12 days of Christmas day 1

  The Greatest Christmas Gift Day 1

"This is Christmas: not the tinsel, not the giving and receiving, not even the carols, but the humble heart that receives anew the wondrous gift, the Christ."
- Frank McKibben

"And what a difference between our sin and God's generous gift of forgiveness. For this one man, Adam, brought death to many through his sin. But this other man, Jesus Christ, brought forgiveness to many through God's bountiful gift. And the result of God's gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man's sin. For Adam's sin led to condemnation, but we have the free gift of being accepted by God, even though we are guilty of many sins. The sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over us, but all who receive God's wonderful, gracious gift of righteousness will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ."

Romans 5:15-17

The Most Perfect Gift

Each year this time comes and goes and we are {hopefully} reminded that Christmas is not about giving or receiving presents. It is to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the greatest gift that has ever been given, by the greatest gift-giver of all—our wonderful Father God. Take time to relish in His goodness, in His glory. Take time to thank Him for the blessings He has bestowed us. But most importantly, thank the Father for giving us the Son at all. Thank the Son for humbly submitting to the will of the Father—coming to earth as a mere babe in a stable to be placed in a manger. It is the greatest gift you will EVER receive.

Merry Christmas

 

12 days of Christmas day 2

Laugh with Immanuel Day 2

"The implications of the name 'Immanuel' are both comforting and unsettling. Comforting, because He has come to share the danger as well as the drudgery of our everyday lives. He desires to weep with us and to wipe away our tears. And what seems most bizarre, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, longs to share in and to be the source of the laughter and the joy we all too rarely know."
- Michael Card

"All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 'The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel' - which means, 'God with us.'"

Matthew 1:22-23

"Surely you have granted him eternal blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence."

Psalm 21:6

Laugh with Immanuel

Have you ever noticed how quickly we turn to God in times of sorrow, struggle, danger or fear? Yet, during times of joy we forget Him? God is the giver of joy. Immanuel means “God is with us”, He wants to share in our every moment—even the silly laughter and fun we have. Turn to Him during EVERY moment! Not just in desperation!

 

12 days of Christmas day 3

Wonderful Impossibilities Day 3

"When God intends to make something wonderful he begins with a difficulty. When he intends to make something very wonderful, he begins with an impossibility."
- Former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Coggan

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

Ephesians 3:20-21

Wonderful Impossibilities

Jesus’ birth was not just a difficulty—it, under normal circumstances would be considered impossible. Only the great I Am could breathe life into Mary’s womb. Just as God made it possible for Mary to conceive the Savior—a perfect, fully God, fully human Man—He can accomplish the impossible in our lives as well. We should not quickly forget this! 

 

12 days of Christmas day 4

Jesus Our Hope Day 4

"We have lasting hope through the salvation we have in Christ ... Hope means that even when it looks like it's all over, it's not all over yet. That's why the Bible says we can rejoice even in our tribulations. God is working in our hard times to produce proven character and hope in us."
-Dr. Tony Evans, Totally Saved

"May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you

Psalm 33-22

He is our Hope

For millions of people, the Christmas season means nothing more than parties, gifts, decorations, and time off work. For Christians, however, this time of year is a happy reminder of the hope we have because of the Savior, Jesus Christ.

Before Jesus came, God seemed like a distant dream, hidden in the temple, accessible only to the high priest. Those who worshipped Him doubted their salvation, wondered whether the sacrifices they made were acceptable.

Hope is Christ. To the person who is struggling to find work, to the single mother who is struggling to make ends meet, to the believer struggling with a life threatening illness, to anyone struggling in any fashion. If you have Jesus, you most certainly have hope. He is not a false hope, a fairy tale for children to believe in…He rose from the dead, and that ended the argument about who He is. Our hope in Him is solid and real.

Christmas renews this hope for believers. If our vision is growing dim, this hope reaffirms our hope. There is no need to doubt, the argument was settled long ago.

Jesus is the fulfillment of hope. 

 

12 days of Christmas day 5

Not Alone at All Day 5

"I am not alone at all, I thought. I was never alone at all. And that, of course, is the message of Christmas. We are never alone. Not when the night is darkest, the wind coldest, the word seemingly most indifferent. For this is still the time God chooses."
- Taylor Caldwell

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: 'For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.' No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 8:35-39

Never Alone

It is in the moments when we think we are completely alone that we realize that we are truly not alone at all. God is with us in the darkest night, during the coldest wind. This may be the moment when he chooses to pull us closer to Him than ever before. We should stand confidently in these moments, knowing that He is standing strong beside us whether we see Him or not. 

 

12 days of Christmas day 6

Come as a Child Day 6

"There's nothing sadder in this world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child."
- Erma Bombeck

"He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: 'I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.'"

