A VERY IMPORTANT BABY

A VERY IMPORTANT BABY

The annual number of births in the world is roughly estimated at 95 million or 3 babies every second.  More than 3/5 of the births are in Asia, 1/5 in Europe, 1/10 in Africa and 1/10 in America.  That is crowding into our 7 billion people here on planet earth.  The average weight of a boy is 7 4/5 lbs, and 7 2/5 for a girl.  Less than 5 ½ lbs is considered premature.  The heaviest baby (according to Guinness) weighed 24 lbs. 4 oz., and was born in Turkey in 1961.  The lowest weight was 10 oz. born in 1938, little Marion Chapman of England.  On her 21st birthday she weighed 106 lbs.  Now there are test tube babies and who knows the future with cloning.

Two-thousand years ago a baby boy was born outside a small town named Bethlehem.  No hospital, no midwife, no flowers nor family; just a carpenter, his young wife and a baby boy.  He was not premature or a late term, in fact He came at the precise time (Gal 4:4).  This little infant changed B.C. to Anno Domini and influenced Heaven and earth.  How important was this child?

Consider this; it has been estimated since the time of Adam some 40 billion people have lived.  Of this number approximately 7 billion are living today.  There were never a billion people on earth until 1830.  The Sociologist and anthropologist have separated these billions of people into endless categories of race, culture, geography, religion, politics, economics, etc.  The sobering thought is that God has placed these people in one of two categories, the redeemed and the lost.  Furthermore, this mass of humanity will have their eternal destiny dependent on one person . . .  that baby born in a manger 2000 years ago.  His official name is THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. 

In the Old Testament He made man in His own image (Gen. 1:27) but in the New Testament He made Himself in man’s likeness (John 1:14).  One might try to ignore Him or deny Him or debate His claim to deity but we must confess He was one very important baby.

Larry D. Sparks

Pastor of New Beginnings Church

Chaplain Shawnee Regional Hospital