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December 23, 2024

December 23, 2024

Why did Jesus come? Despite our rejection of God in the Garden of Eden, His love for us and desire for restoring a personal relationship led Him to provide a plan for our redemption and reconciliation.

 

Christmas Day marks the introduction of God’s plan to come to earth in human form to demonstrate that, even though we did nothing to deserve it, His love for us is so strong that He was willing to sacrifice His only true Son to restore a personal relationship with Him for any of us who are willing to accept His offer.  Jesus was, and is, Immanuel, “God with us”!

 

No matter how lonely you may feel, you are never alone if you have accepted God’s offer and have personally accepted Jesus to fulfill that restoration with God. If you have, you can be assured of His continual presence with you. (John 10:28). 

 

Immanuel is the God of Hope. If you are feeling lonely, invite Him in and ask Him to fill you with the joy and peace that only He can provide.

 

Have you accepted Immanuel, God’s Christmas gift of love?

December 16, 2024

December 16, 2024

It’s time to start taking in the joy of the Christmas season – the joy of welcoming Jesus as our Savior!

 

Good news is a rare commodity these days! All the more reason to savor the fact of His birth, astoundingly good news of His coming in an attempt to rescue us from spiritual death, our separation from God, and to offer us a free gift of abundant life with Him here on earth and, even more importantly, with Him in eternity.

 

What a gift! An opportunity to enjoy an intimate and eternal relationship with the Creator of the world! But, as with any gift, it doesn’t become ours unless and until we accept it. Scripture tells us that acceptance of God’s gift requires that we are willing to confess to having sinful tendencies and are willing to turn it all over to Jesus and trust Him for a complete makeover. Amazingly, in return, He promises an immediate, as well as eternal, intimate and joyful relationship and walk with Him! (Acts 2:28)

 

What a perfect time, despite the hardships and sorrow that exist in our world, to celebrate our access to joy right here and now!

 

Could there be a greater gift than this?

December 9, 2024

December 9, 2024

Advent, meaning ‘Coming’ in Latin, is the word most churches use to describe our focus on Jesus coming into the world as a baby. Advent is a time to concentrate on what Christmas is really about!

 

After telling His disciples that He would send them the Holy Spirit, He said to them, “Peace I leave with you, My Peace I give to you, not as the world gives . . .”

 

Today, the prospect of peace, both in our country and our world seems more distant every day. Our world appears out of control. We wonder if we can ever find peace and whether that peace will be lasting.

 

There was also a great deal of unrest in the world at the time of Jesus’ birth. As it happened, Christ’s coming brought conflict rather than peace, ending with His death. But, as He promised, following His resurrection, He will provide the gift of personal peace to all who are willing to surrender their pride and put their trust and faith in Him, the Prince of Peace.

 

Our acceptance of Jesus, a personal gift of Himself, includes His abiding presence along with the gift of His peace! He is with us continually, even in the midst of the storms. His peace is a lasting peace.

 

Have you accepted Jesus and the peace of His presence? 

December 2, 2024

December 2, 2024

In the first week of Advent, we are called to prepare our hearts with Hope.

 

When we suffer great losses and are weighed down with grief and sorrow, how can our hearts be filled with hope?

 

The true anchor for our souls is Jesus. There is peace in His presence!

 

When we belong to Jesus, we can lean on Him. Being aware of Jesus’ presence with us keeps us from becoming discouraged or giving up. So, when we sense discouragement, we need to stop and consider our focus. Are we focusing on our problems or discouragement? If so, we need to consciously direct our attention to our all powerful Savior, Jesus Christ!

 

Putting our focus and faith on Jesus assures us that our hope is truly anchored (1 John 5:4). As we put our trust in Him, we can confidently expect that He will fulfill His promises to us of a “hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11). 

 

The real truth is that as we walk through life with Him, He is always available to impart His power to us moment by moment. He is our Rock on which we can keep standing, our “anchor to windward”.

 

During this first week of Advent, we need to ask ourselves what we are putting our hope in. We need to thank the God of Hope for sending Jesus to us on that first Christmas, and if we have accepted His gift of salvation, the question we need to ask is, will we keep our focus on Him and allow Him to fill us with His joy and peace? If we can, we’ll experience an overflow of confidence and a genuine hope provided by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13)!

December 25, 2023

December 25, 2023

Merry Christmas!

 

I love the comforting thought of God always being with me.

 

Charles Stanley comments that “Because of the indwelling Christ, believers are never separated from His permanent presence. We are in Christ and He is in us. What an encouragement! What a comfort! What an assurance! We always have a shoulder to lean on – the broad shoulders of Immanuel. We always have someone to listen to our heartache – our constant Companion and Friend, Jesus”.

