Hand in Hand

Christmas and love are tightly woven together, the meaning of each goes hand in hand with the other.  The very essence of God is love, and He graciously chose to reveal His gloriously amazing love to us through His Son, Jesus. God’s divine love came down to make its home among us on the first blessed Christmas morn. His love arrived on the scene in the form of a Baby, humbly born in a stable, nestled and wrapped in a manger, all with the grand purpose of being The Savior of the world. The true spirit and meaning of Christmas is God’s sacrificial love. Christmas and love, they are one and the same.

“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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16-17

Invaluable Gift

Recently a friend sent me a message saying I had been on her mind and she’d been praying for me. For reasons yet unknown to me, God placed me in her thoughts prompting her to intercede on my behalf. I am extremely grateful for a friend who heeds the call of God and loves me in this way. As I told my friend, prayers are an invaluable gift both to give and receive, inviting God’s blessing, power, love, and Presence into our lives. Often times, we ask permission to pray for one another—just so you know, there’s no need to ask me. That’s a question to which my reply is always, “yes, please” and “thank you.” Prayers are always welcome and greatly appreciated.

1 Timothy 2:1, “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—"

Your Kind of Love

Lord, help me to love with Your kind of love. Help me to love generously and graciously, overlooking faults and flaws, overcoming grudges and hurts. Help me to love sincerely from the bottom of my heart, with pure motives of goodness towards those in my path. Help me to love fearlessly with no apprehension or reservations, giving my all. Help me to love humbly, putting aside all pride and indignation, caring for the needs of all others first. Help me to love with the same dedication and resolve that You showed, when stopping at nothing, even laying down Your life for my sake. Help me to love like You love Jesus, with lasting and unchanging, faithful and extravagant love.

1 John 4:9, “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.”