Savior

And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”  Luke 2:10-11

This is one of my favorite verses to read with my kids.  It reminds me of sitting with them reading their Storybook Bible, and I like to pause and have them shout out “Savior!” when we get to that part.  There is so much excitement here!  You can picture the shepherds on the hills, suddenly the sky is filled with angels announcing the birth of our Lord.  That must have been quite a sight.  The angels love the story of our redemption, 1 Peter 1:12 says they “long to look” into our salvation story.  Angels don’t have a Savior, there is no hope for those that rebelled against God.  Can you sense their amazement when Jesus was born?

There are many times I long for Jesus to come back, so much pain and suffering in the world.  So much abuse and heartache.  How long oh Lord?  You don’t have to look far to see the brokenness of our fallen world.  But in longing for Jesus to come back and end all the suffering on a global scale, I can lose sight of the saving grace He has and is currently pouring out on me.  Jesus is not only the Savior of the World, He is the Savior of my soul.  I don’t need Jesus just to set everything right “out there”, I need Him to set everything right within me.  And He has! 

Can you remember what your life was like before you gave it to Jesus?  What was it that made your heart cry out for a Savior?  The older I get, the more I see how much I need Jesus in every moment of every day.  I need Him to save me from my discontentment, my anger, my covetousness, my competitiveness.  I need Him to save me from all of the false saviors I put my hope in.  Jesus will provide rest more than television will.  Jesus will provide acceptance more than any of my friends will.  Jesus will provide purpose more than my job will.  Without Jesus, I am lost and hopeless.  Praise God, He did not leave us hopeless and alone!  We are saved!  Thank you Jesus, my Savior.