Tag: faith

A New Years Resolution: How Does Your Relationship with God Shape Your Identity? Colossians 3:1-4

Colossians 3:1-4 Amplified Bible

Put On the New Self

3 Therefore if you have been raised with Christ [to a new life, sharing in His resurrection from the dead], keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind and keep focused habitually on the things above [the heavenly things], not on things that are on the earth [which have only temporal value]. 3 For you died [to this world], and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, [a]appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Knowing God and Knowing Ourselves

2 Set your mind and keep focused habitually on the things above [the heavenly things], not on things that are on the earth [which have only temporal value].

What does it mean to be habitual?

1. : regularly or repeatedly doing or practicing something or acting in some manner : having the nature of a habit : customary. habitual candor. habitual behavior. habitual drug use.

What is the meaning of habitual behavior?

Habitual behavior is a form of automatic and routine behavior. It is behavior that people repeat, because this behavior is easy, comfortable or rewarding.

Habitual behavior’s automatic character is demonstrated by the fact that it is often started by a cue or a change in the situation.

What does habitual mean in humans?

If the same behavior is performed more frequently in response to specific situational cues, this may become more automatic, or quicker and easier. As a result, it may be experienced as “automatic” by those who perform it (Verplanken & Orbell, 2003), and categorized as “habitual” by researchers.

Examples https://www.merriam-webster.com/sentences/habitual

Augustine wisely, habitually prayed that he might know God and then himself.

Christ is your Maker. Therefore, to know Him is to know yourself: “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:3)”

The better we know Him, the more we’ll grasp who and whose we are.

And the more we see who and whose we are, the more secure we are.

We all have fundamental personal worth needs: a need for security, a sense of unconditional love and acceptance by other people, and a sense of significance—the assurance that our lives absolutely matter. Finally, we need satisfaction and purpose. Is there anything we can accomplish for God that will endure?

Because God Himself endowed us with these needs, they cannot be satisfied in the temporal realm of this world.

People habitually turn to others for their sense of security and worth. But other people habitually let us down, and we, in turn, habitually let them down.

We habitually look to wealth and prosperity for our sense of significance, but soon, the hollowness of hoarding worldly possessions becomes all too real.

Luke 12:16-20 Amplified Bible

Parable of the Wealthy Fool

16 Then He told them a parable, saying, “There was a rich man whose land was very fertile and productive. 17 And he began thinking to himself, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place [large enough in which] to store my crops?’ 18 Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my storehouses and build larger ones, and I will store all my grain and my goods there. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many good things stored up, [enough] for many years; rest and relax, eat, drink and be merry (celebrate continually).”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; now who will own all the things you have prepared?’

We often turn to performance, position, popularity, and prestige to gain a sense of true satisfaction in this world. Once again, these will all let us down. The only place where we can find those needs fully met is in our relationship with Christ.

Empowered to Love Others Compassionately 

Our relationship with Christ empowers us to love others compassionately.

Grasping our true identity in Christ is not a one-off once in a lifetime event but an ongoing journey of habitual discovery. But the more we come to grasp who and whose we are, the more we begin to realize that we are people who have a new identity and a new purpose. We’re no longer in Adam; we are in Christ. We have a new spiritual DNA, as it were. We have been adopted into His family.

We now have a foundation for understanding our true position in this world. At the beginning of the upper room discourse in John’s gospel, we get to listen to Jesus’s most intimate words to his disciples. Here, we discover that Jesus’s hour of departure was soon coming upon them, that He loved His own until the end. 

But the key verse to highlight, and one that’s often overlooked, is John 13:3, which tells us, “Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands and that he’d come forth from God and that he was going back to God.”

That little verse is the basis for what he was actually able to do.

He performed a visual parable when his disciples were too busy jockeying for higher positions regarding who was going to be first in the heavenly kingdom.

As His disciples are bickering over who will sit at His right hand, Christ lays his garments aside, putting on the clothing of a servant, began to wash their feet.

Though this was an integral part of Oriental hospitality, it appears that there was no “lowest” servant on hand to perform the ritual during the Last Supper.

Certainly, none of the disciples were going to do it if they were arguing, fighting and debating over what they believed was coming: highest honors and prestige.

So Jesus, to humbly, quietly, decisively settle the matter, took up the towel and the basin and began to wash their feet, giving them their model of servanthood. 

Even today, too many of us are visibly repulsed, too much like Peter who was almost too embarrassed “no, not ever, my feet” to let Jesus wash his feet.

What gave Jesus the real security and the power to serve in this manner, even knowing that his arrest, humiliation and crucifixion was so very imminent?

My conviction is that Christ focused on these three things:

1) He knew that the Father had given all things into his hands, and this was the true source of his dignity

2) He knew he’d come forth from God

3) He knew that he was going back to God.

This was His security.

Because of these three great truths, He was able to serve—to wash the disciples’ feet as they were fighting for their greatness and as he was awaiting crucifixion.

As Jesus shows, true greatness consists in service to others. Once again, the washing of the disciples’ feet is a visual parable of this astonishing insight. 

Mark 10:32-45 Amplified Bible

Jesus’ Sufferings Foretold

32 Now they were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking on ahead of them; and they were perplexed [at what Jesus had said], and those who were following were alarmed and afraid. And again He took the twelve [disciples] aside and began telling them what was going to happen to Him,  33 saying, “Listen very carefully: we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed  and handed over to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and hand Him over to the Gentiles (Romans). 34 They will mock and ridicule Him and spit on Him, and whip (scourge) Him and kill Him, and three days later He will rise [from the dead].”

35 James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.” 36 And He replied to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” 37 They said to Him, “Grant that we may sit [with You], one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory [Your majesty and splendor in Your kingdom].” 38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism [of suffering and death] with which I am baptized?” 39 And they replied to Him, “We are able.” Jesus told them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and you will be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized. 40 But to sit on My right or left, this is not Mine to give; but it is for those for whom it has been prepared [by My Father].”

41 Hearing this, the [other] ten became indignant with James and John.  42 Calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their powerful men exercise authority over them [tyrannizing them]. 43 But this is not how it is among you; instead, whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wishes to be first and most important among you must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a [a]ransom for many.”

Imagine if Jesus listened to what people said about him.

He would never have been secure enough to serve.

People would say, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? Why is he eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners? The son of man came eating and drinking.” They went on, “Behold a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.” Even His own siblings refused to believe in him. 

We Have the limitless Resources of Christ

Jesus was continually the subject of scorn, criticism, and abuse.

If He’d listened to what people said about Him, He would not have been secure enough to serve—to love others compassionately.

Instead, Jesus chose to allow His Father’s words to define Him.

His true dignity, His true security, and His true destiny then empowered Him to be a habitual servant of other people.

And He invites us to do the very same thing because, astonishingly, His resources have now become our resources. When we think about the fact that we’ve become children of God and have been given the security and destiny that comes along with this knowledge, nothing can separate us from the love of God.

If I had to stop and sum up the entire Bible in one word, it would be the word relationships. From Genesis to Revelation, Scripture is all about relationships.

It’s about knowing the love of Christ that liberates us to love others. Once again, there’s a tremendous risk involved in this.

People can be habitually painful and we can be habitually painful to them, and yet, we are able to serve them because we know who we are and whose we are. 

The great American theologian Jonathan Edwards was profoundly right when he said that real wisdom is for us to treat things according to their true value.

The perennial human temptation is to mistake the temporal for the eternal.

We habitually seek fulfillment in human relationships, wealth, fame, and power, only to have our hopes habitually shattered again and then again.

True wisdom, however, involves the recognition that you’re going to give your life in exchange for something.

As Paul, the apostle, informs us in Galatians 2:20,

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

If Christ authentically loves us and willingly, with no second thoughts, gave Himself for us, how can we not live for Him and for others? (Philippians 2:5-11)

5 Have this attitude [a]in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, as He  already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be [b]grasped, 7 but [c]emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and [d]being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death [e]on a cross.  9 For this reason also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

If we leverage the temporal for eternal gain, what we’re really doing is treating people according to their true value.

We are going to give our lives in exchange for something, and we’ll be wise if we give in exchange for something that’s never going to let us down in the end.

