When God sent

us a savior, he arrived packaged as a baby.

God might have sent a full-grown warrior riding a white horse with the armies of heaven following him on white horses (Revelation 19:11-16), but he didn’t. God’s ways are different from our ways — “For to us a child is born ….” (Isaiah 9:6)

Why was he born as a baby? One reason is that he had to be like us in every way so he could be tempted to sin and to die for us on the cross.

There are many reasons, but I want you to think about time.

Suppose for a moment that baby Jesus was born last month, Dec. 25. He would not be ready to die on the cross until year 2047 or 33 years from now.

It is helpful to think this way sometimes because we separate Christmas and Easter by only several months.

Jesus goes from a baby in the manger to a mature man on the cross. We receive him as a baby in December and worship him as our risen Lord in March or April. From winter to spring, Jesus grows up in a hurry.

However, if looked at in actual time, we would conclude that God’s plans ripen slowly.

When God does anything, he is never late nor early but always on time, at the right time. He never hurries — “with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” (2 Peter 3:8) God does not need to rush around frantically trying to get things done.

So, today we stand at the beginning of another year; and if you make a resolution to walk with God daily, month by month, you will find success if you put away your running shoes. God is never in a hurry.

The Rev. David Parry, pastor at First Church of God in Seymour,

625 E. Fourth St., writes a column for The Tribune.