But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. Titus 3:4-5
You’ve probably all heard the following lyrics: “He knows if you’ve been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake.” Santa has become known for rewarding the good and punishing the bad. After all, this is the way the world works and Santa is a very worldly guy.
Fortunately, Jesus doesn’t work that way at all! Scripture tells us that, apart from Jesus, “there is no one righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10). If our salvation depended on the theory of Santa, then no one would be saved … because no one could ever be good enough to earn salvation on his or her own merit. Jesus saved us because He is merciful, not because we deserved it.
Jesus knows exactly how full of sin we are, and yet He came to save us at great personal cost. No wonder St. Paul tells Titus about the “kindness and love of God our Savior.” Santa might be a symbol for kindness and generosity, but he can’t compare to Jesus. You can truly put your faith in Jesus and never be disappointed.
Prayer: Dearest King of Kings, born to us a child in Bethlehem to take away the sin of the world, may we ever adore Thee Christ our Lord. Amen.
© 2006 Lutheran Hour Ministries
These devotions have been written by Rev. Paul and Kaye Wolff. Rev. Paul Wolff is a 1996 graduate of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. He has served as a pastor in the Detroit area for 10 years. He and co-author wife, Kaye, live in Southfield, Michigan.
Kaye Dumas Wolff is Chairperson of the Black Ministry Church Planting Task Force and a Mission Affiliate of LCMS World Missions where she serves as a training facilitator for laity in evangelism and mission work. Kaye serves on the Advisory Council of the Ethnic Immigrant Institute of Theology of Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, and she is a presenter for Lutheran Hour Ministries’ Equipping to Share Workshop.
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Today's Bible Readings: Nehemiah 4-6 Revelation 17
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