Mentoring Minutes

Secure in Christ

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work among you will complete it by the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6 – emphasis in original)

As we close out 2021 and look to 2022 I think most of us, just as we did in 2020, are hoping and praying that COVID was behind us and the economy would settle down and get back to thriving. We wanted to be able to gather again as families and friends, to worship, visit and shop and entertain without masks or mandates. We wished for a return to happier times and less stress…a return to “normal,” whatever that means. To some degree we have been able to do so. But because we are fallen human beings, it never seems to be enough. We miss the peace because we are never content.

If we stop and ponder all those things mentioned as desiring to return to normal I think we’ll find that, for the most part, it’s the same every year, right? Take away masks, mandates, shutdowns, restrictions and all things COVID related and we still end up pretty much the same. It was in 2020 and 2021. But it was eerily similar in 2019, 2018, 2017…you get the picture.

There are always things that disrupt our plans, pursuits and peace.  Jesus told us they would (John 16:33). COVID just magnified these things. He also promised us a peace that was ours for the taking but not the peace most of us continually desire…it would not be the world’s concept of peace (John 14:27). The world’s idea of peace is that everything goes smoothly and calmly defined by what we want or desire.  But we live in a sinful, broken and troubled world that continues to deceive itself, each other and ourselves and then seek for the ever-elusive calm…“peace.”

The Peace that Christ gives is found only in Him and is in spite of the chaos, uncertainties, trials, losses, pain and death. Yes we can even have peace in the middle of all of these…even as we go through them. 

I pray that you know Him because He offers the only real peace. All other so-called “peace” is only found when we manipulate or wait for the world and all it’s problem to go away, or at least settle down momentarily.  His peace is permanent. The only thing permanent about the peace of the world is that it’s fleeting…always!

He came to give us faith, hope and love and the greatest of these is love (I Corinthians 13:13). If we will learn to live in His Love by faith and with hope we will begin to know His peace. It is found when we choose to rejoice and give thanks in all things (Philippians 4:4-7) because we realize and live with Him on the throne of our hearts and lives.  That’s what real love does…it is the only real love (1 John 4:19) and the only way to have real peace.

I want to share the following with you as an encouragement for your New Year in Christ! I think Oswald Chambers says it best in his New Year’s Eve devotional in My Utmost for His Highest, entitled,

YESTERDAY

The God of Israel will be your rereward. — Isaiah 52:12

Security from Yesterday. “God requires that which is past.” At the end of the year we turn with eagerness to all that God has for the future, and yet anxiety is apt to arise from remembering the yesterdays. Our present enjoyment of God’s grace is apt to be checked by the memory of yesterday’s sins and blunders. But God is the God of our yesterdays, and He allows the memory of them in order to turn the past into a ministry of spiritual culture for the future. God reminds us of the past lest we get into a shallow security in the present.

Security for Tomorrow. “For the Lord will go before you.” This is a gracious revelation, that God will garrison where we have failed to. He will watch lest things trip us up again into like failure, as they assuredly would do if He were not our rereward. God’s hand reaches back to the past and makes a clearinghouse for conscience.

Security for Today. “For ye shall not go out with haste.” As we go forth into the coming year, let it not be in the haste of impetuous, unremembering delight, nor with the flight of impulsive thoughtlessness, but with the patient power of knowing that the God of Israel will go before us. Our yesterdays present irreparable things to us; it is true that we have lost opportunities which will never return, but God can transform this destructive anxiety into a constructive thoughtfulness for the future. Let the past sleep, but let it sleep on the bosom of Christ.

Leave the Irreparable Past in His hands, and step out into the Irresistible Future with Him. (Italics and bold added here)

Here are four things you can do to live by faith, with hope and in His love to know the peace only found in God through Christ:

1) Give thanks to God every day and in all things (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

2) Spend time with God in His Word and prayer…do it because you know how much He loves you and you want to know Him more and learn to worship Him alone and love Him with all your being (2 Timothy 2:15; Mark 12:29-30)

3) As you spend time with Him, ask Him to show you who you are in Christ and teach you to love yourself as Christ has recreated you to be (Ephesians 2:10)

4) As He teaches you who you are in Christ, learn to be content and confident in who He has made you to be and then give of yourself to love others just like He loves you and you love yourself (Mark 12:31; John 13:34)!

