It's About the Cross

   It’s About the Cross is a song by Go Fish. The song talks about how Christmas isn’t just about the manger, angles, shepherds, star, or wise men. Christmas is about the cross. We celebrate Christmas as the day that Jesus came to earth as a baby. God sent his Son down to be a human so that he could be with us forever.

   The whole Bible is a love letter to us. The Bible centers around the story of Jesus. Sin entered the world when Adam and Eve disobeyed God. God made the law to show that no one can be holy and perfect. God cannot be with anything that is not holy so he required blood sacrifices as atonement for sins. That is, until God sent the perfect sacrifice.

   See, Christmas is great. It is the start of Jesus’ story on earth. It is the start of our redemption. But, if Jesus wouldn’t have completed his work on the cross we wouldn’t have the greatest gift of eternal life with God. Matthew 20:28 says: “Even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Without Jesus’ ultimate act of service we would perish.

   That’s why we need to thank God for what he did for us. Not only that, but we need to share this message with others as well. Matthew 28:19 says: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” We need to share the news that God loves everyone. He does not want anyone to perish. He wants all to come to him.

   As the season comes to a close I encourage you to remember that the Christmas story is great, but it’s only the beginning. Without the cross the work isn’t complete. I also encourage you to spread the good news with those around you.

   It’s about the Cross by Go Fish (video here).

   Image from here.

Listening: Samuel Hall of Faith

   “Listening to God-which is a key part of practicing His presence-is not a method, but a walk with a person” (Leanne Payne).

   Samuel’s story began before he was born. His mother promised to give her son to God if she would be allowed to have a child. Therefore, Samuel was called to ministry before he was born. Samuel was a boy and was taken care of by Eli. Eli was a priest but he did not necessarily follow God.

   Samuel was a boy and he was staying in the house of the Lord. He heard a voice. Samuel ran to Eli; and Eli told Samuel he did not call him. It must be the Lord. Samuel went back and when he heard the Lord call again he said, “Here I am.” Then the Lord spoke to Samuel. From that point on Samuel listened to the Lord and obeyed him.

   Samuel could have chosen to say “I do not want to be a prophet of God. It was not my choice to listen and follow God.” But, Samuel chose to follow God. God may be calling you to do something. You have a choice: you can either listen to God or disobey him. If you disobey then you may end up like Jonah where you run away and God’s plan still comes about. But, if you choose to listen to the calling God gives you, you could reach so many people for his glory.

   So, if God talks to you will you listen? If you are called to do something will you choose to obey?

   1 Samuel 3, John 14:15, John 8:47
   Image from here. 

All I Want for Christmas Is You

   All I Want For Christmas Is You is a song about a woman singing all she wants for Christmas is a certain person. All she wants is that person. She doesn’t want any presents. Christmas is a time where we think of gifts. When we think of those gifts we usually think of things. We don’t usually think of wanting a person. However, this song proves that sometimes all you want/need is one special person.

   If you were to sing this song, who would you sing it about? Would you sing it about your child, significant other, or a relative that lives far away? Hopefully, some of you see where I am going with this. The only person that we need in our lives is Jesus. All of the things on earth are temporary. If we don’t have Jesus we will perish.

   John 14:6 says: “Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" There is no other way we can have eternal life. We should be singing All I Want for Christmas Is You about Jesus. If we are not singing it we are going to perish. God loves us so much that he sent his Son to die for us. John 3:16 says: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” God loves us that much that he would give us the greatest gift. He gave us his Son.

   This Christmas I encourage you to think about what God has done for you. He has blessed you with everything you have. He has also given you eternal life. All you need to do is choose to accept his gift.

   All I Want For Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey (video here).

   Image from here.

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

   We Wish You a Merry Christmas is a song about wishing others a merry Christmas, go figure. It is a song we typically hear and think of during Christmas. It is a short song and one that we may get tired of hearing by now in the season. By this time kids are hyped up, which mean you probably are dead tired because you have to keep up with them. Also, traffic is horrible. Christmas music and movies have been playing for almost 2 months and you may be saying “can this just be over?”

