Christmas should be a time of personal reflection about the past year and your walk with God throughout it. Count your blessings, remember God's faithfulness, repent of any unresolved sin separating you from God, and thank God for sending the greatest gift of all--Jesus--for each of us to receive as our personal Savior!
May you take the time to grasp the full meaning of my top 10 C.S. Lewis quotes below:
I hear the Savior say, “Thy strength indeed is small; Child of weakness, watch and pray, Find in Me thine all in all.”
Refrain: Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.
For nothing good have I Whereby Thy grace to claim; I’ll wash my garments white In the blood of Calvary’s Lamb. And now complete in Him, My robe, His righteousness, Close sheltered ’neath His side, I am divinely blest.
Lord, now indeed I find Thy pow’r, and Thine alone, Can change the leper’s spots And melt the heart of stone.
When from my dying bed
My ransomed soul shall rise, “Jesus died my soul to save,” Shall rend the vaulted skies. And when before the throne I stand in Him complete, I’ll lay my trophies down, All down at Jesus’ feet.
Here’s a story about the song: [cyberhymnal.org]
On New Year’s night, 1886, some missionaries were holding open-air services in order to attract passers-by to a near-by mission, where meetings were to be held later. “All to Christ I owe” was sung, and after a gentleman had given a short address he hastened away to the mission. He soon heard footsteps close behind him and a young woman caught up with him and said: “I heard you addressing the open-air meeting just now; do you think, sir, that Jesus could save a sinner like me?” The gentleman replied that there was no doubt about that, if she was anxious to be saved. She told him that she was a servant girl, and had left her place that morning after a disagreement with her mistress. As she had been wandering about the streets in the dark, wondering where she was to spend the night, the sweet melodies of thi s hymn had attracted her, and she drew near and listened attentively. As the different verses were being sung, she felt that the words surely had something to do with her. Through the whole service she seemed to hear what met her oppressed soul’s need at that moment. God’s Spirit had showed her what a poor, sinful and wretched creature she was, and had led her to ask what she must do. On hearing her experience, the gentleman took her back to the mission and left her with the ladies in charge. The young, wayward woman was brought to Christ that night. A situation was secured for her in a minister’s family. There she became ill and had to be taken to a hospital. She rapidly failed and it became evident that she would not be long on earth. One day the gentleman whom she had met on New Year’s night was visiting her in the ward. After quoting a few suitable verses of Scripture, he repeated her favorite hymn, “All to Christ I owe”…and she seemed overwhelmed with the thought of coming to glory…Two hours afterward she passed away.
As I write this blog and reflect on the words of this song, I am reminded of my weakness in myself, but also of the strength I have in Christ as a believer. Christ is my all in all because I am nothing but dust without Him. I do watch and pray to see God working in my life for His will and purposes. My sins have been paid for and one day will be ransomed and traded in for righteousness. Glory will be revealed and praise to my Heavenly Father will be forever more. My prayer is for anyone who is feeling lost and alone in this broken world that they would come to seek and know that Jesus came into this world to save them from their sins and give them a relationship with Him that will last throughout eternity. Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: Whilewewere still sinners, Christ died for us." Ephesians 3:16-19"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." I pray acceptance of this gift from God will be your ultimate treasure, because we owe everything to Jesus for His sacrifice for us. My prayer for fellow believers is that Christ would be acknowledged, praised and submitted to in your every day life. May your life be one of service that glorifies God in every way.
Psalm 40:5 "Many, Lord my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare."
"Word Of God Speak"
I'm finding myself at a loss for words And the funny thing is it's okay The last thing I need is to be heard But to hear what You would say
[CHORUS] Word of God speak Would You pour down like rain Washing my eyes to see Your majesty To be still and know That You're in this place Please let me stay and rest In Your holiness Word of God speak
I'm finding myself in the midst of You Beyond the music, beyond the noise All that I need is to be with You And in the quiet hear Your voice
[REPEAT CHORUS 2x]
I'm finding myself at a loss for words And the funny thing is it's okay
More than ever lately, I have been asking God to speak to me. Lead me, Lord and guide me in which way to go. Now when one asks such a request, you must be willing to open your eyes and ears to His voice. Studying Scripture is the best way to learn how to apply it to your own life. The Bible is full of testimonies that are directly related to whatever each of us is going through in some aspect.
Some people don't want to hear what God has to say because it is convicting and they have yet to surrender themselves to become a part of God's family. John 8:47 "Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.” John 10:27-28 "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand." As a believer, these words comfort me and I know when I read verses like these that God is encouraging me at that very moment.
"Most of us won’t hear Jesus speak in an audible voice. But He communicates with us through nudges. Thoughts that we know we’re not smart or wise enough to have on our own. Mental pictures or whispers, and stirring in our hearts that connects something we’re going through with the truth of His word. That’s God speaking."
