Jesus the Greatest Gift

Merry Christmas, everyone!  May your hearts and homes be filled and I hope that all of you will have a wonderful time with friends and family this Christmas season!  I love the time of opening gifts and seeing joy of others when they receive a gift that they will enjoy.  But the greatest gift of all and the greatest blessing is knowing Jesus Christ.  Not just knowing who He is, but really knowing Him, having an intimate relationship, a saving relationship with Jesus.  It gives me such great joy to see someone make that decision to trust in Jesus.  It is overwhelming joy!

That is what Christmas is all about.  We celebrate the birth of Jesus (though it may have actually been some time in the fall, not December 25) on this day, not for the opening of presents or gathering of families or the feast or any of that, though that is all great, too, but that Jesus came to this earth to save us from our sins, from eternal damnation, to give us eternal life! Continue reading “Jesus the Greatest Gift”

The Song of Mary

After Mary found out that God had chosen her to give birth to His Son, Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit, she gave this humble proclamation:

Luke 1:46-55

My soul magnifies the Lord,

And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;

For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.

For He who is mighty has done great things for me,

And holy is His name.

And His mercy is on those who fear Him

From generation to generation.

He has shown strength with His arm;

He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

He has put down the mighty from their thrones,

And exalted the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,

And the rich He has sent away empty.

He has helped His servant Israel,

In remembrance of His mercy,

As He spoke to our fathers,

To Abraham and to his seed forever. Continue reading “The Song of Mary”

Jesus is the Light, We are the light

As Christmas approaches, let us remember the true meaning of it. Although family and presents and lights and decorations and songs and laughter are great, let us step back and consider that God sent His Son to us to save us.  Let us remember this throughout the year and trust Him in all things.  Let us abide In the light of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Continue reading “Jesus is the Light, We are the light”

Jesus in Psalm 22

I was going through a study in Hebrews and the teacher described the quote in Hebrews 2 from Psalm 22.  I thought it was interesting how the first half of the Psalm depicts Jesus thoughts on the cross; the second half were His thoughts and the results of the cross after His resurrection.  Our salvation is dependent on both His death and resurrection.  It is through His death our sins are washed away; it is through His resurrection that death and sin are conquered and those of us who trust in the Lord will be forgiven and will live in eternity with Him. Continue reading “Jesus in Psalm 22”

The High Priest Who offered Himself

The author of Hebrews writes to them reminding them that there is no longer a need for blood sacrifice for their sins each year.  Jesus is our High Priest, to Jews and Gentiles alike, who offered Himself, who is perfect, who is sinless, who is without spot or blemish, as a sacrifice once for all.  Those of us who believe, who follow Jesus Christ have been given a promise, that of eternal inheritance in the kingdom.  Salvation through our Lord, Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ.  Thank God for the richness of His mercy, whose love endures forever.

Hebrews 9:11-28

But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives. Therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood. For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you.” Then likewise he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.

Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another — He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.