Has Your Christmas Lost Its Joy?

An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:9-11)

I will never forget the excitement of Christmas early on in my life.  As the holidays would approach, beginning with Thanksgiving, we knew it would be only a short time before that wonderful day would arrive that we looked forward to all year. CHRISTMAS! 

At first, the delight of setting up the Lionel train set that circled the Christmas tree throughout the holidays. And then the beautiful sounds of Christmas music began floating through the air, along with the smell of pine scented candles.  Throughout this time, we children would be dreaming of all the wonderful gifts we might find under the tree come Christmas morning.

Without a doubt, Christmas was always meant to be a time of great joy.  On that first Christmas night, the angel announced to the shepherds “good news of a great joy.”  The Savior has come!  WOW!  Those shepherds were so excited.  That announcement changed their lives forever, and they were filled with joy, wonder, and praise.

Are you filled with joy, wonder, and praise this Christmas?  Or has the devil, the thief who comes only to steal, kill, and destroy stolen those things from you?  If so, there is still time to get it back!

Think about the angel’s announcement, “…a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”  What does that really mean for you and me? 

1.  The Savior has come to save you from your sins.

So many people are suffering with intense guilt over bad things they have done in the past.  The devil will happily beat you to death with shame and guilt.  But you need not be beaten any longer!  No matter what terrible things you have done in your past. The Savior’s blood that was shed for you on the cross can wash away any stain of sin in your life.  

The moment you confess those sins to God and repent of them, you are forgiven!!  Remember what the Lord said to Peter, “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.” (Acts 10:15)

2.  The Savior has come to save you from an empty present.  

Are you one of those people who are just surviving in this world, but not really living?  Jesus came at Christmas not to fill your empty stocking, but to fill your empty life!  He has a purpose for you.    

Surrender your life to Him, and let Him lead you.  He wants to bring you joy and peace, regardless of your circumstances.  And He wants to use your life to make a difference in others that will last for all eternity. 

Begin living for God, and you will begin one of the greatest adventures in life you could have ever imagined; an opportunity to touch another person with the love and joy of Jesus.

 3.  The Savior has come to save you from a hopeless future.   

Everyone without God is without hope.  No one comes to the Father without the Savior, Jesus Christ.  But now He has come, and we can really know Him personally, and we can be assured of His presence and provision while we live…and His heaven when we die. 

Paul said, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him…” (1 Cor. 2:9)  WOW!  What a future is in store for the child of God!

My friend, do not let the devil steal your Christmas JOY and Peace any longer!  The Savior has come, and He has come for YOU!  Receive the good news and rejoice in the truth!

Can God change your life?

God has made it possible for you to know Him, and experience an amazing
change in your own life.

Discover how you can find peace with God.

Our Rock and Our Assurance

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who builds his house on a rock." (Matthew 7:24)

If you've looked at the newspapers lately, listened to news broadcasts, or read the news feeds on the internet you may have come to the same conclusion that I have - there's an awful lot of uncertainty running around in that world out there.

 Whether it's the war on terrorism, increasing energy costs, the murder rate, the economy, or any other thing we human beings put our hands to, the reality is that, from a human perspective, there's absolutely nothing that's certain and absolutely reliable.

We Americans even have a cautionary saying that, "The only things you can be certain of are death and taxes."

I'm reminded of John Steinbeck's book, "Of Mice and Men" where he quotes from Robert Burns' poem, "The Mouse": "The best laid plans of mice and men gang aft agley" ("go oft awry").  Like George and Lennie, Steinbeck's two main characters, it often seems as if all our hopes are dashed by the whims of the world, no one can count on anything for certain.

David's marvelous prayer in II Samuel 22 came at a time of great insecurity and uncertainty for him, as well as for the people of Israel.  They had faced the attack of the Philistines, time and time again going up against overwhelming numbers.  Yet, with the help of God, David and his men defeated them and saved Israel.  Having been anointed by the Prophet Samuel to be King Saul's successor, David had to flee from Saul's attempts to kill him while at the same time fighting the Philistines.

If ever a human being had a reason to feel insecure and uncertain about his future, David was that person.  But his hymn of praise, as recorded in II Samuel 22, shows just the opposite.  He praises God as his rock, his fortress, and his deliverer. (vs. 2)  He confidently sees God as his sure and certain refuge who shields him from his enemies and saves him from all that would do him harm.

Fast forward to the New Testament where Jesus puts forth His Word of hope for His disciples.  In the face of the whims and insecurities of life, Jesus assures us that His Word provides a solid foundation and a certainty of life with Him.  He assures us that nothing can take us away from Him and none of life's storms can drag us from His loving arms.

Our lives find their solid foundation in Jesus and His Word.  By the power of the Word and Spirit we have been brought to faith in Christ who is our Rock, our Certainty, and our Confidence.  The world no longer has the power to hold us captive to its doubts and whims. Rather than following the world's lead, we follow Jesus' lead for we are called in the Word to follow Him as obedient disciples - servants serving Him and others in Jesus' name.

In that obedience we experience the absolute certainty of our salvation in Christ.  By faith we know His forgiveness which breaks Sin's bondage.  By faith we are assured that Death no longer has any power over us.  By faith we're confident that Satan, the "old evil foe," has been defeated and can no longer tear us away from our Father's loving arms.

In a world mixed with uncertainty, insecurity, and the continuing attacks of evil men seeking to destroy God's work and His people, we have Christ as the "solid rock" on which we build our lives.  He is our Rock and our Assurance.  In Him we have all the purpose for life we need and a message of hope and peace for everyone we meet.

Can God change your life?

God has made it possible for you to know Him, and experience an amazing
change in your own life.

Discover how you can find peace with God.