Love people and point them to Jesus when they ask why you care.

Are we trying to make good people or followers of Jesus? Put another way, can we love people in their broken and fallen state into a relationship with Jesus who will fix their broken responses and lifestyles; or, are we expecting people to change before coming to Jesus?

We must look in the mirror, my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. There is a difference between a burnt offering and a sin offering. The former was for willful sin and the latter was for unknowingly committing sin. Don’t get me wrong. Either way it’s sin and separates us from the Father.

Both, though, are part of the seven sacrifices of Leviticus because both are needed! As Jesus followers, we are still in process of being transformed into the image of Jesus. In the meantime, the Father covers the parts of our lives that still remained unchanged and offensive to Him with Jesus’ blood.

Scripture tells us that Jesus is the author and perfector of our faith. It also says the Father, who began a good work in us, will complete it on the day of Christ Jesus.

Therefore, we should be careful on what we focus when sharing Jesus with those who still haven’t come to faith in Him. Spoiler alert!!! Non-followers of Christ will act like non-followers of Christ because they don’t personally know Christ, yet!

Let’s be humble and continue to share and make it about Jesus and what He did for them, not what they must do for Him. Let’s pray they choose to transfer their trust from themselves and their way of living to Jesus and what He has for them.

Scripture tells us the gospel will be offensive. Let’s make sure it’s the gospel that offends and not our approach to sharing Jesus.

Keep helping them on the journey to hear and follow Jesus’ voice, which is what disciple making is all about by defintion. He’ll know to change and when to change it. He’s God.

Never think too little or too much of yourself that you move away from God’s purposeful design for you!

This acacia tree is perfectly made for the desert. It survives on little water due to its umbrella like shape that greatly reduces evaporation by protecting its roots from the hot sun.

It also has small leaves to keep evaporation low, which allows it to not only survive, but thrive in the hot desert. These leaves also give food and hydration to desert animals keeping them alive.

This was God’s design for this tree. It is not a majestic redwood or a sturdy oak. It’s a simple tree in the middle of a desert that many will never see.

It might complain, “God, why did you make me this way? You’ve got to be kidding! I’m only useful for shade, which hardly anyone will use, and feeding a few animals? Really?”

Yet this tree’s wood was made into one of the most important pieces of furniture ever made – the Ark of the Covenant. It was on top of this box of gold covered wood where God dwelt inside the Tabernacle and eventually the 1^st Temple.

The moment you placed your faith in Jesus, you became God’s workmanship. He took what you might have thought was useless and insignificant to make something very special – His Home.

Your God given box has a grand purpose whether you live in the desert or in a forest.

Everything that happens to us, whether “good” or “bad”, can be used by God to shape Christ’s character into our lives, which not only lasts for eternity, not only gives hope that we are going “home” someday, but also is a witness to those around us.

Your box is important to your Father, who paid a heavy price for it! Never doubt it. It’s true.

Hold on. Jesus knows what He’s doing.

One of the reasons Jesus was conceived in a woman, birthed in a cave and set in a cow’s eating trough was to become a man who could say with total credibility, “Been there, done that!”

As a human, He grew in wisdom (Lk. 2:52). And yes, there were times He didn’t know the future (Matt. 24:36), which meant He had to trust His Father with it.

This Christmas never lose sight of the fact that Jesus was fully human. Yes, He came to die; but, He first had to live.

So, surrender and let Him show you how to live. He does understand what you are facing. He walked in your shoes and knows what He’s doing.

Now, come let us adore Him!

“The Christmas message is that there is hope for a ruined humanity.” J.I. Packer

We’ve all lost loved ones. Wait a second. They are not lost. They are at home with Jesus because of what Jesus did for them.

We say lost, because we are missing them as they are not with us. Wait a second. This is not true either. They are with us, just not physically.

Christmas will be the next holiday without mom². My Father took my wife’s mom home with Him back in July. I was the last one to physically touch and see her as I was tasked with removing her wedding ring to give it to dad.

Yet that is not the picture I remember. I can still see her smile. I can still hear her laughter. I can still taste the See’s candy she had at the house for Christmas.

Yeah, it’s tough. I’ll miss seeing and hearing her in a few days. But the fact is, she believed in what Jesus did for her, which gives me hope that I will indeed actually see and hear her again.

Seasons can be tough. But hope gets us through them. This hope is what Christmas is all about to me.

Jesus came to be born in the most humble means to die the most horrible death to rise from the loneliest grave to live the greatest life, eternal life, for people like you and me to have the surest hope possible.

A friend of mine recently “lost” his father who is home with the Father as well. I told him that I would pray for him when it got tough for me. He said he’d do the same.

Maybe there is someone you can pass your hope along to this Christmas Season. Let them know that you’re praying for them in the midst of your tough season.

Hopefully, this will bring a smile to their face and peace to their heart in the midst of their tough season.

Let God use your life to show off Who He is.

David starts out Psalm 19 by writing six verses about how God shows off who He is through His creation. Then, he uses the next eight verses to talk about how God’s Word can work wonders in one’s life.

There is a God out there who is talking. He’s telling all of humanity who He is and what He can do when listened to (vs. 1-6). Then, as those who apply what He says to do, they will see their lives forever changed (vs. 7-14).

This change comes about because they took the given empirical data (head knowledge) and used it in their everyday choices (life experience). This allows those around them to see Who God is in everyday life, which is a witness and what Jesus has asked His followers to be.

Head knowledge people, however, can’t be a witness. They have never experienced that knowledge for themselves.

God is still talking through His creation. And those who say they love Jesus can bring heaven to earth as they move beyond theory to actually living out that theory in their daily choices.

Choose to allow God to use you to show off Who He is, today.