The Gift That Keeps On Giving

Just about everyone can agree that this has been a crazy year. Many of you have faced challenges you never saw coming. You may have prayed for nothing to go wrong in your life, but it may have felt like many things went wrong. But if there are no problems in life, there’s no room for faith.

With everything that we have experienced this year, it should draw us closer to the real meaning behind the Christmas story. Mary and Joseph experienced episode after episode of difficulty and uncertainty, yet one thing that they understood was that God was with them, literally!

Mary had a song in her heart, and she sang a prophecy saying:

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
49 For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
And holy is His name.
50 And His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation.
Luke 1:46-50

1 John 1:14 says,

“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”
1 John 1:14

Hebrews 5:5 says,

“In the same way, Christ did not take on himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.”
Hebrews 5:5

God literally fused Himself with sinful flesh and blood to save sinners.

The parents of Jesus had to trust in the promises delivered by God through the angel Gabriel that nothing was going to stop God’s plan to bring salvation into the world. At the end of her last trimester, Mary was almost ready to give birth, but they had to travel to Bethlehem, a four to six-day journey, 80-90 miles. How do you think she felt on this journey? They traveled through rough paths, around wild animals, possibly bad weather, and robbers, but God was with them, so who could be against them. Can I tell you again that God is with you, but you have to be with Him?

They looked for a place to rest when they arrived in Bethlehem, but all the rooms in the inn were full, so Mary gave birth to the Messiah in a barn, and His crib was a manger that was used to feed animals, but they had to believe that Jesus would be the greatest man that would ever walk the earth. And He was! The birth of Jesus is how we got B.C. – Before Christ!

Israel was under the heavy hand of King Herod the Great – a madman with no moral principle. He had his men hunt Jesus down, but they went to the wrong place because by that time Mary and Joseph had already left Bethlehem and taken Jesus to Nazareth.

This crazy king killed all of the first-born males under 2 years old, in Bethlehem for nothing. The newborn king was still alive because God was with Mary and Joseph.

No matter what you may be going through, Christmas should remind you that God is with you! If this is usually a sad time for you, maybe because you’ve lost a loved one, let this holiday remind you of Immanuel.

If you’re in need, God will meet that need, but you gotta believe it. If your marriage is broken or your family is divided, my prayer for you today is that your relationships be restored.

God is near to the brokenhearted, and he understands and cares about our hurts, our pains, and our needs. God is able, but we can’t focus on what we don’t have. God shows us how to be grateful for the small things we tend to be ungrateful about. We can’t focus on what’s not right in our lives because God is still in control.

The world grieves with no hope, and Christians grieve too but not like the world because Jesus is our hope. All of the solutions to our problems are found in Jesus Christ

Mary, the mother of Jesus, was the first to receive Him. The wise men bowed down and worshiped Him. The shepherds ran so they wouldn’t miss Him. The angels came down from heaven to praise and testify about Him. Herod being jealous of baby Jesus, tried to kill Him. The devil is always somewhere in the mix. A man named Simeon didn’t see death until he held baby Jesus in his arms and spoke a blessing over His parents. Last but not least, when an 84-year-old prophetess named Anna saw Jesus, she testified about Him to anyone who was willing to listen.

The only way to have the joy of the Lord and the peace of the living God is if we worship and magnify the Son of God, as the first witnesses of Christ.

Christmas is not about the gifts people will give us or even the gifts we will give to others, but it’s about honoring Jesus. Think about it. What if your family and friends celebrated everyone except you on your birthday? Well, Christmas is about the birth of Christ.

Jesus is that gift that keeps on giving. If He never did another thing for you and me, His gifts of love, forgiveness, and salvation are more than enough.

For that very reason, we can dance and shout and sing for joy because not only was our Savior born, but Paul said, “…more than that!” He has risen from the dead, and you and I have hope today! You can live today! You can be happy today! Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say and again I say rejoice!

I hope that something in this message has given you hope today!

If you haven’t received the gift of Jesus Christ, don’t miss out! Jesus was born so that you could be born again and have a new life in Him and this life will last for eternity!

Salvation Plan

Today, if you have not received Salvation or you would like to rededicate your life back to Christ, say this prayer:

God, I know that I am a sinner. Right now, Lord, I turn from my sins, and I ask you to forgive me. Jesus, I believe that you died on the cross and rose from the grave, for me. I open my heart and life for You to come in, and I receive You as my Lord and Savior. Thank You, God for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Read the Book of John in the Bible. Find out who Christ is, and how He loves you, yes you!

Come back and read through our Live Inspired articles, videos, and Today’s Devotions, to gain wisdom and insight into God’s Word. It is a guide to you as you read His Word, the Bible.

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We hope today’s message has blessed you! Testify how the Lord is working through your life in the comments below.

Love,

Randomnestfamily