“I have loved you with an everlasting love;
therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.” (Jeremiah 31:3)

The love of God did not end at the cross, He continues to pursue us and draw us to Himself. What a comfort it is to know that is never going to end. We can not earn it, so we can not lose it. “If we are faithless, he remains faithful” (2 Timothy 2:13). 

With each passing year, may our hearts marvel that the Creator of the universe, our all powerful God, loves us so deeply that He came to rescue us from our own folly, sin and shame. He set the bar in what it looks like to love not only in word but in deed. 

I pray that you will rest in the deep and abiding love God has for you this Christmas.

If you’re anything like me, maybe the nearing end of another Christmas season unravels a mix of different emotions and deep thoughts. It’s a time of joy for many, sorrow for others, and a great amount of reflecting upon another year gone by. We’re faced with what we’d love to leave behind, what we desperately wish we could change, and the reality of all our past failures and accomplishments.
 
Whether it’s in achievements that our flesh tries to boast and build upon, past failures of sin that we struggle to leave at the cross, or shame we’ve allowed to shift and shape the way we view ourselves or think God views us, His word provides assurance and promises to remind us that God always had a plan of redemption. Because of the unrelenting love, grace, and mercy of God, His plan through His Son was always to redeem us, make us completely new, and fully whole in Him.
 
As humans, there will always be a constant battle to anchor our worth and value in someone or something. It may be the desire for acceptance/praise of man, in what we own/material possessions, what we’ve done/haven’t done, or in what we’ve failed in or accomplished. Many of us may feel we can boast about ourselves and what we’ve done in this life, while others may be drowning under their own guilt and shame due to their own sin, or sin that’s been done to them. And yet, God gives us the very cure for us all, the very antidote for all prideful, broken, and shame filled hearts and lives. God loved us enough to not leave us in our sinful states, but remake us, solely based upon the precious blood of His Son, Jesus. Our worth and value are not in the sum of anything we’ve done or think we could do, but upon the unending love of Jesus and what He’s already done for us on the cross. Jesus was despised and forsaken of men. He was a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief, as one whom men hid their face (Isaiah 53:3). Our griefs He bore, our sorrows He Himself carried. He was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities, upon Him was the chastisement that brought our peace. Because of HIS wounds, (all sin of humanity and the wrath of God upon Him), we are healed (Isaiah 53:4-5).
 
In Isaiah 43, we read about God’s regathering and redemption of wayward Israel, but this chapter simultaneously reveals to us a powerful description of what God’s love does to utterly redefine His people. It gives us everlasting promises to remind us of who we are now in Christ, and how His unwavering love for us is the only thing that forever gives us secured and unchanging value and worth. Isaiah 43:1-25  states that we are  redeemed, called by name, His, precious in His sight, honored, loved, created by Him and for Him, chosen, told not to fear (for He is with us), and how He is the One who blots out our transgressions and remembers our sin no more.
 
As we remember and celebrate the birth of our perfect and sinless Savior Jesus in this season, let us continue to hold fast to ALL that His life, death upon the cross, and resurrection has done to redeem, transform, and make us a people for His very own (Psalm 4:3). Take no thought anymore to wherever you’ve once placed your identity. You are made new, fully redefined by the love of the only sinless One who more than willingly took on all sin, who despised His own shame in order to fully cover yours.

What does it look like to be a friend of God? Father of faith, a firm believer of truth
rooted and steadfast in hope? See James 2:21-23 Entering boldly before the Presence
behind the veil as though the veil was never there? See Psalm 103:10-14 Having the
blessed assurance of eternal glory? Let’s take a peek into the life of Abraham AKA
Father of faith and friend of God.

