What Gift Do You Want For Christmas?

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. 2 Corinthians 13:14

"In these materialistic days, it is a real problem for many people to appreciate a precious gift that cannot be valued in monetary terms. Nevertheless, when you reflect on the sacrifice that God made at Golgatha, the redemption, salvation and hope that He gave us, it should be a source of inspiration and wonder." -- Grace For Each Moment

We can't repay God for what he has done for us. The most we can do is open ourselves up to Him through his love and accept the grace offered to us through Jesus Christ - and then share that love to all we come in contact with during our daily lives.

It's what makes this season so wonderful. We would never have this gift if it weren't for the birth of baby Jesus. Many who do not believe just don't understand how a baby could be born of a virgin..it scientifically doesn't make any sense. And I myself can't explain it and I don't even pretend too either. I go by faith because of how my life has been affected by Jesus and his gift.

I want to glorify the Lord this season with my thoughts and words and actions. May you be blessed as well by this wonderful gift.

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Take Off the Mask and Behold His Glory

Take Off the Mask and Behold His Glory

by Joyce Meyer -  

Rather, let our lives lovingly express truth [in all things, speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly]. Enfolded in love, let us grow up in every way and in all things into Him Who is the Head...
—Ephesians 4:15

It seems that many people struggle to be real. We act one way on the outside, when really, on the inside, we are someone else. Because we have weaknesses, faults, or fears—things about ourselves that we think make us less likable or desirable—we’d rather hide from other people.

The danger of wearing these masks, of course, is that it misrepresents us. What other people see is a lie. It’s not who we are...who we were born to be. By the time we reach adulthood, we’ve spent so many years hiding we’ve forgotten those things about ourselves that make us different and special.
What a shame! What a waste! Each of us—you, me, and every person—is uniquely created by a loving Father who rejoices in our individuality. In fact, it is those distinctive things about us, not our “sameness,” that make us special to Him. The little girl with freckles, the young lady with the dimples, the beloved gray-headed grandmother with the sweet smile—they all stand out...they’re special! And you’re special, too!

Sure, we all have flaws. We’re all less than perfect and wish we were better. But you need to know that God loves you just the way you are right now, and His love for you will never diminish.
God desires that we walk in truth, because only the truth will set us free (see John 8:32). He will help us to let down the defenses we’ve had up for so long. God knows how badly we want to fit in and be accepted. Trust Him to give you favor with people, instead of feeling that you must hide the real you. Learn to live truly by being genuine and real.
Trust in Him: God loves you, and He wants you to trust Him enough to be fully who you are!

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From the book Trusting God Day by Day by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2012 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.

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Living Intentionally, Part Deux

John 3:16 

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 

Living intentionally is a two way street. God has always been intentional. The entire idea that he gave us free will and knew that Adam and Eve (and us too) would mess that up is a great example. The thing is, his intent didn't end there. He so desires our love and a relationship with Him that he intentionally gave his only Son to die on the cross for our sins.

Yesterday I asked, what are you doing intentionally in your life for your sobriety and relationship with Christ. I wondered how you answered. I personally made a list and how I screwed even that up! I noticed everything started with "I am" or "I will" but my answers weren't linked with solid reasons of why. And so I think the question is better phrased "What are you doing intentionally in your life to please God?"

When I add the reasons to the end of my answers the entire reason for being intentional, and my actions becomes clear! I am so short-sited even with the best of my intentions.

So, today, I ask, "What are you doing intentionally in your life to please God? "

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Living Intentionally

2 Corinthians 12:9  

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 

For some reason lately I've been thinking about living intentionally. For me, I think it's because I've been forced to make decisions about difficult situations in my life, and because of having to make these decisions I'm forced to really think about my faith and how I want to live it out.

But, on my ride home this morning from dropping off my son at school, I started thinking about the days where life "just happens". There is nothing pressing, or difficult to decide, or crisis, etc. Everyday things just happen. I LIVE for these days because it seems like I have peace on these days. But do I?

After scouring the Bible for verses about living intentionally, I noticed all of them had strong action verbs. In the verse I chose for today, the verb is "boast", and of all things "boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses". That's a pretty tall order especially when my weakness is seen by society in such a negative light - addiction. We all have problems, but it seems like as soon as it's labeled as "addiction" the world shuts down all around and we feel so weak, empty, powerless and alone.

I'm actually doing pretty good on my journey and my fear is that I'm going to become complacent, have a bad moment leading to the wrong choice. And so, as a reminder, these are the days that I MUST act boldly and live intentionally. I want the power of Christ to rest upon me always. Each day we must do something to be intentional about our sobriety and our love for Christ.

What are you doing today to live intentionally?

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