THE GIFT BEYOND THE SALE

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”  (Isaiah 9:6 NKJV)

The prophet Isaiah spoke of a Child who would carry the weight of the world on His shoulders, not through power or profit, but through love and sacrifice. This promise was fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the true gift of Christmas.

Yet, commercialization has obscured the meaning of Christmas. The commercial has become more important than the carol. The sales pitch more important than the Good News. What man has to sell more important than what God has given.

Advent is a season of waiting, of preparing our hearts for the coming King. But in a world where advertisements drown out hymns and shopping lists overshadow Scripture, we must choose to refocus. The world offers temporary satisfaction wrapped in shiny paper, but God offers eternal peace wrapped in swaddling clothes.

Isaiah’s words remind us that the true wonder of Christmas is not found in what we buy, but in Who was given. Jesus is the Wonderful Counselor who guides us, the Mighty God who saves us, the Everlasting Father who loves us, and the Prince of Peace who calms our restless hearts.

-- SOUND BITES Ministry™, compiled from a variety of sources 

#6259

THE GIFT OF DEPARTING IN PEACE

“There was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: ‘Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.’”  (Luke 2:25-32 NKJV)

Death stood at the door. This dear old man hovered in the valley of the shadow. I had been called to his bedside by the family to be present for his final hours. His sister-in-law, who had kept a constant vigil of love, told me he had made a death wish some months ago. “As I get near the end,” he had said, “I have my doubts about many things in life. But I hope I can leave this earth with dignity… my faith in God is stronger than ever.”

She showed me a picture of him from earlier years. He seemed so vibrant and full of life then, and now so forlorn and hopeless, gasping for that final breath. Then he was gone. I held his hand until his hold ended, almost symbolic of giving up and letting go. But he died in dignity. No respirator kept him from his date with destiny or his meeting with the God he loved. There was the sadness of farewell, but also gratitude that his wish had been granted.

We all proceed every day to our final destiny. If we are wise, we will accept its finality with gratitude; if we are sensible we prepare for it now. If we are blessed “for my eyes have seen Your salvation,” we will depart, as Simeon prayed, in peace. 

– Adapted from Richard L. Morgan in “Autumn Wisdom”

#6069

REMEMBER WHAT WE CELEBRATE

"But when the right time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent Him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that He could adopt us as His very own children. And because we are His children, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, ‘Abba, Father.’ Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are His child, God has made you His heir."  (Galatians 4:4-8)

On this eve of Christmas, whether you feel yourself to be surrounded by earthly blessings or whether you feel your blessings to be few, set aside those thoughts and concerns long enough to remember what it is that we are celebrating: God’s loving plan to bring you home to Himself, through the gift of Jesus Christ.  

-- Nancy Guthrie in “Advent: Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room” 

#6016

 

THE GREATEST GIFT

“God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”  (Ephesians 2:8-9 NLT)

As we journey toward Christmas, let us reflect on the profound truth that throughout our lives we will inevitably give ourselves to something. People often devote their lives to things they can boast about -- pleasure, possessions, popularity, or power. However, true followers of Christ understand that the highest and best use of a human life is to give ourselves to others, pointing them toward faith in Christ.

Let us remember that the greatest gift we can offer is an introduction to the God who sent His Son to redeem us. If we truly believe in the redeeming and transforming power of God's presence in a person's life, then sharing the message of how to be rightly connected to Him becomes our most significant mission.

As we light candles and prepare our hearts for Christmas, let us commit to being signposts that guide others toward God. May we boldly share the good news of Christ's love and redemption, offering the gift of grace to those we encounter. Let us embrace our calling to point people to the Savior, knowing that in doing so, we are giving the greatest gift of all. 

-- SOUND BITES Ministry, compiled from a variety of sources

#6015

THE SCANDALOUS DECLARATION

Christmas shatters any idea that God is some kind of vengeful tyrant bent on smiting any who fail to live up to His expectations. The image of a harsh, punishing deity is contradicted when we discover that our God was incarnated in a baby in Bethlehem's manger.

