The Gift that meets our greatest need

What do you do that makes you feel like less of person, that destroys moments that should be best, that sabotages too many good intentions?  My temper has caused too many regrets. Anger has caused hurt in people I care about deeply. Perhaps it is misuse of things, or abuse of sexuality, or an addiction to something that hides the real you. The Bible calls this part of our lives ‘sin’ and it is a word loaded with heavy weights of shame and guilty for many.  There is a better way than shame.
Christmas is about God’s response to our greatest need!

Listen to the announcement that came supernaturally to Joseph when he was wondering if he should marry his pregnant fiancé. "But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”" (Matthew 1:20-21, NIV)   

Call Him, Jesus, (Hebrew meaning Deliverer) for He will save from their sins!

The world went terribly wrong with the introduction of evil at the dawn of history. Though we were created to love and serve our Father in a perfect union, with every good gift, evil lurked in the shadows, tempting us to misuse and abuse the very things given us for life.  And, when we believed the lies, we became slaves. As we sinned, cooperating with the Evil one and his purpose, our relationship with our Father was irrevocably broken …  "But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:4-6, NLT)

Call Him, Jesus, for He will save from their sins!

This Christmas time God says two things to us as we remember the Gift.
                You are loved. And,
                You can become whole.

There is no more fear for us because the penalty of our disobedience is borne by our Savior.  Knowing this, we open up and invite the Light to shine into the darkness, most shame-filled, regrettable decisions of our lives and their power to enslave is shattered. Don’t live as less any longer.  You were made for more, to be a person of wholeness in Christ.

"All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”—which means, “God with us.” (Matthew 1:22-23, NIV)

I wish you a Merry Christmas.  If you are in the NW NJ area, join me in worship at Faith Discovery Church on Sunday at 10 am, or at 7 pm for a special candlelight service.