Christmas Blessings

 

Artwork by Carol Moore
https://mooresartgallery.blogspot.com/

A Christian thought to ponder ...

Two thousand and twenty-five years ago in the little town of Bethlehem, a great star shone brightly, and the angels announced the birth of Jesus, the Son of God, our Savior, and our King. Imagine how Joseph felt holding God in the flesh. What thoughts lay hold of his mind. Did he truly understand that he beheld and held God, who became man to save the world? A world in need of a Savior now more than ever. 

As this world gets darker and wickedness runs rampant, we can find hope and light this Christmas in celebrating the birth of Christ Jesus, our Savior. It is a great blessing to know the beginning of God's redemptive plan. A plan that was promised in Genesis 3:15.

"And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

And that offspring was born one night all those years ago, in a manger in the town of Bethlehem who had no room for its Savior, its King.  As it states in Colossians 13-17, he delivered us from the darkness and he is the King of Kings, Creator of all things.

"He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together."

Our Savior Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, defeated the enemy. He was victorious at the cross. Death had no hold on him. Sin was atoned for us by his death, and the power of sin and death had over us was broken. We were set free from the bondage of sin. Alleluia!

As we sit around the Christmas tree this year opening our presents, let us not forget that all those years ago, God gave us the greatest gift of all, a Savior, His Son, to redeem us from our fallen state. May our Lord Jesus Christ, who revealed his glory to all on that special day long ago, bless you with peace, hope, and love this Christmas. And may His light shine brightly through your lives throughout the New Year. 

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for revealing Your glory, Your grace, and Your truth by sending Your one and only Son to become flesh and dwell among us. Enlighten hardened hearts and open deaf ears to hear this truth, this hope, and help them to see this true light so that they may believe and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. 

We ask this in Jesus' name.

Amen. 

God's Precious Gift

While looking around at all the hustle and bustle this Christmas, I ponder about how much I hate what Christmas has become. I hate being out amongst all of this worldly, mad-dashing chaos. Why do I hate it so much? I find no comfort in it. However, I do find comfort in God’s Word, and I find comfort and hope in the true meaning behind Christmas. At a young age we get it driven into our heads to believe that Christmas is about flamboyant light shows, or it is about the man dressed up in the red suit, or it is about the number of presents we receive on December 25th. When in actuality, the true meaning of Christmas is about a miraculous birth that occurred over 2000 years ago as recorded in the book of Luke.

“And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”

Luke 2: 10-11

On a starlit night, a brilliant star shone brightly within the night sky, leading people to a magnanimous, humble birth, to a babe who was wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger. That baby's name was Jesus. The messiah. A representation of the one Most High. A baby who would become our Savior and would save us from our sins. He would save the lost.

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Luke 19:10

God loved us so much that He gave His only begotten Son to save wretches like you and me. He came to save all people. People who have fallen into despair, people who have abused drugs, people who have committed adultery, people who have stolen, people who have lied, people who have been unkind to others, greedy people, and the list goes on and on. All people, regardless of what sins they have committed, have the gift of salavation available to them. Jesus came into this world to save us all, because He loves us all.

 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

John 3:16

Of all the gifts that I have received in my life-time, there is no other gift in the world as amazing as the gift of salvation. I treasure this gift the most.  It is because our Father in heaven loved us so much that he gave us this precious gift.

This Christmas, my prayer is that those who do not know God that they may come to know Him and be born again. I pray for the lost that they may seek Jesus and accept Him as their Savior. I pray that those who do not know the true meaning of Christmas may learn about it's true meaning; about a babe born over 2000 years ago. Jesus, the Son of the Most High. Emmanuel.

Heavenly Father,
Thank you so much for Your precious gift that you gave to us all - the gift of salvation. Thank you for your unfailing never-ending love, mercy, and grace. By Your will alone Lord, I ask that you help those who are lost to seek you this Christmas; to help those who are sitting in the darkness, alone, empty, and never satisfied to seek You and to be filled with Your love and hope this Christmas.
This I ask in Jesus Name.
Amen.

God Bless,

Carol Moore

The True Meaning of Christmas

The True Meaning of Christmas

Artwork by artist Carol Moore
https://mooresartgallery.blogspot.com/

A Christian thought to ponder ...

As people flock to the stores this Christmas season, pushing, shoving, grabbing, and filling up their carts full of worldly things, I wonder how many of them stop to think about what Christmas truly means. 

Understandably, each person celebrates Christmas in their own way and for their own reasons, but for Christians, it is a day when all mankind received a gift – a gift of salvation. It is the day a Savior was born in the most humbling unadorned place - a manger in a stable. Jesus was brought into this world to fulfill God’s promise as stated in KJV Genesis 3:15, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” Thus this verse testifies that God promises to redeem mankind from its fallen state, and the world's Redeemer, Jesus, will bruise the head of the serpent whose name is Satan. Although no one knows the exact birth date of Jesus, Christians began to celebrate Jesus’ birth on December 25th back in the 4th century. The hope was to reform and stop the Roman pagan celebration, traditions, and worshipping of their pagan gods (The History of Christmas).

Many of the Roman traditions are still celebrated around the world, such as the Christmas tree. Not only are these traditions still celebrated, but Christmas has now turned into a secular commercial frenzy. It has become about “I want” and “I need.” We have forgotten what the true meaning of Christmas is - Love (What is the true meaning of Christmas?). “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him" (KJV John 3:16-17). God sent his Son to save us all because He loves us all. No matter what sins we have committed, He loves us all.

Furthermore, Christmas is a day we should be thanking God for giving us such a glorious gift. We should celebrate Christmas with great joy and reverence.  It was the day that the Word became flesh. Christmas is a time of loving one another, giving to one another, and showing goodwill toward one another. All of these are characteristics that Jesus portrayed while He walked upon this earth.

Despite the many pagan origins behind many Christmas traditions and the commercialism that has enveloped the true meaning of Christmas, for many Christians, Christmas is the time to be still, stop and reflect, and thank God for His precious gift. It is a time to remember that over 2000 years ago, one night, in a little town called Bethlehem, a Savior was born in a manger within a stable, fulfilling the promise, the prophecy, and the ordained plan of God to save mankind from its fallen state. And as it states in Isaiah 9: 6, “his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

Resources

Got Questions Ministries. “What is the true meaning of Christmas?” http://www.gotquestions.org/Christmas-true-meaning.html#ixzz2nF09SPjL. Web. 16 Dec. 2013.

McGowan, Andrew. “How December 25 Became Christmas.” http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/new-testament/how-december-25-became-christmas/. 7 Dec. 2012. Web. 16 Dec. 2013.

SimpleToRemember.com - Judaism Online. “The History of Christmas.” http://www.simpletoremember.com/vitals/Christmas_TheRealStory.htm. Web. 16 Dec. 2013.