JESUS

This morning I asked God for a right now, relevant word for you. He answered with one word and trust me, it doesn’t get any more relevant. What was the word? JESUS. That was it. That’s what He said…JESUS! Okay…what about Jesus? What do you want me to say about Jesus? And He said it again…JESUS! Right then I realized that Jesus was enough. Think about it. What more do you need other than Jesus? Today, God wants you to remember why you have the opportunity for healing and redemption. He wants you to remember why every knee must bow and tongue confess. He wants you to remember why you have life and grace when you so easily could have had death and condemnation. It’s all because of Jesus. As the Christmas holidays quickly approach, God doesn’t want the gift giving to supersede the praise offering. He doesn’t want the family time to overwhelm the worship time. And He most certainly doesn’t want the story of Santa Claus to overshadow the story of Christ’s birth. Will you make the effort today and every day to proclaim the name of Jesus?

I asked God to help me find in His word a scripture passage to reinforce what He was saying today. He reminded me that He sent Jesus because He loved His people so much. He loved YOU so much that He wanted you to live an abundant life. So He sent me to the 4^th chapter of 1^st John. As I was trying to pull out the verse that He wanted me to use, I felt led to give you a quite a few.

⁹ This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. ¹⁰ This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹ Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹² No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

¹³ This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴ And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. ¹⁵ If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. ¹⁶ And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. ¹⁷ This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. ¹⁸ There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

¹⁹ We love because he first loved us. (vs. 9-19 NIV)

Jesus is the reason for EVERY season. He is the one that will keep, advocate for, and protect you in every situation. If you will keep your eyes on Him, He will keep you in perfect peace and He will guide you to that next step, that answer, and that purpose that you are seeking. He is all that you need! Will you make the effort today and every day to proclaim the name of Jesus?

Sing along with me! “God sent His Son, they called Him Jesus. He came to love, heal and forgive. He lived and died to buy my pardon. An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.  Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone. Because I know, He holds the future and life is worth the living just because He lives.”

AMEN