Month: December 2024

It’s Christmas Eve. Tomorrow we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior. Even those that do not believe celebrate. That’s how powerful our God is. But as we celebrate, let’s remember how blessed we are that “God with us” through the Holy Spirit. That means he is with us all day. Every day. All year. 

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. Last time I checked, the word “all” quite literally means all. So that means every single one of us has the ability to know Jesus. Every single one of us has the ability to take him into our hearts. Awesome! The power of the Holy Spirit gives us 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!” I pray if you do not know Jesus, that you take the time to take him into your heart. I pray if you do know Jesus, you take the time to tell others who he is. I love you all. I pray you have a blessed holiday. 

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. Ever feel that way?

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. Some will simply stop searching. I would like to suggest that the answer is pretty simple. I believe the answer is this…We are here to glorify God. As I stated, it’s really pretty simple. 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. In person. On Facebook. Through email. Etc. Maybe it’s something we manually do. Maybe it’s something we financially do. Maybe it’s something that we do through prayer. I think you get the point. 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.

I think we can all agree that we are blessed to have a Lord and Savior such as Jesus. Think about it for a minute. He left heaven. He left paradise to come to earth. To bring us hope. To bring us peace. To bring us life. Knowing that he was going to pay the ultimate price. He was going to endure pain beyond measure. And he still came. 

Now, since he did what he did, we should be doing what we’re called to do. Not only should we be glorifying and praising Jesus, we should be showing others who he is. The world is full of lost people. Those that don’t know Jesus. They might know who he is, but they don’t truly know him. It is our job to show them the hope and peace that comes from Jesus. 

God knows our struggles. He knows our trials. He knows what we are going to face each day. He doesn’t want us to face our situations alone. We don’t need to face the burden by ourselves. If we choose to put him first, we will receive strength and peace through our trials. The lost need to know this. They need to know he is there. Here are some thing that I read, “Even before the birth of Jesus, God provided us with the answer to any and every worry we may have through the Lordship of His Son—how incredible!” This is so true. So today let’s strive to show others who Jesus is. Let’s try to show them the rest and the peace that only comes from him.

This morning’s reading could be pretty challenging for us. But it’s definitely something we need to think about. When God created us, the plan was for us to live in harmony with him.  Sin came in and changed all of that. Sin changed our hearts. That meant greed and selfishness came around. God’s solution to that was, and still is, pretty amazing. Jesus. He sent Jesus to bring us back into harmony with him. Having a relationship with Jesus gives us the tools to combat sin. Gives us the tools to live a life pleasing to God. 

Here’s where it gets difficult for many of us. If we understand God‘s grace, then we know it allows us to live in unity. What happened on the cross paved the path for us to live in God‘s family. All of us! Jesus’s sacrifice eradicated all division: Cultural, racial, political, financial, etc.  All division! The Bible tells us that we are all sinners. We know that. But the Bible also tells us that we are all loved beyond our imaginations. All of us! So that includes people around us that we do not necessarily like. 

Living under God‘s grace means living a life together. Loving one another as Christ loves us. Maybe the hardest thing for believers to do. Loving others that we do not like. Wow. Read that again. Loving others that we do not like. But just think if we could do that. Think if the world could do that. Just think of the lost who could come to know Jesus if this was the case. And then if they know Jesus, they can live under God’s grace as well. Living a life knowing a hope and a peace that only comes from him. Living a life knowing what awaits them for eternity. So today, let’s try to love others. Even those not in our circles. Let’s celebrate this season honoring God by truly loving others. I am aware that this is difficult. But let’s still try. Because God loves us. Always has. Always will.

We always say that it takes a family to do what we do. It takes a family to battle veteran suicide. And we all have our roles. Whether you are one of our guides, volunteers, supporters, etc. We all have our roles. And each one of them is important. They help each other. That’s how we succeed. Helping each other as we serve God together.

The Great Commission calls for us to go out and make disciples. To go out and show God‘s grace to the world. Trying to show hope and a peace the only comes from Jesus. The Bible tells us that we are all part of one body. And that we belong to Jesus. Unfortunately, not everyone knows this or believes this. But it’s true. We belong to Jesus. And carrying out the mission requires us all. Because the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. And I think that is beautiful.

So maybe today is the day for you to find your role. Or at least start looking for it. Don’t let the great liar deceive you. Don’t let him convince you that you are not worthy. He will do all he can to bring you down and keep you from serving. And he is good at that. But remember this, as good as he is at what he does, our Lord and Savior is even better at what he does. His strength is greater. His love is bigger. His kingdom is forever. And even more amazing, the victory has already been declared. The cross did that for us. So as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, let’s remember we are all part of the same family, on the same mission, working towards the same goal. Eternity in heaven. Because…Jesus loves you. He loves me. He always has. He always will.

Isn’t it amazing that we have access to God through Jesus. His life, death, and ultimately his resurrection, give us this access. He is our everlasting father. He is our peace. He is our hope. He is our protector. And above all else, he is our Lord and Savior. We must strive to be like him. He is the example of how we should love others. The Bible is full of stories showing us how we should do this. God will not give up on us. He will be there. Even when we turn our back on him, and run from him, he will be there. Waiting for our return. Even when we break his heart, he will be there. His love will not waiver. The story of the Prodigal Son is a great example of this. The father in the story never gave up hope. Always praying for his son‘s return. I have a similar experience.

