Tag: christmas

Christian

A Heavenly Peace

Highlighting Hope

Silent night, holy night
All is calm, and all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace

We sing this song at Christmas time to worship our King. Our King who left His throne to come and abolish the great wall of separation that exists between God and man because of sin. Jesus came to abolish this great abyss that would have otherwise remained. Jesus came, despite our unworthiness, to bestow His grace, upon grace on and in our lives. We sing in worship of this holy birth!

For those who have been redeemed by Christ, this song has a very profound meaning. There are no amount of penned words that can fully articulate the majesty of Jesus and His holy birth, but bestowed to His children are significant blessings that can readily be identified and these significant blessings are markings of a stark contrast in our lives- before and after His entrance.

Before Christ coming into your life, do you recall a restlessness, a deep longing within your heart, always left unmet? Take a moment to recall the moment when Jesus became your Savior and consider these differences.

Silent night. I’m not sure how silent that night literally was, but this significant birth now silences the voice of our accuser. John 3:17, 18 says, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned” Revelation 12:10 says, “Now have come the salvation of and the power of and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.” Do you hear the constant sound of accusations in your heart and mind? Look unto this Savior who has been born for you and allow Him to give you your first, true silent night.

Holy Night. No day is as sacred as that first moment God captured your heart and stamped you as ‘His’. The moment that you first began your life in Christ, was certainly a holy moment, and was certainly your first true holy night. This is a holiness that we could not produce on our own, but rather it is one that had to be done for us and on our behalf. Paul addresses the believers in Corinth, as those sanctified in Christ Jesus (1 Cor. 1:2). The word sanctified is a past tense verb, which means to be set apart or declared as holy. This clearly indicates an action needing to be taken on our behalf. We in ourselves, are not holy, but Jesus is holy and in Him, we can be declared holy, and thus allowing us to experience our first, true holy night.

All is Calm, All is Bright. Your once restless heart, your life once lived in darkness, is now filled with a calm, and a light that you had never known or had ever seen before. This new calm is unlike any other calm you’ve ever experienced, because Christ is a new peace on Earth to all people that ultimately brings us peace with God. As Jesus once rebuked a storm when He and His disciples were out at sea by saying, “Peace, be still!” Scripture then tells us that the winds ceased and there was a great calm. A life once filled with chaos can come to a complete halt by Jesus’ resounding call of, “Peace, be still.” That’s what His birth was. His very birth commands a peace over our lives that results in a great calm for our souls to experience daily. A life once full of darkness is now bursting with Christ’s light and therefore, we experience new life. Where there is Light, there is life. “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Without light, there is no life” John 1:4, 5 The birth of our Savior ushered in a marvelous light this world so desperately needs.

Heavenly Peace. All of this is a result of a Holy Infant, the Christ child, coming for us. Therefore, we can sleep in a new found peace, a heavenly peace.

Are you experiencing a silent night, a holy night, in Christ? Have you experienced this great calm over your heart and soul? Is there new light shining in your life this day? If not, you can experience these things by looking to the Christ Child, by looking to the Savior of the world, and for the very first time, experience a Heavenly peace here on Earth.

Christian

A Heavenly Peace

Highlighting Hope

Silent night, holy night
All is calm, and all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace

We sing this song at Christmas time to worship our King, our King who left His throne to come and abolish the great wall of separation between God and man. Jesus came to abolish this great abyss that would have otherwise remained. Jesus came, despite our unworthiness, to bestow His grace, upon grace on and in our lives. We sing in worship of this holy birth!

For those who have been redeemed by Christ, this song has a very profound meaning. There are no amount of penned words that can fully articulate the majesty of Jesus and His holy birth, but bestowed to His children are significant blessings that can readily be identified and these significant blessings are markings of a stark contrast in our lives- before and after His entrance.

Before Christ coming into your life, do you recall a restlessness, a deep longing within your heart, always left unmet? Take a moment to recall the moment when Jesus became your Savior and consider these differences.

Silent night. I’m not sure how silent that night literally was, but this significant birth now silences the voice of our accuser. John 3:17, 18 says, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned” Revelation 12:10 says, “Now have come the salvation of and the power of and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.” Do you hear the constant sound of accusations in your heart and mind? Look unto this Savior who has been born for you and allow Him to give you your first, true silent night.

Holy Night. No day is as sacred as that first moment God captured your heart and stamped you as ‘His’. The moment that you first began your life in Christ, was certainly a holy moment, and your first true holy night. This is a holiness that we could not produce on our own, but rather it is one that had to be done for us and on our behalf. Paul addresses the believers in Corinth, as those sanctified in Christ Jesus (1 Cor. 1:2). The word sanctified is a past tense verb, which means to be set apart or declared as holy. This clearly indicates an action needing to be taken on our behalf. We in ourselves, are not holy, but Jesus is holy and in Christ Jesus, we can be declared holy, and thus allowing us to experience our first, true holy night.

