Advent: Join the Triumphনমুনা

INTRODUCTION

Do you like winning? Of course you do. No one wakes up in the morning and says, “I want to be a loser today.” If that’s you, maybe this devotional will change your mind, because winning is awesome! When you win, you feel happy and joyful. Everyone is cheering, celebrating, laughing, high-fiving, and even pouring Gatorade on each other. One of my favorite things about winning is when a professional team wins a championship, they have a parade in their hometown. Everyone in the town turns out to celebrate the team as they drive by, and it brings joy to the entire city.

I want to tell you some good news today: Jesus has won! First Corinthians 15:57 says, “But let us give thanks to God! He gives us the victory because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done.” We have Victory because Jesus has won! When Jesus died on the Cross, He defeated sin as He took our punishment on the Cross. Jesus won when He rose three days later, and He rose from the grave to show us that He is more Powerful than death itself!

Anyone who follows Jesus is invited to join the Victory Parade of Life. Our lives are a great celebration that Jesus has won. It doesn’t mean life is perfect or easy, but because we have won, we get to live differently. Think about this: if you were to stand outside a stadium after a sporting event, you could tell if a team won or if they lost because of their fans. All the people wearing one team’s colors are sad, disappointed, grumpy, maybe even fighting with each other. But the fans on the other team are jumping, cheering, chanting, and going to get some celebratory ice cream. Followers of Jesus should live like that. Live with the Joy of Victory.

This Christmas Season I want us to look at how the Bible tells the story that God has won. At Christmas, we celebrate that Jesus, the Savior of the World, was born. It is the Birthday Party of the Most Important Person to ever live, and He has brought Victory! Now, just because Jesus has won does not mean we have perfect, flawless, easy peasy lemon squeezy lives. We will see that the Bible teaches us that there are hard days, but in the hard days, we can have hope in Jesus. We have hope in the Final Victory of Jesus. That is why Christmas is such a joyful time. There is Joy in the Birthday Celebration of the Most Important Person to ever live!