A newborn appeared, and the words of the prophet Isaiah started to come to life. The coming of Jesus, the Mighty God, was predicted to transform everything because of His power.
Jesus worked innumerable miracles, including raising the dead from the dead and giving sight to the blind. Beyond our comprehension, He possesses power, strength, and knowledge; He genuinely was and is, sovereign in every way.
But Jesus’ miracle-working abilities weren’t only for Him. Jesus promised His followers, “Very honestly I tell you, I am going to the Father; whoever believes in me will perform the works I have been doing, and they will accomplish even greater things than these.” (NIV) (John 14:12)
What greater works could He possibly think us capable of?
Peter, one of Jesus’ closest followers, denied knowing Him three times, yet God still used him to preach a revival at Pentecost where 3,000 were saved. Paul was one of the worst persecutors of Christians, yet God redeemed him and used him to spread the gospel to the rest of the world.
While physical miracles were incredible and are certainly still possible with God, how amazing that He has called us to the work of opening people’s eyes to the eternal hope and peace we have in Jesus. Jesus charged His disciples with the important work of spreading the gospel, and this still applies to us today.
This Christmas, let’s consider the power we have through Jesus—that He gave us eternal life, and the same power that raised Him from the dead is alive in us. Be encouraged that God not only wants to move powerfully in your life, but He also wants to move powerfully through you to reach others. How humbling that the God of the universe chooses to use us to expand His Kingdom!
While we all have different experiences with our earthly fathers, we know that no relationship is perfect. Whether the name “father” brings fond memories or weighs heavily on our hearts, what a gift we have in Jesus, our perfect, Everlasting Father.
Through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, we are blessed with direct access to God. When we follow Jesus, we are adopted into God’s family, and, as His children, we enjoy all of the benefits of living under His care.
Jesus highlighted one of those benefits in the Parable of the Prodigal (or Lost) Son, showing the extent of God’s love for His children—how He never gives up on us, regardless of how far we wander! When Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, He also used the moment to remind them of how willing God is to provide abundantly for His children who are bold enough to ask:
“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:9-11 NIV)
What an incredible blessing that, regardless of our experiences, we are invited into a relationship with an unchanging, good Father.
This season, be encouraged by this beautiful description of our Everlasting Father found in the book of James: “Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.” (James 1:17 NIV) In Him, we have hope, healing, and the promise of His care forever!