What we realize with the birth of Jesus is that God is a loving person who was willing to give up power in order to express His love. At Christmas we are reminded, as it says in the second chapter of Philippians, that the same God who had the power to toss the galaxies into outer space and set electrons spinning in inner space loved us enough to set aside all that power in order to show that love.

Soren Kierkegaard, the nineteenth-century theologian and philosopher, once told the story of a prince who had fallen in love with a peasant girl. This prince knew that if he presented himself to her with all of his royal trappings, she would be overawed by him. His power and majesty would render her incapable of freely choosing to love him. Knowing this, the prince took off his royal garments, set aside his crown, and dressed himself as a peasant. He became a peasant in her eyes, so that in this guise she could choose to love him or not, for his own sake.

So it was with God at that first Christmas. If He had not been willing to put His power "on hold," loving Him would be impossible. We would not have the freedom needed to choose love if our God powerfully controlled everything. If all that we thought and did was under the control of His power, then love, freely given, would not be possible.

The good news is that 2,000 years ago, our God showed us His love by emptying Himself of power and coming into the world as a vulnerable infant child. The scandalous declaration of Christians is that the Bethlehem child is none other than the creator God, having become one of us. There is no greater love than this! 

-- Tony Campolo (1935-2024)

#6014

CHRISTMAS IS ABOUT RESCUE

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”  (Romans 6:23 NLT)

This is what we need to be rescued from -- from the decision each of us have made, and continue to make, to ask Jesus to leave so that we can be the captain of our own soul and the ruler of our own life -- the attitude the Bible calls sin. We need to be rescued from the consequences of our decision.

When you realize this, the first Christmas comes to life, because when you realize this, you read these lines and you feel a deep hope and a dawning of joy: “You are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”  (Matthew 1:21)

The divine Shepherd-Ruler came. The Magi were right to give Him gold. He showed glimmers of His kingdom and He invited people to join Him and enjoy Him. But He did more than that. He came not just to rule, but to rescue. He came to rescue you from your sin and its consequences.

Christmas is about rescue. It’s a rescue that you and I desperately need, and can wonderfully have. 

-- Carl Laferton in “Rescuing Christmas: The Search for Joy that Lasts”

#6004

THE BEGINNING OF ADVENT

“Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long. Remember, Lord, Your great mercy and love, for they are from of old.”  (Psalm 25:5-6 NIV) 

The Season of Advent gives the church the opportunity to begin again. Once more the full story of God’s grace is awaiting our discovery. Once more we shake off the failures and victories of the past, and we get a clean page on which to write the story of our companionship with God in Christ. Once more we get to listen and respond in faithfulness to the God who comes to us humbly, intimately, and personally in the birth of Jesus. Advent marks the beginning of the church year and lays before us the pathway of faith for the year ahead. Advent initiates once again remembering, retelling, and celebrating the whole drama of God’s self-revelation.

Four weeks is the limit to this season that declares the truth about a God whose love and resourcefulness have no limits. “Advent” has its roots in the Latin word adventus, or coming. This season proclaims the coming of Christ in the birth of Jesus, in the Word and Spirit, and in the final victory when God’s kingdom shall be complete. Our privilege as Christians is to receive the gracious gifts of God’s presence in Christ. Our task is to share those gifts with others and to prepare for His coming so that we will not miss life’s greatest gift. 

-- Adapted from the Introduction to “A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God” by Norman Shawchuck and Rueben P. Job

#5999

RESPONDING TO GOD’S GIFT

“Righteous Father, though the world does not know You, I know You, and they know that You have sent Me. I have made You known to them, and will continue to make You known in order that the love You have for Me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”  (John 17:25-26 NIV)

"Responding to God" is a concept that many, if not most, find difficult to grasp.  Human nature and institutions have presented almost insurmountable obstacles to this process.  The free will that God has given mankind permits a focus on immediate and physical needs, often at the expense of long-term and spiritual needs.  Many do not even consider the possibility of an ultimate or eternal need. 

