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?