Love means following his commandments, and his unifying commandment is that you conduct your lives in love. (2 John 6)We've just returned home from Christmas Eve services - a beautiful gathering in celebration of the birth of our Savior. Each of the songs reminded me of the incredible gift that God has given me in Jesus, and today's reading also reminded me of my part.
Friend, don't go along with evil. Model the good. The person who does good does God's work. (3 John 11)
But you, dear friends, carefully build yourselves up in this most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit, staying right at the center of God's love, keeping your arms even and outstretched, ready for the mercy of our Master, Jesus Christ. This is the unending life, the real life! (Jude 20-21)
My heart is full of love and gratitude for my Father's forgiveness and His Presence, especially as I've wrestled with my repeated relational sin over the past days.
But He tells me that He is enough. His grace is sufficient for me, and He has done it all. I'm going to rest in that certainty tonight.
"My power is sufficient to keep you from falling off the narrow road. But on that road you will feel, more acutely sometimes that others, the unbearable ache of repeated failure to love, of always falling short of My glory...Don't be surprised by your failure. Be surprised, staggered by My response...Your screw-ups provoke Me to again display My amazing grace which brings Me great joy...[Y]our failure provides you the opportunity to, once again, look bad in the presence of love, to celebrate the love you taste from others but fully enjoy only Me. That's the gospel. That's My story." 66 LLFather, thank You for the gift of Your Son, Jesus, Immanuel, God with us. I am absolutely staggered by Your response to my complete inability to love You and others well. It's grace upon grace in Jesus. Absolutely mind boggling! I'm celebrating today, with the knowledge that His birth was the beginning of the end of sin and death.
Merry Christmas, my friends. I pray you're overwhelmed by the gift of our Lord and Savior, the King of kings, the Gift of gifts.
1 comment:
As I go to crawl under the Christmas covers to close this day wanting it so much to end. A day that looked good on the outside but stretched me beyond measure on the inside. I stop to reflect on my failures from angry words about burned pecan pies to self-condemnation losing every Christmas photo I took to being so angry on the inside when family "missed" me. And I read your good post cause I knew if I came here, it would draw me to God, and I weep because I am staggered. Staggered as I close this weary holy holiday that The Child whose birth we celebrated has responded to me and given me hope for my sin and a future to bank on. When I wanted to walk away, He helped me to stay and move in to love---staggering. I'll remember that word this Christmas Day~
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