God will never fail us, Christ will never fail us. Holy Spirit will never fail us.

Embracing this crucial truth allows us to forgive others when we’ve been wronged. It liberates us to accept both the people who are gifts to us and those we find to be draining. If we’ve been forgiven all, we ought to forgive others. 

Christ invites us then to treat people with mercy, forgiveness and to relinquish the demand for ultimate justice. Justice is getting what we richly deserve. Never ask God for justice. Not a one of us could ever hope to endure God’s real justice.

Rather, ask Him for mercy—not getting what we deserve—and ask Him for grace. When this is our habitual posture, we are freed to be people who navigate through this brief earthbound sojourn with an habitually eternal perspective.

In the coming year of our Lord and Savior 2025, habitually take the time to pray about your relationship with God and honestly pray how it shapes your identity.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 19 New American Standard Bible

The Works and the Word of God.

For the music director. A Psalm of David.

19 The heavens tell of the glory of God;
And their expanse declares the work of His hands.
2 Day to day pours forth speech,
And night to night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words;
Their voice is not heard.
4 Their [a]line has gone out into all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world.
In them He has placed a tent for the sun,
5 Which is like a groom coming out of his chamber;
It rejoices like a strong person to run his course.
6 Its rising is from [b]one end of the heavens,
And its circuit to the [c]other end of them;
And there is nothing hidden from its heat.

7 The Law of the Lord is [d]perfect, restoring the soul;
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether.
10 They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much pure gold;
Sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.
11 Moreover, Your servant is warned by them;
In keeping them there is great reward.
12 Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults.
13 Also keep Your servant back from presumptuous sins;
Let them not rule over me;
Then I will be innocent,
And I will be blameless of great wrongdoing.
14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

https://translate.google.com/

Seasons of Waiting and Seasons of Watching: When Abram looked up into the night, how many stars, how many blessings, did Abram count? Genesis 15:1-6

Genesis 15:1-6 Living Bible

15 Afterwards Jehovah spoke to Abram in a vision, and this is what he told him: “Don’t be fearful, Abram, for I will defend you. And I will give you great blessings.”

2-3 But Abram replied, “O Lord Jehovah, what good are all your blessings when I have no son? For without a son, some other member of my household[a] will inherit all my wealth.”

4 Then Jehovah told him, “No, no one else will be your heir, for you will have a son to inherit everything you own.”

5 Then God brought Abram outside beneath the nighttime sky and told him, “Look up into the heavens and count the stars if you can. Your descendants will be like that—too many to count!” 6 And Abram believed God; then God considered him righteous on account of his faith.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Count your blessings, name them one by one! See what God has done, See what God is doing now, See what God will always do!

On a clear night, away from city lights, you should look up into the night sky. You will see all the stars you might want to see. Even with our sophisticated instruments today we still cannot count them all. But God knows their number.

The beginning of Genesis begins with Adam and a fertile Eve. But in Genesis 15 Sarai was long barren. Abram questioned God about his promise of children.

So God took Abram outside for a look at his promised future. Abram had seen the desert night sky ablaze with stars before. But this night was different. “Your descendants will be as many as the stars,” God promised. “Count them, if you can.”

Then Abram believed. He stopped questioning. Sometimes seeing is believing.

However, the promise did not arrive right away. Twenty-five long years would pass before Abraham cradled his firstborn, and many more years passed before there was a clan who called Abraham their father. Still, Abraham believed God’s promise of descendants as numerous as the stars, are in reality, uncountable.

Throughout history, their disobedience to God would take many promised sons and daughters: in Egypt, throughout the season of Judges, then in Babylonian exile for seventy years. Later in the Rome Empire, and today in the Diaspora.

But the count goes on. Uncountable stars still shine deep into the endless night sky. As countless as the stars in the night sky above, count all the followers of Christ, if you can. You’ll find them in the most unexpected places of the earth.

And God knows exactly what those numbers are.

He knew then when Abram looked into the reaches of the unsearchable depths of the sky. He knows now as 2024 comes to a close and the unknown future of 2025 is waiting for revelation as the hours and days, weeks and months arrive.

Even 100 years from now, when we are passed on into the eternal Glory of God, God will still know exactly how many stars are in the entirety of the night sky.

God patiently awaits the countless coming generations of Abram’s and Sarai’s.

For them to wonder about their believing, as Abram and Sarai believed, in their portion of the long promised, forever countless blessings of God, to bless them.

Seasons of Waiting, Seasons of Watching, for Seasons of Promise

Genesis 15:5-6 Amplified Bible

5 And the Lord brought Abram outside [his tent into the night] and said, “Look now toward the heavens and count the stars—if you are able to count them.” Then He said to him, “So [numerous] shall your descendants be.” 6 Then Abram believed in (affirmed, trusted in, relied on, remained steadfast to) the Lord; and He counted (credited) it to him [a]as righteousness (doing right in regard to God and man).

If our own faith is to remain steadfast in seasons of prolonged waiting, then we must be confident as Abraham, of these truths:

first, that God has the power to do what He promised to do;

and second, God Himself is sufficient to meet all of our needs, in every season.

Abraham’s faith was tested in the waiting room of life.

For years he lived in a foreign land which was not his own, waiting for his “very own firstborn son” to come into the world as God had promised (Genesis 15:4).

And it was his trust in God’s promises while he waited that God “counted … to him as righteousness.”

Paul, when he writes of Abraham’s faith during this time, says,

“No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised” (Romans 4:20-21).

In other words, Abraham believed that nothing and no one could stand in the way of God fulfilling His spoken word—even when he could not begin to see how God would keep His promises. His faith wasn’t a blind leap in the dark.

Rather, it was a belief based on God’s character.

Fast-forward to today, and one of the great promises to which we cling is that the Lord Jesus has promised to prepare a place for us and that He will come to take us to Himself (John 14:3).

Therefore, when we, as Abraham did, take Him at His word, we are filled with the hope of heaven.

We can be certain beyond any shadow of any doubt that Jesus is coming back personally, He is coming back visibly, and He is coming back for His own.

These promises to us are as sure as the promise God made to Abraham, for which he waited 25 long years before it was fulfilled.

Furthermore, through Abraham’s experience we see that it is God alone who is sufficient to bring us through seasons of waiting.

In Genesis 17, God appears once more to Abraham in order to strengthen his faith. How?

By revealing who He is: “When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD  appeared to Abram and said to him, ‘I am God Almighty [El-Shaddai]; walk before me’” (17:1).

This Hebrew term, El-Shaddai, can mean “God who is sufficient.” God, in other words, affirmed His promises to Abraham on the strength of His character.

The Christian life is a life of waiting.

And all of God’s “hold-ons” and “not yets” are part and parcel of His purpose.

Every season of waiting and watching is an opportunity for you to take God at His word. And while you wait, you can surely trust Him to meet your every need.

Rest in this: the God in whom you believe is able to do all that He has promised.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 27 Amplified Bible

A Psalm of Fearless Trust in God.

A Psalm of David.

27 The Lord is my light and my salvation—
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the refuge and fortress of my life—
Whom shall I dread?
2 
When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh,
My adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell.
3 
Though an army encamp against me,
My heart will not fear;
Though war arise against me,
Even in this I am confident.

4 
One thing I have asked of the Lord, and that I will seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord [in His presence] all the days of my life,
To gaze upon the beauty [the delightful loveliness and majestic grandeur] of the Lord
And to meditate in His temple.
5 
For in the day of trouble He will hide me in His shelter;
In the secret place of His tent He will hide me;
He will lift me up on a rock.
6 
And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me,
In His tent I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.

7 
Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud;
Be gracious and compassionate to me and answer me.
8 
When You said, “Seek My face [in prayer, require My presence as your greatest need],” my heart said to You,
“Your face, O Lord, I will seek [on the authority of Your word].”
9 
Do not hide Your face from me,
Do not turn Your servant away in anger;
You have been my help;
Do not abandon me nor [a]leave me,
O God of my salvation!
10 
Although my father and my mother have abandoned me,
Yet the Lord will take me up [adopt me as His child].

