Author: mary

God has done many things for man: created a place for him to live, gave him by giving him water and food, and cared for him time and time again. He gives the gift of life daily. However, the greatest thing He did for man, the greatest gift He gave man, was the gift of a Savior, wrapped in swaddling clothes, born in a stable. He gave Jesus Christ to a dying world. James 1:17 says, “Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.”

Jesus is that good and perfect gift! God sent His Son, the good and perfect gift, to earth as a baby to live and breathe as man does. God created everything: the heavens, the earth, the trees, the beasts of the field and sea, and man himself. His love never changes. His authority never changes. He is the same God who set the earth in motion. He is the same God who sent His Son, Jesus, into the world, and He is the same God who created you and me!

This Christmas, celebrate the God who sent you His good and perfect gift, Jesus, into the world. Celebrate the plans He has for you and me. Worship like the angels do, spread His message like the shepherds did, and ponder all things in your heart like Mary did. The birth of Jesus was the beginning of His plan in motion. The birth of the Savior was the love letter from God to us.

Picture this for a moment. You are a shepherd trying to make a living. You are tending to your sheep one night as usual when all of a sudden you look up and see something angelic. You cannot believe what you are seeing, and you and the other shepherds are afraid. The angel proclaims the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, and all at once you see a host of angels. They are praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased” (Luke 2:14). You know that you have had a glorious encounter and you must know more. You and the other shepherds practically run to meet this new Savior!

Is this how you would react if you knew you were going to meet Jesus Christ, the Savior, born in a manger? The shepherds knew the prophecies and knew that God would send a way to save them from their sins. They couldn’t wait to worship this tiny baby who would grow up to be king. We have a promise today as well. Our promise is that Christ is coming again to rescue us from this world. He has given us a new hope, just as He gave the Israelites hope of a Savior and king.

Are you living in light of the hope He has given? The shepherds were living in light of the hope from the prophecies they knew. They taught their children those prophecies and wrote them on their hearts. Today, we celebrate the birth of that Savior, that He brought hope to the world the first time, and we know He will bring hope again. So write His promises on your hearts and teach them to your children. May they know the God you know and celebrate who He is this Christmas.

Mary, the mother of Jesus, pondered all things in her heart (Luke 2:19). She had the heart of a mother while she carried Jesus in her womb and after He was born. She loved Him as her child and even more as her Savior and Lord. She worshipped Him as it states in Luke 1:47-49: “Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed. For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me.” She felt incredibly blessed to be the mother of the Savior.

God created mothers with that instinct, that ability to ponder and treasure all things. It is such a blessing to be a parent and love in that way. Mary really loved Jesus Christ, her son. She also loved Him because she knew He was the rescuer of man. She knew God had great plans for Him. Mary had an intimate relationship with God. She and Joseph could have decided that they were not able to carry the burden of raising the Lord. Instead, they celebrated that God chose them and they raised Jesus as their own.

Do you ponder all things in your heart the way Mary did? Do you think about the things of God and do you rejoice at God’s plans for you? He DOES have plans for you just as He had for Mary. He wants you to know Jesus in the same way, and He wants you to trust that He will fulfill His plans for you. So this Christmas, do not let the stress of the holidays take the place of the magic of His birth and that promise.

Following God can bring about blessings, but it can also bring about difficult times. However, when we follow God with a good attitude and heart, we will be blessed by witnessing the amazing things He will do in the lives of His people.

Jonah was a godly man who wrestled with obeying God. He was willing to obey God as long as it included something he wanted to do, but he wasn’t as willing when God called him to do something hard: go to Nineveh. He ran away and tried to escape to another land, but the journey was difficult. Storms tried to destroy the boat he was on, and he knew that it was because of his disobedience. So, he told the crew to throw him overboard, and immediately the storms ceased. Jonah was swallowed up by a whale and lived in the belly of a whale for a fews days. After the whale spit him up onto dry land, he went to Nineveh begrudgingly. Revival came to Nineveh, but Jonah sat up on a hill waiting for God to destroy the sinful city.

He missed out on the blessing God had for him because of his attitude. Sure Jonah had been obedient, but his bitterness kept him from the blessing. As Christians, we can choose to serve with a grateful heart or a bitter heart. We will experience great rewards if we allow God to work in us and through us.

God wants us to trust Him and have faith that He will deliver us and care for us. However, we can become easily distracted by the fears that surround us and drown ourselves in those worries and fear. When we look to Jesus and keep our eyes on Him, we will walk with confidence.

The disciples, and especially Peter, are a perfect example of what fear can do to the Christian. The disciples were on a boat crossing the lake after Jesus had just fed the 5,000. Jesus was not with them, as He had sent them on ahead of them. A strong wind began to blow and the disciples were fighting the waves when they saw a man walking on the water toward them. At first the disciples were all afraid and thought it was a ghost. Jesus responds by telling them not to be afraid and then tells Peter to come to Him. Peter stepped out (the first act of his faith) and began walking toward Jesus. However, he allowed his fear to envelop him and he took his eyes off Jesus. He began to sink and was very afraid.

We see here what happens when you have faith like Peter did, you can step out into the raging waters and watch as Christ works in your life. But when you allow the fears of the world to creep up and surround you, you will fall. Keep your eyes on Jesus. He is trustworthy and will lead you through your fears.