God literally has all the regrets of your yesterdays, the unknowns of your tomorrows and whatever you may face today! By his grace He can turn all of it for your good and His glory (Romans 8:28). Trust in Him every day!

Love and Lordship…Food for Thought – Don’t worry about yesterday or tomorrow…leave them in God’s hands and trust Him. In so doing you can live TODAY and every day by faith in the peace, joy, hope and love found only in Christ! 

Love and Lordship…Action Item

  1. Read the Scriptures in this article and ask The Holy Spirit to teach you.
  2. How is the past impacting TODAY? What do you need to do to let it go? 
  3. How is the future impacting TODAY? What do you need to do to stop worrying?
  4. How can you live TODAY for Christ? In your life? Relationships? Work? Thoughts? Even your motives? This is where you will find His peace!

Have a Blessed New Year in Christ for this is what we have to look forward to… And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” (Revelation 21:5)

Check out the following or this related video for more on finding His peace…

The CHRISTmas Blessing

(Matthew 1:21-23)

In CHRISTmas Memories we recognized both the ups and downs that CHRISTmas can bring.  In CHRISTmas Players we shared a unique perspective from the “least” of the CHRISTmas players, the Bethlehem shepherds, and the role they played as well as lessons we can learn from them. 

In this post, I want to turn our focus directly to the choice that Jesus made which makes CHRISTmas a reality and in doing so gave us the model for our lives and relationships…that of humility and sacrificial love.

Before we unpack The CHRISTmas Blessing I thought it would be worthwhile to point out some things that you may or may not have previously contemplated with regard to the gifts of the Magi (Wise Men) and Herod’s killing of the boys under two years old in Bethlehem found in Matthew 2… 

At about one to two years of age Jesus is visited by Magi or Wise Men (we assume there were three because three gifts are mentioned but The Bible does not indicate how many).  They are overwhelmed and worship Him, presenting Him with the familiar gifts that some scholars say signify His roles as King (Gold), Priest (Frankincense) and The Sacrificial Lamb (Myrrh)…certainly something to think about.  This is beautifully portrayed in the movie, The Nativity, albeit the Wise Men arrive while he’s still an infant in the cave, which is highly unlikely.

What God does next is incredible in protecting His Word that is now become flesh…The Magi are warned in a dream not to return to Jerusalem and Herod (God’s providential protection of this Baby)…Joseph is warned in a dream to go to Egypt and then to return with Mary and Joseph to Nazareth after Herod’s death.  Isn’t it amazing how God orchestrates things clearly and plainly and/or totally behind the scenes to fulfill His prophecies?  God has always protected His Word just as He did His Word in the Flesh!

The reality of CHRISTmas is this…nothing else matters if this didn’t happen!  John 1:1…In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:14…The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth

The Rest of the CHRISTmas Story

This is what I call the “The Rest of the CHRISTmas story” in Scripture…Immanuel – God With Us found in John 1 and Philippians 2:3-8.  Follow along with me…

Have this attitude in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

What does CHRISTmas…for God to take on human flesh in Christ really mean?  What is the lesson for us as His followers?  Philippians 2:3-8 describes Jesus love and humility and calls us to have the same attitude which parallels the life that He calls us to as His disciples in Luke 14:25-35.

Jesus Example for us (Philippians 2:3-8) Jesus Calling of us (Luke 14:25-33)

 – Humble Attitude (vv. 3-5) – Christ before all (v. 26)

 – Emptied Himself   (v. 6) – Die to self (vv. 26)

 – Experienced all of humanity (v. 7) – Count the Cost (vv. 27-32)

 – Gave His all for us (v. 8) – Give up all for Him (v. 33)

Casting Crowns in their CHRISTmas song, God is With Us, say it this way, “You’re the Savior we’ve been praying for, In our humble hearts You will dwell, You are in us, You are for us, You are with us… Immanuel.

Immanuel – God. With. Us. From the humble stable in Bethlehem to the humble hearts of mankind!  Each heart must have a Bethlehem experience and find room for Him. Have you received Him into your heart and life?