11 
Teach me Your way, O Lord,
And lead me on a level path
Because of my enemies [who lie in wait].
12 
Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries,
For false witnesses have come against me;
They breathe out violence.
13 
I would have despaired had I not believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord
In the land of the living.
14 
Wait for and confidently expect the Lord;
Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for and confidently expect the Lord.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

https://translate.google.com/

How would we know what is going to happen tomorrow? The length of our lives is as uncertain as the morning fog—now you see it; soon it is gone. James 4:13-15

James 4:13-15 The Message

Nothing but a Wisp of Fog

13-15 And now I have a word for you who brashly announce, “Today—at the latest, tomorrow—we’re off to such and such a city for the year. We’re going to start a business and make a lot of money.” You don’t know the first thing about tomorrow. You’re nothing but a wisp of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing. Instead, make it a habit to say, “If the Master wills it and we’re still alive, we’ll do this or that.”

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

With the coming of 2025 in just a few short days, it is time to remind ourselves; transitions in our lives can be exciting and challenging. Whether it’s a new job, a change in financial relationship status, or move to a different city, transitions require us to place trust in God’s guidance and to surrender our plans to him.

In times of transition, we may feel uncertain and overwhelmed. Yet we can find comfort in knowing that God is with us every step of the way. As we trust in the Lord with all our heart, mind soul and strength, as we wait, as He is directing our paths and providing the wisdom and strength we’ll need (Proverbs 3:5-6).

During transitions, we should first seek God’s will through prayer, aligning our desires with his Word, and by searching out the wise counsel of others. We trust that the Lord will make our paths straight, even when the way seems unclear.

Isaiah 35:8-10 The Message

8-10 There will be a highway
    called the Holy Road.
No one rude or rebellious
    is permitted on this road.
It’s for God’s people exclusively—
    impossible to get lost on this road.
    Not even fools can get lost on it.
No lions on this road,
    no dangerous wild animals—
Nothing and no one dangerous or threatening.
    Only the redeemed will walk on it.
The people God has ransomed
    will come back on this road.
They’ll sing as they make their way home to Zion,
    unfading halos of joy encircling their heads,
Welcomed home with gifts of joy and gladness
    as all sorrows and sighs scurry into the night.

He knows the plans he has for us (Jeremiah 29:11), and his timing is perfect.

Jeremiah 29:10-14 The Message

10-11 This is God’s Word on the subject: “As soon as Babylon’s seventy years are up and not a day before, I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.

12 “When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen.

13-14 “When you come looking for me, you’ll find me.

“Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.” God’s Decree.

“I’ll turn things around for you. I’ll bring you back from all the countries into which I drove you”—God’s Decree—“bring you home to the place from which I sent you off into exile. You can count on it.

As we receive such assurances, as we ponder long and hard upon His promises, as we pull out our God Positioning System, turn it on, program it through our prayers to navigate transitions in life, let’s embrace them with faith and hope.

May we come to Fully Rely On God’s guidance and be open to the opportunities he presents to us. In every season of change, however small or large, easy or hard, we can trust God is surely busy working all things together for our good. (Romans 8:28).

With navigating through transitions in mind, to understand what is meant in James 4:14 that life is “even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away,” it’s important to look at the larger context of the passage.

James writes,

“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make profit’—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’ As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin” (James 4:13–17).

In this passage, James is talking about people who live solely in the confidence of themselves.

They take for granted that each day is given to them and that their own plans will work out. They do not live depending on God for their needs because they are confident in their own plans and ability. They do not consider whether or not their plans are pleasing to God, nor are they making time to serve others.

This attitude stems from their belief of a guaranteed life.

While we are young, our time on earth seems like an eternity, but truly our days are like a vapor, here for one short moment and irretrievably gone the next.

A vapor cannot make its existence last any longer, and it leaves the space it once occupied virtually unchanged. James is pointing out the self-importance we all give to our lives and our instant, impulsive plans without considering eternity.

A psalm written by Moses says,

“For all our days pass away under your wrath; we bring our years to an end like a sigh. The years of our life are seventy or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away…So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:9–12).

When we finally get around to actually, authentically, learn to look at our lives as fleeting and short, we will come to understand that the true importance of our lives lies not with our business deals, fleeting schemes for success, rather we can make an eternal impact on peoples’ lives by being a witness for Christ.

The Bible says that we should live our lives ready for Christ’s coming in season and out of season (2 Timothy 4:2).

We are to consider ourselves only as short term sojourners on this green earth because our eternity will be spent elsewhere, and what we do here impacts our lives, and potentially the lives of others, for eternity (1 Chronicles 29:15).

Our lives should not be lived in arrogance towards God and confidence in ourselves.

Rather we should live as Paul directed:

“Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel” (Philippians 1:27).

“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:2–4).

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 8 The Message

8 God, brilliant Lord,
    yours is a household name.

2 Nursing infants gurgle choruses about you;
    toddlers shout the songs
That drown out enemy talk,
    and silence atheist babble.

3-4 I look up at your macro-skies, dark and enormous,
    your handmade sky-jewelry,
Moon and stars mounted in their settings.
    Then I look at my micro-self and wonder,
Why do you bother with us?
    Why take a second look our way?

5-8 Yet we’ve so narrowly missed being gods,
    bright with Eden’s dawn light.
You put us in charge of your handcrafted world,
    repeated to us your Genesis-charge,
Made us stewards of sheep and cattle,
    even animals out in the wild,
Birds flying and fish swimming,
    whales singing in the ocean deeps.

9 God, brilliant Lord,
    your name echoes around the world.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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God, the New Year Cometh; So please teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of truest Brevity of Life, grow in thy wisdom. Psalm 90:12

Psalm 90 New American Standard Bible 1995

BOOK 4

God’s Eternity and Man’s Transitoriness.

A Prayer of [a]Moses, the man of God.

90 Lord, You have been our [b]dwelling place in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were born
[c]Or You gave birth to the earth and the world,
Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.

3 You turn man back into dust
And say, “Return, O children of men.”
4 For a thousand years in Your sight
Are like yesterday when it passes by,
[d]Or as a watch in the night.
5 You have [e]swept them away like a flood, they [f]fall asleep;
In the morning they are like grass which [g]sprouts anew.
6 In the morning it flourishes and [h]sprouts anew;
Toward evening it fades and withers away.

7 For we have been consumed by Your anger
And by Your wrath we have been [i]dismayed.
8 You have placed our iniquities before You,
Our secret sins in the light of Your presence.
9 For all our days have declined in Your fury;
We have finished our years like a [j]sigh.
10 As for the days of our [k]life, [l]they contain seventy years,
Or if due to strength, eighty years,
Yet their pride is but labor and sorrow;
For soon it is gone and we fly away.
11 Who [m]understands the power of Your anger
And Your fury, according to the fear [n]that is due You?
12 So teach us to number our days,
That we may [o]present to You a heart of wisdom.

13 Do return, O Lord; how long will it be?
And [p]be sorry for Your servants.
14 O satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness,
That we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad [q]according to the days You have afflicted us,
And the years we have seen [r]evil.
16 Let Your work appear to Your servants
And Your majesty [s]to their children.
17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us;
And [t]confirm for us the work of our hands;
Yes, [u]confirm the work of our hands.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

What does brevity mean?

: shortness of duration. especially : shortness or conciseness of expression.

What is brevity of a person?

the brevity of human life. the quality of expressing much in few words; terseness: Ironically, it is long-winded Polonius in Shakespeare’s Hamlet who famously says that brevity is the soul of wit.

Is brevity a good thing?

Maybe that’s why William Shakespeare said, “Brevity is the soul of wit.” One thing I know is brevity is powerful. People who can speak or write concisely and to the point are more successful.

Is brevity positive or negative?

Brevity rails against the non-essential, against filling time, against boredom, against self- indulgent long-windedness and against agonizing repetition.

Brevity guards against overconsumption and waste as brevity can be applied to space and things, as well as time. Brevity is economy.

Is brevity a skill?

Brevity is rare because it takes both skill and effort to simplify the complex.

It’s easier to remain ethereal, vague, and ambiguous than it is to communicate with purpose and clarity.

