This time of year certainly is a busy one. As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, we are busy decorating our homes; baking; buying gifts (OK, so the guys probably won’t be doing that till closer till the 24th, but still we do intend to get to it); planning for and having get-togethers with family and friends; attending parades, concerts and special services; and all sorts of other things – that is certainly no shortage of things to keep us busy. Some find that there is so much to do that they start planning for Christmas for the next year as soon as the current one is over, which is nothing short of amazing to some of us.
But did you know that God started planning for the coming of Jesus Christ before He even made the world? Yes, I Peter 1:20 tells us the Jesus’ coming was foreordained (known before) the foundation of the world – that’s over 4,000 years before Jesus came – now that’s amazing! Once it was planned, He orchestrated the fulfillment of it in great detail as revealed to us in the Bible. Why did God plan for Jesus to come to this earth anyway? And why would He start that process so far ahead of time? The answer is this, because He knew that sin would enter into the world, and that there was only One who could save mankind – His only begotten Son. Yes, God started the planning process so soon out of love for you and me, and that’s why Jesus came. Remember John 3:16? Why not look it up in you Bible right now?
As you busily prepare for this Christmas season, pause to ponder the planning God put into the coming of Christ, and realize that He planned it all out of love for you and me. Have you received His gift of eternal life? Have you thanked Him lately for His love to you?