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The love that God has for His children is immeasurable and everlasting. As
a father holds their child as the apple of their eye, so it is with God who
has created us in His image. Never believe the lie that Jesus Christ does
not love you or care about you. We have never known such love as God has
for His people. The Bible declares in Psalm 103:8-12 "The LORD is merciful
and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always
chide: neither will He keep His anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us
after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the
heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear
him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our
transgressions from us." Be encouraged and know that God loves you and
will be there when you call upon Him. (Jeremiah 31:3) (Psalm 37:3-6)
I hope you are encouraged by today's message to rest in the love of God and
know that He has great plans for your life.
CHRISTMAS LOVE
Each December, I vowed to make Christmas a calm and peaceful experience.
I had cut back on nonessential obligations - extensive card writing,
endless baking, decorating, and even overspending. Yet still, I found
myself exhausted, unable to appreciate the precious family moments, and of
course, the true meaning of Christmas.
My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten that year. It was an exciting season
for a six year old. For weeks, he'd been memorizing songs for his schools
"Winter Pageant." I didn't have the heart to tell him I'd be working the
night of the production.
Unwilling to miss his shining moment, I spoke with his teacher. She assured
me there would be a dress rehearsal the morning of the presentation. All
parents unable to attend that evening were welcome to come then.
Fortunately, Nicholas seemed happy with the compromise.
So, the morning of the dress rehearsal, I filed in 10 minutes early, found
a spot on the cafeteria floor and sat down. Around the room, I saw several
other parents quietly scampering to their seats. As I waited, the students
were led into the room. Each class, accompanied by their teacher, sat
cross-legged on the floor. Then, each group, one by one, rose to perform
their song. Because the public school system had long stopped referring to
the holiday as "Christmas", I didn't expect anything other than fun,
commercial entertainment - songs of reindeer, Santa Claus, snowflakes and
good cheer. So, when my son's class rose to sing, "Christmas Love", I was
slightly taken aback by its bold title.
Nicholas was aglow, as were all of his classmates, adorned in fuzzy
mittens, red sweaters, and bright snowcaps upon their heads.
Those in the front row - center stage - held up large letters, one by one,
to spell out the title of the song.
As the class would sing "C is for Christmas", a child would hold up the
letter C. Then, "H is for Happy", and on and on, until each child holding
up his portion had presented the complete message, "Christmas Love".
The performance was going smoothly, until suddenly, we noticed her - a
small, quiet, girl in the front row holding the letter "M" upside down -
totally unaware her letter "M" appeared as a "W".
The audience of 1st through 6th graders snickered at this little one's
mistake. But she had no idea they were laughing at her, so she stood tall,
proudly holding her "W".
Although many teachers tried to shush the children, the laughter continued
until the last letter was raised, and we all saw it together. A hush came
over the audience and eyes began to widen. In that instant, we understood -
the reason we were there, why we celebrated the holiday in the first place,
why even in the chaos, there was a purpose for our festivities.
For when the last letter was held high, the message read loud and clear:
CHRIST WAS LOVE.
And, I believe, He still is.
By Candy Chand
Read and meditate on these scriptures:
Psalm 86:4-7 "Rejoice the soul of Thy servant: for unto Thee, O Lord, do I
lift up my soul. For Thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and
plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon Thee. Give ear, O LORD,
unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications. In the day of
my trouble I will call upon Thee: for Thou wilt answer me."
Joshua 1:9 "Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be
not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee
whithersoever thou goest."
1 John 1:8-10 "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and
the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say
that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us."
Jeremiah 29:11-14 "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith
the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
Then shall ye call upon Me, and ye shall go and pray unto Me, and I will
hearken unto you. And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search
for Me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the LORD…"
All of these scriptures can be found in the King James Version Bible.
Today's Selected Poem: YOU STILL HAVE HOPE
Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/enpoem62.htm
Today's Selected Testimony: THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD
Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/testimony48.htm
In Christ's Service,
Dwayne Savaya
Gods Work Ministry |
