God Is The Father Of Compassion And All Comfort

Six months ago, my brother lost his wife to cancer. But now, just last week, he has become a grandfather for the first time. Although my brother will soon spend his first Christmas as a widow, he will also spend his first Christmas as a proud grandfather of a long-awaited, beautiful, healthy grandchild, a boy who bears his name. Amid my brother's sorrow, there is comfort of a new life. God, who is the Father of compassion and all comfort, blessed by brother with His love during a time when he needed it the most.

"Praise be to the God

 and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

the Father of compassion

and the God of all comfort."

2 Corinthians 1:3 (NLT)

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who blessed us all with the birth of His son so many years ago! It is because of this baby we are free to accept God's precious gift of eternal life and are comforted by His love and care in the sorrows and trials we experience here on earth.

My Soul Is Satisfied As With Marrow And Fatness

No matter what we have or what we do not, or what dreams have come true or what ones have not, God's children are satisfied because of God's presence in their hearts. When we have God, there is nothing more our souls will hunger for; they are already filled as with marrow and fatness.

"My soul is satisfied

as with marrow and fatness,

and my mouth offers

praises with joyful lips."

Psalm 63:5 (NIV)

Therefore, let us offer up praises to God with joyful lips, especially during this time of year that we are celebrating His glorious birth!

When You Love And Believe In Him

The reward of loving God and believing in Him is an inexpressible and glorious joy. And this inexpressible and glorious joy we feel from knowing God is evidence that He is real; even though we have not seen Him with our eyes, we have felt Him with our hearts.

"Though you have not seen Him,

you love Him;

and even though you do not see Him now,

you believe in Him and are filled

with an inexpressible and glorious joy."

1 Peter 1:8 (NIV)

This Christmas, experience God's joy by loving and believing in Him.

God Fills Us With All Joy And Peace

I love Christmas! But just because I love Christmas doesn't mean that I don't, at this time of year, feel an emptiness for the loved ones I have lost, or grieve for others I know who have lost their beloved spouse or child and will be celebrating the season without them. Loving Christmas doesn't mean I don't feel a nagging guilt for all I have and for those who do not. It doesn't mean I am not sickened by the world's focus of Christmas as they ignore the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ and all He stands for.

Loving Christmas doesn't mean that my heart isn't deeply saddened and troubled for all those who haven't yet received the greatest gift — one of faithful love that comes from our Heavenly Father, that required the greatest sacrifice, and that offers to all the greatest rewards: salvation and eternal blessings. Loving Christmas doesn't mean I don't hold some bad memories of past Christmases; I miscarried two children during the Christmas season.

I love Christmas because the God of hope fills me with all joy and peace as I trust Him. No matter what negative thoughts try to enter my heart, God's Holy Spirit within overflows and overpowers them with hope.

"May the God of hope

fill you with all joy and peace

as you trust in Him,

so that you may overflow

with hope by the power

of the Holy Spirit."

Romans 15:13 (NIV)

My love for Christmas will be forever and always because my heart is set on Jesus Christ and eternity with Him.

Let Us Go Right Into The Presence Of God

The moment we accept Jesus Christ into our hearts as our Lord and Saviour, we can boldly enter into the presence of God at any time and at any place, because the blood that Jesus shed on the cross cleanses us from all unrighteousness, thus freeing us from all guilt and punishment.

"And so, dear brothers and sisters,

we can boldly enter heaven's Most Holy Place

because of the blood of Jesus.

By His death,

Jesus opened a new and life-giving way

through the curtain into the Most Holy Place.

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And since we have a great High Priest

who rules over God's house,

let us go right into the presence of God

with sincere hearts fully trusting Him.

For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled

with Christ's blood to make us clean,

and our bodies have been washed with pure water."

Hebrews 10:19-23 (NLT)

However, the Bible states that we must approach God with sincere hearts fully trusting Him. It is because of Jesus Christ and our faith that we can boldly and confidently come into God's presence.

"Because of Christ and our faith in Him,

we can now come boldly and confidently

into God's presence."

Ephesians 3:12 (NLT)

When we pray to our Heavenly Father, let us pray boldly, with our hearts sincere and our faith full — not timidly, shamefully, or skeptically. It is because of His sacrificial death that Jesus Christ has the power and authority to be our great High Priest, offering us the forgiveness of our sins.

Do You Desire Rest For Your Souls?

This is the favourite resting position of my cat Hunter — on her back with her legs sprawled out and paws outward. When I see Hunter like this, I know she is extremely contented.

So many people in this world long for this type of rest, but they search in the wrong direction. Adding to the confusion is the fact that there are two main groups of people who call themselves Christians.

The first group consists of the true Christ-followers who earnestly seek the Word of God to govern their lives and direct their paths. They are commonly referred to as conservative Christians. They walk in humility and servanthood the Biblical, Christ-like way. They discover the rest and joy their souls long for.

The second group consists of the other Church-goers. They modernize God's Word and change or ignore many of His commandments to fit the trend of society and be more acceptable to others. They are known as liberal Christians. Many times it is very difficult to tell the difference between such Christians and the world. They walk in pride and self-centredness, following their new, impious version of God's Word. As a result, they only discover restlessness and misery.

God says that if you are troubled and undecided about which path to take in life because of these differing views on Christianity, stop, look around, ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it.

"This is what the Lords says:

'Stop at the crossroads and look around.

Ask for the old, godly way,

and walk in it.

Travel its path,

and you will find rest for your souls.

But you reply,

"No, that's not the road we want!"'"

Jeremiah 6:16 (NLT)

God's Word, the pathway of life, is the only route that, following, you will find true rest for your soul. Don't be like the majority of the world who foolishly say, "No, that's not the road we want!" Otherwise you will never discover the serenity your heart truly desires.

Disturb Us Lord!

When I woke up yesterday morning and opened my bedroom door, Osha opened his eyes but refused to move from his comfortable, stretched-out position on his bed, which is located just outside my bedroom door above the stairs to the main living area of our house. Osha didn't even make a twitch, but instead gave me that look which says, "Why did you disturb me? I was enjoying my sleep!"

Sometimes, I think we can be like Osha. We get too pleased and comfortable with our lives, our churches, and all the abundant things we possess that we stop dreaming about eternity. We stop thirsting for the Living Water and craving for the Living Bread, that we might live daily in His presence. As a result, we become ineffective in our testimony and cease caring about the unsaved who are doomed to spend their eternity without God, without Love, and without Life.

Let God disturb each of us more in our comfort, so that we don't forget about Him, His Word, Heaven, and the unsaved souls all around us.

"Only be careful,

and watch yourselves closely

so that you do not forget

the things your eyes have seen

or let them slip from your heart

as long as you live.

Teach them to your children

and to their children after them."

Deuteronomy 4:9 (NIV)

Be always careful, watchful, and cautious about the things of God.