"…Who has announced this from of old? Who has long since declared it? Is it not I, the Lord? And there is no other God besides Me. Righteous God and a Savior; there is none except Me. Turn to Me and be saved all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. I have sworn by Myself. The word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness and will not turn back, that to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance. They will say of Me, only in the Lord are righteousness and strength. Men will come to Him, and all who were angry at Him will be put to shame. In the Lord all the offspring of Israel will be justified and will glory." Isaiah 45: 21-25

The coming of Christ, the Savior, was never a hidden agenda. God was very forthright and bold in declaring the future Messiah centuries before His appearance. Look closely at our Scriptures in Isaiah. Have we ever considered God, the proud Father as He sent forth the angels to declare His Son’s birth? This was a plan birthed out of a deep, enduring love for you and me. Jesus was a divine solution to a broken, dark, dying world of people as He is today. God forbid that we spend this Christmas as just another holiday to eat, drink, and be merry, never considering the truth of the love of God as He sent His gift to us. Again, in Isaiah 61:1-3 he declares:

"Arise, shine; for your light has come. And the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness will cover the earth and deep darkness the peoples; but the Lord will rise upon you and His glory will appear upon you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising."

What a glorious time of year if we truly reflect on the Word of God for the true meaning of Christmas! I implore you to do this with your children. Don’t allow the distractions of this world to rob you of the eternal truth of this season. Christmas is a season of love. God is love. What we all can never get enough of! If we are to ever experience true love you must know the love of the God who created you. Every individual is precious in His sight. He sent His Son for all. No matter how unworthy we are, He loves us and claims us as we are. All we have to do is come to Him, and accept the gift of our Savior. What greater gift could you possibly be offering your children that can compare with the truth of Christmas? In fact, for anyone you love, what greater gift could you be giving or receiving that would be more meaningful than sharing the love of our God and Savior? Now let’s allow Jesus to make His own announcement in Isaiah 61:1-3:

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners; to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to grant those who mourn in Zion, giving them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. "

Are you afflicted with the cares of this world, broken families, brokenhearted, held captive to addictions, or mourning? Do you have a spirit of fainting rather than a spirit of praise? Good News! He came for you! Not only for you, but all those you love, and even the ones you don’t love. He came for all. Let us saturate our minds and hearts in the announcements God’s Word is full of for this time of year of what Christmas is really about. May we shake off and reject the frivolous, shallow things money can buy, and let us receive the gift that was purchased by the ultimate sacrifice of any father or mother — an only Son. God, the proud Father who had a perfect, sinless Son asked Him to take our place at the cross, so He would become our righteousness, and reconcile us back to our Heavenly Father eternally.

O blessed baby in the manger, let us follow you to the cross, and ultimately to our final destination with You who sits at the right hand of God in heaven, and is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. How can we not take a knee this Christmas at the manger and truly offer all our hearts? He alone is worthy!

In His love.

Teresa Roberts

Masterpiece Fitness

www.masterpiecefitness.com

276-237-6680

This nativity set was one of my family’s most valued gifts from a very dear friend. It is a gift that has continued to give throughout the years as the children return home every Christmas and to all who enter my home. A gift with meaning and purpose. Forever thankful.