We must remember the beautiful story of CHRISTmas with all the incredible characters, events and scenes.  However, we must be careful to remember the real purpose of that first CHRISTmas, the Blessing we were given and what it calls us to.

The Beauty of CHRISTmas in a Culture of Self

December Nativity scenes are still quite common (that’s a good thing) even in an age where they have become political fodder in public schools and government facilities.  In the “commonness” we can easily forget how sharply these scenes call to our attention the self-absorbed culture we live in.

First of all, there’s the pure, common teenage virgin, leaning over the manger, who responded with a humble “yes” when divinely charged with bringing about the pivotal point in all of history!  She said, “I am The Lord’s servant, may it be unto me as you have said” (Luke 1:38), knowing full well that the burden of an out-of-wedlock pregnancy would continue far beyond nine months for her entire life.  Her faithful obedience allowed your burdens and mine to be lifted for eternity.

Then there’s the man who stood quietly beside her, remembered by all of history as good and noble because he put this young woman’s welfare, and the Precious Child she bore, above his own reputation.  He raised God’s son, not his own flesh and blood, and he did so without hesitancy or complaint.

Of course, there’s the central figure…God as a Baby…Jesus Himself.  As pointed out in “the rest of the CHRISTmas story” from Philippians 2 above, he emptied Himself of His Divine Glory, took on the form of a lowly human servant and, in doing so, bore all our sin, debt and brokenness on the Cross.  Check out Self-Giving in The Nativity for more and note the “beauty” in all that God does in contrast with our culture, to which I would add question displayed by Mary and Joseph…Which is more beautiful and fulfilling, the sacrifice, purity, engagement and marriage that honors God’s love for us or our culture’s alternatives to relationships and sexuality?”

You see, without Immanuel nothing else matters.  If He’s not Immanuel, then Lord, Shepherd, Friend, Brother, Savior…nothing else matters.  God With Us…He not only came to us, He became us, to save us and offer us Eternity with Him! 

Without CHRISTmas there is no Easter – no chance of salvation if Christ doesn’t put on flesh, doesn’t become human and give up His life as the perfect sacrifice and atonement for us.

Oh, He is forever King of kings and Lords of lords…but He could never have been our Savior/Lord had he not become a baby…become us…Immanuel!

That’s CHRISTmas…The womb of a virgin, the manger, the swaddling cloths, the hay, manure, cows, sheep and maybe even a dog or two…That’s God wrapped in our injured, dying, decaying flesh!  Don’t miss this!  Everything else you hear this season…Savior, Lord, Shepherd… everything – could only happen because He became IMMANUEL – GOD WITH US…He came as us!!!

Enjoy all of it because He not only came to us…he became us!  We have every reason, even in the struggles, stresses and trials to rejoice because of CHRISTmas!

Love and Lordship…Food for Thought – Have you considered that God becoming flesh in the Christ Child at CHRISTmas had to happen or there would have been no sufficient sacrifice for us on Good Friday? How does the “Other” CHRISTmas story in this article affect your perspective of CHRISTmas? 

Love and Lordship…Action Item

  1. Read the Scriptures in this article and ask The Holy Spirit to teach you.
  2. How does the Truth of an empty manger, an empty cross and an empty tomb impact you? 
  3. In your prayer time ask The Holy Spirit to draw you closer to Him as He reveals to you the significance of what Christ did for you at CHRISTmas.
  4. Find at least one way to share CHRIST this CHRISTmas.
  5. Highly recommend you take time to watch these with family and loved ones…The Chosen’s The Shepherd and  Christmas With The Chosen (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOTkTBxTxEA).

Before this week’s Top 10, I want to share one song that is my all-time favorite.  It’s included in this post because it so fully encompasses all that God shared with us in Immanuel at CHRISTmas.  Listen to Welcome to our World.

This week’s Top CHRISTmas list… here’s my Top 10 Players in the story of CHRISTmas and what we may learn from them…

10 & 9) Anna (Luke 2:36-38) and Simeon (Luke 2:25-35) – both patient servants of God who waited on Him and their faithfulness provide a powerful testimony to who Christ was and is to Mary and Joseph and to us today! How may God use you as you choose patient waiting on and faithfulness to Him?

8 & 7) Zechariah/Elizabeth (Luke 1:5-25; 39-45; 67-79) – Jesus aunt and uncle, parents to John The Baptist. What role might God have for you?