My high school basketball coach became my father figure after my dad passed away. I was 15. Throughout high school, he used his position in my life to teach me values and lessons of life. I always found it interesting that he would find out what I was doing. And he would make sure to correct me in his not so subtle ways. (Those that knew him, will understand this.) All the while, I never wanted to accept his teachings. I was determined to be my own man. Didn’t think I needed him. As I got into college, I drifted away from him. Started to really follow my own path. Made my own decisions. My own choices. Which would eventually lead me to being paralyzed. 

In the hospital, before I could even talk, those around me told me he was going to come visit. I didn’t want to see him. I didn’t want to hear his lessons. I was embarrassed because I was paralyzed doing things that he told me I shouldn’t do. I had let him down. When he came in, I remember being anxious. Waiting for him to say something to correct me. But all he did was bend down and kiss me on my forehead. I will never forget that. He was still there for me. I knew I was in for a long road. But, I also knew he was in my corner. And because of that, I knew I could face what I had ahead of me. Fast forward to January 1992. He is the one who led me to Christ. He had never given up. Always loved me. Just as Christ loves us. He always has. He always will.

The last two days we’ve covered points about forgiving ourselves and forgiving others. We mentioned that to those can be very hard for some people to do. Myself included. But they are both important for us in order to have pure hearts. I think we need pure hearts to serve God to the best of our abilities. The third point of forgiveness is being forgiven by our Lord and Savior. The Bible tells us that if we repent and confess that we will be forgiven. Something that is also difficult for some of us to do. 

I have been asked many times, “How can I be forgiven for what I have seen and what I have done?” It really is a great question. And I get it. We are sinners. How is forgiveness possible? There’s really only one answer for this. Jesus. Jesus is the answer. That’s how it’s possible. His sacrifice on the cross took care of that for us. We cannot do anything to earn forgiveness. We don’t even deserve it. But Christ’s love for us is so great, that it is there for us simply by asking for it. 

How incredible! God loves us so much, we can be forgiven. God loves us so much, he sent his son to die on the cross for us. God loves us so much, we can spend eternity in heaven with him. It really is that simple. His love does these things for us. His love paved the way for us. He has always loved us. And he always will. Unfortunately, many of us will not receive that love. Won’t believe it. Won’t take it in. It’s hard to think about what they are missing out on. It’s my prayer that you receive what is waiting for you. That you receive the grace that comes from Jesus. Maybe today is the day for you to do so. To take Jesus into your heart. To accept him as your Lord and Savior. Make the greatest decision for your life that you can make. If you haven’t already, just open your heart. He’s waiting. He’s there. All you have to do is ask.

Yesterday we talked about how we need to forgive ourselves to have a pure heart. And that we need a pure heart to serve God. The second point of forgiveness I want to discuss is forgiving others. Just as forgiving ourselves might be the hardest for some of us to do of the three points we’re going to make, forgiving others might be the hardest to do for some of us as well. 

When someone wrongs us, or wrongs someone that we care about, we must try to forgive them. I am fully aware how hard this is. Because I am as guilty as the next of not forgiving. Not so much when someone wrongs me. I can brush that off. But when someone harms my family, especially my wife or children, I want to retaliate. I want them to pay for what they’ve done. I want them to feel the same pain that they have caused. Actually, I want them to suffer more. And I want to be the cause of their pain. These are all my natural responses as a husband and father. I’m sure many of you feel the same way. But, I have learned over time that I MUST forgive them instead. WE must all learn to do this. 

Here’s why. First off, the Bible tells us we must forgive others. Plain and simple. It’s a command. Secondly, forgiving others is not a gift for them. It does not release them from what they have done. They are still guilty. And I am completely fine with them being held accountable. Forgiving them, releases us. Not them. It is a gift to us. It is an amazing gift to us. How is that? It releases us because it takes that off of our shoulders. It takes away the constant burden of wanting to retaliate. It takes the hate out of our hearts. We probably will never forget. Nothing wrong with that. We can learn from these types of situations. And we can grow stronger. But forgiving is going to give us a peace in our hearts again. We can sleep better. We can go about our days better. And just like the first point we made yesterday, it helps make our hearts pure. Which allows us to better serve our God. Which we all should strive to do. Because he loves us. Always has. Always will.

It’s no secret that God created us. Therefore we belong to God. We are his. Just as a newborn child belongs to his or her parents. All that we have and we are, we owe to God. Since we are part of his creation, God loves us. And he will protect us.

One aspect of being human, being part of the creation, is our need to belong to something. We need to feel connected to something. We need to be accepted and loved. Unfortunately, this inherit need can lead us to make bad decisions and choices. We find ourselves seeking things of this world. Wanting to belong to the wrong groups. Looking for everything except for what is in God. I did that for a long time. Many of us may feel more strongly about belonging to our families, our social circle, racial or ethnic group, or other groups than we do about belonging to God.

Sometimes it’s easier for us to believe that we are “self-made” by our own creation. But as soon as we realize we are created in him, and created for his purpose, our sense of belonging changes. Then we can truly submit our lives to him. We can submit ourselves to serving him. We then know that we are his treasure. He values us. And then we can show others this same value and love. The same hope and peace that only comes from God. No matter where we are in life, we can do this. In our work. In our hobbies. In our passions. We can show God’s love to everyone around us. Helping them realize that they are part of his creation as well. How glorious is that! Pretty awesome.