In every tragedy there is always a story of a savior. In Las Vegas, in the little Baptist church in Texas, even in tragedies that don’t make the front page, someone steps in to stop the bleeding, to comfort the frightened, to hold someone’s hand, to pray. Often unnamed, these men and women are doing what Jesus did and still does for us; provide saving help.
The greater tragedy today is too many of us, even many who claim to know Jesus, are unaware that they are bleeding and broken, in need of Jesus’ daily saving grace and mercy and power. We try to cover our inadequacies, our failures, our gaping wounds with performance, power, and addictions of all kinds instead of going first to our Savior. By His amazing grace and love He chose instead to come to us first.
Those in the Old Testament who believed knew God was their Savior, for He told them plainly, “I, I am the LORD, and besides me there is no savior (Isa. 43:11). But on a cold dark night this name was given to a real in the flesh baby lying unnoticed in a feeding trough.
Stunned shepherds heard the angelic birth announcement delivered by an angel who stood before them surrounded by light as bright as the sun, “the glory of the Lord shone around them.” The delivery unlike any announcement we get in the mail declaring name, date and weight, yet it did reveal the baby’s name to be, Savior. These Jewish men and boys—whose lives were rough, dirty and lonely —were told a name they understood to mean Messiah, the long awaited and promised rescuer of their people.
What kind of Savior did the shepherds need? What kind of Savior do you need?
The very first people who lived on earth were also the first ones to need a Savior. Adam and Eve chose their own way over God’s way and became forever trapped in bondage to a body that would die instead of living forever. You and I are their children, alive in bodies that are broken by sin and utterly unable to reach God’s standard of holiness.
But because God loves us He sent Jesus to be our Savior!
Celebrate your salvation today!