And in the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields, and keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 And the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of the great joy which shall be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
Luke 2:8-11 (NASB)
WHAT IS EXPECTED OF THE NEWBORN?
God sent His only Son (John 3:16), not to judge the world (John 3:17), but to save the nations from an eternity of separation from Him. This process is called being born again. So what does God the Father expect from His newborns? Is it perfection from day one? If the metaphor holds true (and it does), then the only thing God expects from His new creations is belief, and dirty diapers. Pretty simple, really. It is also pretty natural. I have never met anyone who did not believe that their father was actually their father and did not have a desire to please him. I have also not met anyone who did not mess up during the growing and maturing process and was not subjected to the loving correction of that good father. And good fathers love spending time with their children, just as children can’t wait to spend time with their fathers. It is the father and son, and daddy and daughter, relationship that continues to grow throughout our lives.
Another two-dollar word for this process of maturation is called progressive sanctification (okay, two two-dollar words).
It is no different in the spiritual realm of this Father and child relationship we now find ourselves in. Our Father wants to spend time with us so that He can impart His love and His wisdom and understanding into our lives. Why? So that we can impact a lost and dying world, so that the world we live in can see the Father in us. And as we spend more time with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we experience God’s loving care more and more deeply, and that makes us want to spend more and more time with Him. God loves when we do that, versus when we do spiritual stuff out of obligation or duty. He wants our presence, not our sacrifice. (Read Luke 10:38-42 about Mary and Martha.)
After we are born again, our lives are a long-term maturation process in which God is molding us into the image of His Son (read the first three chapters of Ephesians). We are literally becoming like Jesus. And we will mess up, just like all kids do. But my mistakes cannot outpace God’s mercy. His grace is always sufficient to overcome my sin. After all, God sent His Son into the world as a Savior of my soul… and yours too (John 3:17).
Have a glorious Christmas, Northstar Family!
Quite simply, Dave Griffith loves getting to know Jesus better by studying His Word daily and is passionate about teaching his siblings in Christ how to study His Word as well. He is passionately in love and like with his helpmate, Jackie; and is most fulfilled when he is hanging with his 10 kids (3 of his, 2 of Jackie’s, 3 are married, 2 more spiritually adopted) and 9 grandkids. He is a small group leader and a men’s group leader. He is a serial entrepreneur owning or having owned numerous businesses. He also enjoys naps!
