Ancient
cultures gave their kings both political and spiritual significance because
many believed their king to be imbued with divine powers. Thus, in order to be thought of as “good”,
the personal and public life of the king had to be beyond reproach in the eyes
of his subjects.
A king was to make his life an
example by showing honesty and integrity as well as taking responsibility for
his actions. A king would win the trust
and respect of his subjects by proving himself to be just and fair in all his
dealings; as well as enforcing law and order in the kingdom. I n other words,
the love for a king was determined by the actions taken by a king to better the
lives of his subjects. Beyond
that, a king was highly cherished by his people if they sensed that he loved
them.
The whole foundation of Christmas is based on
love because God so loved He gave… Jesus, the King of Kings, so loved His
subjects that He left His throne in glory to become like them and live among
them. Jesus gave His very life in order
to obtain redemption for His subjects, so they could reside together with Him
in His eternal kingdom.
The
whole foundation of Christmas is based on love because God
so loved He gave… The
very nature of God is to give. He gave us life in the first place. He sustains
our lives with His gifts of sunshine and rain and much more. And when our days
are finished on this planet, He gives us eternal life. He gave us the ultimate love gift - Jesus, the King of Kings, - who so
loved His subjects so
much that He left His throne in glory to become like them and live among them. He
gave His very life in order to obtain redemption for us, His subjects, so we
could reside with Him forever.
All that King
Jesus has done is better the lives of His subjects in all facets of life. Our King wants good things for us because He
loves us. God could have chosen to
condemn the world and leave them without any hope, but He chose to love in the
greatest way possible…the sacrifice of His Son. It is the love that Jesus demonstrated, dying on the
cross, that grabs the heart of mankind. The sacrificial and selfless death of Jesus is the only way
will we ever have eternal life, a true gift of love. It is also only through His son’s heart in us that we can love
others. The greatest gift we can give,
not only at Christmas but every day, is to take the love He has shown us and give
it to others around us.
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so
must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him
may have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son,
that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John
3:14-16 ESV
