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Christmas Love

As we enter the season of Christmas, let us focus on why we celebrate this glorious holiday. As Christians, we celebrate it to commemorate the birth of Christ. It doesn’t matter if we have the date correct, let’s just be thankful that He was born as a man, died for our sins, and was resurrected to give us a new life and freedom. He was the bond servant who paid the price for our salvation! Jesus was born in Bethlehem, where Mary and Joseph had to return because a decree had been made that all people return to their hometowns to be counted. Both Mary and Joseph were of the house of David, as people married in their own tribe then. King David was a royal lineage and the one that was prophesied that the Messiah would come from. As Isaiah 11:1 says, “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.” Jesse was David’s father. Jesus was the incorruptible seed of Abraham. Matthew 1:1 “This is the genealogy[a] of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham:” It lists the lineage in the rest of the chapter. Sometimes I wonder what it was like to be the mother or earthly father of Jesus. Mary and Joseph had a great responsibility in raising Jesus. I would think they felt a need to protect him in some ways, even though they knew that his Heavenly Father did as well and so much better. But do we allow our Heavenly Father to protect our children as parents, those of us who are parents? If we have raised them with the wisdom and guidance from Jesus, then we should know that he is also watching out for them as well. Still, it is hard to let go. 

How hard it must have been for God to let his own son go to the cross for our sins! He didn’t have to, but he fulfilled all the prophecies by going. What amazing Love our Heavenly Father has for us that he would sacrifice his own son so that we can be set free. This is why it disturbs me when I hear people say that God is sending natural disasters like floods, tornadoes, or volcanoes to deal with people who are in error. If he sent his son to die, why would he send curses in the form of evil? Doesn’t love cast out evil? If God wanted to save the world, why would he condemn the world with natural disasters? If Jesus wanted to rain fire down on people, our world would have been destroyed long ago by all the people who turn in their grievances or their earthly unspiritual judgments to God. In John 3:17-18 it says, “God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son.” Any separation from God is by one’s own choice and their inability to see the light, because he sent us a Savior to end our separation from Him. Yet still, those with religious knowledge, not necessarily spiritual, many times think they understand better. Jesus said to the Pharisees who thought they knew more than most, “Then Jesus told him, “I entered this world to render judgment—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.” In other words, his judgment was not to condemn but to show them the error in their thinking. 

Jesus came to bring love and peace, something our world needs in abundance! He told us in John 14 that he would leave us with his peace, a peace that the world cannot give. This peace in Philippians 4 is referred to as the peace that passes all understanding. It is a peace that the world cannot comprehend. A peace that allows us to face trials with a calmness that amazes others. It comes from a close walk with Jesus and guidance from the Holy Spirit. In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus instructed the Pharisee who asked him what the greatest commandment was that there were two; “Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments. “When we love God more than anything or anyone else and put him first in our lives, our lives certainly seem to run more smoothly. Jesus told him that we should love others as much as we love ourselves. That might be a very tall order for those with big egos, and not so for someone who is depressed, but it still paints a picture. In doing those two things, we know the law or commandments which we should have hidden in our hearts, not use on others to condemn them. In Matthew 5:44 he instructs us, “But I say, love your enemies![a] Pray for those who persecute you!” How could we want to bring harm on anyone we are praying for? I certainly don’t read that he said, tell me who your enemies are so that I can send a natural disaster on them. 

Let me leave you with these verses in Hebrews 6, “So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.” Yes! Jesus came to earth as a man, he made the final sacrifice and rose again from the dead so that we could be saved and the veil was rent so that we can enter the inner chamber, the most intimate place one can go to have an audience with the King. And if we flee to him for refuge, he will not turn us away, because he has promised us, he will be there. Jesus paved the way. Thank you, Jesus, for your sacrifice! We celebrate you this Christmas season, you didn’t have to drink from the cup, but we are truly grateful that you loved us enough to do so! 

Mirror Image

If we are created in the image of God, then when he looks at us, what he sees is incorruptible. He sees us as whole. So those who believe on Jesus and look in the mirror and see the corruptible or a sinner, are not seeing Christ within them, and need to adjust their perspective. God does not see us as sinners, he sees us as redeemed. 

