daily java

Daily Java:

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

It is Christmas Day! I can almost hear bells ringing like in the movies except that I don’t think any do on Christmas. Sometimes there is a set of bells near our apartment, but I do not hear them now.

But today is the day he came into this world. For nine months he has been growing in Mary waiting for today. And now he is born. The angels sing, all creation sings, the plan of God is here in the flesh and Jesus is born. Divinity has become humanity and the age old plan is begun.

God talked about this all the way from Genesis 3:15. He told Adam and Eve that they were no longer allowed to live in the garden. And he told the serpent, the devil, that one day a man would come who would crush him.

He will crush your head but you will bruise his heel.

Jesus would come, live a sinless life, yet die for our sins. He would be raised again to live and to make us live in God. Jesus would indeed crush satan’s head in that he would take away the sins of the world.

But satan would also bruise Jesus’ heel. Jesus would have to become human, live here for 33 years and die a brutal death. Not only that, 1 Corinthians 15 tells us that until he comes again in his power, he is not like he was, part of that Godhead. He is limited, waiting for instructions from the Father.

Satan did bruise his heel. But in that bruising we are blessed. Isaiah 53 says by his stripes we are healed. By that very act of self-sacrifice, by his becoming human, by his death, by his resurrection – we are healed. And the healing is more than physical. We are healed in our souls.

The King is here! Praise be to his name! Sing his praises today.