Christmas Time

It's Christmas time again and I hope you're looking forward to it as much as I am! I love spending time with my family and celebrating Christ's birth. It is a time to celebrate Jesus' victory over death. Thank God that He came to this world and conquered death and hell so that we could live triumphantly! Aren't you glad that you have been made alive spiritually? You may not think your life is perfect now, but try to imagine it without Jesus and the life He gives to each of us who have made Him our Lord and Savior.

Today and each day is a time to celebrate what He has done for us. It is great to see much of the world stop and acknowledge Christ's supernatural birth into this world each Christmas season. Unfortunately, many have turned it into other things. But each person who will search just a little bit will realize that there is a reason why there is such celebration during this season. As Christians, we should do our part in keeping Jesus as the reason for the season.

Christmas is also a good time to reach out to family and friends who don't know God, because without Him in their lives there is certainly an emptiness felt this time of year. Thank God that the Redeemer came to set us all free and give us abundant life. Pray for them and believe God to see many turn to Him. That is the most awesome thing that could happen this Christmas.

Pastor Rebecca and I wish each of you a wonderful Christmas! May each of you experience the joy and blessing of what Jesus came to bring to each of us--life and life more abundantly.

Blessings to all,
Pastor Jeff

Hard-Pressed

In 2 Corinthians 4:8, Paul makes the statement that they were "hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed". In talking with many Christians, it is apparent that there are pressures on them from all different angles (work, family commitments and obligations, and a host of other responsibilities). When in those times of feeling hard-pressed, you must determine what is important in life and what God is wanting you to do. Sometimes people are "hard-pressed" because they are filling their lives up with too many things that God is not telling them to do. If you are doing a lot of things that God is not telling you to do, you will feel pressures, but not have the grace to deal with those pressures. It is important to be led by the Spirit of God in the affairs of life. If you aren't, you can be a "good" Christian that doesn't get much done for God because you are overwhelmed with your everyday life.

Mark 4:18, 19 talks about the seed sown among thorns. "They are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful." This is talking about people who become "too busy" to be fruitful for God. They are not placing a priority on the Word of God in their lives. I want to encourage you this Christmas season and every day to be careful not to be too busy for God. You will fall short of God's grace to live your life--feeling hard-pressed. You will also cut off your productivity for God. If we ever get too busy for God, we are simply too busy and need to evaluate what we can cut out of our lives.

Notice that Paul was hard-pressed by the enemy because he was doing the Lord's work. He was not worked up over things that don't really amount to a hill of beans when it comes to eternity. We must continually examine our lives to see if we are letting God's priorities be our priorities.

2 Corinthians 4:18 states, "While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal." There is always grace to do the things that God has called us to do which affect the realm of eternity. He wants us to enjoy life, but we must be careful that we don't get so caugt up in the "thorns" that we are hard-pressed by our own doing and letting the word be choked out of our lives.

Live life to the fullest. Live it God's way. Be led and be blessed. Remember, if you try to live life your way without consulting God, you will end up feeling crushed to some degree. God's grace is sufficient for His will for your life. Be blessed.

Pastor Jeff