The theme for the devotion today is that God is in control.
Can you think of a holiday in the church year that is celebrated on the 25th of a month? Christmas, of course! But take that back then nine months. And what do we get? The 25th of March.
Jesus is going to come in, he's going to come to church, he's going to speak wonderful words from God's Word, and then he is going to be completely rejected, abused and they're going to try to kill him. But notice how this section starts out.
Trivia Question! How much time do you think people spend at the Grand Canyon, taking in the view?
Is something robbing you of your peace? There are just so many things in this life that can take our peace away. God wants you to have peace.
Does Christmas make you feel warm and fuzzy inside? I think many people would say that it does. Who knows what it is?
Did Jesus actually, really, truly, physically walk out of the grave on Easter morning? Did he actually rise from the dead? Is that believable?
The oldest Triumphal Arch we know about was built 200 years before Jesus was born. Today we consider Jesus' Ascension as a Triumphal Arch for our entrance into heaven.
Sometimes we have bad ideas and we make bad decisions. God had a good idea which was to send Jesus to take your place. Your sins are forgiven. You are at peace with God.
God feels furthest away when we're in the middle of a temptation. Yet, we're not alone. Jesus has faced similar temptations and when he answered them, he did it for you.
The bill of our guilt, the debt of our sin, it has been paid for. It has been accomplished 100% by our Savior Jesus. There's nothing more that we need to do. After all, can Jesus go back now and commit some sort of sin and not earn righteousness? No! It's an accomplished fact. He already earned that righteousness. It's free and it's coming to all who believe in him.
The Christmas Story.