Daily Power #357

Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven. (1 Cor. 15:47 NLT)

We thought our friends’ young son may have accidentally added a new holiday to the Christmas season. Eagerly anticipating Christmas Eve and then Christmas Day, this little boy was counting down the days. As the big day got closer and closer, one morning this little guy rushed into his parents’ bedroom and said, “Mommy! Daddy! Get up—today is Christmas Adam!”

Still groggy with sleep, his parents asked what he was talking about. “Well, I figured it out,” he said. “If tomorrow is Christmas Eve, then today must be Christmas Adam! Because Adam came before Eve.” He went on to suggest that opening at least one present might be a good way to celebrate Christmas Adam, but his parents weren’t buying it. Nonetheless, from then on, December 23 became known to us as Christmas Adam.

When I heard this cute story, I smiled and appreciated the little boy’s ingenuity. But it also made me pause to reflect on what is mentioned repeatedly throughout the Bible. God created Adam as the first man, then Eve, and gave them the Garden of Eden. He also gave them free will and asked them to obey him and not eat from a certain tree. They blew it and ignited a legacy of sinfulness in human beings to this day.

However, Scripture indicates that Jesus came as a second Adam, a kind of “do-over” who didn’t sin but instead sacrificed himself so that our sins could be forgiven. Christ did what Adam failed to do—obeyed God and yielded to his Father’s will. So who knows? Maybe celebrating Christmas Adam is a good idea after all!

Power Lift

Lord, I’m so grateful that you were man as well as God. You paid the price for my sins, and now I am being transformed and can spend eternity with you in heaven.