Matthew 18:2-4

As a Child

Christmas morning seems to be magical for so many children. Each day God asks us to be like a child, to become little children. Not just on Christmas, but each day as we approach the Father, with just as much excitement as on Christmas morning…only the excitement is for His goodness. We should humbly trust Him with our every need and be confident that He will met those needs and all of our cares are under His control—just as a child stands confidently in the shadow of their parent. He is our Father, His love will never fail. 

 

12 Days of Christmas Day 7

A Christmas Candle Day 7

A Christmas candle is a lovely thing;
It makes no noise at all,
But softly gives itself away;
While quite unselfish, it grows small.
- Eva K. Logue

John the Baptist said of Jesus:
"He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less."

John 3:30

A Christmas Candle

This morning on Women Living Well, Courtney posted a picture of a candle with this exact quote from Eva K. Logue. It’s funny how God uses others to encourage us. I knew this was the day 7 I would write about, but when I saw the picture I didn’t realize the quotes were the same. Oh, but He did.

We are like that candle, one that holds the flame burning strong and bright as the light of Christ does. Each day, we should softly give ourselves to Him, becoming less and less so that He might continue to become greater and greater. Through this, He will shine brighter through us! 

 

12 Days of Christmas Day 8

Pleasing in His Sight Day 8

So remember while December
Brings the only Christmas day,
In the year let there be Christmas
In the things you do and say.
- Anonymous

"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer."

Psalm 19:14

Pleasing in His Sight

The words that we speak are a direct reflection of our thoughts and our attitude towards God. God-pleasing thoughts and words are pleasing because in His sight they motivate us to be more like Christ—acting like Him towards others. These thoughts then become seen and not just heard.

Are your thoughts pleasing to God? Are they pleasing every day or just on Sunday mornings or days such as Christmas? Is the spirit of Christmas alive throughout the year, or on one day?

I pray it is every day for me! I pray that every day I exhibit actions that are like Christ because of the thoughts I am having that are pleasing to Him. 

 

Prophecies fulfilled

Prophecy: born in Bethlehelm

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.

Micah 5:2

Prophecy: born of a virgin

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

Isaiah 7:14

Prophecy: God incarnate

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

Isaiah 9:6-7

Prophecy fulfilled: born in Bethlehelm

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Luke 2:11

Prophecy fulfilled: Virgin birth

And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy–the Son of God.

Luke 1:35

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

Matthew 1:23

Prophecy: God incarnate

He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.

Luke 1:32, 33

How amazing, He fulfilled every OT prophecy. God promised His Son years before He appeared. We can always, 100% of the time rely on the promises God gives us. He will always prove faithful, always prove to be true. He is our God, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. These promises bring me great comfort, fill me with great joy and I pray that the same is true for each one of you.

As you enter into the week of His birth, I humbly come before you and say, KEEP CHRIST FIRST. I pray each of you has a joyous Christmas with your loved ones and that you truly celebrate the meaning of this day. This isn’t just a day to relish in gifts; it’s the day our Savior, Redeemer, Propitiation for our sins was born. I love you all and most importantly, so does our God, the Son, and His Holy Spirit.

Merry Christmas

 

12 Days of Christmas Day 9

Eternal Glory Day 9

"There is no improving the future without disturbing the present." - Catherine Booth

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Eternal Glory

We must always try to remember that what we see in our life in the present age is only temporary. The most important part, one that we cannot see, is eternal. If the situations we find ourselves in are disturbing or upsetting, we must remember that there is a great chance that He is behind the scenes accomplishing what we cannot see with our eyes but only have faith in with our hearts. 

 

12 days of Christmas day 10

Forgiveness Focuses Forward Day 10

Look not back on yesterday
So full of failure and regret;
Look ahead and seek God's way--
All sin confessed you must forget.
- Dennis DeHaan

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:12-14

"As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us."

Psalm 103:12

12 days of Christmas day 11

Forgiveness Focuses Forward

Often times when we look back at the end of the year, we look at regrets, resolutions we didn’t follow through with, accomplishments not completed. But, sin is not one of the things we should look back on with feelings of failure. If we have truly confessed our sins to God and asked forgiveness, we simply need to FOCUS FORWARD toward the goal of ever pleasing our Lord.

Hindsight Day 11

"Life has to be lived forwards but it can only be understood backwards."
- Søren Kierkegaard

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge him,
And he will make your paths straight."
Proverbs 3:5-6

"Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?"

Job 12:12

Hindsight

If it was possible to walk backwards through our lives, we would be able to erase so many doubts and questions from our pathway. But, this would also cause us to miss out on the moments when we needed to desperately trust in the Lord; clinging to His promises for guidance and hope.