Indulging in Joy and Forgiveness This Christmas

‘Tis the season to splurge, right? From our favorite Holiday foods and lattes to decorations and shopping, there are certainly temptations to live more lavishly than normal. And if you’re like me, it’s easy to justify our excesses as we vow to do better starting in January.

But there are a few extravagances in which we should indulge, especially during this season of thankfulness and giving. What if we indulge in:

Relishing God’s abundant love and mercy toward us.

Forgiving and offering grace toward everyone we encounter.

Seeking His peace, wisdom, and strength.

Loving others in word and deed.

Praising God for who He is and all He does.

Sharing a smile or a hug.

Listening well and building a bridge of understanding.

A great list of indulgences, wouldn’t you agree? There are a few items that would be best to restrict from our diets during this time of year. Here’s my recommendation of habits to curb:

Grumbling

Gossiping

Anger

Bitterness

Let’s choose to make it a joyful Holiday Season, not because of the outward fluff of food, gifts, and decorations, but rather the inward qualities of a Christlike spirit. Let’s indulge ourselves in Him.

In Him we have redemption through His blood,

the forgiveness of sins,

in accordance with the riches of God’s grace

that he lavished on us.

Ephesians 1:7

Photo by Diliara Garifullina on Unsplash

Light of the World

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Many years ago when I taught science, I enjoyed teaching my students about the spectrum of light and the rainbow of colors that appear when light is refracted.  Whether it is a rainbow, a sunset, a prism or cut glass, refracted light always reveals the same order of colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet (Roy G. Biv). It’s unchangeable and consistent.

Isn’t it interesting how many of the characteristics of light seem to reflect certain attributes of God?  Just as the spectrum of light is unchangeable, so our glorious God is immutable and unchangeable. The Bible says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” It’s no wonder that the beloved disciple John uses the metaphor of light to describe God.

 

God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.

 

Darkness can’t overtake the light, but light drives out or dispels the darkness. Throughout scripture, light refers to holiness, purity and truth, while darkness is compared to evil and sin. God is completely holy and represents absolute purity. There is no sin in Him, not even the smallest portion. Darkness is a place where things are hidden, but when God shines His light in our lives, He not only reveals sin, but He also offers forgiveness through Jesus. He opens our eyes to see things we may have never seen before and guides us down a new path.

 

He lights up our spiritual eyes to see.

 

May we bask in the radiance of His love, as He lights our paths and guides our way through this dark world. This Holy season points us to Jesus – the Light of the World. As we enjoy the lights and splendor of Christmas let us joyfully reflect on the One True Light and turn our hearts toward Him.

 

Praise you Light of the World. Thank you for the warmth of your love and the light of your wisdom. Continue to lead us and guide us along Your path. Shine your light on the dark corners of our lives. Help us to shine your light so that others may know your love.

 

Photo by Charlotte Coneybeer on Unsplash

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A portion of this blog is an excerpt from my book Unfailing Love.

Believe – 25 Positive Words, Day 19

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You’ve heard it said, “Seeing is believing,” but Jesus said, “Blessed are those who have not seen and still believe.” God is not asking us to have a blind faith, for He has revealed himself through His creation, in His word and most importantly, in Jesus. May our love grow deeper and our faith stronger as we worship Him this holiday season.

“Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.”  Acts 16:31

Read – 25 Positive Words, Day 17

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Like it or not, reading can be a positive word in your life. Reading allows us to learn, grow and reflect on great truths, new concepts or simply delightful tales of intrigue. What exercise is to the body, reading is to the mind. Let us be wise in what we choose to read – not all reading elevates the heart and mind. Most important, read God’s living and powerful word, the Bible, everyday. Within its pages you will find hope, strength, encouragement, wisdom and love.

Charlie Tremendous Jones often said, “You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read.”

Grow – 25 Positive Words, Day 6

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A great question to ask ourselves when we experience a challenge of any kind is, “How can I grow from this?” It is good for us to be open to what God wants to teach us in the classroom of life. As we learn and grow and develop new skills, we can use our gifts to be a blessing to others. Most important, we want to grow deeper in our faith and love for Jesus. As the apostle Paul wrote, “Let your roots grow down deep into Christ.” As we allow our roots to grow deep in Him, we are strengthened and nourished to face both life’s blessings and challenges.