“[Jesus] is able… to save those who come to God through him.” – Hebrews 7:25
When I was a child, Christmas meant a time of family togetherness. We’d attend church early in the evening and then enjoy family dinner afterward. We had delicacies such as Portuguese nuts and chestnuts that, in Brazil, we eat only on special occasions.
But when I was ten years old, I had a big disappointment on Christmas Eve. Our family waited and waited for a much-loved relative to arrive. But due to a miscommunication (this was before mobile phones), she spent Christmas Eve at another house.
There will be times when others will disappoint us. But, praise God, the whole story changed when I experienced another Christmas night. When I was thirteen, Jesus became the true meaning of Christmas for me. I understood who that Child in the manger is. “He is able to save completely those who come to God through him,” says Hebrews 7:15. This means He is the One who has power to rescue us from all the bad things we do.
Jesus saved me, healed me, and transformed me. He’s here today, at this Christmas season, to remind us of God’s great love. “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
– Adolfo Antonio Hickmann
What bad memories have been haunting you? How will you hand them over to the Saviour who can take care of you?
Dear Lord Jesus, over two thousand years ago, my life was changed forever because of Your birth. Thank You for giving Your life for me, paying a heavy price, so that I could break free from the bondage of sin and gain eternal hope. Thank you for loving me so much and for always walking with me. Now, please help me live a life that pleases you and be a witness of your glory. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
“So if the priesthood of Levi, on which the law was based, could have achieved the perfection God intended, why did God need to establish a different priesthood, with a priest in the order of Melchizedek instead of the order of Levi and Aaron? And if the priesthood is changed, the law must also be changed to permit it. For the priest we are talking about belongs to a different tribe, whose members have never served at the altar as priests. What I mean is, our Lord came from the tribe of Judah, and Moses never mentioned priests coming from that tribe. This change has been made very clear since a different priest, who is like Melchizedek, has appeared. Jesus became a priest, not by meeting the physical requirement of belonging to the tribe of Levi, but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed. And the psalmist pointed this out when he prophesied, “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.” There were many priests under the old system, for death prevented them from remaining in office. But because Jesus lives forever, his priesthood lasts forever.”
