Empty Chairs

Philippians 2:7(NCV) tells us "But he gave up his place with God and made himself nothing. He was born to be a man and become a servant."

Christmas can be a time of mixed emotions - joy for God’s wondrous gift, but also sorrow for me when I contemplate the empty chairs around the Christmas table. Our family has experienced losses due to a variety of reasons, and the silence of the empty chairs rings in my ears and pierces my heart. On that first Christmas, God’s kingdom also had a major vacancy because He sent His only son out of the Heavenly Realm and into our world.

Jesus came willingly, as he chose to be fully man in ministry for 3 years, to be crucified and to be raised triumphantly from the dead so we might have life eternal.

It is incomprehensible that Jesus left His chair empty in the heavenly and came to us so full of love. He chose to become like us, living every emotion and every tribulation that you or I would experience. He totally humbled himself in obedience to God, even to death on the cross.

So if sorrow grips your heart this Christmas, remember the chair Jesus left empty to come live with us. What a sacrifice! What a savior!

So I thank you Jesus, for leaving your chair empty in heaven for a period of time, arriving to us as a little baby. Thank you for the example you set, and for the beautiful gift of salvation you have offered us.

daily wisdom