Author: Scott

My wife and I have been married for 20 years. Hard to believe. It seems like it was just yesterday we were dating. Now here we are two decades later with three kids and four grandchildren. Truly blessed. And blessed as I am to have been married to her this long, I am inspired by those that we know that have been married 40 years, 50 years, even longer. Amazing examples of what true love is.

But, what is true love? Where does love begin? Where does it come from? These are some deep questions. But I think the answer to all three is one word. The same answer for each question. I believe the answer is God. God is love. The Bible tells us, “We love each other because he loved us first.” Nothing can be more truer than that verse. God created us out of his love. And because of that, we can love others. And that is awesome.

It’s easy for us to get caught up in “earthly” love. Easy to love possessions. Easy to love experiences. Easy to love what others have. But those types of love will fade. They will end. Because those things end. I can tell you this in all confidence, God‘s love for us will never end. Because he will never end. He came before us. He is here now. He will be here when we are gone. He is the constant. He has never wavered. And he never will. Therefore, his love is constant. His love will never waiver. His love will never end. So if we have our love for others is a built on God, those relationships will never end. They will last for eternity. How is that you ask? Because if our lives are built on God‘s love, then we know eternity waits for us. And it waits for our loved ones as well. Maybe today is the day for you to ask God to show you love. To show you how to love. Ask him, and he will.

We live in a world where success is determined many different ways. Wealth. Power. Fame. And more. We also often determine life’s purpose in measures. We like numbers. They’re easy for us to follow. And there’s nothing wrong with any of these. Each of them can be great tools for us serving God. But, they can become problematic if that is where we put our sole focus.

As believers, our success is determined by one thing. Our purpose too. And there really isn’t a way to numerically measure it. LOVE!!! We should work to show LOVE. This can be easier said than done. We will come in contact with obstacles. Loving others can prove to be difficult.

But it is love that makes us one with God. Our faith in Jesus is built on love. And serving others should be built on love. And I know this, if we work to love others, and we ask God to help us, he will make it possible. Plus it is part of his plan for us. A plan that we should follow. Loving others shows our willingness to do his work. It requires effort on our part each day. We can do it though. God will see us through. He will show us. Because he loves us. Always has. Always will.

Today is Christmas. Today we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior. We celebrate him coming to earth to be flesh. As we celebrate, I would like to suggest that we think about what took place some 2000 years ago.

Jesus left heaven and came to earth. He left the throne to come be with us. Came to world full of sin. Knowing what was ahead, he still came. He knew the pain and suffering he was going to face, and he still came. He knew the death that awaited him, and he still came.

While he was here, he lived a very humble life. Surrounded by those the others would turn the noses up to. But even before then, think about his birth. Without the comforts that we have today. Without the comforts they had back then. No bed. No crib. A manger. His life began in simplest of ways. And he spent his life showing us how to serve others. How to love others. So today, celebrate knowing our Lord and Savior loves us so much that he left everything to be with us. He sacrificed it all. Even died for us. Because he loves us. Always has. Always will.

Merry Christmas everyone. I hope you have a blessed day. Love you all.

It’s Christmas Eve. Tomorrow we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior. Even the unbelievers celebrate. That’s how powerful our God is. As we celebrate, let’s remember how blessed we are that is “God with us” through the Holy Spirit.

When Jesus left the earth, he told the disciples that they would then receive the gift and power of the Holy Spirit. What an amazing gift. And what is more amazing is that we all can have this gift. We can all have Jesus in us. The power of the Holy Spirit gives us has access to him all the time. No matter where we are. That’s incredible and amazing.

Let’s finish this devotion by quoting something I read: “This Christmas, allow the power of the gifts God set in motion long ago to resonate in your heart. Whether you’re celebrating over gifts and dinner with loved ones or if you find yourself in a place of mourning, know that Immanuel has come for you. He didn’t just come to occupy a manger, a cross, or a tomb—He came to live in your heart through the everlasting power of His Holy Spirit. The gift of Christmas was always meant for you, and He is with you always!”

In September 2017, after I came out of recovery for my surgery, I found out how serious my condition was. We realized just how blessed we were to have met the doctors that we did. To be sent to a place that was capable of performing the surgery that they did. it didn’t take long for me to conclude that I was alive for a reason. I pride myself in being a good husband and father. But there was still a bigger purpose for me.

I imagine that at some point, most of us have asked the question, “Why am I here?” It’s a natural thing for us to wonder what it is we are called to do. When we sit back and think about how big this world is, it’s easy for us to question that. Unfortunately, many people will never find the “why” for their lives. They will continually search. I would like to suggest that the answer is pretty simple. I believe the answer is this…We are here to glorify God. I believe that God created us for his glory.

When we realize this is our purpose, we then believe that our lives have meaning. We can turn ourselves away from being self-centered. We realize that it’s not about us. Our lives are not about ourselves. Our lives are about God. And our purpose is serving him. Showing others who he is. Showing others his glory. Helping them learn about the peace and hope that comes from him. It’s up to us to find out how to best do that. But we can. At work. At home. With our families. With our friends. No matter where we are. We can do this. We can show people who God is. We can show people that in all things, good and bad, there are blessings. Just as we learned out of my serious illness, God has a purpose for us all. Because he loves us. Always has. Always will.