Abraham was a man called by God to leave his home, comforts of family and all its false
securities and put full trust in the promise that he would be a great nation. His wife
Sarah having a fruitless womb and no visible sign of this promise being fulfilled,
Abraham moved in obedience and believed God at His word and walked by faith not by
sight . Little did Abraham realize that a promise much greater would be fulfilled, the
“proto evangelism” the first gospel spoken in Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity
between you and the woman between your seed and her Seed: He shall bruise your
head and you shall bruise His heel. This gospel was revealed to Abraham in Genesis
22:2-19, the seed was not seeds displaying more than one, its reference was that of
Jesus Christ the Lord that saves, the Messiah the anointed One that would deliver us
from sin and death once and for all. Genesis 22:14 the Lord will provide, in the Mount
of the Lord it shall be provided, 2000 years later the perfect lamb of God Jesus Christ
was slain, His only son born of a virgin suffered, died, was buried and rose again on the
third day to fulfil this prophecy on a Mountain called Calvary (Golgotha). Because of
this perfect sacrifice we have been given grace, eternal mercy and eternal life with
Jesus reigning as King, He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, mighty Counselor!
Isaiah 9:6-7

He draws us with gentleness and holds us firmly in His hand and will never let go!
Romans 5:1-2 therefore having been justified by faith we have peace with God through
our Lord Jesus Christ through whom also we have access by faith into grace in which
we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God! The work of faith is to believe John
6:27-29. Now like Abraham and all the forefathers of faith let us glory in tribulation which
produces perseverance and perseverance character and character hope because hope
in Jesus does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out in our
hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us by our gracious Father in Heaven. In
Jesus Christ we have hope, He is our Rock and our Salvation! Isaiah 43:1 Fear not, for I
have redeemed you, I have called you by your name you are Mine.

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death”. (Proverbs 14:12)

I have found in my own life that compromise multiplies quickly and before you know it, you have a big fat runaway snowball tumbling down a hill wrecking everything in its path. The thing about sin is that it is usually enjoyable for the sinner. We ignore the wisdom and cautionary tales of those with experience. We think it’s just the one time, that it won’t really be that bad, that we’ll get it together and repent later. We turn a deaf ear to the clear commands in scripture and abuse the grace of God as a license to do what we want.

The book of Judges is filled with sobering case studies of how easy it is for our hearts to turn to idols and away from God. A generation would turn to idolatry and sin, God would allow them to feel the devastating consequences of their actions, and then He would raise up a leader to call them to repentance and bring them back to Himself. 

“And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.” (Judges 2:10) It happens again and again. And you see in this verse the exact reason why; they did not KNOW the Lord. They had the commands written and available to them, they had the rituals and traditions, but they did not have a personal relationship with their Creator.

God is not like the crotchety old lady sitting on a porch step wagging her finger at everyone who passes by or complaining about how loud the music at church is. The intentions of God’s commands are not to stifle us, but to set us free. Our sin grieves the Lord. It breaks His heart. Jesus knew this. He spoke everything into existence, He has a perfect understanding of the law and why it exists and He fulfilled it in every way. He did not indulge in sin ever. He knew there was nothing about it to be enjoyed.

So what is the answer? How are we to break this cycle? “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes”. (Judges 17:6) Notice the people did what was right in their own eyes, they followed their own passions and desires, because they had no king. This is not the case any longer, our King has come!  We are not left to our own devices, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords was made manifest among us, He conquered sin and death on the cross and He rose in triumph, giving us access to His throne in Heaven that we can now come to Him boldly and confidently. We don’t follow a list of rules but a living God! As we walk in step with Him, as we abide in Him, our hearts are transformed from enjoying sin to despising it. We grow to want to avoid anything that would grieve His heart, because we love Him.

Hope is defined as “a desire accompanied by expectation of obtaining what is desired or belief that it is obtainable”. Jesus demonstrated hope throughout His ministry. With each miracle He performed He knew the power at work within Him to accomplish what unbelieving mind would consider impossible. He healed the sick, gave blind men back their sight, made crippled men stand up and walk, He even brought the dead back to life. Jesus had certainty that every Word He spoke would accomplish exactly what He intended it to. 

The struggles of this life can dim our hope. The empty place at the dinner table this year despite our prayers. The texts and phone calls that aren’t returned in our efforts for reconciliation. The breakthrough we’ve been laboring over that doesn’t seem anywhere on the horizon. Wars continue, social media is filled with vitriol, hope can be hard to come by these days.

