In December 1903, after many attempts, the Wright brothers were successful in getting their “flying machine” off the ground. Thrilled, they telegraphed this message to their sister Katherine: “We have actually flown 120 feet. Will be home for Christmas.”

Katherine hurried to the editor of the local newspaper and showed him the message. He glanced at it and said, “How nice. The boys will be home for Christmas.” He totally missed the big news—man had flown! (Daily Bread)

As I read the above story, I (Cindy) thought, “He was missing the message — the REAL point of the message!” And then I thought, “How many of us miss the message — the GOOD NEWS, of why the Christ of “CHRIST-mas” came to earth to be born in a manger so many years ago? HIS birth (His sacrificial death, and victorious resurrection) made our spiritual “RE-birth” possible.

“Just as our Lord came into human history from outside it, He must also come into me from outside. Have I allowed my personal human life to become a ‘Bethlehem’ for the Son of God? I cannot enter the realm of the kingdom of God unless I am born again from above by a birth totally unlike physical birth. “You must be born again (John 3:7).

“This is not a command, but a fact based on the authority of God. The evidence of the new birth is that I yield myself so completely to God that ‘Christ is formed’ in me. And once ‘Christ is formed’ in me, His nature immediately begins to work through me.” (Oswald Chambers, from the devotional, My Utmost for His Highest)

This Christmas, as we celebrate the birth of Christ — the babe that was born in a manger, let’s not forget to take the celebration BEYOND His birth and take into our lives ALL that He is and ALL that He has for us—in every aspect of our lives INCLUDING our married lives (which can be the biggest challenge of all). After-all, marriage is a living picture of Christ’s love for the church. So how we live within our marriages is a holy picture that should reflect in how we treat each other.

To most people, it seems that as long as Christ “behaves himself” and remains a babe born in a manger—not interfering in how we treat each other and live our lives beyond this season—celebrating Christmas is a nice tradition. Not too many are threatened by an innocent baby. But will we put additional effort into putting Christ into His rightful place beyond Christmas?

Jesus—who is God, came to us in human form, born in a manger, also grew up to become Savior and LORD of our lives. He wasn’t born to remain in the form of a baby. He grew into a man in human form and died on a cross; bearing upon Himself all the wrong we’ve ever done, to save us from ourselves. He then rose from the dead so that as we believe and accept Him as Savior and also as our Lord, we can have victory over sin and the death of eternal separation from God.

We see throughout the Bible, that Jesus is more than a cute baby in a manger:

In GENESIS Jesus is the Ram at Abraham’s altar.
In EXODUS He is the Passover Lamb.
In LEVITICUS He’s the High Priest.
In NUMBERS He is the Cloud by day and pillar of fire at night.
In DEUTERONOMY He is the City of our refuge.
In JOSHUA He’s the Scarlet Thread out Rahab’s window.
In JUDGES He is our Judge.
In RUTH He is our Kinsman Redeemer.
In 1st and 2nd SAMUEL He’s our Trusted Prophet.
In KINGS and CHRONICLES He is our Reigning King.
In EZRA He is our Faithful Scribe.
In NEHEMIAH He is the Rebuilder of everything that is broken.
In ESTHER He is Mordecai sitting faithful at the gate.
In JOB He is our Redeemer that ever lived.
In PSALMS He is my Shepherd and I shall not want.
In PROVERBS and ECCLESIASTES He is our Wisdom.
In the SONG OF SOLOMON He is the Beautiful Bridegroom.
In ISAIAH He is the Suffering Servant.
In JEREMIAH and LAMENTATIONS it is Jesus that is the Weeping Prophet.
In EZEKIEL He’s the Wonderful Four-Faced Man.
In DANIEL He is the Fourth Man in the midst of a fiery furnace.
In HOSEA He is my Love that is forever faithful.
In JOEL He baptizes us with the Holy Spirit.
In AMOS He’s our Burden Bearer.
In OBADIAH He is our Savior.
In JONAH He’s the Great Foreign Missionary that takes the Word of God into all the world.
In MICAH He is the Messenger with beautiful feet.
In NAHUM He is the Avenger.
In HABAKKUK He is the Watchman that is ever praying for revival.
In ZEPHANIAH He is the Lord mighty to save.
In HAGGAI He is the Restorer of our lost heritage.
In ZECHARIAH He is our Fountain.
In MALACHI He is the Son of Righteousness with healing in His wings.
In MATTHEW He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.
In MARK He is the Miracle Worker.
In LUKE He is the son of Man.
In JOHN He is the Door by which every one of us must enter.
In ACTS He is the Shining Light that appears to Saul on the road to Damascus.
In ROMANS He is our Justifier.
In 1st CORINTHIANS He is our Resurrection.
In 2nd CORINTHIANS Jesus is our Sin Bearer.
In GALATIANS He redeems us from the law.
In EPHESIANS He is our Unsearchable Riches.
In PHILIPPIANS He supplies our every need.
In COLOSSIANS He is the Fullness of the Godhead Bodily.
In 1st and 2nd THESSALONIANS He is our Soon Coming King.
In 1st and 2nd TIMOTHY He is the Mediator between God and man.
In TITUS He is our Blessed Hop.
In PHILEMON He is a Friend that sticks closer than a brother.
In HEBREWS He is the Blood of the everlasting covenant.
In JAMES it is the Lord that heals the sick.
In 1st and 2nd PETER He is the Chief Shepherd.
In 1st, 2nd, and 3rd JOHN it is Jesus who has the tenderness of love.
In JUDE He is our Lord coming with 10,000 saints.
And in REVELATION, He is King of kings and Lord of lords!!!
(The above wording comes from narration from the musical, God With Us.)

- ALSO –
Please click onto the video link below, to view Him as:

• HE IS

This Christmas and all throughout the New Year, it’s our prayer that you will acknowledge Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, and will take Him in to be your Lord to help you live out every aspect of your life to His glory — including and ESPECIALLY within your marriage.

HAVE A BLESSED CHRISTMAS!!!
Steve and Cindy Wright