This Christmas, Get to Know Your Savior
By Rick Warren
“He came to the world that was his own, but his own people did not accept him. But to all who did accept him and believe in him he gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:11-12 (NCV)
Nobody’s perfect. That’s pretty common knowledge! I’ve met thousands of people as I’ve traveled around the world, and I’ve never met anybody who claimed to be sinless.
I don’t measure up to my own standards, much less God’s—and you don’t either. We all have flaws, and we all make fumbles.
That’s why you need to know Jesus, the Savior who came to die for your sins.
Heaven is a perfect place—no sorrow, sadness, or sickness. Heaven is beyond your wildest dreams! Heaven is perfect, but you and I are not. If God let imperfect people into heaven, then it wouldn’t be a perfect place. If God let us into heaven, with all of our imperfections, then heaven would be no better than Earth.
But God had a plan: He came to Earth at Christmastime. He sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to live a perfect life in your place. Then Jesus died to pay for all of your sins so you don’t have to. You get to go to heaven by just trusting him. What a deal!
“He came to the world that was his own, but his own people did not accept him. But to all who did accept him and believe in him he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:11-12 NCV).
When you trust in Jesus as Savior, you get to become a part of God’s family, and that family is going to last forever.
God created everybody. God loves everybody. God has a purpose for everybody. But God is only the Father of those who choose to become a part of his family by meeting the family requirements: Believe in the Son he sent at Christmas. That’s the condition.
God made you, but he also saved you. The reason he came at Christmas was to die for all your sins.
I can’t think of a better reason to give him your focus and devotion.
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This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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