Or, I would have written a shorter sermon if God had given me the time.

Life is filled with “once in a lifetime” opportunities, but the big question is what we do with them when they present themselves? Do we so casually let them slip by, saying, “Maybe next time (if there is one). There is always another day”? Or, do we a John 3:16 moment seize them? Love them like God loved us, have a few more “come to Jesus” moments as we may not have as much time as we think?

Theologian Dr. Leslie Weatherhead calculated the average length of a life using the hours of 1 day to illustrate the importance of recognizing the value of time.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_Weatherhead

He concluded that if your age is 15, the time is 10:25 a.m. If your age is 20, the time is 11:34. If your age is 25, the time is 12:42 p.m. If you’re 30, the time is 1:51. If you’re 35, the time is 3:00. If you’re 40 the time is 4:08. At age 45, the time is 5:15. If you’re 50, the time is 6:25. By age 55, the time is 7:24. If you’re 60, the time is 8:42. If you’re 65, the time is 9:51. And if you’re 70 the time is 11 p.m.

Psalm 90:12 reminds us, “Teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts to wisdom” (NKJV). Or as the Living Bible puts it, “Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are; help us to spend them as we should.”

Ephesians 5:15 says, “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise” (NLT).

Paul wrote, “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must fully honor God with your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20 NLT).

Jesus said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23 NLT).

This doesn’t mean that we must take a vow of poverty. It simply means we that we ultimately recognize that it 100% all belongs to God. Our lives belong to God. Our families belong to God. All our possessions belong to God. Everything is his.

So, in the coming year of 2025, make your chief New Years resolution to take what God has given to you and do the most that you can with it for his glory.

Remind yourself; God can do a lot with a little. If you don’t believe me, just ask the boy with the five loaves and two fish who gave everything he had to Jesus. It didn’t seem like a lot, but Jesus used them to feed a hungry thousands. Jesus can take a little, bless it and multiply it. He can use it beyond our wildest dreams.

Seizing upon our God Opportunity: “God, Do teach me to “Number My Days”” 

Psalm 139:23-24 Amplified Bible

23 
Search me [thoroughly], O God, and know my heart;
Test me and know my anxious thoughts;
24 
And see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way.

If we will earnestly and fervently pray, humble ourselves, take what we have and offer it to God, if we will be willing to do what He has placed before us and be faithful in the little things, then we can trust He will give us more to do.

I would rather try and fail than never try at all.

Any time you take a chance, you can fail. But it’s better to try than to never take chances and never have anything happen in your life.

So seize the day. Seize the moment. Seize the opportunities before you.

Don’t put it off too long, because you may not have as much time as you think.

Be motivated, be productive, be resolute with your life. Resolve to be productive with your time, talents, ministries. Seize the opportunities God has given you.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Ecclesiastes 3:1-13 The Message

There’s a Right Time for Everything

3 There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth:

2-8 A right time for birth and another for death,
A right time to plant and another to reap,
A right time to kill and another to heal,
A right time to destroy and another to construct,
A right time to cry and another to laugh,
A right time to lament and another to cheer,
A right time to make love and another to abstain,
A right time to embrace and another to part,
A right time to search and another to count your losses,
A right time to hold on and another to let go,
A right time to rip out and another to mend,
A right time to shut up and another to speak up,
A right time to love and another to hate,
A right time to wage war and another to make peace.

9-13 But in the end, does it really make a difference what anyone does? I’ve had a good look at what God has given us to do—busywork, mostly. True, God made everything beautiful in itself and in its time—but he’s left us in the dark, so we can never know what God is up to, whether he’s coming or going. I’ve decided that there’s nothing better to do than go ahead and have a good time and get the most we can out of life. That’s it—eat, drink, and make the most of your job. It’s God’s gift.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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Merry Christmas! Celebrate the birth of Jesus, emphasize the hope which it brings to man, the manifestation of God’s most extraordinary act of love. Matthew 1:18-23

Matthew 1:18-25 English Standard Version

The Birth of Jesus Christ

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ[a] took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed[b] to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
    and they shall call his name Immanuel”

(which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Christmas Greetings, beloved family of Christ.

As we gather together in His name, let us cast our minds back to that humble stable in Bethlehem, where the world first met its Savior.

A night of profound significance, a night when the divine intersected with the ordinary, a night when the heavens echoed with angelic voices singing, “Glory to God in the highest.” This is the night we celebrate at Christmas, the night when all of God’s love was made manifest in the form of a tiny, vulnerable baby.

The great theologian J.I. Packer once wrote, “The Christmas message is that there is hope for a ruined humanity–hope of pardon, hope of peace with God, hope of glory–because at the Father’s will Jesus became poor, and was born in a stable so that thirty years later He might hang on a cross.”

This, dear friends, is the hope we cling so tightly to, the hope we mightily celebrate, the hope we so eagerly share with a world in desperate need of it.

Let us now turn our hearts and minds to the Scripture passage that tells us of this miraculous event from Matthew 1:18-23 Amplified Bible .

Conception and Birth of Jesus

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been  [a]betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by [the power of] the Holy Spirit. 19 And Joseph her [promised] husband, being a just and righteous man and not wanting to expose her publicly to shame, planned to send her away and divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the Child who has been [b]conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a Son, and you shall name Him Jesus (The Lord is salvation), for He will [c]save His people from their sins.” 22 All this happened in order to fulfill what the Lord had spoken through the [d]prophet [Isaiah]: 23 “Behold, the [e]virgin shall be with child and give birth to a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel”—which, when translated, means, “God with us.”  24 Then Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him, and he took Mary [to his home] as his wife, 25 but he kept her a virgin until she had given birth to a Son [her firstborn child]; and he named Him Jesus (The Lord is salvation).

This passage from Matthew’s narrative, dear friends, is the cornerstone of our faith, the foundation upon which we build our lives. It tells us not only of the long promised coming birth of our Savior, but also of the extraordinary love of our God, who would send His only Son to save a world that did not know Him.

Let us pray. Loving Heavenly Father, we thank You as much as our lungs allow for the gift of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who came as a baby in a manger to save us from our sins. As we reflect on the significance of His birth, fill our hearts with Your love, and may the joy of this season inspire us to serve You with renewed passion and commitment. We ask this in the name of Jesus, Alleluia! amen.

Now, let us consider this wondrous manifestation of God’s love through Christmas, the motivation behind our celebration, our mission to serve God.

May the Holy Spirit lead, guide and direct our thoughts and our steps and open unto and into our hearts the most profound truths contained in these themes.

Manifestation of God’s Love through Christmas

The birth of Jesus Christ, our Savior, is a profound demonstration of God’s love for us. This love is nothing which can be classed as ordinary, but extraordinary, transcending human comprehension. It’s a love that chose to leave the glory of heaven, sent of God to be born in a cold humble stable, to live among us, and ultimately to die for us. This is the love that Christmas brings into sharp focus.

God’s love is manifested in the very act of Jesus’ incarnation.

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

This was no ordinary birth. It was the birth of the King of Kings in the most humble of circumstances possible. This act of highest humility is a powerful demonstration of God’s immeasurable love. It shows us God is not a distant, detached deity, but a loving Father who is intimately involved in all our lives.

The birth of Immanuel, God with us, God within us also reveals God’s boundless love in its sacrificial nature. Jesus was born to save us from our sins. His birth set in motion a series of events that would lead all mankind to the cross. Even as we celebrate His birth with the most expensive of gifts, we dare not forget the shadow of the cross which looms in the background.

This is love in its purest form – love that is willing to sacrifice everything, even life itself, for the sake of God’s beloved children, save each of us from our sins.

Motivation behind Our Celebration – EXHORT His Humility

As we reflect on the birth of Jesus, we are reminded of the motivation behind our celebration, we look to Paul’s own words from his prison letter to Philippi.

Philippians 2:1-2 Amplified Bible

Be Like Christ

2 Therefore if there is any encouragement and comfort in Christ [as there certainly is in abundance], if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship [that we share] in the Spirit, if [there is] any [great depth of] affection and compassion,  2  make my joy complete by being of the same mind, having the same [a]love [toward one another], knit together in spirit, intent on one purpose [and living a life that reflects your faith and spreads the gospel—the good news regarding salvation through faith in Christ].

