1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
Love this verse because God does not ignore the fact that people will deny him and his believers
1 John
16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
I pray we all have an opportunity to give more than gifts this year. An opportunity to really experience Christmas. What is Christmas? Lights? Trees? Presents? Stress? Food? Time with family? I have never really liked Christmas season and for those who have known me for years they might say I’m a Scrooge. This year I am blessed by so many things including the strange busyness of non-Christmas things and strange weather. I’m glad it hasn’t “felt like Christmas”. It has made me ask myself “What is Christmas to me?” ( thanks Mom) And I think I have been missing out on the experience all along. As I get older I am realizing Christmas is like passing money around a circle to each other. Please don’t get me wrong I love giving gifts because it truly is the thought and the heart of it that count. But how do we give the way Christ did? The way the one for whom we celebrate this holiday gave. First he forgave. Then he gave of himself. Then he gave his life. If we put ourselves in front of those three tasks how are we doing? I’ll tell you I’m not doing so great in my opinion. I have so many resources, talents, God given gifts, financial resources, and so much time that could be spent in generosity.
If we are called to love in deed so that the world may know the love of God (just like the action God took to send himself to this Earth to live and die with us for our good) than why is it that so little really know the love of God? I’d say it’s our missing the mark on that loving your brother part.
This year I’m loving Christmas. I’m loving my friends and family and time I get to slow down and reflect on all these things. I pray for myself and all the ones I love that we all have a change of heart. That we all find it refreshing how much it “doesn’t feel like Christmas”, refreshing to have the freedom to think it through and the freedom we have to let God use us and work in us in ways we can never fathom.
I pray we all let go and allow God to use us for true generosity. And that I’ll stop sitting on my butt thinking of all the ways I’m doing it wrong and start doing it right.
My first time posting in this community- so awesome! Ezekiel had my head spinning with all the laws and exact commandments to obey (measured out and weighed even!).
1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
Love this verse because God does not ignore the fact that people will deny him and his believers
1 John
16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
I pray we all have an opportunity to give more than gifts this year. An opportunity to really experience Christmas. What is Christmas? Lights? Trees? Presents? Stress? Food? Time with family? I have never really liked Christmas season and for those who have known me for years they might say I’m a Scrooge. This year I am blessed by so many things including the strange busyness of non-Christmas things and strange weather. I’m glad it hasn’t “felt like Christmas”. It has made me ask myself “What is Christmas to me?” ( thanks Mom) And I think I have been missing out on the experience all along. As I get older I am realizing Christmas is like passing money around a circle to each other. Please don’t get me wrong I love giving gifts because it truly is the thought and the heart of it that count. But how do we give the way Christ did? The way the one for whom we celebrate this holiday gave. First he forgave. Then he gave of himself. Then he gave his life. If we put ourselves in front of those three tasks how are we doing? I’ll tell you I’m not doing so great in my opinion. I have so many resources, talents, God given gifts, financial resources, and so much time that could be spent in generosity.
If we are called to love in deed so that the world may know the love of God (just like the action God took to send himself to this Earth to live and die with us for our good) than why is it that so little really know the love of God? I’d say it’s our missing the mark on that loving your brother part.
This year I’m loving Christmas. I’m loving my friends and family and time I get to slow down and reflect on all these things. I pray for myself and all the ones I love that we all have a change of heart. That we all find it refreshing how much it “doesn’t feel like Christmas”, refreshing to have the freedom to think it through and the freedom we have to let God use us and work in us in ways we can never fathom.
I pray we all let go and allow God to use us for true generosity. And that I’ll stop sitting on my butt thinking of all the ways I’m doing it wrong and start doing it right.
Merry “Doesn’t feel like Christmas”
:)
God is a Awesome God
1 John is opening my eyes, heart, and mind!
My first time posting in this community- so awesome! Ezekiel had my head spinning with all the laws and exact commandments to obey (measured out and weighed even!).
Isn’t it crazy how many laws there were? Goodness, I’d forget them all. SO thankful for Jesus and His gift of eternal life through sacrifice.
I wish I could post these on Facebook like I could the other study. That would be awesome!
Thankful that Jesus death on the Cross and God’s love for us make it so we don’t have to live life by the mosaic law.