Every single human being causes harm or disappointment to others at various times.  The injury is often in the failure to take an appropriate action.  Mankind has always been plagued with thoughtless and destructive behaviors.  Governments, social organizations, and religions have evolved focusing on these behaviors and attempting to ameliorate them.  Rules, laws, moral codes, and commandments have proliferated with elaborate systems of intrinsic and extrinsic rewards and punishments.  Who could satisfy every demand?  The criminal and immoral usually don't care.  Those who try to do good still face the guilt associated with failing to meet every expectation.  The good and the bad, to various degrees, are all subject to guilt and the anxieties associated with it.  Mankind was given free will and a deep-seated need for God, but not perfection.  We, in fact, seem to be prisoners of our imperfection.

Christians believe that God provided the solution to this condition over 2,000 years ago.  To demonstrate His love for humanity, He sent His Son, in essence Himself, into the world.  Jesus came to destroy the barriers separating men and women from God.  He brought a simple message of forgiveness and reconciliation.  Through Jesus, every human being was given a clear and direct way to God.  He prayed, "Righteous Father, I have made You known to them… in order that the love You have for Me may be in them." The appropriate "response" to God is simply to accept this gift.

-- Larkin Spivey in “God in the Trenches” 

#5914

THE FREE GIFT OF GOD

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  (Romans 6:23 ESV)

I often ask people, "What do you think a person has to do to go to heaven?" Most people respond by saying something like this, "Do the best you can, live a good life, observe the golden rule, keep the Ten Commandments, etc." But I'd like to ask you, "Has anyone really kept the Ten Commandments?" The Ten Commandments are indeed God's standard of righteousness (Romans 7:12), but who has ever kept them?... No one will ever be good enough to go to heaven by keeping God's law; for His law only reveals our sin (Romans 3:19-20).

This is why Jesus came! We all need a Saviour! The word "Saviour" has the idea of "one who can rescue you from the penalty of your sin." Jesus rescues people from perishing so that they might have eternal life (Matthew 1:21).

To be good enough to go to heaven we must have a righteousness that equals God's (2 Corinthians 5:21). The "good news" of the gospel is that not only will Jesus forgive your sins, but He is also offering -- freely -- His very own righteousness as a gift (See Romans 5:17). Do you need a new start in life? A relationship with the God of heaven who loves you very much?… Would you consider turning to Him through Jesus Christ? Accepting Him as your personal Saviour and following Him as your Lord? He loves you very much! 

-- Don Krow

#5871

THE WONDROUS GIFT

How silently, how silently,
the wondrous gift is given;
so God imparts to human hearts
the blessings of His heaven.
No ear may hear His coming,
but in this world of sin,
where meek souls will receive Him, still
the dear Christ enters in.  (From “O Little Town of Bethlehem” by Phillips Brooks)

This is Christmas: not the tinsel, not the giving and receiving, not even the carols, but the humble heart that receives anew the wondrous gift, the Christ. 

-- Frank McKibben

#5759

LENT BEGINS

“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23 NIV)  “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23 NIV)

The Season of Lent is like a roller coaster ride with emotions that are down and up again and again as the story of our salvation makes plain our sinful ways and the cost of redemption. We begin with Ash Wednesday where we roughly bump up against our own mortality. Here we know that sin and death are real, and they are real not just for someone else. Sin and death are real for us. This is where we begin the Lenten Season, with our face pressed hard against the reality of our sin and our death. If we did not know how the story ends, this would be a dark and depressing journey. But we do know how the story ends and therefore in the midst of austerity and fasting we remember our faithful Savior and the Easter declaration that life is always victorious over death, always! 

-- Norman Shawchuck and Rueben P. Job in “A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God”

#5544

CONFIDENCE IN CHRIST

“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are -- yet He did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”  (Hebrews 4:14-16 NIV)

God gave the most precious gift of His Son to take our sin upon Himself on the cross so that we might be reconciled to our Father.  When we accept Him, He clothes us in His righteousness so that we can draw near with confidence to the throne of grace.  In Christ, we are secure and free in our standing before God.  We can step out from whatever trees of fear may surround us.  We are no longer bound by the belief that if we tell God how we really feel or what we think, God will judge us or cause some disaster to come upon us.