There is no one with a greater knowledge of the helpless state of mankind than Jesus. It wasn’t like His time spent on this earth was filled with amazement at how awesome people were. He frequently called the disciples out for their lack of faith and understanding. Jesus’ hope wasn’t in people, it wasn’t in His circumstances, it was in the certainty He had in the will of God and the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was sure of every outcome, He knew every Word that He spoke had a purpose that would be accomplished (Isaiah 55:11).

“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

 I’ve always loved children and after meeting/marrying my Hubbs, we soon had three little boys in close succession. With every intention to be Super-Mommy, my human limitations soon became glaringly apparent. I wish I could carry all three down the stairs at once, but I only have two arms. I wish I could catch the child about to fall while bandaging another’s boo boo, while simultaneously changing another’s diaper, but alas, I can’t be all places at once. In addition to physical limitations, there’s the character flaws. My perfectionism encourages me to pursue excellence, which isn’t a bad thing, but the flip side of that coin is that I sometimes struggle with anxiety. Parenting highlights that fact that I am imperfect, which is why I need Jesus.

The thing about a perfect God is His strength of character in one area doesn’t create lack, or weakness, in another. I love how Romans 3:26 describes God as “just and the justifier”. We see examples throughout the Old Testament of what is summarized in Hebrews 9:22b, “…without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” The silver lining, in what may initially come across as a gloomy statement, is that goodness exists, truth exists. God cares about right vs wrong, which is especially comforting in times when we’ve been wronged. God doesn’t rationalize our sins. He sacrificed for them. God is just… and the justifier.

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
(Romans 3:23-26)

I love how the ESV version uses the term ‘gift’. We ‘are justified by his grace as a gift…’ and that gift was purchased with Jesus’ blood. Seems particularly relevant this time of year. Jesus, the greatest gift. When Jesus came in the flesh, he showed us what God is like: full of grace and truth (John 1:14) Grace and truth- it’s all good news! The flip side of God’s character is just as good. Since He is perfectly just and perfectly gracious, we can know that we are perfectly loved.

"So Jesus said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.'" (John 5:19)

Jesus lived a life of perfect submission and obedience to God the Father. Being One with the Father, Jesus understood that in every circumstance, God’s plans were good. 

Immediately following His baptism, the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert to be tempted by Satan. After 40 days of fasting, Jesus resisted the temptation to satisfy the desires of His flesh by turning stones into bread. He resisted the temptation to put God to the test by throwing Himself off a mountain. And He resisted the temptation to glorify anyone other than God when Satan offered Him kingdoms and power in exchange for worship.

The temptations of the enemy always fall into these categories, lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride. Satan tempted Adam and Eve in the beginning this way, and he tempts each of us daily this way. And when we consider even these things, don’t they all come down to insisting on our own way rather than following God’s way? God supplied all of Adam and Eve’s needs, yet they decided to test the one limit He gave them and how quickly they learned how dire the consequences for sin are. Every command God gives us is for our good, the enemy knows it, and because he’s hell bent on destroying our relationship with God, he is going to give us every reason to doubt God’s goodness and seek our own way rather than submitting to the perfect will of God.

Jesus ultimately showed us this love as He willingly went to the cross in our place, for our sin. Having succeeded in resisting temptation His entire life, He now gave Himself up in perfect love and obedience.

“And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, ‘Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.’ And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” (Luke 22:41-44)

Jesus was so agonized over the task before Him, knowing not only the physical suffering He was about to face, but the separation He was going to experience from God for the first and only time in all eternity, that He sweat actual blood. Jesus still obeys. He did not insist on His own way, He laid His life down in love for us.

To study the word “bear” that is used in 1Corinthians 13:7 gives a much more significant and deeper meaning than I would give it at first glance. It is the Greek word “stego”; it means to cover closely, to protect by covering, to conceal and then, by covering, to bear up under. Note that at the core of its meaning stego denotes an activity or state which blocks entry from without or exit from within. It is the same word used for a thatched roof or covering.