   This is when we need a reminder of why we celebrate Christmas. Luke 2:8-14 says:

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

   This is the reason we celebrate Christmas. We celebrate because God sent his Son to be our savior. We can have joy through the crazy commercialized Christmas nowadays because we know that that’s not what Christmas is really about. Christmas is celebrating that God came to save us. That’s why we can still sing We Wish You a Merry Christmas with joy even though we may be tired of the Christmas crazy.

   I encourage you to remember the reason for the season; and to have an attitude of joy through the crazy.

   We Wish You a Merry Christmas by the Muppets (video here).

   Image from here.

Receiving what Was Promised in God's Time: David Hall of Faith

   “That old law about ‘an eye for an eye’ leaves everybody blind. The time is always right to do the right thing” (Martin Luther King, Jr.).

   David was probably one of the best kings of Israel. He followed God and chose to obey God’s commandments. David was promised that he would become king. He was blessed by God when he defeated Goliath, he married the King’s daughter, and was a major part of the King’s army. David was set up in Saul’s household. He probably thought that he was going to become king in that traditional way. God had different plans.

   Saul began to hate David because Saul thought David would take his kingdom. Saul even tried to kill David many times. David had the chance to kill Saul twice. David had an army behind him. He even had people offer to kill Saul for him but David refused. David knew that he would receive the promise in due time. He refused to do what was wrong in order to gain something for himself.

   Nowadays many people say do what you need to do to get ahead. Success is measured in how quickly you can get to the top. It does not matter how you get there or who you have to trample. But, God tells us to do the opposite. We are to love everyone and we are not to repay evil for evil. It is our job to trust God and let him bring about his plan in due time.

   So, if someone wrongs you will you take vengeance upon them? Will you love those who wrong you? Will you trust that God has a plan for you?

   1 Samuel 24, Romans 12:17-21, Luke 6:32-42

   Image from here.

Jingle Bells

   Jingle Bells is a song about riding in a sleigh. It sounds like a merry time. Few of us have actually taken a ride in a sleigh pulled by a horse. I know I have not. However, I have seen some movies where people do take rides in sleighs pulled by horses. Many times those people enjoy the sights. They get to slow down, see the Christmas lights, see the snow, and cozy up with a blanket.

   Jingle Bells reminds us to slow down. You may be thinking “how does a song about loud bells help us remember to be silent and have solitude? I am up to my neck in Christmas crazy right now.” That’s the point. Around this time of the season many people are fed up with Christmas. That’s why, when we start to feel overwhelmed, we need to stop. We need to slow down, take some time for ourselves, and spend time with God.

   Matthew 6:6 says: “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” This verse is hard for some of us to follow. It is especially difficult when we are very busy, like around Christmas. That’s why we may need to carve out time for just relaxing. If we don’t slow down and spend time with God, then we run the risk of burnout and hurting those we love.

   So, I encourage you to spend time in silence and solitude this week. Take some time to read the Bible. You could even refresh your memory on the Christmas story. Just make sure you take time for you and God so that you can be ready to face the Christmas crazy.

   Jingle Bells by Oh My Genius (video here).

   Image from here.

Helping Those who Hurt You: Jephthah Hall of Faith

   “The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others” (Albert Schweitzer).

   Jephthah was a judge of Israel. The funny thing was that Jephthah was kicked out of his family because his mother was a prostitute. He settled in another land. Then one day Israelites came to him and begged him to be their commander. The Ammonites were fighting the Israelites. Now, if you were kicked out of your family would you want to help them out? Probably not, and Jephthah did not want to help them at first. Then he was offered the chance to be the head of Gilead.