All is Calm, All is Bright. Your once restless heart, your life once lived in darkness, is now filled with a calm, and a light that you had never known or had ever seen before. This new calm is unlike any other calm you’ve ever experienced, because Christ is a new peace on Earth to all people that ultimately brings us peace with God. As Jesus once rebuked a storm when He and His disciples were out at sea by saying, “Peace, be still!” Scripture then tells us that the winds ceased and there was a great calm. A life once filled with chaos can come to a complete halt by Jesus’ resounding call of, “Peace, be still.” That’s what His birth was. His very birth commands a peace over our lives that results in a great calm for our souls to experience daily. A life once full of darkness is now bursting with Christ’s light and therefore, we experience new life. Where there is Light, there is life. “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Without light, there is no life” John 1:4, 5 The birth of our Savior ushered in a marvelous light this world so desperately needs.

Heavenly Peace. All of this is a result of a Holy Infant, the Christ child, coming for us. Therefore, we can sleep in a new found peace, a heavenly peace.

Are you experiencing a silent night, a holy night in Christ? Have you experienced this great calm over your heart and soul? Is there new light shining in your life this day? If not, you can experience these things by looking to the Christ Child, by looking to the Savior of the world, and for the very first time, experience a Heavenly peace here on Earth.

Christian

It Certainly is a Very Merry Christmas

Highlighting Hope

I recall having a virus when I was young that hit me pretty suddenly and settled in my joints. The excruciating pain in my joints, especially my ankles, made it impossible for me to walk for several days. I was probably in the first or second grade at the time, and the onset of this virus happened while I was at school. Thankfully my mom worked at the school that I attended and she was able to get to me quickly, put me on a rolling chair, then rolled me down the hallway, and out to her car. It’s funny how more than 30 years later I can still remember the crippling pain and my need to be carried.

The holiday season is a time of remembering and gathering with loved ones. For the Christian, its’ main purpose is to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus. This is to be a jovial time of year, and for many, hidden beneath the fixed smile on your face, is a heart that bares grief, hurt, sadness, or pain. The reason for these emotions residing in many hearts is multifaceted, and the holiday season tends to stir up or agitate a grieving heart. I often times have gone to scripture in my pain in order to seek truth, and while I may still find the pain in my heart to be present, I begin to find rest because God’s word carries me, and it can carry you. In our pain, we see a loving Savior who remains present and carries us when we feel as if we can no longer stand, no longer walk.

Grieving friends, friends who feel much sorrow this night, I pray that I might encourage you with God’s word so that you can remember your position before God.

 In Isaiah 49: 15, 16 we read, “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.”

You dear friend, are not forgotten by God. While the world seems to move forward, and your pain has you feeling stagnant, you have not been forgotten by our Heavenly Father. You are ever before Him and on the very hand that holds you, you have been engraved. To be permanently remembered and seen by God is a grand truth to behold. This is a love that is greater than our minds can ever comprehend.

Psalm 139 says, “even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.” Pain has a way of crippling us and making it feel impossible to move forward, but with God as our guide, holding us and guiding us, we have an immeasurable amount of hope to move forward because He is the one who is carrying us through.

This great hope, these great truths that we have to claim and live by this very night are only possible because,  ‘Unto you a child is born, a Savior, and He is Christ, our Lord! He is Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace.’ (Luke 2:11, Isaiah 9:6) While pain may be present in your heart this Christmas, worship this Savior who was born for you, who continues to live for you, who intercedes for you, and who continues to carry you! Jesus certainly is the true hope of the world and because of that we can say with certainty that it is a very Merry Christmas.

Christian

A Heavenly Peace

Highlighting Hope

Silent night, holy night
All is calm, and all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace

We sing this song at Christmas time to worship our King, our King who left His throne to come and abolish the great wall of separation between God and man. Jesus came to abolish this great abyss that would have otherwise remained. Jesus came, despite our unworthiness, to bestow His grace, upon grace on and in our lives. We sing in worship of this holy birth!

For those who have been redeemed by Christ, this song has a very profound meaning. There are no amount of penned words that can fully articulate the majesty of Jesus and His holy birth, but bestowed to His children are significant blessings that can readily be identified and these significant blessings are markings of a stark contrast in our lives- before and after His entrance.

Before Christ coming into your life, do you recall a restlessness, a deep longing within your heart, always left unmet? Take a moment to recall the moment when Jesus became your Savior and consider these differences.

