Life, Love and Christmas

John 15:11-13
I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. (NIV)


Good morning Beloved Readers!

This morning is one of the coldest on record for the normally gentle climate of Georgia. Brrrr.......snow flakes fell yesterday all during the day as the wind blustered around the house. The fact that they didn't stick and stay on the ground made the event no less exciting for the kids of this household, myself included. Just that it snowed in December in Georgia made it a remarkable day for us.

We are entering our third week with no heat, well, no central heat, at our house. We have a very small propane gas heater that does a good job of keeping the living room, kitchen and hallway fairly warm, as long as we wear sweaters and house shoes while home. The painful part of this, other than the obvious cold, is the fact that this heat system is just over a year old and has been down more than up!

Lesson learned here...go with a reputable company that you can call when things go wrong. We've not heard from the person that installed it, after two requests you just have to accept that they are not going to return your call. We have a repair man, but well, we tried to save a dime and it is costing us more than we have saved in cash and time. So, if and when we ever get the thing fixed, I will never try to save money by using someone that some one knows and not a legitimate company.

Now, rant over, let's move on to the fun stuff!

Christmas! Oh the joy of it. No? Well, let's put it, the Joy that is, back right now. So, why don't you have the required Joy of the holiday? No family to share it with? No money to purchase gifts? No money to purchase the extra special foods the day requires?

None of those are the source of Joy!

Joy will not be found under a beautiful tree decorated with lights and tinsel. It will not be found on a dining room table loaded down with delightful foods. It will not be found outside with a red bow on the hood. Joy is not a material thing. It cannot be.

Joy is Jesus Christ. To have Joy you must have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The Joy you receive will be the Joy of His gift of Grace in your Salvation!

When you've accomplished this, you will have the Joy that no man can steal. The pure Joy of His love and redemption in you.

How do I get this gift, you ask? You will be hard pressed to believe me but it is very simple. You simply ask. Yep, ask! Pray to the Father, admitting your need for Him in your life. Your need to turn over the controls to Him. Give Him all the glory for every step you take and receive the blessings that will follow. The greatest of these blessings will be Him giving you the gift of Salvation.

There is a price.

"Aha!" you say, "I knew there was a catch!"

No, not for you. The price has been paid. He, Jesus Christ, paid the highest price. He gave His life for yours. He shed His blood for yours. So you see, it is a win-win situation. You receive all the gift and blessings and only have to ask for them.

Will you? Won't you? Why shouldn't you?

"But what if you're wrong?" you ask.

Okay, if I'm wrong, nothing lost. You've lived a good life, been a good person, shared the love in your heart with others.

BUT......What if I'm not wrong?

Can you afford that price?

Go out and make this day yours by giving it to Him!
Blessings~
Kat