   Jephthah could have just looked out for himself. The Ammonites were not fighting him. Yes, Jephthah did receive the reward of being the head of Gilead, but he chose to help the people who wronged him. He could have just gone about his life and let the Ammonites destroy Gilead. Jephthah stepped out in faith and chose to fight against the people who were fighting his people and God was with him.

   We may be called to help people out who hurt us. It is not easy to love our enemies but God calls us to do that. He calls us to love others in faith.

   So, will you help those who wrong you? Will you trust in God if he calls you to help someone you may not want to help? What can you do to help someone today?

   Judges 11, Philippians 2:4, Matthew 5:44
   Image from here. 

Deck the Halls

   Deck the Halls is about decorating for Christmas. The song talks about being jolly and merry. Some people love decorating for Christmas, others tolerate it, and some just don’t like it period. I enjoy decorating for the most part. However, sometimes it can be a pain. Sometimes it just becomes something else I need to add to my list. Sometimes it just makes my family argue instead of focus on how lucky we are to have each other. What does the Bible say about how we are to feel about decorating?

   The Bible doesn’t specifically say anything about decorating for Christmas, or even Christmas in general. However, it does talk about how we are to do tasks in our everyday lives. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says: “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

   When we get the lights out and they are all tangled it gives us a headache, is our attitude showing that we are doing this to reflect God’s glory? When the mixer and oven both are not working when we are making Christmas cookies, is our attitude showing that we are doing this to reflect God’s glory? When the tape isn’t cooperating when we are wrapping presents, is our attitude showing that we are doing this to reflect God’s glory?

   It’s not always easy to have a good attitude when things are not going the way you expect. If we don’t have a good attitude then we won’t be reflecting God’s glory. This Christmas I encourage you to remember that when you are decking your halls that you are not just doing it to make it look nice or have fun, you are doing that to reflect God’s glory.

   Deck the Halls by Reliant K (video here).

   Image from here.

From Weakness to Strength: Samson Hall of Faith

   “Try to look at your weakness and convert it into your strength. That’s success” (Zig Ziglar).

   Samson is the person we think of when we think of when we think superhero. Yet, Samson is also the epitome of failure. He had it all: looks, family, strength, wit, and God’s blessing. He threw it all away for what? A girl who did not believe in God. Samson failed over and over again. How could he be in the Hall of Faith?

   Have you ever failed? Did you ever sin? I know we all have. Here’s what is important about failure: we cannot give up. We fail and God forgives. In the end Samson went back to God. He prayed and God gave him back his strength. For so long Samson was relying on his own strength. Even though he was the strongest man in the world, he still had many weaknesses. God can use those weaknesses for his glory.

   Samson would never have had the chance to destroy the temple to Dagon if he would have chosen right all the time. God knows we will fail but he can use those failures for his glory, as long as we stick with him and choose him in the end. That’s not to say we should purposefully sin. It is saying that God loves us even when we do sin.

   So, when you fail what will you do about it? Will you choose to use your weaknesses for God’s glory?

   Judges 16, 2 Corinthians 12:9, Psalm 34:17-20
   Image from here.

12 Days of Christmas

   The song The 12 Days of Christmas is about a person giving his true love gifts each day. Each day the girl would receive gifts from her true love. This song reminds us to give gifts to others.

   We all have gifts. And, around this time of year especially, we think about giving and receiving gifts to and from others. However, sometimes I think we focus too much on receiving gifts instead of giving them. And, if we do think of giving them, we may also think about what we will get in return.

   Matthew 25: 35-40 says: “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

   Jesus calls us to give to others. It is true that people cannot always repay us for what we give them. But, that’s not why we should give gifts to them. We should give gifts because God calls us to. We should give gifts because that’s how we show love to others. We should give gifts because God gave us the greatest gift: his Son died for us so we could have eternal life.

   This Christmas when you hear the song The 12 Days of Christmas I encourage you to think about giving to others, without expecting anything in return.

   The 12 Days of Christmas Straight Note Chaser (video here).

   Image from here.