What is the Meaning of Christmas?

In my last blog I asked, "Do you know Jesus?"  He's the "Christ" of Christmas! Therefore, we celebrate His birth. This is important because He is the answer to our deepest human needs. Our greatest need is to be intimately related to God, the creator of the universe.

Adam and Eve disobeyed God resulting in separation from God who is our creator. Our rebellion has resulted in lack of self-control, hate, envy, anger, lack of peace in our lives.  These are results of our rebellion, called sin.

God is a just Holy God, requiring that sin must be punished by death of the sinner. The meaning of Christmas is that it celebrates the birth of God's redeemer, who was born to live and die for our sins, so that we can become children of God by receiving Christ as our Savior.

Do You Know Jesus?

If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Savior and would like to receive Christ  you can pray to God by faith. God knows your heart and is not as concerned about your words as he is about your heart attitude. Be sincere, willing to forsake your sins and acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God.

You can pray as follows: Lord Jesus, I need you in my life. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I receive you as my Savior and Lord. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. I give you control of my life. Use me and make me the person you want me to be. In Jesus Name. Amen.

If you prayed this prayer and received Jesus as your Savior, I would like to hear from you. You have started a new beginning in your life, and you need to grow in your Christian walk. It makes a difference when you are going through difficulties, knowing that Jesus walks with you through any situation.

Join a Bible believing church, pray daily, and tell others about your decision to receive Christ. God’s Word instructs us to assemble with other believers. Join a Bible study or activities in the church. Get involved and fellowship in a good church.

Feeding the Soul of God's Love

 How do you reach hurting people, who are lost, or have turned from God?  How do you reach people who have worry, and stressed in everyday life? How do you feed the soul of God’s love? What does that look like? Jesus has given us His instruction book, the Bible.  In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus tells us that our protection and security are found in the Lord not in circumstances.  Jesus commands us not to worry, not just once but three times. We should not worry about food, clothing, or the future. God promised to provide for those who love him. He promises us that He will meet ALL our needs.

So, what does feeding the soul of God’s love look like?  “As God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience,” Colossians 3:12. God has called us to be light and salt in a world filled with so many hurting people.  God created you and me for a purpose.  Through His people, Jesus spreads His love, compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Spending time with God in daily quiet time, prayer, and reading His word are the only ways we can feed our own soul. That is, feeding the soul of God’s love in us.

Are You in a Frenzy?

I cannot tell you how many times I had started my day in frenzy. Have you ever started your day running behind because you decided to hit the snooze alarm for just 10 more minutes of sleep? Most of us have made the decision to hit the snooze for just a few more minutes. Fully knowing that decision would lead you to be late and possibly running behind the rest of the day, you do it anyway. I have on many occasions hit the alarm not just once but maybe three times making that extra sleep time become 30 minutes.

The day starts by rushing out the door, frantically trying to get to my destination. My mood becomes something indescribable. Just say I was not in the best of moods. At the very least, I didn't want the phone to ring, interrupting me and my work—work on which I was already behind. 

Thank goodness, over the years, I have come to realize that we do have choices, and reap their consequences. We also have responsibilities. I wanted everything on my time table. But, after many years I found a better way. 

I found I needed to start my day in prayer. The Lord tells us in I Thess. 5:17 that we should pray continually. I try to make choices that would be responsible and allow time to spend with the Lord. Prayer time starts my day with peace, thankfulness, joy. Whatever I run up against during the day, I know I can go to the Lord. He will give me the answer or resolve the problem. It is a matter of faith, trust, in the Most High God.

Our lives do not have to be in frenzy or out of control. You can have a life of love, joy, peace and comfort. How do you start your day?

Forgiveness, Do You Hold a Grudge?

Sometimes it is hard to forgive others when they have wronged us. When we hold grudges we open the door for the enemy to enter our life. The Bible makes it clear that forgiving others is a command not a choice, (Matthew 18:21-35). We have the choice to obey or disobey the word. But Jesus warns us that our experience of forgiveness from God will be blocked if we are not able to forgive others.

I realize that sometimes the pain may be so deep that it is almost impossible to forgive those who have hurt us so deeply. It is impossible for us alone to forgive. Only with Jesus are we able to forgive and completely turn the hurt over to the Lord. Even at the time Jesus was beaten and nailed to the cross He prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do,” (Luke 23:34). In Mark 11:25 Jesus tells us, “Whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.”

Ephesians 4:31-32 says, “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor or evil speaking be put away from you with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”

God loves you and wants His best for you. Ask God to help you forgive and pray that the Lord will use you to show the love of God. You will find that God will bring you peace and comfort.

Respect Yourself part 2

Number of Sexual Partners	You have a choice in life as parents to step up and teach your children and grandchildren respect for their bodies. Sin starts with our thoughts, from what our eyes see, and leads to immoral behavior. We as parents and grandparents need to do better in protecting our children. High risk behavior can lead to HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted Disease (STD). Check out the chart below and see the risk of having more than one partner. You don't think it can happen to you? God warns us that living our lives carelessly can hurt us. Sexual Exposure Chart  (if every person has only the same number of partners as you) See chart below.	Number of People Exposed to
1		1
2		3
3		7
4		15
5		31
6		63
7		127
8		255
9		511
10		1023
	www.cdc.gov/std

Respect Yourself part 1

In today's culture almost anything goes. Television and movies are two major influences of our children and young adults. They are like the forbidden fruit that attracts us because something in us wants to experience what we realize we should not. God tells us to abstain from sex until marriage for a very good reason. He's trying to protect us from being hurt physically and emotionally.

You have a choice in life as parents to step up and teach your children and grandchildren respect for their bodies. Sin starts with our thoughts and from what our eyes see and leads to immoral behavior.

Marriage is special and God warns us in Hebrews 13:4, “Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.”

God is the creator of man and woman bringing life into the world. In Romans 12:1 tells us, to present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God.

God warns us in 2 Timothy 2:22, “Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call upon the Lord out of a pure heart.”