Category: Month

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The Gift of the Plan

Yesterday I showed you how the Lord has always used His words to bring things to pass. He has always had a plan. In fact, He is the master planner!

When I was in the business world, back in the dark ages before smart phones and computers, I operated my life from the pages of my Day Planner. My life as wife, mother, home school teacher, administrator, ministry coordinator and my social commitments would have been in disarray had I not written everything down. It was then that I was reading in Proverbs, the book of wisdom, that the Lord showed me this verse.

“Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed.” Proverbs 16:3 AMP

By giving the Lord my plans each morning, I let Him direct my steps and I know it saved me time, effort, and anguish. This is when I learned to say “no” to some things. I learned it was important to seek God’s counsel before I accepted invitations and new responsibilities. I learned to trust the Lord when I needed to do personnel evaluations and suggest alternate ideas of operation. I learned to hear God’s voice prompting me to encourage and support those who needed help and hadn’t asked for it.

I learned to trust God’s plan!

“With all your heart you must trust the Lord and not your own judgment. 6 Always let him lead you, and he will clear the road for you to follow.” Proverbs 3:5-6 CEV

Did/do I always get it right? No, but what I learned from the times I failed was to listen better next time. God doesn’t make mistakes so if there was a failure it was mine and I needed to be more attentive to what He was saying. I like that the Lord can take our failures and rework them for good.

“I say this because I know the plans that I have for you.” This message is from the Lord. “I have good plans for you. I don’t plan to hurt you. I plan to give you hope and a good future. 12 Then you will call my name. You will come to me and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will search for me, and when you search for me with all your heart, you will find me.” Jeremiah 29:11-13 ERV

I’m sure Noah wondered about God’s instruction to build an ark when there had never been rain. Then there was Joseph who had a promise that he would be a ruler and he was in prison. Dear sweet Mary certainly had to learn to trust God’s plan being a young, unmarried, pregnant woman. God’s plans always give us hope and a good future.

Now you may be saying “that’s great Kristi for those folks in the Bible but I’m not sure God has a plan for me”. Glad you said that.

“You were saved by faith in God, who treats us much better than we deserve.This is God’s gift to you, and not anything you have done on your own. 9 It isn’t something you have earned, so there is nothing you can brag about. 10 God planned for us to do good things and to live as he has always wanted us to live. That’s why he sent Christ to make us what we are.” Ephesians 2:8-11 CEV

God’s first plan for us was our salvation and after that He has a plan for us to do good things. Yes, there is a plan and if we stray or lose our way the Lord will help us recalculate and come back to the path.

I’m so very glad that God designed a plan just for me. What a wonderful gift!

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The Gift of Words

Remember a week or so back I asked you to join me in a fast, a fast of criticism? So how are you doing? I have to admit that there have been a few times that I’ve had to stop and repent and get back on track. Our words are so important.

You might not think that a teaching on words has much to do with the Christmas season but it really does. God started everything with His words. He said, “Light be” and it was. He spoke the plan of Christ’s birth was spoken out in words hundreds of years before the event took place. God had the prophets repeated that message again and again until it came to pass.

“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14 KJV

Then the angel came to Mary and told her that she had been chosen to give birth to the Messiah. Listen to her response.

“26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth…
30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.
38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.” Luke 1:26-38 KJV

According to your word. Mary knew that it was only necessary for God to speak a word for things to happen.

Words are filled with power – power to create or power to destroy. The writer of Proverbs penned it this way

“ A man’s belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled. 21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” Proverbs 18:20-21 KJV

This is why it’s so important that we “fast” those words that are critical and condemning. We don’t want to end up eating our unkind words, we need to feast on words that life giving.

Our casual approach to the spoken or written word can undermine our faith. My favorite Bible verse, Numbers 23:19 focuses on the importance and power of God’s word.

“God is not a man; he will not lie. God is not a human being; his decisions will not change. If he says he will do something, then he will do it. If he makes a promise, then he will do what he promised.” Numbers 23:19 ERV

When God speaks His word – it comes to pass. He has faith in what He has said and that’s why Mary could have such life-changing faith in the message that Gabriel brought her from God. We can have that same conviction and faith in God’s words.

At Christmas, and throughout the year, make your words a gift. A gift that brings life and encouragement. A gift of forgiveness and peace. A gift of kindness and love!

