recently celebrated another birthday. My husband and his brothers planned to meet their mom for dinner at a local restaurant. The day before, I made a birthday cake and put it in the refrigerator to keep the icing fresh. I wrapped a gift and set it on the counter, and my husband’s brothers and their wives bought gifts and cards, too. The day of the birthday, we met for dinner. Then everyone came to our house afterward. We got out the cake and ice cream, and my mother-in-law opened her cards and gifts. Some of her relatives and friends… grandchildren, her sister, and nieces… called or sent Facebook messages to wish her a Happy Birthday.
Now, suppose we had left the cake in the refrigerator. What if we had left our gifts and cards on the counter… sat around and visited … and merely looked at each other? Or what if we had failed to even mention to my mother-in-law that it was her birthday… much less honor the date in any way? Would it still have been my mother-in-law’s birthday? Certainly! Would we have celebrated to the fullest of our ability and with a 100% effort? Absolutely not! Just because the calendar said it was her birthday and she turned a year older didn’t mean that the event was fully recognized and hailed with complete enthusiasm and gusto! In order for this to happen, we had to do something… we had to become engaged and fully involved… and we had to acknowledge – and celebrate the day!
Some people do not believe Jesus is the Son of God. They think He was just a very good man who lived a good life and did many great things. If you ask most people if they believe in God, they will say, “Yes.” If you ask most Christians to explain their relationship with Jesus, they may tell you, “He died on the cross for my sins.” But what does this really mean for most folks?
Who is Jesus, really? Is the depth of most relationships with Jesus Christ the fact that He died for our sins? Do most people understand that acknowledging this fact is not enough? Is their faith in Jesus akin to leaving a birthday cake in the refrigerator? The cake is there… and maybe by making the cake, we feel we acknowledged the special day. By the same token, we may feel we have done enough to become Christians by acknowledging that Jesus died for our sins.
Until we take the next step – until we not only acknowledge what Jesus did on the cross, but ask Him to forgive us for our part in it… until we “cut the cake,” the deal is not done! The birthday still happened… and God still gave us life… but until we fully celebrate… until we fully develop our relationship with Him… we cannot truly claim victory. We can’t say we are Disciples of Christ… faith-filled Christians, until we acknowledge Jesus, ask Him to forgive us for our sins, and begin to walk in His light and share His Good News with others.
A birthday rolls around for every living person once a year. But not all birthdays are celebrated and shared with others. God created all of us, but not all of us become “Children of God” in the context of salvation and Eternal Life through Jesus Christ. And not all Children of God truly live in the light of Christ and daily walk by faith… not all Christians truly “get it.” Do you?
How will you celebrate… both your earthly life and your life in Christ? Will you know Jesus, or will you truly KNOW Him? There is a difference… can you see it?
©2011 Debbie Robus
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