Inspirations

For God so loved  the world that he gave  his one and only Son,  that whoever believes  in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  John 3:16 Love is perhaps one of the most commonly misunderstood words in the English language. We think we know what love means, but, to be honest, we seldom understand it completely. Ask people to define love, and you're likely to get different answers from each one. To many, love is a warm fuzzy feeling that comes and goes. So we love as long as we feel like it, or as long there is something in it for us. People say I "fell" in love as though it was a hole to fall in; something that we have no control over. Truth is this definition makes lovely romantic stories and movies, but if we use that definition of love, we find a very changeable, unstable love. However, when God defined love, He left the divine, heaven, to become human. He was God with human limitations. He chose to live among people who...

Let the  peace  of Christ rule in your hearts. Colossians 3:15 When we think of peace, the first thing that comes to mind is the absence of strife. It's hard to find peace in our world today. We talk of peace; nations want it; Everyone wants it. Most of us are looking for something that will bring just a little peace. There are so many things in our day that can cause us stress and worry. Our health, or finances. Relationships at work; with parents, with spouses with siblings. they all can rob us of our peace. This is true, particularly at Christmas. Just when we should be celebrating The Prince of Peace we find our own peace gone.  As we travel back to that very first Christmas, we see a scene that could very easily steal peace. First,  an angel appears to Mary, and informs her that she will have a baby. The problem is that she was not married. Yikes!! This was scandalous! However, Mary finds peace and says. "Ok,...

We wait in  hope  for the  Lord ;  Psalm 33:20 Christmas is always an exciting, joyous time.  I love Christmas! Yet at the same time, I know that, at times,  it can also be stressful and sometimes depressing.  Sometimes, in the craziness, we need to regain our hope. Hope is certainty mixed with anticipation.  The Jewish people at the time of Jesus' birth were anxiously awaiting the messiah.  They were hoping he would come, yet when the angels heralded his arrival, only the shepherds came to worship.  The rest?  They saw the star and maybe even saw the angels.  However, I suppose they were too busy to bother with a star shining brightly in the sky, the angels in all their glory, and a tiny baby in a manger.  They were busy with work and the cares of this life pressed in around them.  The could not concern themselves with an insignificant baby.  For them, that day was like any other.  They were looki...