Day 11: A Personal Christmas
The purpose and destiny of every man is to be conformed into the image of Christ. Rom 8:29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. This implies that all things ought to work together for this sole purpose. As a matter of fact, both verses of scripture are quoted in the same context. there is no doubt that that is what God wants for us.
All of Paul’s prayers and desires were that Christ will emerge from within the people. Gal 4:19 My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you. Paul pictures that Christlikeness is like conception. We carry it and bear it until we bring forth. This is an awesome illustration. This brings me to the crux of the matter today: A Personal Christmas. God desires that the Christmas story be replicated in each life!
We can go on and on from testament to testament; from book to book; from chapter to chapter; from verse to verse; from person to person and place to place and see that the sole purpose of life is conformity to the image of Christ. There is far more evidence in scripture that the purpose of life is Christlikeness than anything else we can come up with.
But God Left Us with a Way
If our sole purpose is conformity to the image of Christ, then we should have an example to follow. Thanks be to God that He left us with an example — Christmas! In this piece, I would try to make an attempt to enumerate the process of attaining Christlikeness by the pattern that God Himself gave to us.
The Visitation:
God initiates everything. We cannot claim that we found God, He is the one who sets out to bring us in. He Sent Jesus to reconcile the world to himself. God sent His angel, Gabriel, to deliver a message to Mary. It is interesting to note that the first step to Christlikeness is a revelation of the will of God. What I have said that Christlikeness is the goal is just a piece of information. When it becomes a revelation and dawns on each individual’s heart, then the journey begins.
It is said that Mary had an attitude of devotion. We did not see any expression of doubt in her entire experience. Rather, she sought clarity and received God’s promise. We must put ourselves in such a state that fulfilling the purpose of God for our life is not just a revelation, but also a desire — a strong one at that.
Destiny Relationships:
The Story of Christmas is not complete without listing people like Joseph, Mary, Zechariah, Elizabeth, John, the Wise Men, the Shepherds and so on. Destiny relationships are critical to fulfilling destiny. They create an enabling environment for the life of God to thrive. There are two lessons to hold on to here:
- We should look out for relationships God bring our way They are critical to our formation into the image of God
- We should not let strife and lust take over our own relationships because the purpose is to bring out the Christ in the other. And Christ cannot come in the midst of strife.
More in the 12 Days of Christmas Series
- Day 1: The Seed of the Woman
- Day 2: It’s a Brand New Day not a Birthday
- Day 3: All Things are Working Together
- Day 4: Christmas is About A King
- Day 5: The Wonderful Counsellor
- Day 6: The Wonderful Counsellor II
- Day 7: The Everlasting Father
- Day 8: The Everlasting Father II
- Day 9: The Mighty God
- Day 10: The Prince of Peace
- Day 11: A Personal Christmas (you are here)
- Day 12: God’s Purpose Keeps Us Alive
