One of the
greatest expressions of Christmas is to realize God sent His Son to give us
better than we deserve. We should never be arrogant with God but we should also
not be fearful and timid to accept God’s best in our lives.
Christmas is the time when many people feel trapped in their past. They regret about what life could have been. While it’s not bad to do some soul-searching and not repeat our mistakes, it’s never right to feel condemned about our past. The Bible says that the devil is the accuser of the brethren. If you’ve done wrong and repented for it, you have nothing to regret about. There’s nothing you’ve done that is beyond God’s reach to forgive. Don’t beat yourself up for what happened in the past. Accept God’s love, forgiveness and mercy.
One of the things
Jesus came to deliver on earth is God’s mercy. Unlike many people think, God is
not waiting for us to make a mistake so He can punish us. Sin cannot be
punished twice. He has already dealt with our sins on the cross. The gifts that
are under your tree is nothing compared to the Gift that hung on the tree. He
doesn’t give us what we deserve; He gives us what we can never earn for
ourselves. God’s mercy is so great for us that He gave heaven’s most prized
possession. While we were yet sinners, Christ loved and died for us. That is
God’s mercy! We don’t have to perform, we don’t have to keep the rules and the
laws; we just have to accept His mercy. When we humble ourselves at His mercy
seat, we inherit the royal robe, the signet ring and the welcome home banquet.
God has forgiven you. Now it’s time for you to forgive yourself.
A great many
people today are sick in their bodies. I have a friend who hasn’t had a good
night’s sleep for weeks. Others are fighting terminal illness. No matter what
your sickness or physical illness are God sent His Son to restore your health.
We should respect medical science but never underestimate God’s power to heal.
The Bible says that He’s the greatest Physician; He’s more than a doctor – He’s
our Healer. No sickness is too hard for Him to heal. He can even bring the dead
back to life and you’re not dead yet! Friend, I want you to muster up a new
hope today. Visualize a mental picture of you – healthy, happy able to live the
dream you once envisioned. I encourage you to put up your pictures on the mirror
and walls when you’re strong. Every time you see yourself, say this prayer, “Thank you Lord for divine health springing
forth in my life. My best days are ahead of me. I will live full and healthy
life that you have for me through Jesus. By His stripes, I’m healed.”
Many people cannot
accept better than they deserve because they’re prisoners of drugs, alcohol,
depression, addiction and emotional pain. If this is you, I have good news for
you. Jesus came not only to give us eternal life (in heaven) but also abundant
life here on earth. Friend, the Good News of Christmas is that captives will be
released and the oppressed will be set free. God is not mad with you; He is
madly in love with you. There’s never going to be a better time than this to
let go of your hang ups and receive God’s free flowing mercy. God’s not like
Santa checking His list twice to see if you’ve done good enough to bless you. He
has already decided to bless you. Christmas is the evidence! He will give us
better than we deserve.
A great way to
show our gratitude to God’s grace and mercy is to forgive those who have hurt
us. Too many Christians today are guilty of holding a grudge against one
another. Don’t let that be you. The Scripture teaches that when we harbor
unforgiveness and resentment, it becomes a root of bitterness. When the root is
bad our fruits will be rotten also. When you forgive, you let a prisoner free –
that prisoner is you. Don’t seek to pay people back. Don’t take revenge. When
you let go and begin to trust God and trust people again, you’ll see the glory
of God’s power in your life. God has better things in store than we deserve. What
do you have for God?
“And the angel
said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that
will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10 ESV).
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