John MacArthur gives an excellent description, “the verb stego…basically means to cover or to support and therefore to protect. Love bears all things by protecting others from exposure, ridicule, or harm. Genuine love does not gossip or listen to gossip. Even when a sin is certain, love tries to correct it with the least possible hurt and harm to the guilty person. Love never protects sin but is anxious to protect the sinner. Fallen human nature has the opposite inclination. There is perverse pleasure in exposing someone’s faults and failures. As already mentioned, that is what makes gossip appealing. The Corinthians cared little for the feelings or welfare of fellow believers. It was every person for himself. Like the Pharisees, they paid little attention to others, except when those others were failing or sinning. Man’s depravity causes him to rejoice in the depravity of others. It is that depraved pleasure that sells magazines and newspapers that cater to exposes, “true confessions,” and the like. It is the same sort of pleasure that makes children tattle on brothers and sisters. Whether to feel self–righteous by exposing another’s sin or to enjoy that sin vicariously, we all are tempted to take a certain kind of pleasure in the sins of others. Love has no part in that. It does not expose or exploit, gloat or condemn. It bears; it does not bare.” (1 Corinthians MacArthur New Testament Commentary)

What an amazing illustration to consider in the love God has for us, that Jesus Himself is this covering. As Satan stands accusing us day and night before God (Revelation 12:10), Jesus bears the weight of our sin and His righteousness becomes our defense. Our sin was dealt with at the cross.  The Lord’s desire is not to expose us to shame or to ridicule, but to draw us into a relationship with Him where we are continually refined and called to repentance out of our love for Jesus and all He has done for us.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

Rest can be elusive during the holiday season. We have trees to put up, houses to decorate, cookies to bake, school concerts to watch, shopping to do, parties to attend, family to visit. All of these good things can pile up in our already busy and hectic lives and leave us feeling quite exhausted. When our focus is on a list of to-dos, it quickly leads to burn out.

Jesus confronted this often in His ministry as He dealt with religious leaders who burdened the people with lengthy lists of spiritual to-dos, everything that must be done to earn one's own salvation. Jesus had some pretty strong words for them, “‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.’” (Matthew 23:27-28) These men had an air of superiority, commanding those within their influence to “go and do”, but Jesus came with a message of “come and see”. 

The purpose of the law is to reveal our sin to us (Romans 3:20). God put it in place to reveal how desperate we are for Him. The more we know of it the wearier we become of our wretched state before God. Try as we might to keep the law and earn salvation through our own self-righteousness, we can never obtain it.

“Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.” (Galatians 3:23-26)

Jesus gives us a new command, “Come to me”. Come into relationship with the True and Living God. The One who laid down His life for our sin. All of our burdens, our striving, the weight of our past mistakes; Jesus says “give it to Me and rest”.

Reality, Reality,
Lord Jesus Christ Thou art to me.
From the spectral mist and the driving clouds,
From the shifting shadows and phantom crowds
From unreal words and unreal lives,
Where truth with falsehood feebly strives:
From the passings away, the chance and change,
Flickerings, vanishings, swift and strange,
I turn to my glorious REST in Thee,
Who art the grand Reality.
—Frances Havergal

It’s happened to all of us at some point: someone you admire, look up to, and love dearly is right in front of you, sharing something important while you’re unable to pay attention to what they’re saying the moment you notice a tiny, green speck of food lodged between their teeth and you think to yourself, Who’s gonna tell ‘em? It’s especially rough when it's a serious conversation you’ve wasted a whole lot of time not listening to because of the *ahem* distraction, if you will… which you deliberately kept to yourself until now so as to not offend or embarrass them. And as soon as they finish telling you whatever you didn’t hear, and are about to walk away, you have that inner dilemma… Do I tell them, or do I not? You can almost hear the dramatic music from Who Wants To Be A Millionaire drone in as Regis Philbin appears on your shoulder, “Is that your final answer?” And off they go with their broccoli smile. It was for their sake, you tell yourself.

