Our sin prevents nearness to God because it separates us from Him with no possible way from our side to get to Him.  Christmas reminds us Jesus came to live, die and rise so you and I can draw near to God.  All who trust in Jesus for forgiveness and freedom from sin are no longer distant from real peace, real hope, real joy, real comfort, real security, real wisdom, and real love because we are no longer distant from God where these things are found. Our Immanuel made a way for us to get forgiven, get real life, get to heaven and get to God.  Rejoice today over this truth: When we could not get to Him, Jesus came to us.

Our thoughts have the power to shape us, for better or for worse, so we must let our minds land most often on Jesus. His Good News message is full of life-changing truths and promises that will guide us into a right perspective on every life issue.  It changes how we see our past so we can know real freedom from guilt and shame.  It changes how we see our present so we can know real purpose and peace in the midst of busyness.  It changes how we see our future so we can know real hope as we joyfully anticipate what lies ahead. The more we think about Jesus, the more it will rewire how we think about everything else.

Even as Christians, one of the human weaknesses that we must continue to seek divine strength to overcome is our bent to be selfish.  We need the mind and heart of Christ:  a mind that regularly thinks of others rather than just ourselves, and a heart that is compassionate enough to serve and support others even at our own expense.  It should be the golden rule, not the exception, to give up what we want so others can get what they need.  That is when we are like Jesus. Today, go out of your way to do for others, joyfully remembering this:  Jesus went out of His way from heaven to earth to the cross to do for you.

There may be empty seats at the table this year.  Whether it’s because loved ones are far from home, or have gone home to be with Jesus, we will miss them as we gather to give thanks. Yet, we will give thanks.  For God has been good to us, so very good to us, all the days of our lives.  And part of our thanks this year will be for the ways God has blessed us through the ones who are not with us.  The love we have shared. The memories we have made. The joy we have experienced together. Let us remember those who aren’t at their place at the table, and let us remember to give thanks to God for their place in our hearts.

We can be grateful for many things, and we should be.  We can be grateful to many people, and we should be.  We can be grateful on many occasions, and we should be.  But there is One who makes every good thing, every good person and every good occasion in our lives possible by His amazing grace.  God sent Jesus to be perfect for us because we aren’t, absorb wrath for sin so we don’t, and secure the blessings for us that we can’t.  Jesus paid our sin penalty and paid for our special privileges so that we might be forgiven, freed and favored. Today and every day, let us offer thanks for His giving.

The sweetest of all thankfulness isn’t superficial; it goes deep.  It goes past feeling happy that certain things are in our lives.  It goes past naming those things so it is known that we appreciate them.  It goes past even tracing their origin back to God and thanking the Giver for all of our blessings.  There is a delightful, wonderful, beautiful experience when our gratitude is not merely directed toward God for His gifts, but toward God for Himself.  We give thanks that among many things, He is a holy, loving, kind and gracious Father. The way to be best thankful for all that God has given us is to be most thankful for Him.

For all who trust in Jesus, there is a glorious eternity ahead in which bad things will be eliminated, good things will be perfected, and the best things will be unveiled.  We have an eternity with Him that… Never gets stale.  Never gets boring.  Never gets routine.  Never gets unappealing.  Never gets finished.  There will always be more to discover and enjoy from the immeasurable riches of God’s grace towards us in Christ Jesus.  Don’t live for this day; live for that day.  Don’t be discouraged by this day; be encouraged by that day.  Take hope in this every day:  For those who are trusting in Jesus, the best is always yet to come.

God is always near to His people in every situation and season.  In good and bad times.  In easy and hard times.  In happy and sad times.  He is not distant or absent, but rather present and constant.  As the Father, He was near as He dwelt in the cloud, fire and tabernacle.  As the Son, He drew near in His incarnation, dwelling in flesh to save us.  As the Spirit, He is permanently, personally near, indwelling those who trust in Him. His nearness means we can experience the strength, hope, joy, peace, rest, security, guidance and delight of being in His presence.  Sing praises to our God!  He is always near.

We are prone to want things and want things now.  But we often make a mess of things by acting hastily.  To avoid getting nowhere fast, we should prayerfully answer three questions:  Does God want me to do this?  How does God want me to do this? When does God want me to do this? When we slow down and sincerely seek His will, He gives us the right desire, the right way and the right time to do the things that are right for us.  Even more than that, He graciously encourages us and empowers us and equips us for the doing.  Praise God! We will never miss the way when we are walking in stride with Jesus.

The world offers many false and cheap substitutes for the true and priceless Savior, and each one demands that we place it at the center of our lives instead of Jesus.  Flee anything that robs you of your affection and allegiance for Him.  Flee any teaching that denies Who the Bible says He is or what the Bible says He did.   Flee any thought that says His grace isn’t enough to save you or that you can live sinfully because you are saved. Grace isn’t opposed to effort; it’s opposed to us trying to earn what we have been freely given. He is our all in all! We are to keep ourselves from idols because idols keep us from Jesus.

