1. You are loved.
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." ~ John 3:16
2. The greatest gift you can give is yourself.
For Travis' Christmas gift from me this year, I made the commitment to visit an elderly neighbor with the children at least once a week. What can you give of yourself to someone this Christmas? Read a book to your child when you are aching tired. Listen to your son play his new song on the guitar. Visit a nursing home once a month. There are so many ways to give yourself to others.
3. Love is what matters most.
"But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love." ~ 1 Corinthians 13:13
"Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away." ~ 1 Corinthians 13:8
4. At this very moment, there is a man or woman prepared to die for you.
5. Jesus came to us as a child.
"Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven."~ Matthew 18:3
6. God did not choose wealth or glory for his only son.
Think of the circumstances of Jesus' birth. It was no accident that Jesus was born in such humility. Why? Think of what a real stable is like. There are noisy smelly sheep, piles of messy cow manure, spiders, muddy hooves. It is not the pretty picture on the Christmas cards.Should we feel the need to provide our children with expensive and lavish gifts when Jesus had a feed trough for a crib?
7. Hunger has a face.
Charity isn't something we do on the side that makes us feel good about ourselves. We have an obligation to do what we can to help others less fortunate than us.
8. Christmas isn't about decorations.
...it's not about what our houses look like, or the food we serve, or the cookies we bake. Christmas is about preparing a place for the Christ Child in our hearts and homes.
9. Simplicity is a state of the heart.
Simplicity is not the decluttering of physical space. Simplicity is a decluttering of the mind; it is singleness of heart.
10.Gratitude is the seedbed of joy.
11. He died for you.
And He would have died for YOU ONLY.
So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 “All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
11 “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep"
(John 10: 8-10)
I pray that all of you, dear readers, will have a soul-searching, meaningful , and peaceful Advent. I pray that we are able to find true Christmas and that we remember what is most important in life.
