Greetings in Christ,
“For the Lord has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His habitation. This is My resting place forever; Here I will dwell, for I have desired it. I will abundantly bless her provision; I will satisfy her needy with bread. Her priests also I will clothe with salvation; and her godly ones will sing aloud for joy. There I will cause the horn of David to spring forth; I have prepared a lamp for Mine anointed. His enemies I will clothe with shame; but upon himself his crown shall shine.” Psalms 132:13-18
“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity. Therefore, He will give them up until the time when she who is in labor has borne a child. Then the remainder of His brethren will return to the sons of Israel. And He will arise and shepherd His flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord His God. And they will remain, because at that time He will be great to the ends of the earth.” Micah 5:2-4
“John answered and said, a man can receive nothing, unless it has been given him from heaven. He who comes from above is above all he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. What He has seen and heard, of that He bears witness; and no man receives His witness. He who has received His witness has set his seal to this, that God is true. For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” John 3:31-36
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has beheld God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have beheld and bear witness that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this, love is perfected with us, that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:7-19
As we approach Christmas this year, we should celebrate the grace of God as He has sent His Son long ago to redeem us from our sins. Jesus’ birth had been foretold by the prophets and celebrated by those who were part of the birth. As we gather with our families this year, let’s not forget the real reason for Christmas and put Jesus in the middle of our activities. Jesus is the one gift which does not have to be wrapped or hidden, but rather shared with everyone we know. Jesus is the gift which gives life and freedom from the bondage of sin with eternity in heaven as the final destiny. God sent His Son to be the perfect gift for all people to receive on Christmas!
“Worship the Lord with reverence, and rejoice with trembling.” Psalms 2:11
“Righteousness will go before Him, and will make His footsteps into a way.” Psalms 85:13
“The Lord will stretch forth Thy strong scepter from Zion, saying, rule in the midst of Thine enemies. Thy people will volunteer freely in the day of Thy power; in holy array, from the womb of the dawn, thy youth are to Thee as the dew.” Psalms 110:2-3
Lord we give thanks for Your love. May we honor Your love by humbly serving You. Amen
Blessings,
Mark Johnson
Psalm 2, 85, 110, 132; Micah 4:1-5, 5:2-4; 1 John 4:7-16; John 3:26-31