“Don’t let me do wrong on purpose, Lord, or let sin have control over my life. Then I will be innocent, and not guilty of some terrible fault.14 Let my words and my thoughts be pleasing to you, Lord, because you are my mighty rock and my protector.” Psalms 19:13-14 CEV

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The Gift of a Gift

I have a grouping of books that I put out on my coffee table every year at Christmas. Many books have a Christmas message but these are my favorites. The difficult task this morning will be to keep my devotional focused on just one story but I’ll try. Some of these I have purchased for my own family and others were given to us a gifts from loving friends.

If you’re like me, I struggled for years in trying to find a way to share with everyone I met during the Christmas season the true meaning of Christmas. It’s then that I was given a book, The Legend of the Candy Cane, by Lori Walburg. It’s the story of a stranger who comes to a small town, unknown to all its residents, he is befriended by a young girl and sets about his life’s work. He remodels an old building and then begins to unpack dozens of barrels and crates. To his little friend’s amazement they are all filled with candy and the glass jars and bins he would put the candy in.

There were lollipops, gum drops, taffy and chewing gum. Chocolates and caramels, jaw breakers and licorice sticks. And then there was a candy the little girl had not seen before, it was a red and white striped candy crook. The candy shop owner told her it was a “candy cane” and it had special meaning. If you turn it upset down it looks like the letter J and J is for Jesus who was born on Christmas morning. If it is turned upright it looks like a shepherds crook and it was the shepherds that first heard the news of Jesus birth.

The shop keeper went on to tell the little girl that the red stripes on the candy were for the times that Jesus was beaten before He was crucified and the white candy represents how clean our lives become when Jesus takes away our sins.

So I took the “legend of the candy cane” and have printed little cards that contain the abbreviated story. With a purse full of candy canes I head out on my daily routine passing them out to folks along my way. I share them with grocery store clerks, folks at the Post Office, in the stores, I attach them to goodie trays I give to the mailman and the garbage collectors. And there’s a basket filled with candy canes at my front door for any and all who enter.

What was a kind gift from a friend has now become a seasonal tradition of sharing the true message of Christmas in the sweetest way. This is the little card I attached to each candy cane. If you’d like to use my idea I think it would be great! Share the “sweet” message of Christmas with all you meet.

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11 KJV

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The Gift of Life

As I was praying about what to share this morning I remembered something I wrote about a year ago and it was so very appropriate that I had to share it again. Isn’t that the way life is? We never just hear, watch, study and learn from a first time experience. True knowledge comes through repeated application. That’s the way it is with God’s word too. The more we read it and hear it the greater the impact it makes on our lives. So thank you for reading this and letting it have entrance into your thinking and into your heart.

Are you one of those persons who are wrapping challenged? You know the one, the one who asks for everything you buy to be wrapped at the store. You can’t cut the paper straight so the folded ends aren’t square. Sometimes you have to cut the paper twice because the first time it wasn’t big enough to cover the back of the package.

Or maybe you are bow deficient. I love that French ribbon with the wire edges that “should” stand up all pretty and nice. I’ve watched multiple videos on bow tying and mine never look like the example.

I have to confess that last year most of my gifts were given in gift bags. All I had to do was find the right size for the right present. Worked like a charm!

Although it’s really nice to have pretty packages under the tree the more important thing is the heart behind the present than the gift under the wrapping.

Years ago a very special gift was designed. It had been years in the planning. So much thought was given to every detail, it was an intricate, delicate gift. It required special packaging to keep it safe.

But with all the planning and the design of the gift the wrapping was lacking. It was humble, basic and nothing fancy. If the wrapping was any indication of the value of the gift inside, the on-looker would have felt that there was nothing special about this small present. However, the gift giver knew the present cost him everything.

“While Joseph and Mary were in Bethlehem, the time came for her to have the baby. 7 She gave birth to her first son. She wrapped him up well and laid him in a box where cattle are fed. She put him there because the guest room was full. 8 That night, some shepherds were out in the fields near Bethlehem watching their sheep. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord was shining around them. The shepherds were very afraid. 10 The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid. I have some very good news for you—news that will make everyone happy. 11 Today your Savior was born in David’s town. He is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This is how you will know him: You will find a baby wrapped in pieces of cloth and lying in a feeding box.” Luke 2:6-12 ERV

So now the question comes. Which present will you choose, the one beautifully wrapped or the one wrapped in hay covered cloth? One may change your life for a moment or a year but the other will change your life for eternity.

