Welcome to our Christmas 2024 daily devotions. This Christmas, we wanted to refocus on Jesus. He is a wonderful promise to all people. From the Bible’s earliest pages to the last, there are promises about Jesus’s coming. This Christmas, we’ll explore God’s promises fulfilled in Jesus. We pray that you remember that God gave us the gift of Christmas: that is, the gift of Jesus.

“The LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. (15) I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” – Genesis 3:14-15 (ESV)

Barely had the account of creation finished before things went wrong! In the Garden’s idyllic setting, the first humans could walk and eat almost anything. But, they allowed someone to trick away their freedom. The deceiver comes and prompts Adam and Eve to disobey God. They do, and the wheels start to fall off from this point. All seems lost. The first humans stand before God as He pronounces the consequences of their actions. God curses them all: the serpent, the woman, and the man. In this curse, God foretells a lasting enmity between the serpent and humanity. But there’s a hint that all will not stay this way…

“…between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” This is our first promise of redemption. It is of God making a way to undo the disobedience of the Man and the Woman. This speech from God is sometimes called the proto-evangelium – the ‘first gospel.’ It speaks to the hope that, one day, a human will crush the serpent’s head. It matters that it’s a human offspring, not an angel. It includes restoring humans to their true relationship with God. Ultimately, Jesus is the offspring of the first image-bearers. Paul writes in Romans 6 that they would shatter sin’s power

This passage is so encouraging. It speaks to God’s all-knowing view of the world, our lives, and my own. He knows it all. He has a plan for me. It is to know Him, and to overcome the world’s brokenness and the power of sin and death. The first letter of John says the Son of God came to defeat the devil’s work (1 John 3:8). God has made a way, from the start, for all to find Him and so overcome the enemy. We don’t often think of spiritual warfare at Christmas. But, it encourages me. In this time of joy, the one that seeks to steal hope has been defeated. The very one we celebrate defeated his forces! Rejoice!

A prayer: “Father God, thank You for Your Son. He came to defeat sin, death, and the devil.” Thank You that, as we begin this Christmas season, we don’t need to forget what You did to enjoy it. The season is rich and wonderful because of You sending Jesus. As I journey through Your word, from beginning to end, remind me of Your great plan for us, and Your love for me. Amen.”

Many find themselves under the oppression of brokenness at any time, but these things feel so much more intense at times like Christmas. Make a list of those you know who are struggling. It could be due to health, relationships, finances, or other issues. Keep it in your phone, your Bible, or somewhere you’ll remember. Then, pray for them each day. Ask God for opportunities to share the hope of Christmas with them, and to prompt you with ways to practically meet their needs over the next month.

Christmas wasn’t God’s last-ditch effort to fix a mess that His creation made. It was the plan from the beginning: Jesus would come, God-made-human (yet still God), and crush Satan.