A Savior who lives now. Isaiah 9:6-7

 For to us a child is born,

    to us a son is given,　the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called　Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the greatness of his government and peace　there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness  from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty  will accomplish this.

Isaiah 9:6-7

　When I read through the Bible for the first time, I was struck by how many times the phrase "the Lord lives" appears in the Bible. Especially when I was reading the Old Testament, I had a strong impression of this. And I believed in Christ because I felt firsthand that the Lord was actually alive.

　As I continue my life of faith, sometimes I almost forget that the Lord is alive. However, when I almost forget, there is a moment of joy when I am reminded through overcoming trials and various things, "Oh, the Lord is alive after all.

 

　The best time to realize that the Lord is alive is when there is a change in people's hearts. I believe that the change in a person's heart is the greatest miracle that can happen in this world. No matter how cleverly you try to convince someone with words, if their heart is not open, they will not understand what you want to say. Understanding each other does not happen without the desire to understand each other. The Lord works in the hearts of people. The Lord lives and changes the hearts of people with His love.

 

　We are all precious and unique beings created by the Lord. However, as you can see from the book of Genesis and from living and experiencing this world, we all have sin. When we live, we sometimes experience sadness due to sin. We often see the results of sin in history and in the news. But as long as there is a living Lord, sin will never triumph. This is because God's love is so powerful that it can change the hearts of people.

　Relationships between people crack when they are consumed by sin. When we see the bad parts of the other person, fear them, lose trust in them, or betray them, the relationship between people will fall apart. However, when the Lord works in the heart, people are encouraged to be aware of their sins. When we recognize our sins, we can repent. When Christ, who went to the cross for man's sins, works in man's heart, "forgiveness" occurs in his heart. In this way, relationships between people can be restored and trust can be regained in each other. The Lord is truly the "Savior" who does not let man be consumed by sin, but brings him back into love.

 

　Isaiah raised the opening verse, a prophecy of Christ, about 700 years before Christ was born. As prophesied, Christ was born and became the very King of the world in which we now live. Indeed, the existence of Christ is real.

Each of us lives in a different worldview. If we live in a worldview that says, "The world is scary and people are scary," we will be suspicious of people, unable to build trusting relationships, and live in fear of something. But the truth is different. The real world in which we live is one in which there is a God who loves us with absolute love. God's love is a trustworthy love that continues to love us no matter what. God wants everyone He has created to experience that love.

 

　Whenever I am sad, I sometimes feel that it would be easier to live a pessimistic life, expecting nothing. But each time, when the time comes, God always works, moving my heart and the hearts of those around me, changing circumstances, and revealing things I didn't understand before, showing me clearly that the Lord is alive. Through such things, God tells us to trust in the living Lord who works through all people. Also, when the Lord's love was shown to me in such a way, I myself had many joyful experiences where the sin in me was naturally acknowledged, and my hard shell was broken and warm feelings overflowed from within.

As you can see from the Bible, God continues to expect, try to save, and love people no matter how much they act to disappoint Him. As recorded in the book of Genesis, God promised the birth of a Savior to human beings who had fallen into sin. When we read the Old Testament, we see that many times since then, human beings act in ways that disappoint God. However, God has fulfilled His original promise. No matter how much people betrayed him, God never changed his promise and sent the Savior to forgive people, as the one who bears their sins instead of them.

 

So we, too, need to be the ones who continue to believe and forgive others, no matter what happens or how much they hurt us. Of course, this is impossible with effort. By seeking God and experiencing His love, we can gain the courage to love others. And the day will surely come when we will be proven right in our choice to trust and love others. This is because the Lord lives and works in people.

Christmas is a time of joy when the Lord has fulfilled His promise and led the world into the land of Christ's rule.

The Lord is alive. No matter what our subjectivity is, it is real. So, He will surely reveal Himself to you. You don't have to be disappointed. Even if you can't see the path, God can. Whatever you ask for to make you truly happy will be granted. The Lord is alive and at work, and He will do great things for you that are far beyond your expectations.