Thank you Lord for the gift of eternal life!

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The Gift of a Prepared Room

Last year Dave and I listed our home on the Airbnb website. We love having our friends come to our home to spend a few days. It’s fun to entertain and perhaps pamper them a bit. It’s what we do. So we began toying with the idea of offering our home to folks who were coming to visit in our area. We had a couple guests each month during the winter and it was nice to meet new people and tell them about our area. The last few days I’ve been getting ready for guests who will be coming the first of next week and this morning I was thinking about preparations that still need to be made.

And then my thoughts went to other preparations. Can you imagine the plans that Mary was making in her last month of pregnancy? Moms you know what I’m talking about, especially when it was your first child. Everything had to be perfect – was the cradle ready, was there enough swaddling (diapers), was the house clean enough – all the details. She was preparing for her son, her first child but she was also preparing to receive the Messiah and it was her responsibility to raise him. Now that was a big responsibility.

But in thinking about the preparation, all the little details, I asked myself, how have I prepared for this child called Jesus? Have I kept things back, hidden away or have I been completely open in giving Him all of my heart for His home? Have I allowed Him free rein to transform me?

He loves me more than I love myself. He has never nor will ever ask me to make any changes that aren’t for my best. He’s not out to destroy my life but to make it better than I ever dreamed possible.

“A thief comes only to rob, kill, and destroy. I came so that everyone would have life, and have it in its fullest.” John 10:10 CEV

Now let’s go back for a moment to our new mother. Having a baby in your home meant you went without sleep, your life was no longer your own. Your primary focus became the baby’s well-being; you had a new purpose in life. And it was worth every second – no regrets!

So I ask now, are you prepared? Have you made room for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords?

“The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him.” Exodus 15:2 KJV

Make preparation today not for just a guest who will come and go but for the One who comes and promises to never leave us alone!

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The Gift of a Humble Heart

The last few mornings I have been reminding you of some of the wonderful gifts that our gracious, loving Father has given to us but now I’d like to ask you to consider giving a gift to Him.

I’m sure you have already started making your Christmas gift list. It’s something we all do…this for Mom, that for Dad, and the kids want the latest and the greatest.

But really the reason we give gifts at Christmas is because of the Father’s great gift to us that first Christmas. The gift of His love, wrapped in human form, bringing life and relationship to us all.

Look at your Christmas list again and see if you find the Father’s name on your list. That’s what I did this morning. I asked “Father, what would you like this Christmas season?” The answer came quickly.

“You don’t really want sacrifices, or I would give them to you. 17 The sacrifice that God wants is a humble spirit. God, you will not turn away someone who comes with a humble heart and is willing to obey you.” Psalm 51:16-17 ERV

The Father wants humble hearts. Hearts that are open to His leading. Hearts that have more room for Him and less room for self. We become selfish with our hearts when we’ve been hurt. We block out a part of our lives and leave it to harden – hardened against the memories and the pain.

But when we do that, we also block it off to the Father’s healing touch. Let me ask that we take time to ponder, meditate, think on strongly this. How many times have we hurt or ignored the Father? Has He closed off His heart to us? Has He refused to forgive even though we haven’t apologized?

No, never!

So the gift the Father desires from us is a heart willing to obey His word. He has told us we need to forgive 70×7. He has told us “to take no account of the evil done to us”. He has told us, if we come to Him he will heal our broken hearts – that means we let go of bitterness. We can love as He loves.

This morning, I see the Father urging us to bring Him our gifts of broken hearts, broken lives, broken dreams and letting Him, not just fix what’s broken, but give us new hearts, new lives, new dreams. Beauty for ashes. Joy to replace our mourning. A garment of praise for our heaviness.

