Christmas reveals a miraculous God who doesn’t cut corners …

Let’s face it, most of us like short cuts.

If we can reduce the amount of labor, time, and resources expended to get what we’re going after, we’ll do it. Our pursuit of wanting to get as much as possible for as little as possible can make us blind to the value of the experience of doing something with excellence, for a greater outcome.

We can relate well — at least initially — to the carpenter in a story told by Charlie “Tremendous” Jones. It’s the story of a young carpenter who married a carpenter’s daughter. The father-in-law wanted to give a boost to his new son-in-law.

“Son,” he said, “I don’t want you to start at the bottom where I did. So I want you to go out and build the most tremendous house this town has ever seen, put the best of everything in it, make it a palace, and then turn it over to me.”

Well, this was an opportunity to make a killing! The young man hurried out to slap together a building that wouldn’t survive two fairly stiff gales. In short order he was back to dear old dad.

“Well, Dad, it’s finished,” the young carpenter proclaimed proudly.

“Is it tremendous, is it a palace like I asked?’

“Yes-siree, Dad.”

“Is it really the finest house ever built, son?”

“Yes-siree, Dad.”

“All right, where is the bill? Is there a good profit in it for you?”

“Yes-siree, Dad.”

“Very good. Here is your check. Where is the deed?”

As he looked at the deed the father said, “I didn’t tell you why I wanted that house to be the best house ever built. I wanted to do something special for you and my daughter to show you how much I love you … here, take the deed, go live in the house — you built it for yourself!”

We irrationally think cutting corners in life makes for a better life because it makes things easier for us … but it makes for a cheaper, less quality life! All the things that “experience” contains are used by God to shape and mold us. There’s great value to the honing of our character that occurs when we do all the work that comes from not trying to cut corners, but to do the work of building a quality life.

Notice that no corners were going to be cut for Jesus when God gave to the world His Son …

“In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, ‘Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!’ Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. ‘Don’t be afraid, Mary,’ the angel told her, ‘for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!’ Mary asked the angel, ‘But how can this happen? I am a virgin.’ The angel replied, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.'” Luke 1:26-35.

A miracle was employed so that Mary would be “with child,” but have you considered that when Jesus entered into this world that He created, He did so as a newborn infant? He didn’t cut the corners of having to go through an entire life of human experience — from birth and infancy, having to learn about this world as a toddler, and experiencing all the challenges of a real childhood, the troubles and trials of teen years, and the work and responsibility of being an adult. If Jesus really insisted on coming into this world, He could have arrived as a mature man and exposed Himself only to the bare essentials in His mission to seek and save the lost.

But no corners were cut for Him.

He must be born and experience all that human life entails, just as you and I must …

“But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law,” Galatians 4:4.

By Jesus living out the full human experience, He gave us a perfect example of how we can live a full life that brings glory to God …

“So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin,” Hebrews 4:14-15.

There seems to be a strong chorus of church leaders who are constantly imploring us to seek the miraculous from God, as if anything less is a disappointment. Yes, God still performs miracles today … sometimes … when He chooses to do so, for His glory. More often, though, He does for us what He did for Jesus … He walks us through our humanity, using all that we face to shape and mold us into His holy children that bring great glory to Him by enduring and overcoming what life tosses our way instead of always cutting corners so that we live without difficulty.

If God isn’t going to cut corners for Jesus, He’s not going to do so for us, either. But Jesus encourages us that that is okay …

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world,” John 16:33.

Christmas reveals to us a miraculous God who is capable of delivering to us a Savior, a Redeemer! But Christmas also shows us that in spite of His omnipotence, God doesn’t cut corners, and His not doing so isn’t something we have to worry about …

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory. What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?,” Romans 8:28-32.

Are you pushing against God, seeking a miracle to skip through the tough parts of life? Or are you trusting Him to walk you through the hard times for a greater purpose and glorious outcome?

Scotty