6) John the Baptist (Luke 1:11-17; 57-66) – Jesus cousin and forerunner announcing Christ as the Chosen One of God…born just months before Jesus Himself. How are you helping others to know Jesus?

5) Shepherds (Luke 2:8-20) – the lowliest, most humble of human beings were the ones visited first by God and the very first to enter into His Presence (after Mary and Joseph) – See CHRISTmas Players for more. The last shall be first…where are you?

4) Joseph (Matthew 1:18-23; Luke 2:1-7) – The humble, virtuous man chosen by God to be Jesus’ earthly father. How difficult and yet what an incredible honorable task to the one who was willing to bear it…what about you and me?

3) Mary (Luke 1:26-56) – The Blessed Mother of Jesus, our Savior and Lord, who by faith was willing to trust in God no matter how difficult His assignment for her would be or become (v. 37-38). Are you walking in faith to trust God for the impossible…have your way in me, no matter what?

2) Jesus – (Matthew 1:21-23; Luke 2:16-20; 29-32) – The Savior of the world, Immanuel – God With Us…in the flesh! Need we say more? Absolutely and that’s what Love & Lordship is all about so we’ll keep doing it every day! I pray you know Him and will do the same!

1) You and Me – (John 3:16; Philippians 2:3-8) Stay with me here…of course Jesus is by far the most important player of CHRISTmas! Without Him there would be no CHRISTmas, salvation or eternity. But think about it…He placed us above Himself (just following His lead) by leaving all of heaven to come to earth at CHRISTmas to save you and me from our sin, death and hell. Each one of us was on His mind. Let’s humble ourselves and do the same…place others above self! This is CHRISTmas!  Make it a great CHRISTmas season with family and loved ones in and for The Lord (Matthew 1:21-23)!

CHRISTmas Players

(Luke 2:1-20)

Let me take you back to that first CHRISTmas and just briefly recount the well-known narratives and names.  Then I want to spend the better part of this article on a part of the story that you may have never heard and what we can learn from the lowliest of players in the CHRISTmas story… 

Matthew 1:18-23 – Mary and Joseph engaged; Mary gets pregnant; Joseph chooses to privately divorce Mary which was an honorable thing as he could have had her stoned or exiled from the country and family; the prophecy of a virgin birth is fulfilled and the name of God’s Son through the angel to Mary and Joseph is revealed.

Luke 2:1-20 – the famous CHRISTmas narrative of Caesar Augustus’ census that brought Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem and a stable where Jesus would be born in a manger and wrapped in swaddling (poor man’s cloths – many think it was the cloths used to wrap the baby lambs…think about that!?!) likely in a cave or barn that was a stable for animals to fulfill a several hundred year old prophecy; angels and shepherds which bring me to the story I want to focus on as alluded to earlier.

The Real Shepherds of Bethlehem

The shepherds keeping watch over the flocks near Bethlehem would have been quite out of the ordinary.  Because of the stench the sheep were normally kept miles from towns and villages.  There was one great exception to this and it just so happened to be Bethlehem at this specific time of the year!  Imagine that…and even more so think about how God brought all of this together?

The shepherds that “resided” in Bethlehem, along with the very large flock, was specifically culled out for one purpose only.  These were set apart as “perfect” one-year old lambs, belonging to and declared so, by the High Priests to be sacrificed in the Temple!  This was the High Priest’s flock and shepherds!  These were the Passover lambs!

This was likely the largest herd of sheep and required a great number of shepherds to tend them…right there in Bethlehem.  You think God may have been orchestrating something all along?

Two other key components regarding Bethlehem and the shepherds…First, Bethlehem was beautifully situated high on a hill and you could see in all directions.

Second, the shepherds were monitored by the temple priests, seeing as how these sheep belonged to the High Priest and were for Passover.  Typically any shepherd (or anyone else) who defiled himself by mingling with the sheep was considered filthy and unclean and therefore unable to enter into the Temple. 

The priests would “watch over” the shepherds “below” from the MIGDAL EDER or “Tower of the Flock.”  In this way they remained ritually clean and certainly “high above” the filthy shepherds so they could enter the Temple. The shepherds who mingled with the sheep remained filthy and were considered unclean and could not enter the Temple or “God’s presence.” 

