January 24

The Christ Child

Just then an angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. — Luke 1:11 BSB

We must remember who it was that was born that day in Bethlehem. The birth of a child is always a wonderful event, but this was the birth of the Lord of glory. This wasn’t the beginning of His life—He had lived for all eternity in heaven. His hands made the universe, and He was surrounded by angels who called Him Lord. To fully understand the greatness of His humility in coming to earth, we must remember His eternal glory.

We’ve all heard the story of Peter the Great, who left his throne and went to live among common laborers, disguising himself as a shipwright. Though he lived in a hut and wore the clothes of a worker, he never stopped being the emperor of Russia. His royal power was hidden, but it was always there.

In the same way, Christ’s divine glory was hidden beneath His human form. He never stopped being the Son of God, even though He became a helpless baby. He gave up His knowledge and learned like other children. He set aside His sovereignty and became a servant. What incredible humility! And He did it all for our sake, to lift us up to glory. He became the Son of Man so that we might become children of God. He came down to earth to live among us, experiencing all the hardships of human life, so that He might lift us up to share in His glory.