Devotionals

One Thing God Wants You to Remember at Christmas Sharon Jaynes Today’s Truth And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV). Friend to Friend With Christmas, it’s easy to get so busy with the cooking, decorating and shopping that we forget why we’re doing all this in the first place. Sometimes, the very people we love get lost in the hustle and bustle of packed schedules, holiday parties, and Christmas musicals. Several years ago I wrote a Christmas version of 1 Corinthians 13 to help me keep my focus on what Paul deemed most important of all… love. As part of our family tradition, I pull it out and post it somewhere in our home as a reminder of what’s really important during the holiday season. And since you are now part of the family, I’m pulling it out for you. 1 Corinthians 13 Christmas

5 Ways God’s Christmas Gift Keeps on Giving (John 3:16) by Lynette Kittle “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”– John 3:16 Growing up the first Scripture verse I remember memorizing is John 3:16. I loved hearing it and repeating it to myself and all who would listen to me recite it. It not only tells of the very first Christmas present ever given, the gift of Jesus, but also assures me of God’s love, where Jesus came from, and God’s purpose in sending Him. Considering God’s priceless present to the world, the holiday season is an opportune time to share with family, friends, and those around us, 5 ways God’s Christmas gift keeps on giving: 1. The Gift of Love Love does not exist outside of God. He is the only source

The Man Who Tried to Stop Christmas Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. (Matthew 2:7 NLT) King Herod was the man who tried to stop Christmas. With all his wealth and power, he came to complete ruin. Historical writings tell us that in the final year of his life, his body was infected with disease. Ironically, Herod pretended to be a worshipper. He said to the wise men, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!” (Matthew 2:8). Yet Herod was a false worshipper. There are people like him today. They say they believe in God, but they live a life that contradicts what the Scriptures teach. Herod wanted to be the king of his

HAS THE GRINCH STOLEN YOUR CHRISTMAS? And the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”  Luke 2:10-11 Without a doubt, Christmas is to be a time of GREAT JOY.  On that first Christmas night, the angel announced to the shepherds “good news of a great joy.”  The Savior has come!!  WOW!!  Those shepherds were so excited.  That announcement changed their lives forever.  They were filled with joy and wonder and praise. At Christmas time, are you filled with joy and wonder and praise?  Or has the devil, the original Grinch, the thief who comes only to steal and kill and destroy, stolen those things from you?  If so, there is still time to get

Do You Believe in Christmas Miracles? By Lynette Kittle “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). — Matthew 1:23 Have you noticed how many Christmas movies focus on receiving a Christmas miracle? Although many center on Santa Claus making things happen, still Christmas is portrayed as a time for long-awaited hopes and dreams to be fulfilled. Rightly so, too, because Christmas is all about miracles! It’s a celebration of the miraculous virgin birth of Jesus, God come to earth in human form, to live among mankind and save people from their sins. What could be more miraculous than that? So how do you approach Christmas? Are you hoping for God to do the impossible in your life? Do you believe what Jesus said, that all things are possible with God? (Mark 10:27) If you aren’t expecting God to do

O Christmas Tree By Skip Heitzig I read somewhere that in a recent Christmas season Americans used 28 million rolls of wrapping paper and 17 million packages of tags and bows, sent out 372 million greeting cards, and set up 35 million Christmas trees. Some of our Christmas traditions are just that, traditions. Jesus was probably not born on December 25, for example. And the Christmas tree is based on the celebration of the reincarnation of Nimrod. The ancient Babylonians burned a “Yule” log (the Chaldean word for infant) in the fireplace, and the next day a symbolic evergreen tree was placed inside the house. This pagan ritual is hinted at in the Bible, in Jeremiah 10:1-4. But before you get worried, I want you to know that if you come to my church, you’ll find a very large Christmas tree in the foyer! And you know what? Most people born in this country