Dear friends,
As we approach Christmas, it is a good time to reflect on how great God is and how much He loves us. One verse that comes to mind is this:
Yesterday, Karen and I had the joy of seeing our grandson, Timmy, take part in a Christmas play. Timmy was a shepherd, wearing the clothes of one who cared for the sheep. One of the Bible verses that comes to mind when we think of sheep is Isaiah 53:6:
If you have a calendar that has notes on certain days, you may have seen that December 21 was the winter solstice – the shortest day in the northern hemisphere. Even though nightfall comes earlier than in the Spring, we can look forward to more daylight in the coming months. This reminds me of what Jesus declared in John 3:19-21:
“This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”
In the October 2024 edition of “Turning Points” magazine, Dr. David Jeremiah writes: “The late E. V. Hill was the long-time pastor of one of America’s first megachurches – Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles. While many of his sermons are considered classics, none is better known than ‘It’s Friday, but Sunday’s Coming.’ The day Jesus was crucified in Jerusalem was a dark day in the lives of His followers. What would have given them hope on that day was the fact that Sunday – Resurrection Day – was coming…. For us, Sunday is the glorious, thousand-year Millennium when Christ will change our world by ruling with righteousness and justice. At the end of those thousand years, we will seamlessly transition into eternal life with Him.”
While we look forward to giving and receiving presents at Christmas, believers in Christ have the greatest gifts: abundant life now and eternal life when our life on Earth is ended. If you know that you haven’t yet received Christ as your Saviour, I urge you to not delay in turning from sin and trusting Him. You will receive the peace of God, which far surpasses anything you have experienced.
Steve