Merry Christmas folks! This day in history thrills my
heart as it reminds us of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Everything about
His life was miraculous starting with His supernatural birth. This day heralds
the message of joy to the world!
When an angel appeared to Mary and gave her the game plan
of how she was going to conceive a child without knowing a man, Mary could have
said, “Listen angel, I know you look
bright but this has never before happened in history?” Thank God Mary
didn’t doubt and welcomed God’s divine plan for her life. She was a virtuous
ordinary woman but God used her to change history.
Time and again, God used ordinary people to do
extraordinary things. I think of Joseph who was a carpenter. Skilled at his job
but a common man. God used Joseph and Mary to raise the Son of God! Today, you
may not feel or look very bright but if you surrender your life to the will of
God, you too will be used in an extraordinary fashion.
God’s dream for you is always bigger than your own. You
may not see the circumstances in your life producing anything significant but
God is working His Master Plan for your life. Where you are right now is not
your final destiny. You’re on a journey. When God is through with you, you too,
like Mary, will bring forth a miracle. God wants to use you to bring joy to the
world!
When Isaiah prophesized the birth of our Lord hundreds of
years before it happened, he declared, “For to us a
child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his
shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting
Father, Prince of Peace”
(Isaiah 9:6 NIV).
Let’s break it down. His name is called Wonderful
Counselor. It means He will drive out confusion from our lives. Do you believe
in one thing and everything in the natural looks another way? Do you have
doubts and uncertainty about your future? With the arrival of Jesus, there is
no more confusion; no more doubt. His name is Emmanuel — God with us. His Holy Spirit is our Helper and He will guide us
into all truths. He is the best counselor money cannot buy!
What’s looking so impossible in your life? Is there
anything too hard for our God? He brought water out of a rock. He parted the
red sea. He caused millions of quails to fall to the ground to provide meat for
the Israelites in the desert. What a mighty God we serve! Everything is
possible when we put our unrestrained confidence in Jesus. Joy to the world, we
don’t have to solve our problems on our own. We have a Mighty God we can depend
on.
Today is Christmas but so many people are sitting on the
sidelines of life. They made a mistake 17 years ago but they cannot forgive
themselves. They’re down, depressed and discouraged. I don’t want to make light
of your experience but I have good news for you. If you’re feeling down and
out, we have a Father in Heaven who is full of compassion and forgiveness. You
don’t have to condemn yourself. At the heart of God is mercy. Joy to the world our
sins are forgiven. “Come
now, let's settle this," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like
scarlet, I will make them as white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18 NLT).
The last part of Isaiah 9:6 says that His name will be
called Prince of Peace. Aren’t you glad that you have the peace through our
Lord Jesus Christ? But you know what? There are millions around the world who
have never heard His name. How can they call upon that name to be saved? Aren’t
you glad someone shared the Gospel with you? How can we sit in the luxury of
America and forget the lost and hurting world? There is no joy of Christmas in
their hearts because they don’t know about Jesus. This is why we at Build
International Ministries are aiming to reach half a million people with the
Gospel this year. We’re almost there but we need your help. Will you pray? Will
you help and share? Because of you, more and more people will come to know the
Price of Peace.
Happy Birthday,
Jesus and Merry Christmas to you!
“For
God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes
in him shall not perish but have eternal life”
(John 3:16 NIV).
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