Tag Archives: love

Merry Christmas!

“But the angel said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people:  Today, in the city of David, a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord.’”   (Luke 2:10-11)

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people He favors!”  (Luke 2:14)

(Isaiah 7:14;  Isaiah 9:6-7;  Luke 2:1-20;  Matthew 1:18-2:12;  John 1:14)

   It’s the most wonderful time of the year again!  Time to celebrate the birth of our Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ!  Everything around us is prettier – the weather’s (usually) cooler, the world around us is filled with fun festivities, beautiful decorations, familiar traditions, & music that makes us smile.  Even the people we encounter tend to be nicer.

   As we enjoy the beauty around us, let’s take time this season to remember the true source of all our joy – Jesus Christ.  Let’s take time to think about the reality of what we’re celebrating. 

   Think about Mary.  What thoughts went through her head when Gabriel appeared?  What kind of reactions did her friends & family have?  How did they treat her?  What kind of whispers & side-looks did she have to endure?  We probably can’t come anywhere close to imagining what she felt or what she went through, but we do know that she was a faithful servant of God.  A special, real, woman who was chosen to be the earthly mother of Jesus, the Messiah.

   Think about Joseph.  He was a humble, ordinary carpenter.  A kind, faithful, Jewish man who sought to do what was right.  What did his friends & family think?  How did they treat him when he decided to take Mary as his wife, despite her pregnancy?  We don’t know much about Joseph, but he was honorable enough to be selected as the human father figure of our Immanuel.

   Think about the shepherds.  There they were, minding their own business, watching their sheep in the small, quiet, hillside town.  Then suddenly a bright light shines all around them & an angel announces the arrival of the long-awaited Savior!  What thoughts went through their heads?  Did they immediately, completely, believe the angel’s message?  Did they feel worthy of receiving the invitation to meet the Lord face to face?  How did the people around them react to their recounting of the night?

   Think about the wise men.  These magi, astronomers, eastern men, were not Jews.  Yet, God chose them to visit His Son, to bring Him gifts, & to worship Him.  God chose them to be messengers, warning Joseph & Mary about Herod’s pending threat.  What did these foreign men think about all of this?  Did they believe in the Sovereignty of God, in the Lordship of Jesus?  What did they think about the gifts they offered?  Did they understand the meaning & prophecy of those gifts? 

   Think about this.  Did any of the shepherds, wise men, or anyone else keep track of Jesus as He grew up?  Did anyone see Him grow from a Baby, to a young Man, to an adult Teacher with devoted followers, to a wrongly executed Man who would rise again on the third day?  Did anyone believe?  Did anyone think that it all was true?

   What about us?  What would we have thought if we were in their places?  What do we think now?  Is it all just a fairy tale to us?  A cute story that we tell once or twice a year & then forget, or write off as fiction?

  Hopefully, it is so much more to us.  Because it is all 100% true.  It is the only reason we have anything to celebrate.  Without Jesus, & all He is & all He has done, there is nothing.  He alone is the source of all our joy.  He is the only reason we even have Christmas.

  So, please, let’s be merry & bright.  Let’s spread cheer & festivity to all around us.  Let’s enjoy the beauty & love that surrounds us.  But let’s also remember to proclaim glory to God & thank Him for the absolute best gift of all time – Jesus Christ!

HALLELUJAH to the KING OF KINGS; to the LORD OF LORDS; to the PRINCE OF PEACE; our WONDERFUL COUNSELOR; the MIGHTY GOD; the EVERLASTING FATHER!  ALL PRAISE to IMMANUEL; to the ANOINTED ONE; to the MESSIAH; our LORD and SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST!

Knowledge, Compassion, Action

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Prov 9:10)

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:16-17)

“I have treasured your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you.” 

(Ps 119:11)

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things.” (Gal 5:22-23)

“So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ.” (Rom 10:17)

“But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith by my works.” (Jam 2:18)

   As Christians, we need to fear, or respect, honor, & revere, the LORD, our God.  If we do this, we will gain wisdom, & it increases our knowledge of God & His ways. 

   The more we grow in our relationship with God, the deeper our faith becomes & the more we become like Christ.  And the more we start to view the people around us the way He does.

   Jesus gave us a beautiful example of how being full of the knowledge of God produces the “fruit of the Spirit”, which yields a heart full of compassion for the world around us.  As we go about our daily lives, we are to be like Him – to have genuine love & care for all the people we encounter.

   The more we increase our knowledge of God, the more we gain compassion for the people around us.  The more compassion we have, the more it will overflow into our actions & how we live our lives.  We need to proclaim the Good News about God & His love with more than just our words.  We need to broadcast it with what we do.  Our words carry a lot more weight & have much more value when they are supported & proven by what we do.  If we display the love of God in our daily lives, we will show the world the truth of Jesus & all that He has done for us.  And people will be drawn to God for the same hope, joy, & love they see reflected in us.

So, let’s increase our knowledge of God, be filled with compassion, & live in a way that undeniably shows the love & necessity of Jesus!

What is Love?

(1 Corinthians 13)

 The word “love” appears several hundred times throughout the Bible, & the concept is one of, if not the, central themes of God’s Word. Today, we toss the word around a lot, often with little regard for what it actually means. And this begs the question, do we even really know what love means? Do we really know what it is?

 John tells us that God is love (1 John 4:16), & that God loves us so much that He sent Jesus to save us (John 3:16-17). And Jesus tells us that the greatest commands are to love God with our hearts, souls, minds, & strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. (Mark 12:29-31)

 So, what does this mean for us? How do we show love to God & to others? We love God by surrendering our lives to Him & living our lives in a way that honors & glorifies Him. This involves loving others.

 One of the most detailed descriptions about loving others can be found in 1 Corinthians 13, where Paul elaborates on what this love is.

 – Patient — Quite possibly everybody’s least favorite word, patient means waiting, not being in a rush, allowing others to move at their own pace, & recognizing that our timetable may not be God’s.

 – Kind — Simply put, this means showing compassion, grace & mercy, and being just plain nice to people (whether we feel like it or not).

 – Not Envious — We are grateful for what we have, & genuinely happy for other people’s success & accomplishments.

 – Not Boastful — We do not brag about our own triumphs & successes or proclaim them loudly for all the world to hear.

 – Not Arrogant — We’re not full of pride, & do not consider ourselves to be better than anyone else.

 – Not Rude — We show people respect & consideration.

 – Not self-seeking — We put other people’s well-being, needs, wants, & dreams ahead of own.

 – Not Irritable — We are slow to anger. We allow for people to make mistakes & do not let the “little things” get under our skin.

 – No Record of Wrongs — We forgive & forget. We do not hold people’s past mistakes over their heads. We allow for God’s work to be revealed.

 – No Joy in Unrighteousness — We are not happy when bad things happen, or when people do things God says we should not do.

 – Rejoices in the Truth — We are happy when what is right is victorious & when honesty wins out over lies.

 – Bears, Believes, Hopes, Endures All Things — We are tenacious. We stubbornly cling to our faith in God, regardless of whatever we face & we trust that no one is beyond His reach.

 – Never Fails — Love is eternal. There is no end to it. As long as there is breath in our lungs, & as long as God exists, we are called to love.

“These three remain: Faith, Hope, & Love—the greatest is Love”

Love God. Love others.