Small moments like these reveal our true character. Though seemingly insignificant, the principle is profound. The hard truth is you didn’t do it for them, you did it for you. You didn’t want your appearance to erode for taking 3 seconds to tell that friend, coworker, neighbor, or even spouse, something that would save them from embarrassment hell. This begs the question, Christian, what about actual hell? Truth may hurt, but it sets people free (Jn 8:32). No one likes to be the bearer of bad news, but when a non-believer, or even a fellow brother or sister in Christ, believes something contrary to the truth, it’s especially critical for us to speak the truth in love in an effort to build up (Eph 4:15), and NOT to point out everyone’s faults to feel better about our own (Matt 7:4).

Not only does speaking the truth in love build up the church. It proclaims the gospel of Jesus. John 1:4-5 says this about Jesus, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” The light of Christ shone in our darkness, not only to reveal our surroundings, but more importantly, to reveal our condition of sin. Apart from Him, I am dead in my trespass and my sin–the broccoli in my teeth–but in His love, God sent Jesus to show me the truth of my sin through faithful brothers and sisters in Christ who have walked with me, not to condemn me, but to love me away from eternal separation from God. O, how great is the love of God, in His word and in His church.

So you see, friend, love rejoices in the truth. And the truth will set us free, both the receiver and the news bearer. May we speak the truth in love and all around us know the love of Jesus in every word and deed. Now… who’s that person with the broccoli in their teeth? Who’s gonna tell ‘em?

“He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us." (Psalm 103:10–12)

How can we even wrap our mind around the immeasurable grace of God, that He knows every hair on our head (Luke 12:7) and yet does not recall our sin? This is His choice. The mercy and grace of His character, that when we confess Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, our sins are left with Him at the cross. The debt of our sin is marked “paid in full”. It is finished.

Not so with humans. We have a tendency to keep a lengthy record of wrongs - all the times we were offended. How self-righteous we can be! There is no offense I can receive that would surpass the offenses I have inflicted upon my Lord. There is nothing I can experience that God has not dealt with. The many regrets we can have that plague our minds are not even a consideration to God once we have confessed and repented.

“I, I am he
who blots out your transgressions for my own sake,
and I will not remember your sins." (Isaiah 43:25)

The term “to blot out” comes from the Hebrew word mâchâh, which means to erase, obliterate, or destroy. It originally referred to wiping away writing from a surface. In ancient times, ink sat on top of the material rather than soaking into it, so a sponge could remove every trace of the text. That is the picture here: our sin is wiped away so completely that no trace of it remains.

Notice in Isaiah 43:25 we see a reason why, it is for His own sake. There is no “A-Team” that somehow deserves this amount of mercy. It is the unmerited favor of the Lord to show us His character through His amazing grace to us in this way. He blots out our sin because of who HE is, and God in the business of writing a new story on a blank page that has been wiped clean by the blood of Jesus.

The Jesus Storybook Bible calls the love of God the “never stopping, never giving up, always and forever love.” God has pursued His people with love and grace since creation began. God has been chasing after you, personally, all your life. He determined where you would live. He gave you the parents you have on purpose. Everything you have been through, all the joys, the trials, the tears, everything has been part of His plan to draw you to Himself. 

Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
  If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
  If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
 even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
  If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,”
  even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.
(Psalm 139:7-12)

David, who wrote this Psalm, spent a lot of his life on the run from enemies seeking to take his life out of jealousy and selfish ambition. This included his own son at one point. David sinned egregiously, impregnating another man’s wife and then having that man killed to cover his sin. When we look at the totality of David’s life, we see the Lord’s plan could not be thwarted. Though David messed up, he repented and turned back to God. Though his enemies were relentless in seeking his life, the Lord God was relentless in fulfilling His promise that David would be king and that the King of Kings would come through his lineage and bring light to the world once and for all (John 1:4-5).