 

Isn’t this a wonderful gift?!

December 18, 2023

December 18, 2023

When reading these verses, I can’t help being reminded of Linus in The Charlie Brown Christmas Special, reciting them on stage in the Christmas play. Reciting these words, he redirects his friends to the true meaning of the celebration of Christmas.

 

Our attention is often directed elsewhere: finding the perfect Christmas tree, a family  gathering, presents, etc. 

 

Linus reminds us that scripture focuses on celebrating the joy of welcoming Jesus as our Savior and the good news of His coming to rescue us and bring us abundant life with Him here on earth and eternal life with Him in His kingdom. He is the ultimate Christmas gift. All we have to do is accept it and embrace it.

 

(John 1:12)  “ . . . as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.”  

 

This is a gift for ALL people, everywhere. Receiving it brings us to a place where we can’t help but “Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS”! (Philippians 4:4)

 

“But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them. That those who love your name may exalt in you.” (Psalm 5:11)  We have reason to sing, to sing from our hearts to the Lord. “Sing aloud to God our strength, shout for joy to the God of Jacob”! (Psalm 81:1) 

 

Have you received the ultimate gift? Are you aware of His presence with you? Are you singing His praise this Christmas ?

December 11, 2023

December 11, 2023

As beautiful as it is, the Christmas season has a way of stirring up and increasing our anxiety.

 

Before you allow your mind to wander down the road of worry, cry out to your heavenly Father!

 

He hears your prayers!  Even Jesus cried out to His Father when he was burdened here on earth.

 

When you give your worries to the Lord, you shift your focus from your problems to your loving Father, who is all-knowing and all-powerful.

 

As we’re told in 1 Peter 5:7, “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”

 

If you can put your focus on God’s ultimate Christmas gift to us, you’ll discover that you can trust that God is ready to take your cares into His hands.

December 26, 2022

December 26, 2022

Why did Jesus come? Despite our rejection of God in the Garden of Eden, His love for us and desire for restoring a personal relationship led Him to provide a plan for our redemption and reconciliation.

 

Christmas Day marks the introduction of God’s plan to come to earth in human form in order to demonstrate that, even though we did nothing to deserve it, His love for us is so strong that He was willing to sacrifice His only true Son to restore a personal relationship with Him for any of us who are willing to accept His offer. Jesus was, and is, Immanuel, “God with us”!

 

No matter how lonely you may feel, you are never alone if you have accepted God’s offer and have personally accepted Jesus to fulfill that restoration with God. If you have, you can be assured of His continual presence with you. (John 10:28). 

 

Immanuel is the God of Hope. If you are feeling lonely, invite Him in and ask Him to fill you with the joy and peace that only He can provide.

 

Have you accepted Immanuel, God’s Christmas gift of love?

December 19, 2022

December 19, 2022

We’re surrounded by unusual color and beauty during the Christmas season. But the season also has a way of stirring up and increasing our anxiety. 

 

My suggested formula for increasing the joy of Christmas is to decrease the anxiety by taking momentary breaks to ask our heavenly Father to intercede and remove the buildup of worry that you may be experiencing.

 

God hears those prayers!  Even Jesus cried out to His Father when he was burdened while here with us on earth.

 

In 1 Peter 5:7, the Holy Spirit inspired Peter to write, “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”

 

During the Christmas season, as you focus on God’s ultimate Christmas gift to us, can you allow yourself to stop, as needed, and surrender your anxieties to Him?

December 12, 2022

December 12, 2022

Advent, meaning ‘Coming’ in Latin, is the word most churches use to describe our focus on Jesus coming into the world as a baby. Advent is a time to concentrate on what Christmas is really about!

 

After telling His disciples that He would send them the Holy Spirit, He said to them, “Peace I leave with you, My Peace I give to you, not as the world gives . . .”

 

Today, the prospect of peace, both in our country and our world seems more distant every day. Our world appears out of control. We wonder if we can ever find peace and whether that peace will be lasting. 

 

There was also a great deal of unrest in the world at the time of Jesus’ birth. As it happened, Christ’s coming brought conflict rather than peace, ending with His death. But, as He promised, following His resurrection, He will provide the gift of personal peace to all who are willing to surrender their pride and put their trust and faith in Him, the Prince of Peace.

 

Our acceptance of Jesus, a personal gift of Himself, includes His abiding presence along with the gift of His peace! He is with us continually, even in the midst of the storms. His peace is a lasting peace. 

 

Have you accepted Jesus and the peace of His presence?