Hope Discovery of the Day:
Hard times have a way of making us long for simpler times, but in Christ, every day is Christmas.
Scriptures of the Day:
Isaiah 53:4-5
“Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”
John 1:16-17
“For we have all received from his fullness one gracious gift after another. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came about through Jesus Christ.”
Every momma loves to delight in blessing her children. Sometimes we can go overboard, longing to lavish on our children, just to see the joy in their eyes when they open gifts they have been longing for, piled underneath the tree. And it was on a tree that our God gave Himself everything we would ever need, saved us completely, healed us and set us completely free. Through Jesus, our God has graciously given us one gift after another.
Enumerating the gifts that Christ gave us through Himself is impossible, for Christ is our sufficiency and has everything we could ever possibly need. Sometimes we long for Christ to remove our suffering or things that we deem as painful, unwanted things in our lives. But this is the mystery of the gift of Christ. He is our strength when we are weak. He is our hope when we despair, Our everpresent help in time of trouble. When life hands us “gifts” we would rather return, God takes those presents and transforms them with His presence, The moments of pain become a place of transformation when we draw near to God. He is truly all we need.
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Watching my children as they opened their gifts, my heart remembered when such simple moments were only a dream. Hard times have a way of making us long for simpler times, but in Christ, every day is Christmas. Every day is a chance to know God more and experience Christ’s fullness in everyday life.
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The hearts that once misunderstood the heart of God when calamity struck are healed through their suffering as they draw near to the Holy One. God with us – Emmanuel – is the gift for every aching heart, every single need. Merry Christmas. Our God has come. Our Deliverer, Comforter, Savior, Redeemer, Healer – the Lover of our souls.
Isaiah 9:6-7 (NET)
“For a child has been born to us, a son has been given to us. He shoulders responsibility and is called: Extraordinary Strategist, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 His dominion will be vast and he will bring immeasurable prosperity. He will rule on David’s throne and over David’s kingdom, establishing it and strengthening it by promoting justice and fairness, from this time forward and forevermore. The LORD’s intense devotion to his people will accomplish this.”
Lord, thank You for coming to earth and saving us from our sins. Thank You for healing us and being exactly what we need every single day of our lives.