The love of God pursues us in all circumstances. He chases us down in our sin and folly to bring us to repentance and turn our hearts back to Him. He sends us trials to grow our faith and teach us to rely on Him alone. Whatever season we may find ourselves in today, however uncertain our circumstances may seem, however dark the road before us appears, however heavy our hearts may feel, we can trust that God is actively pursuing us in all things, and as we turn to Him, He will light up all of these situations with His love and grace and give us the strength and comfort to continue on.

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. Now one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” John 14:6-7

We like to use the phrase “brutally honest” when we are about to say something we know is going to cut to the heart and probably be hurtful to people. Or “no offense, but…” and then say something incredibly offensive. Those of us who call ourselves Christians can be the worst offenders, arrogantly spouting off judgements and opinions in a tone of superiority, wanting to win arguments more than we want to win people, justifying the hurt we cause with “I was just speaking the truth.” 

The opposite can be true as well. We can be so set on pleasing others and avoiding confrontation that we don’t have the uncomfortable, truthful conversations we need to have. In a culture bent on creating their own morality, inventing their own truth, it is seen as a hostile act to point out any behavior that is contrary to God’s Word. 

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). We cannot be truth-seekers without following the example Jesus set in how He presented truth and confronted sin. In the early church, Christians were referred to as people of “the Way” (Acts 9:2). As Christ followers, nothing is simply a means to an end, the way we do things, say things, and how we act matters. Jesus was never rude, callous, self-seeking, or arrogant. Knowing that Jesus was perfect in everything He said and did, we can study His interactions and see what love is and what it isn’t, regardless of what the culture around us is dictating, or how our sinful flesh may be motivating us.

• Jesus was direct in confronting sin while calling people into relationship with Himself.
• Consider the woman at the well (John 4).  Surely she got that sinking feeling in her stomach when Jesus pointed out that she had been through 5 husbands and was currently living with a man she was not married to. Jesus isn’t saying this to condemn her, but so she knows He sees into her heart. He then reveals Himself to her as the Messiah, He calls her to put her faith in Him and have a new life. Her immediate response is to go evangelize and spread the news. We follow Jesus’ example by having these hard conversations with the heart to bring people into loving relationship with God, not to shame them and condemn them.
• Jesus was always about His Father’s business, led and empowered by the Holy Spirit. “So Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel.” (John 5:19–20). We follow Jesus when we check our own hearts for sinful motivation, which can be jealousy, ambition, insecurity, all kinds of reasons we want to confront people which are not of God. The goal in speaking truth in hard situations is always to bring people into relationship with God, whether they are hearing the Gospel for the first time, or being reminded of it for the 1000th time, we are ministers of reconciliation.
• Jesus turned tables (Matthew 21:12-13). There are wolves and charlatans in the church that abuse their position. They prey upon God’s people for their own dishonest gain, whether for money, power, or influence. It is not unbecoming to be passionately opposed to those who do so. 
• Jesus was never motivated by self-preservation. Jesus’ truth speaking got Him killed by those who didn’t like what He had to say. He never denied His purpose or ministry or His identity in spite of great opposition and risk to His life.

There are so many more examples, the more time we spend with Jesus, the more attuned we will become into how God can use us to best share His love with those around us.

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:5–11)

It is really mind boggling that the One who spoke creation into existence, the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, came to earth in humility. He rejected every opportunity He had to boast. He was never domineering. He did not tout His majesty to gain fans. He did not require servitude from any who called Him Lord. He washed filthy feet (John 13:1-12). He spent His time with social outcasts (Matthew 9:10-13). He loved us to the point of death on a cross.

Obedience and humility go hand in hand. We cannot follow Christ and seek our own way. We cannot be puffed up with pride and bring glory to God. If anyone could have done this, it would have been Jesus, but He set the example of ultimate humility as He poured out His life from His birth in a shabby manger to death on a rugged cross. As Jesus ministered to the sick, to the lowly, to the broken, He did so to magnify the Father and to serve His people; quite often He asked those He performed miracles for to stay silent, His purpose to seek and save the lost rather than putting on a show for the vain praise of man. 