This is true intimacy: confidence that what we reveal about ourselves will be understood and that the One to whom we disclose ourselves will accept us, seek our good, and communicate support and love. 

-- Cynthia Heald in “Intimacy with God”

#5516

ACCEPTING GOD’S KINDNESS

God is kind.

Ephesians 2:7 reveals that God shows us “the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” God is kind, and Jesus is the living proof of that kindness. Jesus displays what God’s kindness looks like. Jesus presents God’s kindness in living form. Even though we may be unkind to other people, or even to God Himself, God still takes the first step and gives us the unmistakably kind gift of Jesus.

When God saw the world struggling, wandering off on its own, lost in traps of its own making, He sent Jesus to show the way home. God offered Jesus to the world then, and He offers Jesus to you and me now. When you are lost, God sends Jesus to find you. When you turn your back on God, still He calls you home with the kind gift of Jesus: God’s own Son, the Word of God made flesh, offered as a gift to the world. 

-- Allen R. Hunt in “Nine Words: A Bible Study to Help You Become the Best-Version-of-Yourself” 

#5418

BECAUSE GOD LOVES ME

(Based on 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 and John 3:16)

Because God loves me, He is slow to lose patience with me.

Because God loves me, He takes the circumstances of my life and uses them in a constructive way for my growth.

Because God loves me, He is for me. He wants to see me mature and develop in His love.

Because God loves me, He does not send down His wrath on every little mistake I make, of which there are many.

Because God loves me, He does not keep score of all my sins and then beat me over the head with them whenever He gets the chance.

Because God loves me, He is deeply grieved when I do not walk in the ways that please Him because He sees this as evidence that I don't trust Him and love Him as I should.

Because God loves me, He keeps on trusting me when at times I don't even trust myself.

Because God loves me, He never says there is no hope for me; rather, He patiently works with me, loves me, and disciplines me in such a way that it is hard for me to understand the depth of His concern for me.

Because God loves me, He never forsakes me even though many of my friends might.

Because God loves me, He stands with me when I have reached the rock bottom of despair, when I see the real me and compare that with His righteousness, holiness, beauty, and love. It is a moment like this that I can really believe that God loves ME.

Because God loves me, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, and that believing in Him I will have eternal life with the God who loves me.

Yes, the greatest of all gifts is God's perfect love given to us in His Son!

-- Dr. Dick Dickinson, Inter-Community Counseling Center, Long Beach, California

#5246

THE GIFT FOR ALL PEOPLE – Part 1

"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”  (Romans 6:23 NLT)

To whom does God offer His gift?  To the brightest?  The most beautiful or the most charming?  No.  His gift is for us all -- beggars and bankers, clergy and clerks, judges and janitors.  All God's children.

And He wants us so badly, He'll take us in any condition -- "as is" reads the tag on our collars.  He's not about to wait for us to reach perfection (He knows we'll never get there!).  Do you think He's waiting for us to overcome all temptations?  Hardly.  When we master the Christian walk?  Far from it.  Remember, Christ died for us when we were still sinners.  His sacrifice, then, was not dependent on our performance.

He wants us now.  And He'll do whatever it takes to bring His children home. Christ's love has no strings, no expectations, no hidden agendas, no secrets.  His love for us is up front and clear.  "I love you," He says.  Even if you let Me down.  I love you in spite of your failures." Why did God choose you?  Why did He choose me?  Honestly. Why?  What do we have that He needs? 

-- Max Lucado in “The Gift for All People”

#5241

GOD’S INDESCRIBABLE GIFT

“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”  (2 Corinthians 9:15 NIV)

It seems strange that there should ever have been any doubt as to what gift it is which evokes this burst of thanksgiving. There is but one of God's many mercies which is worthy of being thus singled out. There is one blazing central sun which shines out amidst all the galaxy of lights which fill the heavens. There is one gift of God which, beyond all others, merits the designation of “unspeakable.” The gift of Christ draws all other divine gifts after it. “He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all -- how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32 NIV) 

-- Alexander Maclaren

#5232