The Gathering Place Where Family Matters

Every Christmas time I publish this little list of “The Top Ten Ways to Make the Most of Christmas in Your Home!” Folks have enjoyed copying this, and many have shared it with their friends. It is taken from Colossians chapter three.

10. Be telling the truth to your children (3:9-10). Tell them their gifts came from Mommy and Daddy.
9. Be reaching out to others (3:11). There are many folks with individual needs. Find someone.
8. Be demonstrating compassion (3:12a). At the Christmas season hurting people need encouragement.
7. Be watching out for selfishness (3:12b). Humbleness of mind keeps a Biblical focus of priorities.
6. Be enjoying the peace of God (3:15a). In spite of lots to do at Christmas, let His peace reign.
5. Be listing the many things for which to be thankful (3:15b). That’s the right kind of list-making.
4. Be reading God’s Word before opening gifts (3:16a). The day is in honor of His birth, after all.
3. Be flooding your home with Christmas music (3:16b). What beautiful words on which to meditate.
2. Be checking your heart’s condition (3:16c). Is God’s grace manifesting itself in your heart?
1. Be honoring the Lord Jesus (3:17). Everything we do should honor His birth.

May the Lord bless you and yours at this very busy but also very special time of the year.

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

Is it just me, or have you noticed it as well? It seems to me that more and more people are saying “Merry Christmas” this year. Personally, I have been sick and tired of this silly political correctness that demands we take Christ out of Christmas and come up with “Happy Holidays.”

Even more endearing to me than simply saying “Merry Christmas” is to say “Blessed Incarnation Day.” I have actually had people stop and ask me, “What holiday is that, Mister?” What a grand opportunity to briefly explain the glorious journey of the Eternal Word becoming flesh and why He made the journey. Whatever you are doing, however busy your life is becoming, never lose sight of the glorious truth that the Word has become flesh. He did this for you!

Think of this often today: How blessed is the incarnation! Christ became flesh for us.

“Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary” (Luke 1:26-27)

What a glorious appointment!
The angel came at the appointed time (1:26a).
The angel came to the appointed town (1:26b).
The angel spoke to the appointed target (1:27).

Gabriel was sent. Isn’t it a blessing indeed to see the many details for which the Lord took care in the announcing of His coming Son? Nothing was left to chance. Everything was planned. This is a great truth for you and me today. As we yield to the Lord and ask Him to guide our lives, it is a joy and blessing to know that He is directing and working out the entire plans and situations of our lives.

Recently a lady turned and wished me “good luck.” Friends, I want to tell you that I am so happy that I don’t live by luck, not even “good” luck. It is a blessing to know that we live by our Father’s good plans.

For today: This is what I sincerely am saying to our Lord. I am so glad that you are God and I am not. I will trust You today.

“And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor” (Isaiah 9:6).

Isaiah prophesied that the Promised One would be called “Wonderful” which has to do with being “amazing, miraculous.” He would also be known as the “Counselor” which means “one who advises or guides.”

What an amazing, miraculous Guide to Whom we belong. He is a wonderful Counselor in the way that He comforts (Isaiah 49:13), corrects (2 Timothy 3:16), convinces (2 Timothy 1:12), and converts (Ephesians 1:7).

In this very busy time of the year, don’t lose track of the fact that our Counselor is wonderful. How will this affect your life today?

Here’s what I am thinking: Everything about You is wonderful, Lord. Everything!

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given” (Isaiah 9:6).

“I hate Christmas time,” a haggard-looking woman said to the man ahead of her in the grocery line.

The rather shocked man turned and looked back at the disheveled woman and asked, “Why would you hate such a special time of the year?”

With almost a look of disdain, her response was, “It’s not such a wonderful time of the year to me. You must be one of those religious people that make a lot of money at Christmas.”

The kind-hearted man stopped placing grocery items on the belt as he turned to speak directly to her. “I don’t make lots of money at Christmas. I’m not even a religionist. But I do have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ who left His glories in Heaven to come and be born in a manger in Bethlehem. He perfectly grew into manhood without sin of His own to go to a cross in Jerusalem to die for my sin, and three days later He rose from the dead. I have come to place my trust in Him alone for my salvation. You see, at this time of the year I especially remember that ‘Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given!’ So it is a special time of the year because of the special Person I remember and love.”

I love his answer to the lady. Now, how about you? Is your Christmas a time of focus on the child born and son given?

If you know the Lord Jesus: Then you can say that we are indeed a blessed people. Very blessed.