When the disciples argued over who would be the greatest in God’s kingdom, Jesus was quick to correct them. “But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:25–28)

Jesus came looking for followers, not fans. People who would follow Him in truth, follow Him in service, follow Him in suffering, follow Him in a life of humility fueled by the same love with which He loved us.

Dwight L. Moody told the fable of an eagle who was envious of another larger eagle who could fly much higher than he could. He determined the only way he could be better than this eagle was to have him killed. The eagle went to a bow hunter and showed him the grand prize he could have if he shot down the eagle flying so high. The hunter agreed but needed a feather for his arrow. The eagle obliged, giving him one of his feathers. The hunter shot an arrow that sailed high and straight but fell short since the eagle was so high. The eagle again gave him a feather to give it another try. Again, he failed. This scenario continued until the eagle had no more feathers to provide, and now he couldn’t fly. When the hunter saw the dilemma, he saw his prize and turned and shot the eagle sitting beside him. The moral of the story is that the person most destroyed by envy is yourself.

Jesus never exhibited a moment of this destructive jealousy. When Satan tried to tempt Him with the power and position of kings, He rejected it (Luke 4:5-8). When the mob called for a guilty murderer to be set free in His place, He accepted it (Matthew 27:15-23). Jesus endured every insult and betrayal with unimaginable grace, desiring the salvation and greatest good for the people He came to save.

It is, of course, unreasonable that our perfect Lord could ever suffer envy. Jesus was lacking in nothing. He had perfect security in His relationship and unity with God the Father and the Holy Spirit. Jesus had single-minded obedience to the will of God the Father, His purpose defined and set before Him. He did not look to the right or to the left to compare His lot to another, He knew why He was on the earth, and that was to bring glory to God.

But what about Exodus 34:14? “You shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” God has jealousy for us, but never of us. This jealousy God has is for His own people, He wants our hearts to be seeking after Him, not led astray by idols that bring destruction and steal our affections. The intention is completely different. In 1 Corinthians 13, the envy described is a desire to tear someone down in order to take what they have. In contrast, the Lord’s jealousy for us aims to tear down our idols so that He can have our hearts fully.

To be free from envy is to be wholly committed to Christ. When our eyes are fixed on Him, they aren't comparing our lot with another. “I have learned, in whatever situation I am, to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:11-13). God gives us everything we need, and when we are content in Him alone, secure in His love and grace, we have no cause for bitter envy.

The kindness referred to in 1 Corinthians 13:4 is not merely lip service; it is an active, benevolent, tangible act.  The Greek word used here, “chresteuomai”, is from the root word “chrestos” and means to provide something beneficial for someone as an act of kindness; to be kind and gracious. It is an attitude of being willing to help or assist rendering gracious, well-disposed service to others. It is active goodwill. It not only feels generous, it is generous. Such a person not only has the attitude of generosity but manifests it in their actions. He or she not only desires others’ welfare, but works for it.

James, the brother of Christ, wrote in his epistle, “If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that” (James 2:5-16). James saw this lived out first hand through Jesus.

Nobody sets the example for this active kindness better than our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. His life on this earth was marked by love in action. He met felt needs perfectly and compassionately. His miracles put His kindness on full display.

Jesus’ first miracle was turning water into wine (John 2:1-12). This wasn’t a life or death situation, as we see in other miracles He performed. He saved a host from embarrassment and honored His mother as He demonstrated His perfect authority over physics. He provided what was lacking and was glorified without bragging about what He had done.

Consider the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11). Imagine her shame and vulnerability as she was dragged out publicly and about to be stoned to death. Everyone who knew her sin was ready with a rock to throw at worst, at best they stood back and didn’t intervene.  But not Jesus. Jesus stood between this woman and her accusers. Jesus spoke out for her. Jesus offered her forgiveness and grace, Jesus showed her the way to a new life.

