Born to Die

For the past three weeks the phrase, 'Unto us a child is born and unto us a SON is GIVEN" has been running through  my mind. I have read it, sung it and shared it. It has been on Christmas cards and in songs on the car radio. Christmas is a joyful season of year, to celebrate the birth of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ.

 "Lord," I said, "I love all the singing and the songs, but, I sense that there is something more that You would like to share with me this Christmas." And indeed there was something, MUCH more.

I have felt, just a 'pinch' of what the Father might have felt when He had to forsake His Son on Calvary. But, I had never really thought very seriously how the Father must of felt when His son was born. In my world, when a baby is born there is great rejoicing and anticipation of its future. But, to deeply feel the Father's heart the day His Son was born, caused me to ponder these thoughts.

"That day, Father,when you saw your only begotten Son lying in the manager.  He wasn't just a baby.  He was your Son. On that day, you saw the fulfillment of Psalm 40:6-8 saying 'Sacrifice and offering, you have not desired, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required. Then I said, behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me: I desire to do your will, O my God, your law is written in my heart.'" Then later in Hebrews 10:5-7, the writer quotes again Psalms 40:6-8, but this time God adds "Sacrifices and offering you have not desired, but a BODY YOU HAVE PREPARED FOR ME. In burnt offering and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, "Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book". Jesus Christ was the only BABY EVER BORN TO SUFFER AND TO DIE!

Christmas is meaningless without the whole story.  Lord Jesus Christ, God Almighty, one with the Father and the Holy Spirit, humbled Himself to become a human being, to live a perfect life where Adam had failed. I believe that the baby in the manager was not only the Son of God, but the Son of Man. When Jesus humbled Himself and became a man,  He gave up His rights as the Son of God, to IDENTIFY with mankind. Mankind was lost. Adam had failed.  The world was under condemnation and there was no escape from judgement.  There was NO other way to redeem man, (you and I) back to our Father, except for Jesus to exchange His righteousness for our unrighteousness, by taking our sin upon Himself. "For He who knew no sin became sin for us" " It is finished," was His cry.

There is no greater LOVE in this whole world than the love of the Father and His Son Jesus. Their great sacrifice for each other brought about our salvation. Today, Jesus still relates to us as the Son of Man. He alone knows each of us personally and desires a deeper relationship with Him. Because Jesus (God) became man He can relate to all our infirmities, joy, and suffering. He experienced life here on earth, as we know it.

It is so easy to caught up in all the Christmas activities and never take the time to ponder that the babe laying in the manager is Jesus, a BODY PREPARED , and a FATHER'S LOVE GIVEN FOR SIN OF THE WORLD; A BABY BORN TO DIE.