Hmm…wonder who God might select to be the first to actually enter into His presence and kneel before the newborn Baby King…God in the flesh?  The ritually “always”-clean priests or perpetually filthy shepherds?  We know the answer.

And God’s answer and plan would have been truly shocking, but as one song says,

“To think of how it could have been
If Jesus had come as He deserved
There would have been no Bethlehem
No lowly shepherds at His birth

But Joseph knew the
Reason love had to reach so far…” 

(From Strange Way to Save the World, 4Him)

The Gospel According to the Shepherds

So often in the CHRISTmas story, we focus on the main characters: Mary, Joseph, and of course, Jesus.  But through the short account in Luke 2:8–20, there are four things we can learn from the shepherds that should make the top of our to-do list this and every CHRISTmas, and for that matter, every day of our lives!!!

1) Belief…The angels announced in spectacular fashion that the Messiah was born. As soon as the angels left, the shepherds looked at each other and said: “What are we waiting for? Let’s go straight to Bethlehem and see what has happened.”

No debate. No procrastination. They don’t decide to sleep on it. They don’t go to the local library (or Temple as they wouldn’t have been given access anyway) to research or ask questions. They just believed. That’s faith. Scripture says without faith it’s impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). The angel said, “Peace on earth among people with whom he is pleased.” Who is that? It’s those who respond to God’s gift through faith. Scripture also says, “For by grace you are saved, through faith, not of works for it is a Gift of God….” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Faith means you say yes to all that God did through Christ. Yes, he is the Savior of the world. Yes, he came to die for my sins. Yes, through him I find forgiveness and new life. Yes, I want Christ as my Lord. If you’re not sure, what are you waiting for?

Faith isn’t a spectator sport; it’s actively embracing all that God has promised and given us in Christ.  Which is the second thing the Shepherds teach us…

2) Obedience…The shepherds didn’t just talk about it…they did exactly as they were told. “Go and see…” We often think of CHRISTmas as a tame holiday…“the sweet baby Jesus asleep on the hay.” Everyone loves that because it’s so innocuous and safe. CHRISTmas isn’t safe! Maybe we would react as they did if angels appeared to us…BUT, wait a minute…WE HAVE HIS WORD!  Are we responding in faith…not just showing up at Church but also living it out daily?

That Baby was/and still is the King of kings and the Lord of lords and the angels and His Word tell us the same thing!!! He came to usher in a kingdom that rivals the worldly kingdom – against culture, against the flesh, against self. That’s threatening. He bids those who would follow him to take up their cross daily—to lay aside our own right and deception to rule ourselves and surrender to His rule.

Just as with the shepherds, we can only know/see the Lord through Obedience (FAITH in action – the only real Faith!)…THINK ABOUT THIS – from the time they heard from the angel(s), walking from the fields of Bethlehem, the City of David (City of the King), every step of the way they took in faith based only on what the angel had saidNot until they completed their journey and arrived at the lowly stable, and entered into the filth and stench did their faith become sight. Unless they had walked in Faith they would have never seen the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in the manger.  The same is true of us…and our walk of Faith.  Unless we continue in it we will not see the King.  That’s what the shepherds taught us by walking out their belief in Faith until they SAW Him!

The world loves to celebrate ‘CHRISTmas’, but they hate to obey him as Lord of their lives. Everyone wants to keep Christ in the manger. But the manger is meaningless apart from the Cross and the Tomb…and His Lordship in our lives!

Ben Franklin stated over 200 years ago…“How many observe Christ’s birthday! How few, His precepts! O! ‘tis easier to keep Holidays than Commandments.”

CHRISTmas is a time for Faith … for obedience! The two can’t be separated.

The third thing the shepherds teach us is that with real faith they…

3) Told others…When the shepherds arrived in Bethlehem and saw the child lying in the feed trough, “they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child.” They weren’t preachers; or missionaries…that didn’t matter. They had heard and seen something that meant salvation for the whole world.