The ultimate display of the Lord’s kindness is in His willingness to go to the cross in our place, for our sins. Something we could never accomplish on our own, earning forgiveness for our sins. “He or she not only desires others’ welfare, but works for it.” Jesus completed the work on the cross.  What loving kindness toward us that our perfect, sinless God, who spoke the world into existence, who has the power to command the wind and the waves, to call down a legion of angels to defend Him, would take the burden for our sin on His shoulders with the joy of our salvation set before Him. There is no greater kindness than that of Jesus Christ.

The Gospel of Luke counts 76 generations between Adam and Jesus. There were over 4000 years between the protoevangelium (the first time God promised the Messiah in Genesis 3:15) and His actual coming in the flesh. God’s people endured countless wars, broken families, betrayal, enslavement, suffering, all the while yearning and groaning for the promised Messiah to rescue them. We can imagine the doubt they must have felt, the questioning, the temptation to turn to fortune tellers and mediums to give them answers and details of a plan that was not theirs to know.

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law so that we might receive adoption as sons.” Galatians 4:4-5. 

We are so confined to our own perspective in our limited time on this earth that we cannot see the big picture God sees. The conquering Roman Empire brought persecution to the Jews, but it also brought roads and infrastructure that allowed for the Gospel to be spread in a way that was not previously possible. For the first time since Babel, people far and wide had a shared language and the story of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus could be easily written and distributed. The dispersion of the Jews brought the news far and wide. None of this was an accident or coincidence, God knew from the moment Adam and Eve sinned in the garden the way mankind was going to go and had a plan for our salvation that included the exact moment He would send His Son into the world to save us.

We wait now for the second coming of our Savior, and as the day grows nearer, we continue to groan in this fallen world. Wars seem endless, Christians are being persecuted and murdered around the world, America is home to great hostility and division, random attacks on innocent people make it scary to leave the house sometimes. What is God waiting for? Why does Jesus not come back now and put an end to all of the chaos and suffering?

“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9

Our God is patient and long suffering because of His great love for us. While we may be on the heavenward side of salvation, there are many others God is still drawing to Himself.

“And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him.” Acts 17:26-27

As we wait and hope and long for the coming of our Savior, let us reflect the patience of God in how we seek out the lost. Perhaps there is some family member you have given up on, some friend you think is without hope. Be patient with them. Continue to pursue them the way Christ continues to pursue us in our own folly as He makes us more into His image day after day, year after year. Perhaps the person you are hardest on and the most unforgiving towards is yourself. You may be struggling to mature in areas you have been working to grow in for years; or perhaps as you grow you become more aware of the depths of your sin. Whatever the case may be, see yourself through the eyes of your patient, loving God who does not rush the process of our sanctification, but is walking you through it every step of the way.

The irony of road rage is striking during the Christmas season. The best and worst of humanity come together at a four-way stop, with a mixture of heartfelt generosity filling our trunks and impatient angst filling our mouths as we scold drivers to get out of our way so we can make it to the next store and continue to pour out our love in gift giving for family and friends. “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh” (Galatians 5:17). We may wrestle with this incongruity in our human nature, but we reflect in this season on our Savior who showed no dichotomy in His love for us. From the cradle to the cross, Jesus’ life shows us what perfect love looks like.

“In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 4:9–10)

God’s love for us was certainly demonstrated throughout the Old Testament, however it wasn’t truly made clear until Jesus Christ was born. The term “made manifest” here literally means “was brought to light.” God sent Jesus into the world to die, so that we might live. Everywhere in between Bethlehem and Calvary, Jesus demonstrated God’s love perfectly through His miracles, His service, His ministry, His rebukes, His teachings, and His words. Every single thing we read about Jesus is a perfect demonstration of the love of God the Father, which was made known to us in the flesh when Jesus came to earth.

The amazing news is that this love God has for us, is completely independent of our own works. We can never love God the way He loves us. And praise Him that His love is based on His unchanging character and not our own fickle nature.

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” James 1:17

As the seasons of our lives change, we can rest in the fact that God is the same yesterday, today and forever. While we may falter in our love for one another, and for God, in Christ we see that God’s love for us is steady and true through the ages. We invite you to join us this advent as we consider the perfect, unchanging love of God.