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Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
The little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head,
The stars in the bright sky looked down where He lay,
The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.

The circumstances of Jesus’ birth were less than ideal. He took his first breath in a smelly stable, an inglorious entrance for the Savior of the world.

God rarely does what worldly wisdom would suggest as the best course of action, and the nativity story certainly is no exception.

Christ set aside His sovereign position and divine privileges and clothed Himself in humanity because of love. He chose to enter the world empty and submit to poverty, reproach, and suffering all because He loves you and me.

Jesus rejected prestige and power to live a life of

  • Selflessness

Christ willingly humbled Himself to lift us up.

  • Sacrifice

He surrendered His rights and laid down His life to pay for our sins.

  • Service

Jesus set aside His personal comfort out of concern for the brokenness of mankind.

The Apostle Paul challenged the early church: “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus” (vs.5, NIV).

This Advent let’s enter into that smelly stable and kneel at the feet of the Savior who had no crib for His bed. The best gift we can offer Him this year is to submit to one another out of reverence for His sacrifice (Ephesians 5:21).

How would the atmosphere in our homes and churches change if we chose to imitate Christ and adopt the attitude of a humble servant?

What if we extended more grace instead of always demanding our way?

Instead of focusing on ourselves this Christmas, let’s clothe our hearts with Christlikeness:

Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you (I Peter 5:5-8).

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony” (Colossians 3:12-14).

Christ set aside His glory and gave Himself away to set captives free. The world is watching to see if we will follow His example of selflessness, sacrifice, and service.

Keeping the Faith,

Lyli 

 

Lyli Dunbar

What a privilege it is to have Lyli Dunbar (LGG Mentor & Encourager Teams) on the blog today! Lyli enjoys road trips with her husband, connecting with women through Bible study, and reading way too many books. She shares how everyday experiences help flesh out her faith at 3-D Lessons for Life. A disciple, wife, educator, and mentor, Lyli is just a girl working to keep the faith day by day.

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Angela Perritt

Angela Perritt

Angela Perritt is the founder and director of LoveGodGreatly.com, a nonprofit online Bible study ministry reaching thousands of women in over two hundred countries around the world with God’s Word through their translated Bible studies. She and her husband live in Dallas, Texas with their three daughters. Angela is passionate about God’s Word and believes one woman in God’s Word can change a family, community and ultimately a nation. Her greatest joy is to encourage her children and others to love God greatly with their lives one day at a time. You can connect with her on Instagram.

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