Atop God’s Christmas List would be the First Commandment and the one like it. Indeed, when Jesus was asked “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” this was His reply: “The most important one is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with […]
“At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 He called a little child to Him, and placed the child among them. 3 And He said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the […]
Do you ever see a pattern in your circumstances and think, “Okay, God is trying to tell me something?” A car bearing its name “Judge” on a truck carrying damaged cars headed for the junkyard…except this one which was a cool “muscle car” (a red-orange 1969 Chevy Camaro) maybe headed for the shop for a […]
Ingratitude abounds in our culture. Too often, we seem only to possess an appetite for more, more, more, never a refined “less.” Hearts which know God and have known mercy from Him ought to show mercy towards others. It’s as simple as that. God has simple things on His Christmas List. Think about it: In […]
If there’s one thing even the most secular among us associate with Christmas, it’s gift-giving. We’ve got that one down to a marketing plan and a future debt reduction program. But conspicuous consumption and outdoing one another, or even the Black Friday divide-and-conquer dash from store-to-store to quickly grab all the bargains, isn’t the kind […]
God wants nothing more on God’s Christmas List than for you to return to Him and receive His pardon. It’s why He sent Jesus and the Word became flesh. It’s the reason for a pregnant virgin and O Little Town of Bethlehem with a manger. It’s too hard for us, indeed impossible, for us as […]
This season of the year, plenty of good-hearted folks go from one holiday stress to another. Hurry online. Hurry in traffic. Hurry in the stores. Hurry in the supermarkets and farmers markets. The clock is ticking down … stress, stress, stress. Frankly, that is no way to go about the holiday season, but I’ll admit, […]
How wonderful that the Messiah was born long ago! That He lived back then and not now…in a culture far more respectful of life in general–and life in the Lord specifically–than we know today. Ages prior to the pro-life community’s appealing to God’s Word to choose life, the Lord held out His hands to His […]
If God’s Christmas List contains what He wants, not just at Christmas, but always, then fearing the Lord instead of man would be a big-ticket item. Joseph knew that. In the Christmas story, Joseph heard that Mary was pregnant and that meant shame. In their culture, Mary would be stoned to death for being pregnant […]
At the Annunciation—the angel’s proclamation from God to Mary about her becoming the mother of the Messiah—have you ever stopped to think about how Mary was reflecting back to God the beautiful Image of God in her? “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled” (Luke 1:38). Mary displayed […]