Silent night. I’m not sure how silent that night literally was, but this significant birth now silences the voice of our accuser. John 3:17, 18 says, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned” Revelation 12:10 says, “Now have come the salvation of and the power of and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.” Do you hear the constant sound of accusations in your heart and mind? Look unto this Savior who has been born for you and allow Him to give you your first, true silent night.

Holy Night. No day is as sacred as that first moment God captured your heart and stamped you as ‘His’. The moment that you first began your life in Christ, was certainly a holy moment, and your first true holy night. This is a holiness that we could not produce on our own, but rather it is one that had to be done for us and on our behalf. Paul addresses the believers in Corinth, as those sanctified in Christ Jesus (1 Cor. 1:2). The word sanctified is a past tense verb, which means to be set apart or declared as holy. This clearly indicates an action needing to be taken on our behalf. We in ourselves, are not holy, but Jesus is holy and in Christ Jesus, we can be declared holy, and thus allowing us to experience our first, true holy night.

All is Calm, All is Bright. Your once restless heart, your life once lived in darkness, is now filled with a calm, and a light that you had never known or had ever seen before. This new calm is unlike any other calm you’ve ever experienced, because Christ is a new peace on Earth to all people that ultimately brings us peace with God. As Jesus once rebuked a storm when He and His disciples were out at sea by saying, “Peace, be still!” Scripture then tells us that the winds ceased and there was a great calm. A life once filled with chaos can come to a complete halt by Jesus’ resounding call of, “Peace, be still.” That’s what His birth was. His very birth commands a peace over our lives that results in a great calm for our souls to experience daily. A life once full of darkness is now bursting with Christ’s light and therefore, we experience new life. Where there is Light, there is life. “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Without light, there is no life” John 1:4, 5 The birth of our Savior ushered in a marvelous light this world so desperately needs.

Heavenly Peace. All of this is a result of a Holy Infant, the Christ child, coming for us. Therefore, we can sleep in a new found peace, a heavenly peace.

Are you experiencing a silent night, a holy night in Christ? Have you experienced this great calm over your heart and soul? Is there new light shining in your life this day? If not, you can experience these things by looking to the Christ Child, by looking to the Savior of the world, and for the very first time, experience a Heavenly peace here on Earth.

Christian

It Certainly is a Very Merry Christmas

Highlighting Hope

I recall having a virus when I was young that hit me pretty suddenly and settled in my joints. The excruciating pain in my joints, especially my ankles, made it impossible for me to walk for several days. I was probably in the first or second grade at the time, and the onset of this virus happened while I was at school. Thankfully my mom worked at the school that I attended and she was able to get to me quickly, put me on a rolling chair, then rolled me down the hallway, and out to her car. It’s funny how more than 30 years later I can still remember the crippling pain and my need to be carried.

The holiday season is a time of remembering and gathering with loved ones. For the Christian, its’ main purpose is to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus. This is to be a jovial time of year, and for many, hidden beneath the fixed smile on your face, is a heart that bares grief, hurt, sadness, or pain. The reason for these emotions residing in many hearts is multifaceted, and the holiday season tends to stir up or agitate a grieving heart. I often times have gone to scripture in my pain in order to seek truth, and while I may still find the pain in my heart to be present, I begin to find rest because God’s word carries me, and it can carry you. In our pain, we see a loving Savior who remains present and carries us when we feel as if we can no longer stand, no longer walk.

Grieving friends, friends who feel much sorrow this night, I pray that I might encourage you with God’s word so that you can remember your position before God.

 In Isaiah 49: 15, 16 we read, “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.”

You dear friend, are not forgotten by God. While the world seems to move forward, and your pain has you feeling stagnant, you have not been forgotten by our Heavenly Father. You are ever before Him and on the very hand that holds you, you have been engraved. To be permanently remembered and seen by God is a grand truth to behold. This is a love that is greater than our minds can ever comprehend.

Psalm 139 says, “even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.” Pain has a way of crippling us and making it feel impossible to move forward, but with God as our guide, holding us and guiding us, we have an immeasurable amount of hope to move forward because He is the one who is carrying us through.

This great hope, these great truths that we have to claim and live by this very night are only possible because,  ‘Unto you a child is born, a Savior, and He is Christ, our Lord! He is Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace.’ (Luke 2:11, Isaiah 9:6) While pain may be present in your heart this Christmas, worship this Savior who was born for you, who continues to live for you, who intercedes for you, and who continues to carry you! Jesus certainly is the true hope of the world and because of that we can say with certainty that it is a very Merry Christmas.