Our passage begins with an emphatic linking word, “Therefore”, tying these verses to those preceding them. In brief, Paul calls for Christians to meet the various needs of others rather than obsessing over their own. The energy and source for this encouragement is what we have received in Christ (2:1-2). We, in unity of purpose, to emulate him by putting others ahead of ourselves (2:3-4).

The added dimension of this exhortation is that the original recipients of this epistle were suffering for their faith (1:28-29).

They were locked in conflict not dissimilar from Paul’s own experiences (1:30; also see 1:12-18). This context of greatest hardship makes Paul’s challenge to value others above ourselves and be concerned for their interests even more astonishing. For Christians, whatever the season, are called to always look out for others, even when we feel entitled to in need of care from others.

How can we do that? Because, if we are honest, most of us instinctively look 1st after our own interests – be better than others, gifts having the most advanced technology, just as we easily love ourselves – and this is typically heightened when we are facing challenges or hardships. Paul’s answer is that we should generously share what is ours in Christ, both experientially, from his example.

Firstly, whatever “encouragement…comfort…tenderness [and] compassion” we enjoy in Christ should be shared with others (2:1-2).

I take it this is what Paul means by calling for us to be “like-minded…being one in spirit and of one mind.”

Christ’s perfect love for us means we are incomparably blessed and reassured.

Therefore let us offer the encouragement and comfort we have experienced to others.

The temptation for us, especially when we are struggling, is to retreat into God as our refuge and strength instead of steadfastly urging others to do the same.

Understanding that God provides peace amid turmoil as we seek Him in our prayers (4:6-7) is a glorious reality both to take hold for yourself and proclaim to others. What we have, know in Christ, is a treasure to be shared not hoarded.

Secondly, this passage corrects the thinking that severely limits our service and encouragement of others only to seasons when we are comfortable and settled.

Remember that the Christians Paul originally addressed at Philippi were being heavily persecuted for their faith. Yet he exhorts them to encourage each other.

And in addition to sharing with others the wonderful experience of Christ’s love he additionally challenges them to follow Christ’s example: “have the same mindset as Christ Jesus” (2:5). Jesus Christ did “nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit” but with incredible humility valued others above himself (2:3) and carried His cross, unflaggingly looked to their interests (2:4)—to your interests.

Our Lord exhibited an astounding other-person centeredness that Christians have long exhorted, marveled and preached at, but too often failed to emulate.

If anything, this passage challenges us who rest secure in Christ’s love but do not act to comfort others with it; those of us who rejoice in and sing about his wonderful love for us but do not likewise exhort, nor encourage others with it.

This Christmas Day, this Christmas season, May God help us to have the same mind as Christ—even when we believe that others should be looking after us, even as we feel entitled to first celebrate and feast on our Christian experience.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 150 Amplified Bible

A Psalm of Praise.

150 Praise the Lord!
Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty heavens.
2 
Praise Him for His mighty acts;
Praise Him according to [the abundance of] His greatness.

3 
Praise Him with trumpet sound;
Praise Him with harp and lyre.
4 
Praise Him with tambourine and dancing;
Praise Him with stringed instruments and flute.
5 
Praise Him with resounding cymbals;
Praise Him with loud cymbals.
6 
Let everything that has breath and every breath of life praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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‘For your grace is there before my eyes, and I live my life by your truth.’ Truths From Luke’s Christmas Story of the Birth of Jesus. Luke 2:1-21

Luke 2:1-21 New King James Version

Christ Born of Mary

2 And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. 3 So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.

4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed [a]wife, who was with child. 6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered.  7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a [b]manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Glory in the Highest

8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And [c]behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.  10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a [d]manger.”

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:

14 “Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill[e] toward men!”

15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. 17 Now when they had seen Him, they made [f]widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. 18 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

Circumcision of Jesus

21 And when eight days were completed [g]for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Undoubtedly, this Christmas season, Luke 2 will probably be the most-read passage of Scripture. It is the well known story that tells of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem, the birth of Jesus, the angels’ announcement to the shepherds in the fields, the shepherds’ visit to the stable, and even Jesus’ childhood. This chapter of the New Testament tells us the age-old Christmas story, but it’s also extremely relevant to our lives today in practical ways.

Here are five takeaways from Luke 2 that we can apply to our lives today:

1. Even Jesus Wasn’t Above Simple Circumstances (Luke 2:7)

When you think of kings, you think of crowns and thrones and palaces…not stables full of smelly farm animals, feeding trough as a bed for a newborn baby.

Yet Jesus, King of Kings though He is, came into the world in a remarkably simple, lowly, and unassuming way.

His birth was the furthest thing from a King’s welcome.

Few of us are acquainted with the ways of royalty, and it’s hard to even fathom how elaborate and exquisite that lifestyle is.

Many more of us, however, can describe in detail what a barn is like.

I find this part of the Christmas story in Luke 2 so beautiful– Jesus didn’t come to earth as a mighty, majestic King who would be intimidating and untouchable.

He instead came as an innocent, needy, dependent baby born to parents who were poor and as simply normal as could be.

Everything about the very beginning moments of his life on earth was humble and unassuming, giving us a Savior we can easily relate to and understand, not one who is distant or on a lofty throne. This is such a comforting truth– we don’t have to have prestigious job titles or possess well-stocked bank accounts or fame to be used by God, because not even His Son required those things.

2. God’s Glory Is Worthy of Our Praise, Even when We Feel Afraid (Luke 2:9-10)

When the angel of the Lord stood before the shepherds who were keeping watch over their sheep during the night, Luke 2:9 says “they were terrified.” In truth I would be too! Even though they were afraid and probably trying to make sense of what they were seeing and hearing, and wondering if they were dreaming or if this really was happening, the angel’s first words were “Do not be afraid.”

3. When the Lord Makes a Promise, We Can Trust He Will Keep it (Luke 2:15-16)

The shepherds heard from the angels that the baby had been born, and they didn’t doubt it. 

Luke 2:15 says, “when the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’”

They heard the message and immediately acted upon it, never hesitating or questioning that what the angel of the Lord had said to them. For something new, exciting and different, we should do the exact same in our lives. We each have Scripture as tangible documentation of the Lord’s promises and truths, and we should act on them without questioning His faithfulness and trustworthiness.

4. Words From and About the Lord Are to Be Treasured (Luke 2:17-18)

When the shepherds visited Mary and Joseph and the baby in the manger, Luke 2:17-18 say, “they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.”

Letting my spirit wander in new directions, I can’t even imagine what those shepherds’ stories must have been after seeing the angels in all the glory of the Lord out in the fields, but I know it must have been powerful and beautiful.

Verse 19 says, “ Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” Verse 51 later says, “His mother treasured all these things in her heart,” after Jesus was found in the temple learning from the teachers.

The things Mary had seen, heard and felt about her newborn son and the things she saw Him doing were beautiful mysterious treasures to her, and for a real big change, they should be for us too. Stories we have in Scripture tell us about who Jesus is, what He did on this earth, and we should hold them dear in our hearts.

5. We Should Make Time to Learn from Those Older than Us (Luke 2:47, Luke 2:52)

Jesus did this as a child in the temple, painting a beautiful picture for us.

Jesus was the all-knowing and all-powerful Son of God, yet even he sat among the temple’s teachers to listen, ask questions, and learn. 

Luke 2:47 says, “Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers.” 

Luke 2:52 later says, “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.”

He knew as a boy that his elders had wisdom that he could grow from, and he stayed behind, entered into the Temple, sat down, most eagerly sought it out.

For a Godly change of our usual routine, we should do the same, seeking the advice and knowledge of those who are more mature and knowledgeable in their faith. We can learn so much from mentors, teachers, and pastors when we listen to their words, ask them questions, and just spend time among them.

When you hear Luke 2 this Christmas Eve, and maybe too, read it before our families on Christmas Day, ponder and cherish and remember these five things.

Purposely, please look deeper beyond just the familiar story of Christmas and see these verses are practically relevant for us even thousands of years later.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 85 Authorized (King James) Version

Psalm 85

To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah.