“Pray to the Lord, and he will hear you. He will save you from all your troubles. 18 The Lord is close to those who have suffered disappointment. He saves those who are discouraged.” Psalm 34:17-18 ERV

So start your Christmas Season. Start by giving what you have been holding back and then receive what He came to give. These verses tell us why Jesus came to earth:

“The Spirit of the Lord God is on me. The Lord has chosen me to tell good news to the poor and to comfort those who are sad. He sent me to tell the captives and prisoners that they have been set free. (2) He sent me to announce that the time has come for the Lord to show his kindness, when our God will also punish evil people. He has sent me to comfort those who are sad, (3) those in Zion who mourn. I will take away the ashes on their head, and I will give them a crown. I will take away their sadness, and I will give them the oil of happiness. I will take away their sorrow, and I will give them celebration clothes. He sent me to name them ‘Good Trees’ and ‘The Lord’s Wonderful Plant.’” Isaiah 61:1-3 ERV

Give the Father your gift of a humble heart. It will put a big smile on His face!

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The Gift of Strength

Don’t you love looking at the presents under the Christmas tree? There are all shapes and sizes, some in plain paper and others with big fancy bows. As a kid it was torture to have them out too early and yes I admit there was one year in particular that my sister and I opened some to see what was inside and then carefully wrapped them again.

The gift I’m giving you this morning also comes in all shapes and sizes and so I’ve included several boxes for you to open. I have for you this morning the gift of strength. Yes, strength. Lots of different examples in the Bible for you to see on this one.

Most notably we have Samson who destroyed God’s enemies with his great strength. But we must also be reminded of Noah who took on a huge construction project with just his 3 sons to help; David, a young shepherd who killed a lion, bear and a giant; Elijah, the prophet, who called down fire from heaven, defeated 400 prophets of Baal and outran Ahab’s chariot all in the same day. Then there was the woman who had bleeding condition for over 17 years and she faced a hostile crowd to get to Jesus; Paul was shipwrecked numerous times and was also beaten for his preaching but he kept going. Peter needed moral strength and failed when he denied Christ but went on to be a powerful preacher after the Lord forgave him.

The Bible is full of examples for people needing and finding strength; some was physical strength, while other strength came in the form of courage and mental fortitude. Some challenges were common and others were life threatening; sickness, emotional distress, financial ruin, failed relationships, fractured families, perilous circumstances.

Any of those sound familiar? God is so practical. He isn’t just concerned about the “religious” part of our lives, He desire is to fill every area of our life with His life changing relationship. I’m going to take a moment to run through a few Scripture verses on strength so bear with me.

“He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.” Isaiah 40:29 KJV

“The Lord is my strength. He saves me, and I sing songs of praise to him. He is my God, and I praise him. He is the God of my ancestors, and I honor him.” Exodus 15:2 ERV

“God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect.” I Samuel 22:33 KJV

“Behold, thou hast instructed many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands.” Job 4:3

” God is the one who gives me strength. He clears the path I need to take.” Psalm 18:32 ERV

“Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.” Psalm 27:14 KJV

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1

“The Lord is my strength and song, and is become my salvation.” Psalm 118:14

“But he replied, “My kindness is all you need. My power is strongest when you are weak.” So if Christ keeps giving me his power, I will gladly brag about how weak I am.” II Corinthians 12:9 CEV

“Christ is the one who gives me the strength I need to do whatever I must do.” Philippians 4:13 ERV

“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31 KJV

Each verse is like opening another package – more treasures inside each one – more strength when it’s needed.

I don’t know what situations are working to deplete your strength today but I do know the one who steps in and takes over when we feel we have come to the end of what we can do. Instead of coming to the point of exhaustion start out by saying this little prayer.

“Father, today I don’t want to operate in my power. I’m prone to fail. I want to have Your strength in all that I do, in every situation I want to depend on You and Your abilities.”

Enjoy the gift of His strength!

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God’s Presence – Our Gift

I’ve really been reflecting on God’s presence in my life. How many times have I known that He was there when I was facing trouble? How many times has He kept me safe and rescued me while traveling on the freeway and the highways of our land? It is impossible for me to number or even remember all the times that He has protected me during my life.

Yes, His presence has truly been my gift.

I do remember one time that I would like to share. Dave and I were working 900 acres of alfalfa for an absentee owner. We did it all; the swathing, raking, baling and the roadsiding. Dave did the mechanical upkeep on the equipment while I kept house and raised two young children. We did have an irrigator and Dave did teach a lady to drive the roadside after we had been there for a while but between the two of us we did most all the work. The ranch we lived on was in the Arizona desert south of Phoenix about 60 miles in a little town called Arlington.

