A Christmas Offering

"And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh." 

Matthew 2:11

The wisemen traveled a long way to see the Savior.  They brought with them special gifts to give to this King that had been foretold about.  I can only imagine what a special moment in time that must have been for them.  Here is the ONE in which they had been promised.  The One that would change the world as they knew it.  Each one brought a special gift to Jesus.  I did a little research on what made these 3 gifts so special....

Gold - we can make a good guess as to why gold would be special.  It's expensive & beautiful, right?  But it has more significance than that.  Gold is the metal of kings.  When gold was presented to Jesus, the wisemen were saying that they recognized him as THE KING OF KINGS.

Incense - Back then, incense was used in Temple worship.  It was mixed with the oil that was used to anoint the priests of Israel. When presenting this gift to Jesus, the wisemen were pointing to Christ as our GREAT HIGH PRIEST.

Myrrh - Myrrh was used for embalming. Sounds odd to present this one, doesn't it? But it was not offensive in this case, nor was it odd. It was a gift of faith. We do not know precisely what the wise men may have known or guessed about Christ’s ministry, but we do know that the Old Testament again and again foretold his suffering.

All three of these were special gifts to give to the sweet baby Jesus.

What about us?  What can we give to the King?  What kind of gifts can we bring?  There are many!

Our Faith

Our Devotion

Our Service

Our Family

Our entire lives!

Jesus wasn't just the baby born in a manger.  He grew up.  He healed the broken, bruised, and rejected.  Ultimately, He laid down His life so that we could be free from death's sting!  The GREATEST gift of all!  It's humbling to even begin to think what gift would be acceptable to give back to Him!  What gift could I possibly give to such a GREAT KING?

I think we can all examine our hearts & ask the Lord what it is that we are holding back.  Is there something that we haven't given to Him?  Whatever it is, lets bring it to His feet and lay it there as our gift to Him this Christmas.  Is it a job?  Our children?  Maybe you are struggling with addiction or anxiety.  Give it to Him this Christmas.  Whatever it is....He will gladly accept your gift...no matter how big or small.

If you haven't invited Jesus into your life, why not give Him the greatest gift of all this year?  Accept HIS free gift!  He longs to give it to you....just ask.  

Jesus came as a baby in a manger to seek and save the lost.  The Father in heaven gave Him to us .... the gift of His Son.  Call on Him.  Invite Him in.  It will be the BEST gift you have ever received!

Hope in Darkness

I believe that I join the majority of my friends and family in saying that this past weekend, my heart has been heavy. Heavy for the insane tragedy that happened last Friday in CT. Innocent lives taken. Lives forever changed. Mothers & Fathers wishing that they had one more hug from their precious little ones. Sisters and brothers confused and missing their siblings. A community lost in grief.

If you're like me, you held your children a little closer and a lot tighter this weekend. I found myself tearing up when Nickolas looked at me from across the room and said "Mommy, I want to kiss your face". Of course, I obliged....but it took me to those parents. The parents that wish they could have that one more kiss. I just can't even imagine what they must be going through. I have found myself not able to sleep at night, anxious about my kids. Fear for them, even in the next room. The last 2 nights, the boys have slept in our bed. It may seem silly to you, but it felt safe, warm, & snugly to us. I will hold them tight for as long as I can.

In the midst of this tragedy, my Pastor along with many others, have tried from the pulpit to encourage. Encourage us to look to Jesus for the hope that is within us if we have accepted Him into our hearts. So, what can we do in the middle of all of this grief, panic, uncertainty, and sadness? We can show others the HOPE that we have through Christ Jesus!

2 Corinthians 4:6 "For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."

So, how do we 'show light out of darkness'?? We, the Believers....the ones who know where those precious little ones now reside....in the arms of their Creator....we are the ones that should look up. Look to Jesus for the comfort that only HE can give in the middle of these trials. Show others the ONE that is inside us! After all, God's Word to the believer says...

2 Corinthians 4:8-9 "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair;9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;"
We as believers know the HOPE. We know that one day there will be NO EVIL. There will be NO DEATH. The old will pass away and the new will come! In the middle of this chaos, we can look forward. Tell others about the HOPE that is within us so that they too can experience peace in the middle of darkness. There will come a day where we all will answer to our creator. The young man who brought darkness to Newtown, CT on Friday, has already met and answered to the ONE who created him. The innocent little children are now dancing on the streets of gold.

2 Corinthians 4: 17-18 says "For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."

Sure, hug your children a little tighter today. Tell them that you love them. Make them feel safe. But, let us also stay strong in our Faith. Look to our Heavenly Father for Hope and Peace. He is also saddened by the misuse of the Freedom that he has given to His people. Let's cry out to Him. Cry out to Him for the loved ones that are left behind. Pray that those that do not know Him personally will be brought to a saving knowledge of Christ. Pray for peace....for comfort....and while you are at it....pray for the family of the evildoer...they too need Christ.

Romans 15:13 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope."

And....SHARE YOUR HOPE!!!

Clinging, Hoping, and Praising

My soul clings to you; Your right hand upholds me.  (Psalm 63:8 NIV)

This verse was the basis of my last blog back in December, but it is so powerful, that I thought I'd use it to launch this one!

When I last blogged in December, we had so much going on. Nickolas was about to have eye surgery, Brian was going in for a colonoscopy, and we were debating removing Dakota from public school. It was a stressful. It was confusing.

It was one of life's storms. I was afraid. I was restless.

I needed to cling to HIM.....and cling I did!

Psalm 28:7

The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,And with my song I will praise Him.

Psalm 94:19
In the multitude of my anxieties within me,Your comforts delight my soul.

Psalm 18:1-3,28,35
I will love You, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.

For You will light my lamp; The LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; Your right hand has held me up, Your gentleness has made me great.

I turned to HIM. When the anxieties were to0 great. When fear was overwhelming my soul. When doubt was threatening to pierce the light of faith. I turned to HIM!

What did I get in return? Peace. Comfort. Strength for the journey. His promises revealed in my life!!

Over the last few months, I have seen long time prayers answered. Anxiety that has plagued me for over a year? VANISHED! He is good....soooo good! His mercies are new every morning and He is ever-present & faithful, even when we're not!

By the way, Nickolas came through surgery like a champ! He has had his check ups since then and doesn't even need glasses!!

Brian had the colonoscopy and we are praising God that he did! He had a couple of polyps removed & one was pre-cancerous! The cause of his bleeding was something minor not even related to the polyps. Thanking God that Brian had the procedure, because if he hadn't, the cancer would have been a huge issue in a year or two!

Dakota? We took him out of public school after Christmas break. I have been homeschooling him ever since. I've already seen a difference in his reading!! We just received our curriculum for the Fall and I am excited to see how much he enjoys it! I really think it is going to be a fun year for both he and Nickolas!!

Lesson learned through the trials....always turn to HIM! He will get you through...for when we are weak, HE IS STRONG!!!