1 Lord, thou hast been favourable unto thy land:
thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob.
2 Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people,
thou hast covered all their sin. Selah.
3 Thou hast taken away all thy wrath:
thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger.

4 Turn us, O God of our salvation,
and cause thine anger toward us to cease.
5 Wilt thou be angry with us for ever?
wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations?
6 Wilt thou not revive us again:
that thy people may rejoice in thee?
7 Shew us thy mercy, O Lord,
and grant us thy salvation.

8 I will hear what God the Lord will speak:
for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints:
but let them not turn again to folly.
9 Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him;
that glory may dwell in our land.
10 Mercy and truth are met together;
righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
11 Truth shall spring out of the earth;
and righteousness shall look down from heaven.
12 Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good;
and our land shall yield her increase.
13 Righteousness shall go before him;
and shall set us in the way of his steps.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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Our Ministering Unto Ourselves, our taking the time to Count, Enjoy God’s Blessings this Christmas. Yes, Really! Ecclesiastes 2:24-26

Ecclesiastes 2:24-26 Complete Jewish Bible

24 So there is nothing better for a man to do than eat, drink and and let himself enjoy the good that results from his work. I also realized that this is from God’s hand. 25 For who will eat and who will enjoy except me? 26 For to the man who is good from [God’s] viewpoint he gives wisdom, knowledge and joy; but to the sinner he gives the task of collecting and accumulating things to leave to him who is good from God’s viewpoint. This too is pointless and feeding on wind.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

The palpable tension of knowing when to take action and when to rest is often addressed throughout the pages of Scripture. The Bible is replete with subtle and not so subtle invitations to the “I am too busy” weary to come to Jesus for rest (Matthew 11:28-30) and to take rest (Mark 6:31) abide in Christ (John 15:14).

Conversely, Scripture emphatically charges us to go out into world and make disciples (Matthew 28:19) and to make the most of every opportunity because the days are short (Ephesians 5:15-16). So then, what’s the balanced answer?

Do we go and over do, or stay, linger, rest, in God’s Arms this holiday season?

I know there are folks out there in God’s Kingdom who will steadfastly ignore that question, brush it off, raise high the standard; “As God sacrificed for me, as He sent His Son into the world, I’ll sacrifice for Him, send myself as Jesus did!”

Solomon in Ecclesiastes 2:24-26 offers insight into how we should approach Christmas time.

He wisely writes, “A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This, too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?”

For someone whose holiday plans involve a lot of eating, I am grateful that Solomon encourages us to enjoy our food! And all God’s children said, “Amen!” 

All jokes aside, Solomon, in these verses, reminds us to enjoy life’s blessings:

Food, fellowship, and a job well done. Even in a fallen world where the evidence of sin is over prevalent, we still experience gifts from a most gracious, loving Father. I like to think of these blessings as “glimmers of Heavens rest,” glimpses of the abundant, extravagant life those in Christ will experience for all eternity. 

Solomon does not encourage us to abandon, do away with our responsibilities, forgo our covenant obligations, or even say a hardcore no to things we enjoy doing. Instead, he draws our attention to the fact that God is sovereign over everything. Even our ability to find enjoyment in this life comes from the Lord. 

However, we celebrate this season, (be sure we do actually celebrate) cling to truth God’s grace and mercy enable us to experience eternity in the here, now.

Might I suggest, many family’s has come to practice, a sure balance of Kingdom participation in gathering, assisting, distributing, help feeding the homeless, at the same time, balancing our family time and our resting time ensuring we too have ample time for rest and relaxation, and time for giving the Lord all of the glory and honor and praise because He gave His all, therefor He alone is worthy.

Intersecting Faith & Life:

Think about your over detailed holiday plans.

Do you tend to lean more towards filling the calendar with “all the things?”

Or perhaps you are more likely to keep a clear schedule?

26 For to the man who is good from [God’s] viewpoint he gives wisdom, knowledge and joy; but to the sinner he gives the task of collecting and accumulating things to leave to him who is good from God’s viewpoint. This too is pointless and feeding on wind.

In light of Solomon’s words in Ecclesiastes 2:24-26, how might the Lord call you to adjust your plans this Christmas season so that you can fully enjoy the celebrations of Jesus’ arrival and share the blessings from the Lord with others?

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 121 Complete Jewish Bible

121 (0) A song of ascents:

(1) If I raise my eyes to the hills,
from where will my help come?
2 My help comes from Adonai,
the maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip —
your guardian is not asleep.
4 No, the guardian of Isra’el
never slumbers or sleeps.

5 Adonai is your guardian; at your right hand
Adonai provides you with shade —
6 the sun can’t strike you during the day
or even the moon at night.

7 Adonai will guard you against all harm;
he will guard your life.
8 Adonai will guard your coming and going
from now on and forever.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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But what does it matter anymore, if whether or not, the birth of Jesus is ever preached at Christmas Season? Philippians 1:15-19

Philippians 1:15-19 New International Version

15 It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16 The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. 18 But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.

Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.[a]

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

MERRY CHRISTMAS … well, almost … Just a few more days till the celebration.

What if you heard that your former pastor is in prison, do you get concerned?

What happened?

Did he do something terrible or was he there to bring or take the Gospel to the prisoners that Christ may be preached even behind the foreboding prison walls?

The Philippians had heard that Paul was in a Roman prison, so Paul reassured them he was there because of his mission to share the good news about Jesus.

Does that mean I need to commit a crime that I may be a prisoner like Paul?

Once behind prison walls serving the length of my sentence to preach Jesus?

Even if it is this close to the celebration of Christmas and since I am not going anywhere any time soon and the guards are not just going to unlock the doors?

No, certainly not … because I certainly value my freedom and you should also.

And to that Paul added an encouragement: there is a higher purpose; the gospel was now being preached much as a result of his being a ­prisoner for Christ!

That was good news, but there was a flipside (isn’t there always a flipside?): some of those preachers had some very wrong, selfish motivations.

For some reason known but to God, they preached against Paul even as they preached the gospel. Maybe envy or personal gain drove them to try to turn the spotlight onto themselves. That wasn’t honest or minimally Christlike at all.

But how did Paul respond to that? “What does it matter?” he wrote. Really?!

Didn’t it bother him that some folks were preaching out of selfish ambition?

Apparently not.

Why?

Paul was head over heels in love with Jesus and the good news of salvation.

So if Christ was being preached and the message rang true, Hallelujah!

That jaw-dropping truth is a challenge for us all.

Do we love Jesus so much that we can let other concerns drop?

Even if we don’t like a certain preacher, are we excited enough about the gospel to rejoice that it is being shared anyway?

That’s a tough one. But by grace alone Paul achieved that mindset.

We can too.

Can’t we?!?

Philippians 1:18-19 Amplified Bible

18 What then [does it matter]? So long as in every way, whether in pretense [for self-promotion] or in all honesty [to spread the truth], Christ is being preached; and in this I rejoice.

Yes, and I will rejoice [later as well], 19 for I know [with confidence] that this will turn out for my deliverance and spiritual well-being, through your prayers and the [superabundant] supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ [which upholds me].

We may not like or approve of certain ways some Christian leaders, groups, organizations, and churches are proclaiming the Christmas story this year, yet we may want to take a step back and look at the whole picture.

Although it’s difficult to observe, as often we can see how some seem to have ulterior motives rather than being motivated by the beauty of God’s message.

Yet, still, they may be reaching out to those who may not have heard it before.

Even if we don’t like their tactics and methods, we want to recognize that God is able to save those who hear His truth despite how it is being presented to them.

It’s hard, too, for those of us who seek to handle God’s word with reverent fear and trembling and who understand the call and utmost importance of handling it correctly to see others seeming to deal carelessly with it.

2 Timothy 2:15 instructs, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”

Understanding God holds us accountable for the words we speak, write, and present to the world; we know He will also hold those responsible who are not so concerned in how they handle it.

Like Jesus warned in Matthew 12:36, we are to be cautious. “But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.”

Praising God in the Midst of People’s Carelessness

Still, despite their careless handling of His word, God is able to save through it, and for this we want to be thankful and praise God—not for the people who are doing so with little regard for how they present His truth, but for how He is able to reach out in remarkable ways through the most haphazardly ways His truth is presented. 

