For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son,
in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
Romans 8:29
The holiday season is upon us. To my dismay we seem to blow by Thanksgiving on our way to Christmas. Fall, food, family, football…it doesn’t get any better than that. I’m not a big fan of the hustle and bustle our culture makes of Christmas.
But let’s not miss what Advent is all about. The promised Savior arrived, His kingdom has come, and He reigns. The One God purposed to restore His image in His people. Let that thought sink in. As Paul conveys in the passage cited above, Christlikeness is the eternal predestinating power of God.
But how is that manifested? It starts with the humbling hand of God. We don’t get there on our own. Genuine humility is not self-help, but a response to God’s initiative and help. How many more ‘plagues’ do we need to acknowledge and obey the One who is truly Lord? What does it take before we assume a posture of “I am not God” in the way we feel, think, speak and act? Humility allows God’s image to shine through us as we lay down self and put on Christ.
The beauty of the Gospel is we can come to Christ in humble repentance and believe that “in Him” we have a new identity as God’s children. That identity defines our responsibilities and makes the performance of them possible as we grow in Christlikeness by the indwelling Spirit
(2 Corinthians 3:17-20).
In other words, we begin looking a lot like Christians (little Christs).
As we close 2024, may our giving reflect our gratitude for God’s faithfulness in richly blessing Hebron in so many ways.
Merry Christmas!
Dan Gallagher, Stewardship Team