A Savior is Born!

By Denise Araujo

Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.

Luke 2: 11

Merry Christmas!  Let’s start our devotional today by reading Luke 2:10. When the angel announced the birth of Christ, he said he was bringing, “good news” that would cause great joy.

Good news fills the heart with joy.  Not only the news of Christ's birth brings us joy; but what joy we find in His life, His teachings, and His presence in our lives!

I remember when I first came to really know Christ.  I was born into an evangelical family and was used to going to church.  I learned many things about Christ growing up and I am grateful for that; however, I did not know this “good news,” this mystery of God who is Christ.

 "To him God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious richness of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."

Colossians 1:26

Mystery is anything that cannot be explained or understood; for example, what God has given us in Christ.  He was a mystery, which had been hidden and which God has revealed to us.  What a privilege to know this mystery! 

For it pleased the Father that in him all fullness dwell.

Colossians 1:19

Christ has all the fullness of God the Father, and He cannot be explained.  How can we explain the love of Christ, His mercy, His compassion, His sacrifice?  God's attributes are beyond our understanding.  That is why Paul prays in verse 10 of Colossians 1, wishing that we grow in the full knowledge of God that begins in Christ.  It all begins and ends with Christ.

Savior 

A savior is one who saves, supports and protects.  God, throughout Israel's history, had sent men and women to save His people from the oppression of other peoples.  Moses, Gideon, Joshua and others were all sent to save God’s people from their enemies.  However, Christ came to save us from ourselves—from our sins, our choices, an empty life, the dominion of darkness, and the righteous wrath of God (Romans 1:18).

“For he rescued us from the domain of darkness and transported us to the Kingdom of his beloved Son,”

Colossians 1:13

Jesus rescued us and paid the price required by God.  He went all the way and completed His work, so that we are free from accusation.  That is, in Christ, God does not accuse us of anything else (Colossians 1:22).

Having paid the highest price that could be paid, Jesus bought us.  We belong to Him.  We are in His hands and no one can steal us away (John 10:28). No one can separate us from the love of God. What a joy to know that if we belong to Christ, no one or nothing can separate us from Him (Romans 8).

Sometimes we can look for a “savior” in politics or in a job that will save our financial situation or in a relationship that will save us from loneliness.  Christ, however, came not only to save us in some situations, but to save us completely and to give us life to the full (John 10:10).

As Christians, to be full in Christ means that we miss out on nothing; that we are not dependent on anything or anyone else to fill us.  Christ is now sufficient; our source of greatest joy.

Psalm 23 says - The Lord is my shepherd; I will be missing nothing. With the Lord as our shepherd, He is enough. By Him we are filled.

As the Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky once said, “The emptiness of man is the size of God.”

In Philippians 4:12, the apostle Paul states, “I learned the secret of being content in any and all situations.”

For me, this conviction brings freedom.  Christ is sufficient.

He came to save us from a life without purpose, empty and without meaning.  But He also came so that we may have life in abundance.  May we never lose ourselves along the way, looking for things of this world to fill us.

Messiah

This Hebrew word “messiah” means "anointed."  It is a title for a person especially set apart by the Lord for specific work.  “Christ” in the Greek language means "anointed."  Thus, Messiah (in Hebrew) and Christ (in Greek) are titles that mean the same thing: Anointed.

In John 4, the Samaritan woman had a conversation with Jesus and expressed the hope of her people regarding the messiah and the knowledge that he would explain everything.

Imagine a people oppressed by an empire, in a humiliating situation and hoping to have a messiah. Jesus then declares, "I am the Messiah—the one who brings freedom and brings meaning to all things!”

Lord

Lord is not a given name.  It is a title.  In the era we live in today, the word "sir" no longer has the same meaning as it did in the first century.  Lord meant maximum authority, someone to whom you owed respect and honor.

As Christians, we are called to make Jesus the Lord of our lives.  First-century Christians understood this concept well.  They were willing to go hungry, lose their property, family, and even their lives by confessing that Jesus was their Lord.  The gospel was not about their wants and desires being fulfilled, but about their Lord, Jesus Christ.

What we have seen today in many religions, and in the lives of many people, is that Christ has ceased to be the “Lord”—the one who occupies the center of our lives.

In order to have Christ as our Lord every day, it is necessary to understand the maximum authority of Jesus.  Therefore, we do not make decisions for ourselves or do what we think is the best for our lives based on our opinions alone.  We submit to His will, even though inwardly our emotions and feelings may be screaming to be heard.

When Jesus is our Lord, we seek His honor and not ours.  God honored Jesus and gave Him the highest position.  We bend our knees each day and declare with our actions that He is Our Lord.

On this very special day, as we celebrate and meditate on the birth of Christ, may we also rejoice that through Jesus, God has given us a sufficient Savior, a magnificent Messiah, and a liberating Lord!  Through Christ, we do not have to rely on situations, relationships, or achievements to make us happy, satisfied and free.  Our Savior, Messiah and Lord has poured out His love and given us freedom and peace!

"So that to the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven, on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord, for the glory of God the Father."

Philippians 2: 10-11

Questions for Reflection:

1. Stop and think for a moment about a time when you've received great news. What feelings did it generate in your heart?  How did you react?  What did you do with this news?
2. As you reflect on Jesus today, write a letter to God thanking Him for sending His Son as your Savior, Messiah and Lord.