Happy Christmas: a timely blessing

When Jesus was born a little over 2015 years ago the event was remarkable in many ways.  One way was that people from different backgrounds and beliefs all wanted to see him.  The Shepherds came from nearby, the Wise men came from far away.  This Christmas time for people close to God and those far away, it’s time for Christ to be born in our hearts. 

The wise men came to the house where the baby was. They saw the baby with his mother Mary. The wise men bowed down and worshiped the baby. The wise men opened the gifts they brought for the baby. They gave the baby treasures of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. But God warned the wise men in a dream. God warned them not to go back to Herod. So the wise men went home to their own country a different way. (Matthew 2:1-12)

The wise men came to offer their time and their treasure to worship Jesus.  God blessed them for this, kept them safe from real threats to their life and showed them the way forward. As, like the wise men, you give of your time and money to Jesus in worship each Sunday God will bless you likewise.

The Art of Marriage

"Each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself and the wife must see to it she respects her husband."  (Ephesians 5:33)

We must take action to make a marriage work: a husband must love his wife, and wife must see to it that she respects her husband. 

They say a wife and husband bit by bit

Can rear between themselves a mighty wall so thick

They cannot speak with ease through it.

Nor can they see across it, it stands so tall.

It's nearness frightens them

But each alone is powerless to tear its bulk away

And each, dejected, wishes he had known

For such wall some magic thing to say.

So let us build with master art my dear

A bridge of love between your life and mine.

A bridge of tenderness and very near.

A bridge of understanding, strong and fine,

Till we have formed so many so many lovely ties

There never will be room for walls to rise.   (Anonymous)

From the beginning of a marriage, working at love and understanding, making sure to give respect and forgiveness as much as you would want to receive in return builds trust. It creates such an atmosphere that walls of misunderstanding and bitterness cannot be built up. And when two people, in a marriage, draw so close together because they show such obvious care for each other, then it is so much harder to even think of being unfaithful.  Such a marriage will be almost impossible to break.

Arguments in any relationship, including a marriage, are inevitable but if we treat each other with respect and love then we can go through arguments and come out the other side with the relationship in tact and probably stronger.

To keep your marriage brimming

With love in the loving cup

Whenever you're wrong, admit it;

Whenever you're right, shut up.  (Ogden Nash)

Who are you? Who are we? Thoughts on identity.

"And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus."  Ephesians 2:6-7

Who are you? Do you find that you are defined by your job, by your qualifications, or by your title?  Do people call you old, young, fat, smart, athletic, attractive, unattractive, slim, too slim, too smart by half?  In reality it is God who defines who we are.  He says that in his rich mercy he has called us to be reconciled to him. Therefore, in accepting God's grace, he makes us Spiritually alive.  He reveals this truth to us and tells us that all the blessings of heaven are available to us.  We were dead in our sins but we are brough to new life by God's grace.  Undeserved riches and unearned at that.  But still they are riches and they are available to us as we trust in Jesus Christ.

"To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours." 1 Corinthians 1:2

Who are we? We are the church, we are the assembley of God's peopel,  we are those who have been made holy by Jesus, the saints. We together with all those who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ are the redeemed and forgiven.  We are the ones who tell the good news of Jesus Christ, we are ambassadors of the king.