Category: Jesus Christ

We can celebrate the birth of Jesus every day. Rejoice with the angels! The fact that Jesus was born into the world is GOOD NEWS! The arrival of Jesus the first time was just the beginning of extraordinary hope for you! A baby arrived so that we can live in victory over sin and demonic oppression on every single day of the year! It doesn’t matter what day you believe Jesus was born. That’s the kind of foolish dispute

Jesus said He came to give us “life to the full” (John 10:10). Jesus knew when we find our satisfaction in our Savior, there’s little else we want and need. Because of His birth, life, death, and resurrection, we not only can hold onto hope for life after the grave, but in Him we can also find fulfillment that can’t be found anywhere else on this earth.

Here are five ways to celebrate your life in the risen Savior every day:

1. Remind yourself daily that God is in control—always.

One of the most steadying concepts I learned about God while I was still a teenager, is that nothingtakes Him by surprise. To be assured of His absolute sovereignty and the fact that nothing happens to you—or those you love—without first passing through His loving hands, can be monumental in helping you trust Him, and not worry or experience fear or anxiety.

You either trust God is sovereign or you don’t, and when you trust Him, you can rest in the fact that He is good. That enables us to love Him completely, trust Him immensely, and experience life to the full. Each day that you whisper “Nothing takes You by surprise, God” you are acknowledging His control over all the events of your life, and reminding yourself that He is Lord of all and He is capable of helping you through anything. That is reason to celebrate.

2. Maintain a heart of gratitude.

Scripture commands us to be thankful in all circumstances because “this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Any time you are in the will of God, you will experience life to the full. And according to that verse, the easiest way to know you are living according to God’s will is to be thankful in all things, not just the good things.

A key element of faith is truly believing that not only is God in control of all things, but He really canwork all those things—even the bad things—for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). That assurance enables us to thank Him for everythingthat comes our way because, as we surrender it all to Him, He will make us more like His Son through it (Romans 8:29).

3. Pray about everything.

You can miss life to the full if you are full of stress, anxiety, or fear. Stress and fear come when we find ourselves unable to control our situations or schedules. Or when we bathe a situation in our minds with a number of “what ifs.” Yes, fear is a natural response, but only if you’re not looking to the supernatural God. Philippians 4:6-7 tells us “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (NLT).

A person who prays doesn’t stress. A person who prays isn’t anxious. A person who prays experiences peace.

     4. Find ways to serve others.

We are happier when we aren’t all about ourselves. And serving others helps us become less selfish. Pray that God will give you discernment about the needs of others around you (because many times they won’t ask for help), and ask for His direction in how to help. As you develop a heart for others, you become more like Jesus and that is living life to the full.

5. Praise Him for His daily presence.

Intimacy with God begins with an awareness of His constant presence and a communion with Him, regardless of where we are and what we’re doing. Psalm 16:11 says “In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand there are pleasures forever” (NASB). Being in God’s presence doesn’t happen once a week when we’re in church or someday future when we’re in heaven. Emmanuel means God with us. Always. A constant awareness of God’s presence brings God into the moment and we can learn to enjoy Him during contentment, seek His comfort and stability during uncertainty, and pour out our hearts to Him when we feel like crying or complaining.

Do all things without murmurings and disputings, so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God unblemished in the midst of a crooked and perverted generation,among whom you shine as lights in the world,holding forth the word of life unto a boast to me in the day of Christ, that I did not run in vain, nor toil in vain.

Philippians 2:14-16

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-En0awUoKC

Door of Recognition

Luke 2:25–32 (NIV)

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for Him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took Him in his arms and praised God saying;

“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,

You may now dismiss your servant in peace.

For my eyes have seen Your salvation,

Which you have prepared in the sign of all nations;

A light for revelation to the Gentiles,

And the glory of your people Israel.”

If you could walk into the temple courts on that day, you wouldn’t notice anything unusual.

The morning would feel like every other morning—priests lighting lamps, families presenting sacrifices, travelers whispering prayers as they moved in and out of the columns and courtyards. Nothing dramatic. Nothing that looked like the fulfillment of hundreds of years of prophecy. Just the sound of footsteps on stone.

But in the middle of all that ordinary noise was a man who had been listening to God for a very long time.

Simeon wasn’t a priest, a prophet, or a public figure. He was simply a man who had taken God’s promise seriously: “You will not die before you see the Messiah.” That promise had shaped the way he walked into every day. Every sunrise held possibility. Every new face held potential. Every visit to the temple carried the question, “Could it be today?”

So, when the Holy Spirit nudged Simeon to go into the temple courts, he didn’t shrug it off. He followed. And there—without a choir of angels or a shining star—stood Mary and Joseph holding their infant Son. No one else stopped. No one else looked twice. But Simeon knew.

Decades of trusting God had trained his heart to recognize God.

Imagine being close enough to see Simeon’s face as he stepped toward Jesus, hands trembling, breath catching. He wasn’t just seeing a baby. He was seeing the arrival of redemption. The fulfillment of promise. The end of waiting. The beginning of hope. “My eyes have seen Your salvation,” he said—not because he understood everything, but because he knew the One who keeps His promises and he recognized Him at work.

On this day, He recognized his Salvation, carried in the arms of a young mother.  

Reflect

God often comes quietly. Not every answer arrives with fireworks. Sometimes what God is doing looks small, humble, and easy to overlook. But those who have been listening and waiting—those whose hearts are tuned to God—are the ones who recognize Him in the moment.

How are you tuning in regularly so that you recognize whereGod is at work? 

What quiet or ordinary part of your life might God be at work that is waiting for your recognitions – and response?