We started cutting hay when it was tall enough in March and didn’t quit until we got frost in December or January. During the hottest part of the summer we were cutting every 21 days and our average was 10 cuttings a year. We didn’t have the equipment that put out the big round bales. Our balers popped out little loaves of 110 pound bales. We ran night and day. Have you ever heard the expression you can’t make hay while the sun shines, well in Arizona that’s very true. You have to bale at night when you have enough dew to make the alfalfa soft and moist so the leaves don’t fall off in the baling process.

Dave and I spent hours on equipment and we used that time to listen to cassette tapes of good Bible teaching. It kept us alert and we were feeding our souls at the same time. We had heard this one Bible verse and were definitely ready to put it to practice:

“I have given you the power to trample on snakes and scorpions and to defeat the power of your enemy Satan. Nothing can harm you.” Luke 10:19 CEV

If you’re familiar with desert life this is a tremendous verse. At this ranch we had scorpions but we had an abundance of rattlesnakes in our fields. One night Dave needed to change the irrigation water. I went with him and as he was walking down the ditch bank with his flashlight he stepped right on the back of a rattler. That snake didn’t strike but instead crawled away. Yes, God’s presence was our gift!

There are many more examples that I could share but in a small way it was there that we realized the God who delivered a young David from the giant Goliath, a Daniel in the lion’s den, 3 Hebrew teenagers in a fiery furnace, a young Esther in the palace of a king, a baby Moses in the Nile River, an unnamed demonic on the hillside, a harlot, a prostitute, a ship full of sailors, etc. is the same God and Father who kept us safe from harm.

“Your Spirit is everywhere I go. I cannot escape your presence. 8 If I go up to heaven, you will be there. If I go down to the place of death, you will be there.” Psalm 139:7-8 ERV

There’s no where that we go that God’s presence isn’t there with us.

“God is our mighty fortress, always ready (present) to help in times of trouble. 2 And so, we won’t be afraid! Let the earth tremble and the mountains tumble into the deepest sea. 3 Let the ocean roar and foam, and its raging waves shake the mountains.” Psalm 46:1-3 CEV

“Don’t be afraid. I am with you. Don’t tremble with fear. I am your God. I will make you strong, as I protect you with my arm and give you victories.” Isaiah 41:10 CEV

“Jacob, the Lord created you. Israel, he made you, and now he says, “Don’t be afraid. I saved you. I named you. You are mine. 2 When you have troubles, I am with you. When you cross rivers, you will not be hurt. When you walk through fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not hurt you. 3 That’s because I, the Lord, am your God. I, the Holy One of Israel, am your Savior…”Isaiah 43:1-3 ERV

Flood, fire, freeways – scorpions, snakes, shipwreck, whatever it is God is there and His promises are as real for us as they were when they were written.

Open the gift of God’s presence! It’s a place of great joy.

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The Gift of Rest

Are you like me – you have a list of that needs to be done and you cross things off as you go? Then I get down to a few things left I rewrite the list and add more. It seems the list never ends!

This can be so draining and it seems there is no time to rest. I remember once years ago I prayed and said Lord, could you please give me 27 hours in my day? You can leave everyone else with the 24 but it would be great to have a few extra hours. The answer I got came immediately, “No! Because you wouldn’t use them to rest, you’d just fill them with more work.”

The Lord set us a wonderful example from the very beginning, He rested! He worked creating all that we see and enjoy and He rested! Then when the Law was being given to the Israelites after they came out of Egypt they were told to rest. Keep the Sabbath which meant no work. It was time to rest and reflect on the Lord and His goodness. We are pretty good about keeping the other 10 Commandments but we gloss over or ignore completely that God commanded us to keep the Sabbath. He knew we need rest!

It isn’t even December 1st and I’m sure some of you have your calendar filled right up to Christmas Day. So much to do, so many things that have to be just perfect. But in all the planning and activity you lose sight of the true peace that God brought to us all. We need to rest and let God’s presence restore our soul! Do you see that – the word “restore” – what are the first four letters “rest”. We are restored by resting.

