Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
(JOHN 21:16)

Jesus did not say – Make converts to your way of thinking, but look after My sheep, see that they get nourished in the knowledge of Me. We count as service what we do in the way of Christian work; Jesus Christ calls service what we are to Him, not what we do for Him. Discipleship is based on devotion to Jesus Christ, not on adherence to a belief or a creed. “If any man come to Me and hate not…, he cannot be My disciple.” There is no argument and no compulsion, but simply – If you would be My disciple, you must be devoted to Me. A man touched by the Spirit of God suddenly says – “Now I see Who Jesus is,” and that is the source of devotion.

Today we have substituted credal (relating to a creed) belief for personal belief, and that is why so many are devoted to causes and so few devoted to Jesus Christ. People do not want to be devoted Jesus, but only to the cause He started. Jesus Christ is a source of deep offense to the educated mind of today that does not want Him in any other way than as a Comrade. Our Lord’s first obedience was to the will of His Father, not to the needs of men; the saving of men was the natural outcome of His obedience to the Father. If I am devoted to the cause of humanity only, I will soon be exhausted and come to the place where my love will falter; but if I love Jesus Christ personally and passionately, I can serve humanity through men treat me as a doormat. The secret of a disciple’s life is devotion to Jesus Christ, and the characteristic of the life is its unobtrusiveness. It is like a corn of wheat, which falls into the ground and dies, but presently it will spring up and alter the whole landscape (John 12:24).

(OSWALD CHAMBERS, My Utmost For His Highest)

Once, when the people of God had become careless in their relationship with Him, the Lord rebuked them through the prophet Haggai. “Consider your ways!” (Haggai 1:5) He declared, urging them to reflect on some of the things happening to them, and to evaluate their slipshod spirituality in light of what God had told them.

Even those most faithful to God occasionally need to pause and think about the direction of their lives. It’s so easy to bump along from one busy week to another without ever stopping to ponder where we’re going and where we should be going.

The beginning of a new year is an ideal time to stop, look up, and get our bearings. To that end, here are some questions to ask prayerfully in the presence of God.

1. What’s one thing you could do this year to increase your enjoyment of God?

2. What’s the most humanly impossible thing you will ask God to do this year?

3. What’s the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your family life this year?

4. In which spiritual discipline do you most want to make progress this year, and what will you do about it?

5. What is the single biggest time-waster in your life, and what will you do about it this year?

6. What is the most helpful new way you could strengthen your church?

7. For whose salvation will you pray most fervently this year?

8. What’s the most important way you will, by God’s grace, try to make this year different from last year?

9. What one thing could you do to improve your prayer life this year?’

10. What single thing that you plan to do this year will matter most in 10 years? In eternity?

So let’s evaluate our lives, make plans and goals, and live this new year with biblical diligence, remembering that, “The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage” (Proverbs 21:5). But in all things let’s also remember our dependence on our King who said, “Apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).                                                                                  (DON WHITNEY)

For the past 56 years my family has kept a tradition of holding a “birthday party for Jesus.” It started when I was 3 years old and asked my mom, “What is Christmas?” My mom told me it was Jesus’ birthday. With terrific 3-year-old logic, I said, “We should have a birthday party!” And we did, complete with a birthday cake, Kool-Aid, songs, cake, and candles.

We’ve kept that tradition going for four generations now. The birthday party for Jesus has become a sacred time where we read the Christmas story and share what we’re grateful for and what we’re giving Jesus, which is one of the most memorable parts of the celebration.

Often, Jesus gets shut out during Christmas. Imagine I planned a party for you and invited many people. Everyone brings lots of gifts, and the invitees trade presents with one another — and you get nothing.

That’s Christmas. We give gifts to everyone but Jesus. But let’s be honest, what do you give the God who has everything?

Actually, Jesus doesn’t have everything. There are four things He doesn’t have unless you give them to Him this Christmas:

Give Him your trust. Faith is a voluntary matter. Jesus doesn’t have your trust unless you give it to Him. He will never force it.

Make Jesus first place in your life. If anything or anyone other than Jesus holds first place in your life, it’s an idol. This Christmas, choose to make Jesus first in your finances, interests, relationships, and schedule— and even in your troubles.