CHRISTmas trees, eggnog, and exchanging of gifts are fine (Check out CHRISTmas Memories from last week)! If we enjoy all the trappings but don’t know and share Jesus—if we fail to speak (words and actions) of the real meaning as the Shepherds did; if we neglect to tell others that this Child is Savior and Lord, sent by God to die on the Cross to purchase our deliverance from sin, death, and satan with His royal, divine, human blood; if we neglect to share CHRIST, we miss CHRISTmas.

The angel said that this is “good news of great joy, which shall be for all the people.” If we truly believe it we must share this Good News…this joy.

Finally, the ‘Bethlehem, Passover shepherds’ taught us to…

4) Experience the Holy Wonder…The shepherds were overwhelmed at the angel’s announcement. They experienced holy wonder.

How can we engage in holy wonder? Maybe that means you stop in the middle of your shopping, sit down, and read the CHRISTmas story. Maybe you gather your children around a Nativity scene each night and focus on a particular player or event and the role he/she plays in the CHRISTmas story. Maybe you wake up early one morning and find a place to watch the sunrise as you meditate on Luke 1:76–79…

76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, 77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, 78 because of the tender mercy of our God by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven79 to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

The work of holy wonder is treasuring and pondering that God invaded Earth on a dangerous rescue mission. Let’s do the same…let’s engage in holy wonder.

The shepherds departed, rejoicing in all they’d seen as “everything was exactly as they had been told” (Luke 2:20). The same Truth the angels gave the shepherds is in God’s Word for us to experience Holy Wonder and share it with others!

Love and Lordship…Food for Thought – Isn’t it interesting that Mary, Joseph, the shepherds and all involved faced a decision when they heard about God’s plan for CHRISTmas and then a response as it became a reality.  What about you?  What has been your response to Christ in your heart and life?

Love and Lordship…Action Item

  1. Read the Scriptures in this article and ask The Holy Spirit to teach you.
  2. How does the story of the Real Shepherds of Bethlehem impact your understanding of CHRISTmas?
  3. What part of the Gospel or CHRISTmas Story according to the shepherds describes where you are with Christ?
  4. If you know Christ as Savior and Lord, share Him! If not, find someone to help you fully experience the Greatest Gift Ever Given! Contact us at L&L.
  5. Highly recommend that you take the time to watch this with your family and loved ones…Christmas With The Chosenhttps://watch.angelstudios.com/thechosen/livestream?id=93

This week’s Top CHRISTmas list…this week we look at the Top 5 Stressors and how to find peace according to The Prince of Peace and His Word…

5) Calendars – Schedules and Busyness – We all know what it means to “spread our self too thin.”  Stop!  Do what you can and let go of the rest…you’ll be much more at peace – Matthew 6:34 says, “don’t worry about tomorrow.” Great advice, so don’t pile on by adding too much to your calendar.

4) Checkbooks and Credit Cards – The Budget – Here’s another problem similar to our calendar woes…not only don’t do too much but don’t spend too much. Proverbs 22:7 states, “the borrower (credit cards) is a slave to the lender.” Set your budget and stick with it…you’ll be much happier and at peace in the end.

3) History – Ghosts of CHRISTmas past – many struggle with memories of family brokenness, bad relationships, loss of loved ones, etc., which dampens the CHRISTmas spirit. How clever of the enemy to use the very thing CHRISTmas was to bring…Hope, Joy, Peace and Love…and turn them on their head! Remember the message to the shepherds and apply it to your situation – Luke 2:8-14.  Choose Christ and don’t let others dictate your peace and joy!

2) Family – in-laws and outlaws, marriage, children and making it all work. How do you look at those in your family, blood relatives and in-laws, regardless of how they act? You can choose to honor, respect and love them even if they don’t deserve it…just like Christ did for us when He came at CHRISTmas. As a matter of fact, He came out of Love, because we needed a Savior, even though we didn’t deserve it – Isaiah 9:6; John 3:16!

1) Image – Do we have as much or look as good as everyone else? This may be at the core of many, if not all, of the above so if we can solve this one we might solve them all.  Contentment is the key to laying down pride, ego and “keeping up with the Joneses” especially at CHRISTmas. 1 Timothy 6:6-10 gives great wisdom as to what’s really important and the peace and contentment that come with knowing Christ.

Make it a great CHRISTmas season with family and loved ones in and for The Lord (Matthew 1:21-23)!