Daily Devotional For Friday, December 22, 2023

The Christmas word for today is the name and word that begins it all: CHRIST. As you likely know, Christ-mas literally means Christ Worship. You may also know that Christ and Messiah are the same word, one in Greek and the other in Hebrew. As we looked at yesterday, the angels announced to the shepherds when Jesus was born that He was “the Savior who is Christ the Lord.” Jesus is Savior, the One who brings God’s rescue. Jesus is Christ, the One who brings God’s promise. Jesus is Lord, the One who brings God’s rule.

I thought we’d look at just a few of the verses in the New Testament about the promises we can find in our daily lives because Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ. There were so many, I decided to look at just one book: Galatians. There were so many even there, we can look at just one chapter: Galatians 3. Look at the Messiah promises that are real in your life because of Jesus Christ.

One promise is Christ promises you freedom. Look at Galatians 3:22, “But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ” (NLT).  Wonderful freedom from your sin and guilt is God’s promise because of Christ. This freedom comes only by believing in Jesus Christ because only Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for our sins. He paid the price for your freedom and forgiveness.

A second promise is Christ promises you family. Look at Galatians 3:26, “For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus (NLT). You are now in God’s family because of faith in the love of Jesus. We are all creations of God, but only through the promise of Christ do we become a part of the family of God. To be in God’s family is to be loved unconditionally and eternally. God the Father is forever faithful to his family. 

Being part of God’s family leads to the next promise.

A third promise is Christ promises you eternal reward. Look at Galatians 3:29, “And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you” (NLT). Everyone in God’s family is an heir to all of God’s riches. It’s not because of anything we have done, but because we belong to Christ. We begin to enjoy our inheritance even on this earth as we are heirs to the riches of God’s grace and love. We will enjoy this inheritance in all of eternity and heirs together with Christ in all that God will provide us in his glory.

Christ promises you community.

Look at Galatians 3:28, “There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus (NLT). You’re not an only child in the family of God. Because of Christ, the barriers are broken down between us so that we can grow together in his love. Of all the promises of Christ, this is the one that we probably struggle with the most. It is also the promise that gives some of us the greatest joy when we recognize that because of Jesus we can love in ways we never thought possible. There is no greater witness to the world of the love of Jesus than the promise of this love for one another being lived out.

A fourth promise is Christ promises you maturity. Look at Galatians 3:27, “And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on the character of Christ, like putting on new clothes (NLT). Jesus gives us the promise of becoming more like Him in the things that we think, do, and say. He does not mean for this to happen by your human effort, but by the power of his promise. The final promise of Christ in Galatians 3 tells us how he will work these changes in our lives.

A fifth promise is Christ promises you the Holy Spirit. Look at Galatians 3:14, “Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing He promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith” (NLT). God’s Spirit within us gives us the power to begin to live the life of promise that Christ gives us. He gives us the promise, and then He gives us the power of His presence to live out the promise He has given. Wow! And these are the promises Christ gives from just one chapter. When you add them to the hundreds of promises throughout the rest of the New Testament, you see how blessed we are because of Christ.

Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah — the promised one who brings God’s promises into your life! As you finish, ponder these questions and what the answer means to you:

1. God has promised you freedom from sin, and specifically, your own personal sins. This is the point of Romans 6:22, “But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life” (NLT). What does that mean to you and when have you seen this in your own life?
2. God has promised you a family. We are better together. That is the point of Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, “Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. (10) If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. (11) Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? (12) A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken” (NLT). Who has been that double or triple braided cord to you and who have you been the same to them and what was the outcome?
3. God has promised you an eternal reward. Earth is not your home; heaven is. That Jesus’ point in John 14:1-3, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in Me. (2) There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? (3) When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with Me where I am” (NLT). What does the thought of heaven as your home mean to you and why?
4. God has promised you maturity in Christ. If you feed a baby, it naturally grows on its own. This is the point of Ephesians 4:13-14, “This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. (14) Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth” (NLT). What evidence can you give that you out of love for what Christ has done for you and continually does for you, you are intentional about maturing in your faith and relationship with Him?
5. God has promised you the Holy Spirit. That is Jesus’ point in Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be My witnesses, telling people about Me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (NLT). Notice why we are given the promise of the Holy Spirit — to have the ability to share Christ with others. When and where do you see this in your own life? If you do not, what might this mean for you and why?

Scripture to Meditate On: 2 Corinthians 1:20, “For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for His glory” (NLT). 

Prayer To Pray: “Father  — thank You! Thank You for the promise of freedom and forgiveness. For the promise of family and acceptance. For the promise of community and love. For the promise of maturity and growth. And for the promise of the power of Your Spirit in my life. I receive these promises by faith in Christ. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray, Amen."