“Come to me all of you who are tired from the heavy burden you have been forced to carry. I will give you rest. 29 Accept my teaching. Learn from me. I am gentle and humble in spirit. And you will be able to get some rest.” Matthew 11:28-29 ERV

When Jesus was here on earth he would often go away by himself to rest and pray. He found strength in prayer. We need to learn from Him on how to release our burdens and rest in God’s strength and power.

“I will always look to you, as you stand beside me and protect me from fear. 9 With all my heart, I will celebrate, and I can safely rest.” Psalm 16:8-9 CEV

One of the biggest causes of stress is fear. Take a look at it – fear that things won’t get done correctly or in time, fear that we won’t be understood in what we are trying to convey, fear that someone else will get the promotion or make the team or surpass us on the project. Fear. But when we focus on God’s presence being ALWAYS with us we can celebrate and rest.

“You protect ordinary people, and when I was helpless, you saved me 7 and treated me so kindly that I don’t need to worry anymore. 8 You, Lord, have saved my life from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.” Psalm 116:6-8 CEV

One translation of verse 7 says “return to rest”.

May I encourage you to take time to rest this Christmas Season. Rest by remembering the message of the angels on that first Christmas night “Good news of great joy”. Rest in the memories of special Christmases past, things weren’t perfect, mishaps happened but the love of Christ filled your home and your heart.

Or maybe you have never really enjoyed Christmas. It just seemed like all the hustle and hype left you lonely or even angry. This year take time to “rest” and learn from the Lord what a wondrous time of year it is, if you ask Him, he’ll show you.

I want to close with the words from an old Christmas carol that seem so very appropriate

God rest ye merry gentlemen
Let nothing you dismay
Remember Christ our Savior
Was born on Christmas Day
To save us all from Satan’s pow’r
When we were gone astray
Oh tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
Oh tidings of comfort and joy

I truly hope you are enjoying opening the presents of Christmas each morning and I encourage you to share them with your friends.

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Gift of Joy

Yesterday I was talking at length with a friend who is going through a very trying time. They were hoping they were at a place in life where there would be more joy and less struggle. Don’t we all. The more we talked, I remembered the verses from James that I have quoted many times.

“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations” James 1:2 KJV

How is that possible? Be joy-full when things are coming at you hard? Be joy-full when life’s circumstances seem overwhelming? This is how those verses go on…

“My friends, be glad, even if you have a lot of trouble. 3 You know that you learn to endure by having your faith tested. 4 But you must learn to endure everything, so that you will be completely mature and not lacking in anything.

5 If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won’t correct you for asking.” James 1:2-5 CEV

It’s possible to be joyful and at peace in the middle of the mess when we have God’s wisdom and have confidence in Him that we will come out better on the other side. We aren’t joy-full for the problems but can certainly we overcome with joy knowing that God will never allow us to be destroyed by them but will instead walk through them with us.

“Keep your lives free from the love of money. And be satisfied with what you have. God has said,

“I will never leave you;
I will never run away from you.”

6 So we can feel sure and say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
People can do nothing to me.” Hebrews 13:5-6 ERV

Money can’t buy peace or joy, in fact pursuing it can be one of the reasons we are so exhausted and stressed out. Do you see that phrase “be satisfied with what you have”? What we have is God! He is definitely more than enough for every situation. He isn’t going anywhere. He won’t desert us or leave us to flounder alone in life.

So as I was talking to my friend, I told them they should be laughing and smiling in the face of their situation – let God have the control of it. Then after the conversation was over I remembered another verse that I had never tied together with the verses in James.

“And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” Luke 2:10-14 KJV

Tidings of great joy! Christ was born to bring good will between God and man. Jesus came so we could see the love that God has for us lived out through His life. He certainly had difficult times, times of trial, times of trouble. He looked past that to the joy on the other side of the cross.

“We must never stop looking to Jesus. He is the leader of our faith, and he is the one who makes our faith complete. He suffered death on a cross. But he accepted the shame of the cross as if it were nothing because of the joy he could see waiting for him. And now he is sitting at the right side of God’s throne.” Hebrews 12:2 ERV

Are we going to have trials and difficulties? Yes. Do they have to deplete our reservoir of joy and peace? Certainly not!

Open your gift of joy today! I would suggest you go to the Biblegateway app and put the word joy in the search bar. God has a lot to say about joy.

Let it sink in that God will never leave, never abandon you, never desert you! Let that knowledge fill you with joy!

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