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Receive His Gift of Love
Christmas is a time to remember that God is present
among us and to show us His love. It is a time also to
remember that He gave His life in ransom for our sins.
God had planned this long, long ago and had revealed His
plans to the prophets.
Through history we see Him participating with us and
working out His plans slowly and patiently. He loves us
so much that He gave us the freedom to either hinder or
help to reach the final goal. For those who are working
with Him have found it a great privilege, knowing that
they are doing all they can to bring that final goal
nearer. They have an assurance that the goal will never
be reached unless there are those who labor to make it
possible.
Congregations are making plans, especially this
Christmas Season, to help the homeless, the hungry, the
children, all because they see happiness as part of
God’s ultimate goal. They feel that happiness within
themselves that they cannot hold it in but are moved to
share it by sharing it with others. When that love pours
out we then see its real power.
The world has always been in need of love. Human
suffering has touched and continues to do so in every
corner of this planet and only love can help to change
that situation and to endure the pain.
The problem we face is that so often we respond to love
in a selfish way. We give expecting something in return.
We hold back to so many things that we feel can give us
a sense of security. Those who allow the love of God to
take over are the ones willing to take risks, accept the
challenges and feel good about it.
The martyrs willingly accepted death rather than giving
up their faith. They had the experience of God’s love
and not even death would force them to give it up. The
early Christians were willing to sell all they had and
to give it to the poor.
We hear the story of the birth of Jesus and we become
aware that Mary and Joseph also took risks in accepting
being the parents of Jesus. But we know that it was an
honor and privilege for them to have been the parents of
the Messiah. They would have been willing even to give
their lives, if necessary.
We are nearing that stage where we will have to make
some serious commitment to hold on to our faith. It will
only be through the love of God that we will have the
strength and courage to go forward and to hold on to His
love.
A good way forward is to accept his presence not only in
our midst, but within each of us. We need to make Him
real within us so that we can have a personal
relationship with Him. We will have to take His presence
seriously as we are competing with so many things that
are trying to make God impersonal.
Christmas is a good time to invite Him into our personal
life. He wants you to be his partner in fulfilling His
plan for humanity. Let Him give you that special gift
that He has for each of us. It is a gift that you will
never want to let go of, but more importantly, it will
be a gift that will empower you to share it with others.
Through you and me, He will bring Joy to the World.
Merry Christmas!
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