The desire to become better at listening than talking has been a new and humbling skill set for me. I have learned the value of genuinely respecting others’ points of view as more important than my own, which, as it turns out, makes me a more effective ambassador for Jesus; one who extends genuine care and interest toward others.

It’s the one thing everybody wants. It’s the one thing that’s hard to come by and the one thing that only God can give. What is this elusive desire that’s highly prized? It’s the amazing gift of PEACE. Without this precious gift, we’re like a boat adrift on open water without an anchor, yearning to find the shore. But what exactly is peace and what does it bring?

A while ago, I was really struggling with a very close relationship because the person was cruel to me in our interactions, from defaming my character to accusing me of things I had not done. I was in a rough place because I knew I was disobeying God by harboring resentment and ill will in my heart toward that person when God clearly commands us to love our enemies. I knew that holding on to hatred was terrible because, at its root, hatred is the desire to see that person destroyed. With feelings like these, I was not walking by the Spirit. What was I to do?

Gratitude comes from acknowledging God’s grace in our lives, which may take the form of wealth, amazing opportunities, and even successes we genuinely don’t deserve. If we are honest, we should be thankful for such a lovely turn of events instead of having a spirit of entitlement, which says, ‘I DESERVE this!’ How is it possible to arrive at such a conclusion? How long will we remain happy and contented? After all, happiness is a temporary feeling, whereas joy is a spiritual fruit that grows and permeates our whole being.

We often figure because we can’t see God, He doesn’t see or hear us, nor does He care when we fall off the path of godly living He cleared for us. So, what’s the big deal about minimizing, ignoring, or choosing not to own our missteps or (as the Bible calls it), sin? After all, it’s human nature to defend ourselves when we are in trouble or when we do wrong. Do you agree?

The psalmist says, “If I regard wickedness in my heart, the Lord will not hear.” In other words, the Lord does not hear my prayers to Him if I am deceiving Him by withholding confession of my sin. Yikes! I surely don’t want to put any obstacles between God and me. How about you?

IIn a perfect world, we would enjoy long moments of uninterrupted time spent in the presence of Jesus rather than carving out rare minutes here and there to focus on Him. But it’s not a perfect world, and on this side of Heaven, many of us find it difficult to abide in Christ. To abide means to have such a close relationship with Him that we sense His presence with us as we live, work, and play. If we are unplugged from the source of all that is good, then we are powerless to impact our neighborhood, our workplace, and our community, let alone our WORLD, for the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Waiting long periods of time for things we desire: a husband, a job, a baby, a home to call our own or any number of wishes we may have, can seriously shake our faith and even cause us to doubt the power and goodness of God.

We must remember that God knows far more than we do concerning the things we pray for.

When we’ve been wronged, we must forgive, otherwise, we can develop a bitter root, which will build a wall between us and God. This is surely not what we want and God doesn’t want that for us either! When it comes to being abused, hurt, or betrayed, if we refuse to surrender our hurt and pain to God, we risk allowing that person to abuse us again.

The world we live in compels us to want more stuff, to fight for all that we deserve, to seek our own advantage, and to be focused on our pleasure and entertainment. Yet God promises us an abundant life if we follow His plan for our lives rather than our own.

When I think of Christmas, I think of gifts: treasures I have received in the past, gifts I took a long time choosing to give others, and of course, the greatest gift of all, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

What a treasure salvation is!!!

During this season celebrating the birth of Jesus, I pray to receive the gift of Jesus’ unfailing love, mercy, and grace to my family, friends, and neighbors. How about you? Would you like to receive the greatest gift, one that is unmerited and given only by God?