A Thrill of Hope - Week 5: Day 3

Christmas Clarity
 
I love reading the Bible and getting to know Jesus on a deeper more intimate level. Sometimes I wonder what it would have really been like if I would have had the privilege of being one of the apostles! Just being able to physically walk and talk with the Son of god knowing that there was nothing that could be done to influence who He was, how His life would end, or the future hope I would have in eternity.

Today, there are numerous people that believe in God, that believe in Jesus, but who do not do anything about it. In fact, I recently met an individual that I had the privilege of praying the prayer of salvation with. In the course of our discussion, this individual said that they had always believed in God and had always believed that Jesus died on the cross but was never willing to accept Him for who He is or surrender to Him as Lord of their life. I praise God for this person’s honesty, knowing that their surrender and new faith is going to lead them to places in their life unlike they could have ever imagined. New life…new weightlessness, new freedom, and certainly to a newfound comfort.

That is one of the many miracles that Jesus performs for His people currently. Folks can argue about a number of things, but you cannot argue about a changed life. You cannot argue about the individual that is feeling the oppression of sin on their lives (weight and burden) and then after something as simple as a prayer, it is gone. From weight to weightlessness.
At the end of the gospel of John in verses 20:30-3, John closes his book, his work with the purpose statement of the entire letter.  Look with me at what he says:


Jesus did so many miracles that John could not record them all. But we are given countless incidents that Jesus meets the needs of His people. I wonder how many of us and how often we really embrace that Jesus? That Jesus is alive and working in our lives, and there to meet any of our needs, protecting and provisioning for us…so much so that the Spirit of God even prays for us when we fall short (Romans 8:26). What an awesome God!

As Christmas continues to approach, I want you to do something…not for me but for yourself. I want you to focus on the wonders of the life of Christ, realizing the love of Christ, while gazing upon our intimacy with Christ, and reflecting on our life in Christ...what it is now, what He has done to prepare you for now, and who you will be or what you will do so that this Christmas is no longer an annual event, but that we celebrate Christ on a more regular basis. There is a song that many of you are familiar with, the world is changing, we need clarity and I believe that we can have it as we unpack these words:
He was born to live. He was born to bring life. He paid a debt and bore my stripes. Do not let the season of this life define our life in Him.

Truly, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples…what signs is He doing in your presence?