Give Jesus your heart. Your heart is what you love, what you value, and what you care about most. Jesus says, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Luke 12:34). One important way you give Jesus your heart this Christmas is by giving your resources to His work. Jesus doesn’t need your money, but He wants what it represents — your heart.

Bring other people to Jesus. God wants a family more than anything else this Christmas. He wants children who choose to love and trust Him. It is the reason we celebrate Christmas. Invite someone to Jesus this Christmas. Tell someone about what Jesus has done in your life.

The Bible tells us that the Wise Men didn’t give Jesus their leftovers when they visited Him on the first Christmas but instead gave three very significant and valuable gifts: “They bowed down and worshiped Him. They opened their gifts and gave Him treasures of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” (Matthew 2:11).

As you give Jesus your trust, make Him first in your life, give what you value to His work, and bring other people to Him, you’re giving Him gifts far more valuable than the ones the Wise Men brought.

So tell Jesus “Happy Birthday” this Christmas. Give Him your best. (RICK WARREN)

This time of year, we all have many important tasks to get done. We’ve got year-end reports to write. We have holiday meals to plan. And, of course, we have gifts to buy.

But you have something much more important to focus on this Christmas: developing a personal and growing relationship with Jesus.

Why should you get to know Jesus better? There are at least two very important reasons.

First of all, Jesus made you. The Bible says, “Before anything else existed, there was Christ, with God. He has always been alive and is Himself God. He created everything there is — nothing exists that He didn’t make. Eternal life is in Him, and this life gives light to all mankind” (John 1:1-4).

You have the opportunity to not just meet the Creator of the universe but also to meet your Creator. You’ve heard people say, “When in doubt, consult the manual.” Knowing Jesus is even better. If you want to know how to get the most out of life, why not get to know the One who created you?

Secondly, Jesus opens up your heart to enjoy a life of purpose, peace, and power. A relationship with Jesus secures your place in Heaven, but it does more than that. God promises a life of purpose, peace, and power to all who know Him.

Knowing Jesus in a personal way changes everything about how you live. Purpose, power, and peace are just the beginning of what God wants to give you in this life.

Unfortunately, most people are living in such a tiny, insignificant way because they’ve filled their lives with meaningless activity.

As Christmas approaches this year, think of the innkeeper who didn’t make room for Jesus on the first Christmas. His actions didn’t keep Jesus from being born. His actions didn’t stop God’s purpose in history. It just hurt the innkeeper. He missed the privilege of housing the Son of God at His birth.

The same is true for you. If you don’t take the time to get to know Jesus, you miss the opportunity to know your Creator. You miss the opportunity to have the purpose, peace, and power that only comes through God’s Son. You miss His purpose for your life if you never make room for Him.                      (RICK WARREN)

If you don’t understand the purpose of Christmas, you might as well skip the Christmas lights and decorations this year. You might as well forget about buying Christmas presents. You might as well forget Christmas dinner.

If you don’t know why we celebrate Christmas, all the festivities are pointless.

To find the purpose of Christmas, you have to fast forward beyond the manger, the Wise Men, and the shepherds. Jesus told us the reason He came to Earth on the first Christmas: “The Son of Man came to find lost people and save them” (Luke 19:10).

Quite simply, Jesus came because people are lost without God. To be spiritually lost means to be separated from God, disconnected, and out of whack. Without Jesus, everybody in the world is lost — no matter how much power, wealth, or fame they have.

And our lostness has immense ramifications on our lives. To know why Jesus came to Earth, we must understand what it means to be lost. Without God, we’ve lost:

• Our direction. We’re bound to have little understanding of where we should go and what we should do in this life.

• His protection. We’re on our own when we’re not under the Lord’s protection. That’s a huge reason many people are stressed out. They’re trying to live under their own care and protection instead of God’s.

• Our potential. We’ll never know half the gifts and talents we have if we’re not in a relationship with Him.

• Our happiness. We can have all the money and power in the world, but without God we will never have true joy.

• Our home in Heaven. God allows us to rebel while we’re here on Earth, but there’s no rebellion in Heaven.

