“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us,” [1 John 3:16-24]
The world is watching. Our greatest testimony to the love and grace of God is our ability to lay down our lives for one another. Giving sacrificially and loving one another is proof that we are Jesus’ disciples. Today, Saturday the 1st of December, we will (once again) begin the living nativity, “The Journey.” Projects like these are so wonderful because of the message that we are conveying: “Jesus, the Prince of Peace has already come to save us from our sins!” The primary story we are retelling is, “God loves you, lost and weary world.” But the secondary message that we send is this: “We love each other. We love one another because of what He has, is and will do for us.” Jesus lives in us, and we have the privilege, no, the obligation to tell others of His great grace and mercy. And our Message is loudest when we love one another with the same supernatural, out-of-this-world love that He has given us. This is the same love that caused Him to come into this world as a humble child, the same love that motivated Him to do His Father’s will perfectly and the same love that thrust Him to the cross. What a Wonderful Savior!
If we were coming to honor him, as the Magi did, what gift would we bring Him? It is, after all, HIS birthday, right? Let’s remember, with all of our hearts, that we honor HIM. This is bigger than our church. This is bigger than all of us. If we can work together in unity, patience and love, then we will have honored Jesus and His Name by doing the Journey together.
Pray for unity. Pray for peace. Pray that we might witness to the greatness of the Greatest God and King, THE LORD JESUS! Happy Birthday, Jesus!
Celebrating the Prince of Peace together!
George