At Christmas, there are so many things to celebrate about the birth of Jesus. His arrival offered us healing to our broken lives, a voice to the oppressed, and a pardon from our sins. How can Jesus fix the brokenness in each one of us?
Christmas is a time full of great things. Great presents. Great food. Great parties. And great expectations. But when those expectations are not met it can leave us feeling discouraged and disappointed. The birth of Jesus teaches us that we can take hope this holiday season in all circumstances, because God isn’t limited by our expectations.
When we see baby Jesus in the manger, we celebrate the coming of a king, and rightfully so. But have you ever considered what Jesus gave up to become a human baby? Explore a new perspective through the scriptures to see the majesty of Jesus and the humility of the manger.
We spend so much time preparing for the Christmas season. From shopping, decorating, parities and more, we spend countless hours getting ready for the big day. When Jesus was coming, God used John the Baptist to prepare the way for him, modeling for us the importance of preparation before receiving from God. This Advent season, what are you doing to prepare your life to receive from Jesus?
People asked Jesus how do you sum up all of the laws of God. He made it simple- Love God and Love others. The love he talked about was different from what we think. What would it really look like if we did these things? What would the world look like if Christians did this?
In Romans 12:9-13 Paul instructs the church to have sincere love for each other. As he continues on in the passage, he breaks down what that type of love looks like. There are so many counterfeit examples of "love" out there...how do we know what is real?
In Luke 10:25-37, Jesus breaks racial, religious, and cultural barriers by telling the story of the Good Samaritan. In 2019, we sit in the same seat as his listeners back then. We are divided by political views, color of skin, sexual orientation, economic status, and more. Love goes beyond what what culture tells us. Just because I don’t agree with you, doesn’t mean I do not love you.
Matthew 9:10-17: Jesus hung out with people most church goers would not today. Somewhere along the way, Christian culture has deemed who we should or should not show love and grace to. It created borders and a “good guy-bad guy” system. The problem with that, is Jesus loved everyone, spent time with all types of hurting, lost people, and had a mission of everyone understanding and experiencing God’s love for humanity. It’s time we take that back.
What if God gave up on us every time we messed up? If He turned His back on us when our religion or good works don't make the mark? It would be unthinkable. We see in Romans 8:37-39 that God's love is relentless and there is absolutely nothing that separates us from what He did through His son Jesus.
It makes sense that we would hate those who hate us. Some religious people of Jesus' day even taught it. Then in Matthew 5:43-47 He flips it over and says we need to love our enemies. Is that even possible? What would the world look like if people would actually do this? Is love really greater then hate?
In John 8:1-11, Jesus approaches forgiveness through a new angle. His act of grace in the face of sin changed a person’s life forever. How can this type of love change us and the people in our lives?
For us to be able to give and receive love, it requires us to see it in the right light. Love puts others before ourselves…love is sacrifice.
