MERRY CHRISTMAS

 

A Christmas Prayer

"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." Isaiah 7:14 (NIV)

 

The Manger of My Heart
This Christmas, Lord, come to the manger of my heart.
Fill me with Your presence from the very start.
As I prepare for this Holy day and gifts to be given,
Remind me of the gift You gave when You sent Your Son from Heaven.

The first Christmas gift, it was the greatest gift ever.
You came as a baby born in a manger.
Wrapped like the gifts I find under my tree,
Waiting to be opened, to reveal Your love to me.

Restore to me the wonder that came with Jesus' birth,
when He left the riches of Heaven and wrapped Himself in rags of earth.
Immanuel, God with us, Your presence came that night.
And angels announced, "Into your darkness, God brings His Light."

"Do not be afraid," they said, to shepherds in the field.
Speak to my heart today, Lord, and help me to yield.
Make me like those shepherd boys, obedient to Your call.
Setting distractions and worries aside, to You I surrender them all.

Surround me with Your presence, Lord, I long to hear Your voice.
Clear my mind of countless concerns and all the holiday noise.
Slow me down this Christmas, let me not be in a rush.
In the midst of parties and planning, I want to feel Your hush.

This Christmas, Jesus, come to the manger of my heart.
Invade my soul like Bethlehem, bringing peace to every part.
Dwell within and around me, as I unwrap Your presence each day.
Keep me close to You, Lord. It's in Your wonderful Name I pray.

God's presence in our lives is a gift we can open not only today but every day of the year.

In Loving Memory Of Sandy Hook School Victims

 

 

 

 

Rest In Peace

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved."
John 3:16-17

I want you to try and picture those moments in heaven just before God the Son left His throne of majesty and came to earth as a baby. Think about it: The angels in heaven understood the life that lay before Him. The Father was putting Him on a path that would lead to humiliation and death. And Christ Himself knew the pain He would endure on the cross. It must’ve been so hard.

So what made Him go? It was love. God loved the people of this planet, and knew Jesus was the only way we could be saved from the consequences of our sin. And our planet – a little speck in the great universe – was loved so much that God became a man. We didn’t deserve Him, but we got Him.

It’s been well said, “God doesn’t love us because we’re valuable; we’re valuable because He loves us.” No truer words have been spoken. Jesus didn’t come into the world because He found us attractive. No, He came into the world so that we might become holy and blameless in the eyes of God.

Our Lord experienced so much hardship by coming into the world. But He knew it was worth it, to rescue us from the dominion of darkness and bring us into His Kingdom!

JESUS CAME BECAUSE OF HIS GREAT LOVE FOR US. PRAISE HIM THAT BY ACCEPTING THAT LOVE, YOU’RE MADE HOLY IN GOD’S EYES.