Biblical encouragement never affirms sin.  In other words, we don’t encourage one another to say, do, think, feel or desire things that God has forbidden.   While we may mean to make others feel good about themselves or their lives, cheering them on as they turn from Jesus to follow a path that will inevitably lead to brokenness is harmful, not helpful.  That’s what Satan did to Adam and Eve.  That’s what Satan has continued to do.  That’s what Satan wants us to join him in doing.  By grace, let us resist His invitation to pass on his “you do you” message and replace it with the vastly superior good news of joy found in Jesus.

Our Good Shepherd comes prepared as He leads us to the places we are to go on our journey home to heaven.  He has a rod to fight off wild animals when they come too close.  He has a staff to draw us back when we stray too far.  What that means is we are guaranteed to get there.  The more we trust Him with this, the less we will fear the threats we face along the way. Jesus has defeated the greatest enemies of all: sin, Satan and death.  They may hinder us, but they can do us no ultimate harm.  So, no matter what you face today, take heart!  Jesus has a rod and a staff in His hands … and He’s not afraid to use them.

As those who have received the grace of God, we should live in ways that are vastly different than those who are still under the wrath of God.  This doesn’t mean that we are moral, and they are not.  This means that we have Jesus, and they do not.   Unbelievers remain in sin with their minds closed to God’s truth, hearts hardened to God’s love and lives separated from God’s presence.  Christians aren’t perfect.  But our minds are guided by God’s truth, and our hearts are aglow with God’s love, and our lives are indwelt by God’s presence. We live differently because Jesus increasingly changes us from the inside out.

Loss is a part of life in this broken world, especially for those who follow Jesus.  Since the forces of evil oppose Him, they will oppose those who have faith in Him.  Sometimes God works through faith to bring back what was lost.  Sometimes God works through faith to replace what was lost with something better. Regardless of how He works, we need to remember this world is not our home.  We are on the way home, where there is only gain.  Reward.  Inheritance.  Rest. Healing.  Reunion.  Joy.  Glory.  Sinlessness. Worship. And, most of all, Jesus.  By faith, we too will truly rise again to a better life.  And this one will never end.

God does so many things for us, in us and through us that they cannot be counted by us.  He is constantly at work, yet never gets weary.  He is constantly at work, yet never makes a mistake.  He is constantly at work, yet never becomes overwhelmed.  God is doing countless things to work all things together for good as we trust Jesus. Even if we don’t see how He is working.  Even if we don’t see how it could possibly be for good. Therefore, let us look forward in faith to His future grace and look backward in gratitude for His past grace.  Singing His praises and telling of His deeds all along the way, knowing He isn’t done yet.

God helps us help one another by giving spiritual gifts of His grace to every person in His family. We don’t earn these spiritual abilities; they are gifts.  They aren’t all the same; they come in various forms.  We don’t let them gather dust; we use them.  They aren’t to be used selfishly; they are to be used to bless others. We don’t use them to bless others so we are praised; we do so that Jesus may receive the glory. So, let us do our part today with the resources we have been entrusted to steward for the good of those around us. One way God shows grace to us is through others; one way God shows grace to others is through us.

Have you done enough praying, Bible-reading and church attending?  Have you done enough serving, loving and sharing your faith?  Have you done enough obeying, helping and being good? No, not enough.  Never enough.  Nowhere near enough. But the incredibly good news is that salvation is not the result of your own doing.  Here’s what won’t get us into heaven: our effort at trying to do enough.  Here’s what will get us into heaven: Jesus.  While every other religion is a futile works-based plan where we know we can never do enough, Christianity rests securely on “It is finished.”  Jesus is enough for us.

A love for the better things of the kingdom of God progressively replaces the love we have for the world when we become followers of Jesus.  This doesn’t mean we don’t love the people of the world, but rather we don’t love the philosophies and principles and pleasures of the world which are opposed to God.  We are to live in the world as lights for Jesus without living like the world with its sinful values, desires and ways.  God radically enables this in us by His grace. As the otherworldly love of the Father captures our hearts, we look more and more to scripture, not culture, for what we are to love and how we are to live.

God wants us to be happy.  When He tells us in the Bible to do, say, correct, believe, feel, think or share something, it is not to take away our happiness; it is to take away the things that are in the way of our full and lasting happiness in Him.  We must trust that God is after our happiness, that He knows best how to bring about our happiness, and that what He tells us in the Bible is designed to lead us into happiness.  It is His grace at work when He tells us what to do, gives us power to do it, and delights us in Himself as we do it.  God’s way is not always easy, popular or instantly gratifying, but it always leads to real joy.

It’s hard to walk by faith when one is carrying unnecessary weights and entangled by sin.  And running through life with endurance becomes a slow, sluggish and sad journey instead of the hope-filled, peace-filled, joy-filled, purpose-filled race it should be.  So let us add into our lives things that strengthen our faith and remove from our lives things that weaken our faith.   If it slows us down, we let it go.  If it makes us weary, we let it go.  If it robs us of life in Jesus, we let it go.  And by faith, we pick up whatever things God provides to help us keep going.  His grace is sufficient for things that weigh us down and trip us up.