We want to keep in mind the most important thing is that Christ is preached at Christmas, and that involves a broad spectrum of how it is accomplished.

Like the Apostle Paul explained in Romans 10:14, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?”

In the grand scheme of life, isn’t it better for those to hear Christ than not to hear Christ at all, even if it’s not done in a way or method we would present it?

God Has His Ways

Because God has His exclusive ways of speaking to individuals’ hearts, we don’t know how He might move a person’s heart in the most unexpected time and unlikely places when it seems like nothing good could come from the situation.

I have heard several people saying why they don’t, wont celebrate Christmas.

Still, in their argument, they quoted Scripture and actually told the Christmas story to those who were nearby listening while trying to make a point against it.

Thankfully, instead of attempting to shut the discussion down, God gave him insight and wisdom to recognize in their attempt to discredit the story of God’s Christmas gift, they were actually spreading the truth of it to those in the group who may never have heard it before – I doubt that was their original intentions. 

Although the disgruntled shoppers didn’t realize it that afternoon, they were preaching Christ and possibly unknowingly through it, God was stirring hearts, warming, quickening spirits with the Gospel of His Christmas gift of Salvation. 

Isaiah 55:8 describes how “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,’ declares the Lord.”

Intersecting Faith & Life:

If troubled by how the Christmas story is being presented and represented in your community of churches and in the world at large, pray for God to reach through all of the carelessness and move individuals’ hearts to receive Him.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray …

Psalm 84 English Standard Version

My Soul Longs for the Courts of the Lord

To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith.[a] A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.

84 How lovely is your dwelling place,
    O Lord of hosts!
2 My soul longs, yes, faints
    for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
    to the living God.

3 Even the sparrow finds a home,
    and the swallow a nest for herself,
    where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
    my King and my God.
4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
    ever singing your praise! Selah

5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
    in whose heart are the highways to Zion.[b]
6 As they go through the Valley of Baca
    they make it a place of springs;
    the early rain also covers it with pools.
7 They go from strength to strength;
    each one appears before God in Zion.

8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;
    give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah
9 Behold our shield, O God;
    look on the face of your anointed!

10 For a day in your courts is better
    than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
    than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
    the Lord bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
    from those who walk uprightly.
12 O Lord of hosts,
    blessed is the one who trusts in you!

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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The effectual fervent prayer of one righteous person availeth much. A simple prayer for the Community of hurt, grieving Hearts this Christmas. Isaiah 9:1-7

Isaiah 9:1-7 The Message

A Child Has Been Born—for Us!

9 But there’ll be no darkness for those who were in trouble. Earlier he did bring the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali into disrepute, but the time is coming when he’ll make that whole area glorious—the road along the Sea, the country past the Jordan, international Galilee.

2-7 The people who walked in darkness
    have seen a great light.
For those who lived in a land of deep shadows—
    light! sunbursts of light!
You repopulated the nation,
    you expanded its joy.
Oh, they’re so glad in your presence!
    Festival joy!
The joy of a great celebration,
    sharing rich gifts and warm greetings.
The abuse of oppressors and cruelty of tyrants—
    all their whips and clubs and curses—
Is gone, done away with, a deliverance
    as surprising and sudden as Gideon’s old victory over Midian.
The boots of all those invading troops,
    along with their shirts soaked with innocent blood,
Will be piled in a heap and burned,
    a fire that will burn for days!
For a child has been born—for us!
    the gift of a son—for us!
He’ll take over
    the running of the world.
His names will be: Amazing Counselor,
    Strong God,
Eternal Father,
    Prince of Wholeness.
His ruling authority will grow,
    and there’ll be no limits to the wholeness he brings.
He’ll rule from the historic David throne
    over that promised kingdom.
He’ll put that kingdom on a firm footing
    and keep it going
With fair dealing and right living,
    beginning now and lasting always.
The zeal of God-of-the-Angel-Armies
    will do all this.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Isaiah 9:6 Amplified Bible

6 
For to us a Child shall be born, to us a Son shall be given;
And the government shall be upon His shoulder,
And His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

The season we spend the longest time anticipating is among us.

Advent is here and in four short days, it will be Christmas, and the reminder of our hope being secured sears in our hearts all over again. It’s a beautiful time, filled with celebration that bring comfort and familiarity to our hearts. A time to savor the stillness and deep awe of what God has done and will soon do again.

This Christmas season, however, for too many across the globe, will mark the first time celebrating without their most treasured family members, from war, from famine, from drugs, alcohol, suicide, and cancer, heart attacks, just age. Death is just part of the natural cycle of life ordered by God – no one is immune.

As a global community, as the Body of Christ, our hearts are deeply intertwined with love for each other. Can we imagine how tender our relationship was for them all year round but how this time of Christmas celebration causes anguish?

The scale of the loss of life is earth-shattering, to say the least. It feels like a part of our hearts died the day they went to their graves, prayerfully with Jesus.

Perhaps you, too, count yourselves among the multitude of the grieving, have experienced all the feelings that come with the loss of someone dear to you. It feels more overwhelming during a season when the rest of the world seems to be joyful. It’s new, it’s different, but because of Jesus, hope is no less secure.

As I settled in my cozy brown chair and began writing this devotion, the grief once again washes over me. However, for me and my surgically repaired heart can whisper, for the first time in almost a year and a half, that the grief was met almost instantly with the much needed reminder of the joy I can have within my depressed circumstances because of Jesus. He is the gift of light in the darkness.

He is, as Isaiah 9:6-7 says, our mighty God, our eternal everlasting Father, the gift of peace in the raging tumult of the storms, wisest of the wise counselors.

He is our perfectly ordered Government fully capable, fully prepared, fully and 100% ready, 100% always vigilant and watchful, when disorder rules our souls. (Psalm 13, Psalm 18, Psalm 23, Psalm 46, Psalm 91, Psalm 121, Psalm 139)

We see this by the way God at a time and season of His choosing, sent His Messengers to a girl named Mary and then Immanuel came as a precious baby.

Immanuel, God with us and within us. His promised arrival, though it seemed unexpectedly lowly, pierced the darkness forever. Hope was born that night. 

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.” – Isaiah 9:6-7

When Jesus came as a newborn baby, He brought forth the light of the world and the gospel of peace to a world that was wearily waiting for their Savior.

The night Christ was born was deemed holy and perfect.

The night of His birth delivered the invitation humanity had been waiting for.

The gift of a Savior, the redeemer, the ultimate counselor, the perfect friend, the sustainer through all of life, and the giver of the eternal light that can not nor will never be dimmed or taken away by the darkness in humanities heart.

As you all make the effort to settle into this season, whether filled with joy or finding yourself in waves of grief and uncertainty, cling to the reminder that hope came as promised. Jesus is with you, His light will lead you, and He will meet your every need. Seek Him in the stillness and savor the work He is doing.

Let’s Pray:

Father, thank you for your promises, thank you for the gift of hope you gave us when the baby Immanuel was born. As I journey through my shadows, through those places of great and greatest uncertainty this season, riding the waves of grief and joy, meet me 1:1 in those places. Meet with me, walk with me, in Your promises, tenderly through your Word. In Jesus’ name, alleluia! alleluia! amen.

Psalm 13 New King James Version

Trust in the Salvation of the Lord

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

13 How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?
2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul,
Having sorrow in my heart daily?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?

3 Consider and hear me, O Lord my God;
Enlighten my eyes,
Lest I sleep the sleep of death;
4 Lest my enemy say,
“I have prevailed against him”;
Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.