Romans 8:38-39 "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." As the C.S. Lewis caption above says, God is speaking to us in different tones and in different circumstances. He will not ever quit speaking out of love to correct, encourage and comfort us.
"The love that exists between God and true believers is through Christ. He is the Mediator of our love: it is in and through him that God can love us and that we dare love God. This is the ground of the steadfastness of the love; therefore God rests in his love, because Jesus Christ, in whom he loves us, is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever." [M.Henry]
"God has communicated in various ways throughout history (Heb. 1:1). One way God speaks today is through our conscience (Rom. 2:14–16). Our conscience is like a moral monitor. An important way we discern whether a spiritual communication has God as its source is to ask: Does the message agree with the Bible, God's written Word? If it does not align with God’s previously revealed truth, then we cannot put our stamp of approval on it." [odb.org]
As for myself, I've been seeking and listening for God to direct my path. Through Bible reading and devotionals, I have definitely heard the Word of God speak to my heart, mind and soul. I've been reassured of His presence with me always, His sufficient grace to carry me through all things, His mercy to watch out and work for my good and His love that is all powerful.
May God's voice be louder than anything around you and that you will listen.
God speaks through His Word when we take time to listen. [odb.org]
Matthew 5: 14-16 "“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." Philippians 2: 14-16 "Do everything without grumbling or arguing,so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the skyas you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain." Ephesians 5:8 "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light." Christmas is now 3 weeks away. It comes faster every year, I think, as an adult. With the Christmas season, the manic shopping frenzy comes too. The Bible encourages us to let God's light shine through us to glorify Him. There is no exception clause to the time of year or the circumstances we are in. We can never give grace and mercy in abundance like God supplies each of us, but we can try to give an ample measure of it. We've all seen examples of grace, like letting the last be first in a long grocery line or letting someone else have the coveted parking space at the mall. 'Who does that' or 'They must be a saint' might run across your mind as you grumble that it wasn't you getting the prize spot. So who really is a 'saint'? "When a translation of Scripture uses the word saint, it is actually referring to anyone who belongs to God through faith in Christ. In other words, saints are people like us who have the high calling of serving God while reflecting our relationship with Him wherever we are and in whatever we do. That is why the apostle Paul prayed that the eyes and understanding of his readers would be opened to think of themselves as the treasured inheritance of Christ and saints of God (Eph. 1:18)." Christians are often called hypocrites, because we claim to be saints but act as anything but saintly. Repentance and God's forgiveness are the answers to that fallen nature in us. The best part of all is that we don't have to be like the light bulb that said, "I have to find a way to shine!" The light bulb went to a self-help meeting to learn about its inner capacity for light. It read books about how to get brighter. Each morning the light bulb would get up and recite positive affirmations. "I am a light bulb. I believe in myself. I will shine!" But nothing happened. Eventually the light bulb became weary and discouraged. It began to doubt who it wasand what it could do. It almost burned out completely. Fortunately, one day the light bulb was carefully placed in a fixture. Light burst forth and filled the room. The light bulb finally understood. The key was not to try harder but to plug into the source. Trying to shine on our own can be exhausting. Instead, we're simply called to be closely connected to God and remain in Him. When we do, His light pours forth through us in powerful, brilliant ways that change the world. The ways we shine might not make the news, but they make even more of a difference than we can see.
"If you’re a believer in Jesus Christ, you’re never truly alone, because the Light of the World is living inside you. He hasn’t singled you out for adversity; at some point, every human life is touched by hardship or sorrow. Your response is what matters. Instead of drawing inward, reach out for the Savior’s hand, and let His light shine in your heart. I pray that you experience the peace only He can provide this season and that you will be greatly blessed in the year to come." [intouch.org] May each of us, who have been saved by grace, exhibit the fruits of the Spirit and the Light that dwells in us to everyone around us all year round. We are 'children of light.'
Letting God shine through us in our lives, we should consider three things: [intouch.org]
1. Glorifying God. We are commanded to let our light shine before men so we will bear spiritual fruit that glorifies the Lord. As our life increasingly follows the pattern of the Savior’s, our thoughts and responses will bring Jesus praise and point other people to Him.
2. Conforming to Christ’s likeness. In considering any decision, we should ask ourselves, Will this help me become more like Jesus or tempt me in my weaker areas and cause me to turn away from Him? If we submit our minds and emotions to the Lord, His Spirit will build Jesus’ character qualities into our life. As we rely on the Holy Spirit, He will help us make wise decisions and guide us safely past temptation.
3. Following the Lord’s will. When deciding how to proceed, it’s wise to ask, Is this in line with God’s known will? Throughout the Scriptures, the heavenly Father has revealed what pleases Him. His commands are clear regarding the way born-again believers should live. Our home, business, and community life are to function according to His will.
Lord, help us always put You first
In everything we say and do
So that Your light will shine through us
And show the world their need of You. —Sper
As people of the Lord we’re called
To follow in His way;
And then all those who watch our lives
Will see Him on display. —Sper
