Holidays | From Pure Chaos To Perfect Peace

As we celebrate this beautiful Christmas day, let’s take a moment to remember the true reason for this amazing season which is found within the pages of Matthew 1:18-2:11 and Luke…

The greatest present from God to all mankind!

Luke 1:26 – 35

Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee named Nazareth, to a girl never having been married and a virgin engaged to be married to a man whose name was Joseph, a descendant of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, Hail, O favored one! The Lord is with you! But she was greatly troubled and disturbed and confused at what he said and kept revolving in her mind what such a greeting might mean. And the angel said to her, Do not be afraid Mary, for you have found grace with God. And listen! You will become pregnant and will give birth to a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His forefather David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob throughout the ages; and of His reign there will be no end. And Mary said to the angel, How can this be, since I have no husband? Then the angel said to her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will over-shadow you; and so the holy Thing which shall be born of you will be called the Son of God.

Luke 2:4 – 2:11

And Joseph also went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea to the town of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David. To be enrolled with Mary, his espoused wife, who was about to become a mother. And while they were there, the time came for her delivery. And she gave birth to her Son, her Firstborn; and she wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room or place for them in the inn. And in that vicinity there were shepherds living in the field, watching over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord flashed and shone all about them, and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people. For to you is born this day in the town of David a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord!

Emmanuel is with us on this AMAZING DAY! That means…GOD IS WITH US!

Remember Him today!

Praise Him today!

Thank Him today!

Ah, the wonderful time of Thanksgiving. Sitting around the table with family and friends. Enjoying each other’s company filled with happiness and laughter. And, we certainly can’t forget about all the turkey, trimmings and pumpkin pie. What a glorious day to enjoy each year. The wonderful aromas filling the air.

But, have you ever taken a moment to look at the word, Thanksgiving. Do you realize that it can be broken down into two words? THANKS and GIVING! Have you ever stopped for a moment to think about what it really means?

When I think of Thanksgiving, sure, I remember all the wonderful memories of the years gone by. Cooking in the kitchen, enjoying the laughter and watching football on TV. It is an amazing time for all to be had.

But, I also like to take it a bit deeper. Have you ever realized that it could and should be a daily occurrence? Every time we wake up, we should THANK THE LORD for a new day. We should be thankful and grateful for the amazing day He has in store for us. It doesn’t matter what our circumstances look like at the moment. He has the answers and His ways are far beyond ours, so, we should be thankful that He will provide, heal, strengthen, and guide our steps.

We should also wake up each morning and be on the lookout of GIVING to someone in need. Giving is not just financial. You can GIVE a smile. You can GIVE time. You can GIVE kindness. You can GIVE a helping hand. There are so many ways to GIVE to our fellow man without breaking the pocketbooks. We just need to keep our eyes open and be ready to move when God shows us the way. It can be something as small as opening a door for someone. The key here is not to miss a moment; for giving is a beautiful way of living.

Let’s take a quick glance at what the Bible says about Thanksgiving:

1 Thessalonians 5:18 Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Psalm 107:1 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!
Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.

See, every day is filled with opportunity. It can be filled with anger and depression or it can be filled with love and laughter. We all have a choice to make every time we wake up in the morning. So, from now on, how will you treat Thanksgiving? For me and my house, I will serve the Lord and continuously be thankful in all things and give wherever He leads me.