5 But I have trusted in Your mercy;
My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.
6 I will sing to the Lord,
Because He has dealt bountifully with me.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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Someone asked us; “How does Jesus’ birth confirm our Hope of Heaven?” Colossians 1:3-8

Colossians 1:3-8 Amplified Bible

3 We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, as we pray always for you, 4 for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus [how you lean on Him with absolute confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness], and of the [unselfish] [a]love which you have for all the saints (God’s people); 5 because of the [confident] hope [of experiencing that] which is reserved and waiting for you in heaven. You previously heard of this hope in the message of truth, the gospel [regarding salvation] 6 which has come to you. Indeed, just as in the whole world the gospel is constantly bearing fruit and spreading [by God’s power], just as it has been doing  among you ever since the day you first heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth [becoming thoroughly and deeply acquainted with it]. 7 You learned it from [our representative] Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf 8 and he also has told us of your love [well-grounded and nurtured] in the [Holy] Spirit.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

It is so cliché to say life is uncertain, yet Jesus offers us a steadfast promise—eternal life. His words are as reliable as the sunrise, as sure as a parent’s love.

On that miraculous night Jesus’ miraculous birth brought to all of us heaven’s promise to earth, “a heavenly light has been revealed, shined in the dark and the darkness could not do anything about it” and through His teachings and sacrificial death, He paid sin’s death penalty with eternal life. His resurrection affirms exactly what He promised. This, my friends, is as certain as the sunrise.

This promise of eternal life begins with the miraculous birth of our Savior, a child called Immanuel, “God with Us,” an event both prophesied and fulfilled.

1. Christmas Reminds Each One of Us to Trust God’s Promises

Every day, we trust the sun to rise; we never doubt its appearance because it has always been faithful. In the same way, we anchor our confidence in eternal life in God’s faithfulness and the consistency of His promises. Just as we rely on the sunrise, sunset, we can trust that God will fulfill His word regarding eternal life.

Hundreds of years before Jesus’ birth, the prophet Isaiah foretold,

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given… and His name shall be called Mighty God…” (Isaiah 9:6).

Jesus’ miraculous birth, born of a virgin (Luke 1:27), and the fulfillment of countless prophecies are miracles that only God could accomplish.

With this same divine authority, Jesus declared it was time to get our lives in line with God through repentance, forgiveness of sins and promised eternal life—a promise validated by His resurrection, as steadfast, certain as a rising sun.

Jesus’ humble arrival in a manger was the only One who could ensure salvation and life everlasting as 2 Corinthians 5:21 explains:

“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 

The Savior’s life, His wise teachings, His miracle of feeding the thousands, His healings, stilling the storm, giving life to the dead, His inclusion of all classes of people (Mat. 11:28-30) unveiling before the veiled eyes of humanity, the forever expanding-length, depth, height, breadth, widest possible expanses of God’s own coming Kingdom, providing ample instruction in faith, hope, trust, love.

2. Jesus Unveils God’s Kingdom and Secures Our Faith

The sovereign authority of God upholds, and the law guarantees a legally binding contract—whether for a job, a home, or a covenant commitment.

Similarly, God, the ultimate Lawgiver, “seals” His unbreakable word: “When you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal” (Ephesians 1:13-14), the guarantee of inheritance in eternal life. God’s word, unlike earthly contracts, is more enduring, engaging, because they’re backed by His unchanging nature.

Jesus revealed the way to eternity, declaring, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). His sinless life exemplified His teachings as a model of righteousness and eternal values.

His words, like a covenant, indestructibly rooted in God’s authority, are impossible to void. Unlike human agreements, God’s word is absolute and faithful: “God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind…Does he promise and not fulfill?” (Numbers 23:19).

Through Jesus, we can safely place our faith in a covenant as unbreakable as the most binding contract—yet far more enduring, secured by God Himself. Jesus secured this covenant by accomplishing redemption for our sins on the cross.

3. Jesus’ Victory Over Death Confirms Our Hope in Eternity

When a close friend promises to help in a challenging time, we believe them based on a long history trust built through shared history and proven loyalty.

We don’t have to question whether or when, they will show up because they have repeatedly revealed that they are 100% dependable. In the same way, God demonstrated His faithfulness in sending Jesus, and we can trust His promise of eternal life as surely as we would trust a BFF friend who has never let us down.

Martin Luther echoed this trust, saying, “When I look at myself, I don’t see how I can be saved. When I look at Christ, I don’t see how I can be lost.”

Through His birth, His teachings, and the ultimate sacrifice on the cross, Jesus proved He speaks the truth as a loving friend and Savior, exchanging our sin for His righteousness. Reverend Dr. A. W. Tozer says, “The only sin Jesus ever had was ours. And the only righteousness we can ever has is His.” 

The blood of Jesus “cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7-9). His resurrection and ascension provides the final heavenly assurance that Jesus has paid the ransom, met sin’s penalty and was accepted by God the Father as an atonement.

Jesus’ resurrection captured sin’s death penalty, replaced it with eternal life. 

4. Jesus’ Resurrection Proves Our Victory Over Death Is Certain

The resurrection proves that Jesus has power over sin and death, validating His identity as the Son of God and affirming every promise He’s made.

It’s the ultimate assurance that believers, too, will share in victory over death and receive the gift of eternal life. By rising from the dead, Jesus confirmed His role as Savior and Lord, providing us a secure foundation for our trust in God.

Peter declares in Acts 2:24,

“God raised Him from the dead, freeing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him.”

Jesus is the resurrection and the life. “The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; whoever lives by believing in me will never die” (John 11:25-26).

Resurrection is the cornerstone and certainty of our own resurrection. 

1 Corinthians 15:20-22 states, “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.”

Just as basic mathematical truths—2 + 2 always equaling 4—are unchanging, so is the iron clad reliability of God’s word and assurance of victory over death.

Mathematical principles remain constant, and likewise, so do God’s promises.

Author Lee Strobel captures this assurance: “Jesus Christ did not come into this world to make bad people good; he came into this world to make dead people live.”

Believing in Jesus, “that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life,” (John 3:16), we live by faith— the very basis of eternal life.

5. Faith in Christ Secures Our Eternal Life

Most of us experience the unwavering love of a parent or close family member. Likewise, God’s love and our security in Him are even more assured. Just as a parent’s love for a child endures, God’s love is even deeper and unending.

The apostle John, known as Jesus’ “beloved disciple,” writes of this confidence in 1 John 5:13: “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

John’s message of assurance is powerful;

he walked with Jesus, ate with Jesus, witnessed His crucifixion, and saw His resurrected body. His words remind believers faith in Jesus is eternal, forever.

Salvation is God’s gift of grace—not earned but received by faith (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Faith isn’t “hoping so” or wishful thinking—it’s a confident trust rooted in Jesus! Faith fully trusts God’s promises, not because we cross our fingers or “hope for the best,” but because He has proven Himself faithful time and again.

This is the faith that gives justification from sin and peace with God (Romans 5:1).

It is certain, like relying on the sunrise or the unchanging nature of God’s Word, rather than the fleeting assurances the world offers.

The great British preacher Charles Spurgeon helps us understand:

“Saving faith is an immediate relation to Christ, accepting, receiving, resting upon Him alone, for justification, sanctification, eternal life by virtue of God’s grace.” 

Fully assured of what God promises through faith in Jesus, we can live into, we can live out from that faith, shining out into darkness, the truth of eternal life. 

By our spiritual discipline, prioritizing time in God’s presence through prayer and studying His Word deepens holiness and shapes us to be more like Jesus.

As 1 John 2:5 says, ‘If anyone obeys His word, love for God is truly made complete in them.’ 

With confidence in the unshakable promise of eternal life, Christmas becomes a sacred invitation to share with others the true message of the season—a Gospel message of redemption, hope, and eternal assurance in Christ that the world so desperately needs.

Finally, as blessed, as miraculous, as certain as the sunrise, as the sunset, as unbreakable as a trusted promise, as enduring as a parent’s love, and presence, as unchanging as mathematical laws, God’s declarations stand steadfast, firm.

The birth, life, teachings, sacrificial death, and glorious resurrection of Jesus all confirm His promise of eternal life. Yes, you can be certain of heaven! Let’s read this verse again: “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life (1 John 5:13). 

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 121 Authorized (King James) Version

Psalm 121

A Song of degrees.

1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills,
from whence cometh my help.
2 My help cometh from the Lord,
which made heaven and earth.
3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved:
he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel
shall neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord is thy keeper:
the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.
6 The sun shall not smite thee by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil:
he shall preserve thy soul.
8 The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in
from this time forth, and even for evermore.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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