“So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” – Genesis 1:27 

“…being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God which liveth and abideth for ever;” – 1 Peter 1:23 

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new.” – 2 Corinthians 5:17 

“My old identity has been co-crucified with Christ and no longer lives. And now the essence of this new life is no longer mine, for the Anointed One lives his life through me— we live in union as one! My new life is empowered by the faith of the Son of God who loves me so much that he gave himself for me, dispensing his life into mine ! So that is why I don’t view God’s grace as something peripheral. For if keeping the law could release God’s righteousness to us, then Christ would have died for nothing.” – Galatians 2:20-21 

So if we have been crucified with Christ when we are saved, are we not persecuting him when we call ourselves sinners and in effect rejecting his Grace, amazing Mercy, and our own salvation? Are we not saying his sacrifice was not good enough? If we cannot see him when we look in the mirror, it is only because our perspective is off, not because anything he has done. It is like a person who goes through a body transformation of some kind. If you get a haircut after years of long hair or dye your hair another color, you may not recognize yourself at first. It takes a while to accept your new image, but the image Christ gives us is a Holy one. If we have the the mindset that we aren’t worthy, then we need to reread the Bible and look up where it says we are a ‘royal priesthood’ and ‘a chosen generation!’ We are God’s heirs! We are his and nothing can separate us from his Love! (Romans 8:31-38) We need to remind ourselves that the person we were before is gone. For some people, it is easier to accept than for others. We each grow in different increments, but the more we understand the Word, the quicker we grow. So if you’re having trouble seeing yourself as redeemed, or if you’ve strayed from your faith, talk to Jesus just like you talk to a friend and read the word. If we immerse ourselves in the word, we easily recollect it and it becomes our sword, our companion, and our daily reminder of who we are.

“But you are God’s chosen treasure —priests who are kings, a spiritual “nation” set apart as God’s devoted ones. He called you out of darkness to experience his marvelous light, and now he claims you as his very own. He did this so that you would broadcast his glorious wonders throughout the world. For at one time you were not God’s people, but now you are. At one time you knew nothing of God’s mercy, because you hadn’t received it yet, but now you are drenched with it!” – 1 Peter 2:9-10 

Wow! I want to be drenched with the Word of God! What a blessing. But first we must study it and capture its meaning. If we know that we have freedom from the law because Christ fulfilled it and gave us a perfect law – one of liberty or freedom, which frees us from seeing ourselves as sinners. Yet, we still must guard our hearts to not sin in the future. We do this by renewing our minds with the word, loving God with all our heart, soul, and mind. And by loving others, even our enemies.

“For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.” – James 1:23-25 

Prayer. Father, help me see  Christ when I look in the mirror. Help me to follow Jesus’ example Help me to love others.  

The Storm

When you’re trying to be the calm in the storm, when it’s raging around you, keep your focus on the calm, not the storm. When it seems all around you will not keep silence and are focusing on the storm raging, can you keep your focus on the calm, or do you react to their constant noise? Do you engage in peace or do you get distracted by the turmoil surrounding you? I’ve done both, I admit. That is when I become Peter. I want to take that step out on the water. I want to head toward what I know is the only peace that will calm.

wm 804 clouds still low ED

I step out and start walking, but then I hear the clap of thunder or see the bolt of lightning in my peripheral vision – at first I ignore it. I might notice the wave swell next to me and how close it is… then my mind starts to drift and my focus falters. All of a sudden, my eyes are not on the peace, but on the turmoil and I start slipping. The waters start to envelop me and I start sinking; I’m no longer walking on the water, but I’m submerging. No…! I’m going under… my head bobbles above and below the surface, I can’t see… Panic sets in. I can feel and taste the salty water in my mouth and I start to sputter and spit, my arms are flailing, and I realize… I’m drowning!! Where did I go wrong? What was I doing? I was in a storm… a million thoughts flash through my mind as I try to recall my surroundings and how I got here. How do I get out of this? Why am I drowning? Why is this storm killing me?! Why isn’t anyone helping me?!! Then I cry out, ‘Lord! Please help! Rescue me!! Get me out of here! Please! Save me!” Instantly, He reaches out and pulls me up out of the storm’s surge and I’m in the arms of my loving Savior. Relief! As I start to regain my senses and try to piece together what just happened, I ask him… “Lord, how did I get here?” He lovingly answers, “You were distracted by your surroundings and you took your eyes off me.”

That is the answer isn’t it? We get distracted by the things of life that trouble us, and we take our eyes off Jesus, who has the ability to save and rescue us. All the cares of this world will fade away, but He will always be there. What are we distracted by today? Where is our focus? Is it on the turmoil or is it on the answer? The peace.

Psalm 107:27-30 They reeled and staggered like drunkards and were at their wits’ end. “LORD, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He calmed the storm to a whisper and stilled the waves. What a blessing was that stillness as he brought them safely into harbor!