But no one who is lost has lost one ounce of value to God. Even if you don’t have a relationship with Him, you have immense value to God. Lostness implies value. Whatever someone is willing to spend to recover something that’s lost shows how valuable that item is.

In the most famous verse in the Bible, Jesus clearly explains our value: “God loved the world so much that He gave His One and only Son so that whoever believes in Him may not be lost, but have eternal life” (John 3:16, NCV).

The Good News is God loved us so much He sent His Son to Earth on the first Christmas to seek and save us. That’s a reason to celebrate!         (RICK WARREN)

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2:13-14)

Peace on earth and good will toward men – that’s reconciliation. What is reconciliation? It’s when a broken relationship is restored. When a boyfriend and girlfriend or a husband and wife get back together, there’s reconciliation. When a father and son restore peace between each other, there’s reconciliation.

Where do you need peace in your life this Christmas? That’s what Christmas is all about – peace on earth, good will toward men. I asked people, “Where would you like to see peace?” These are the answers I got:

“I’d like to see peace in the broken families.”

“I’d love to see peace in politics.”

“With each other.”

“In my heart.”

“I’d like to see it at home.”

“I’d like to see peace in my life.”

“Peace? Right in this country of ours.”

“Everywhere!”

Everywhere! Is it realistic to have peace everywhere? Isn’t it just a pipe dream to hope for peace on earth, good will toward men?

There will never be peace in the world until there is peace in nations.

And there will never be peace in nations until there is peace in communities.

And there will never be peace in communities until there is peace in families.

And there will never be peace in families until there is peace in individuals.

And there will never be peace in individuals until we invite the Prince of Peace – Jesus – to reign in our hearts.                                     (RICK WARREN)

Our economy is hurting and therefore many people are financially hurting as well. As Christians we know that God is our source of security,  not the economy.
So how do we trust God in the midst of pay cuts, layoffs, rising bills, and declining home values in our own lives?  How do we keep our faith strong in the midst of financial trouble?

Watch Your Focus:  I’ve come to realize that our circumstances are temporary, but our faith and trust in God is eternal. I’ve also realized that I haven’t really let my faith grow during previous times of financial trouble, as evidenced by the fact that I worry every time the income goes down again. This time, I’ve decided to focus on how our current situation can help me grow closer to God because that is all that really matters.  Once we switch our focus to what really matters, then the temporary situation doesn’t seem all that bad because we realize it’s just money.

Be Thankful:   No matter what we have, it’s so easy to complain about what we don’t have. If we would just stop focusing so much on what we don’t have, we can see the blessings of all that we do have, like family, friends, church, and even the physical things that God has previously blessed us with. Paul reminds us in Philippians that prayer with thanksgiving is the key to eliminating our worry and anxiety (Philippians 4:6-7).

Don’t stop giving:  When we aren’t thankful for what we have, often times we’ll stop giving to our church and other charities when money is tight. In reality, generosity is what opens up our lives for God’s blessings. As Christians, we are blessed to be a blessing, but if we hoard all the money we have because we’re afraid that we don’t have enough, then we aren’t a blessing.

Do What You Can and Trust God to do the Rest:  Having faith that God will supply our needs is extremely important, but God never promised to supply our wants exactly when we want them.  Just because God will provide during a time when money is scarce, doesn’t mean we should spend money the same way we did when money was plentiful.

Don’t Make Excuses:  A friend recently found out she was going to be laid off.  I reminded her that God had been there for her in the past and had never let her down and this wouldn’t be any different. She responded by saying “Yeah, but this is a big thing.”  I responded, “Oh yeah, you’re right. This is too big for God. He made the world in six days, but he won’t be able to provide for you in this situation.” Deep down she knows God is big enough for her situation, but she let her worry come out in her words.

Paul said he learned how to be content whether he had plenty of money and resources, or whether money was in short supply. He learned that by relying on God’s strength (Philippians 4:11-13).  There will be times of excess and times of need in our lives and since we can’t take money and possessions with us when we go to heaven, the only thing we have to carry through this life and into the next is our faith in and relationship with God.                          (CORTNI MARRAZZO)