This time of year has a special fragrance in the air. One that is crisp and nostalgic. I remember the joy, traditions, and delight that I experienced during Christmas time as a child.
I wish all of our memories from Christmas were good. This can be a hard time of year for many of us. My hope is that these thoughts will encourage you, wherever you are this Christmas.
Next week, people all over the world will celebrate Christmas, the birth of Jesus. It is one of the greatest miracles ever. When hope came to earth as a baby.
The words of the familiar Christmas song, O Holy Night, have stood out to me in a way that I have never paid attention to before. These are the lyrics to the first few verses of the song.
Oh, holy night! The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn
Those words speak to the reclaiming power of Jesus’ birth. The world was in a rough state. Begging for hope ever since the beginning when the promise of the Messiah was given. God sent Jesus to earth, because of the value and worth that He has for us.
Does your soul feel it’s worth?
Asking ourselves that question from the third line of the song may bring out some different answers. Some of you may respond to that question with, “Yes!” I admire that.
Since I am being honest with you, I admit that I see great worth in other people. Yet, I struggle with feeling my own worth. I wonder if you can relate to that?
Many things can threaten how we see our value and our worth. Sometimes, it is the voice of what other people have told you in the past. Or perhaps what you have been telling yourself. As you celebrate Christmas this year, allow the opinion of God’s love to speak louder than any other voices.
John tells us that, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Once again, proof that the Birth of Jesus changes everything.
It’s no wonder, the next line of the song is, “A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices.” The manger proclaims that there is a reason to rejoice!
The Christmas story is the ultimate Reclaimed Story.
One dictionary definition of the word RECLAIM is: to rescue from an undesirable state, to restore to a previous natural state.
Jesus is the reset button of hope that the world has been waiting for!
Our natural state of life was modeled for us at creation. Genesis, the very beginning of the Bible tells us that God created mankind in His own image.
God created you, and He created you in His image, and you know what? He created you on purpose, for a purpose.
Adam and Eve walked with God, talked with Him and had an intimate relationship with Him. Because they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, mans relationship with God wouldn’t be the same until Jesus.
God sent His son to earth to take the weight of our choices upon himself so that we could once again be with God. Through His birth, death, and resurrection, we have the very Spirit of God available to us every minute of every day in our lives right now.
Jesus came to earth to restore and reclaim our relationship with God.
You are made in God’s image, you are adored, you are made for a purpose, you are enough, you are qualified, and you are redeemed in Christ!
What would be different in your life today if you lived out of that truth?
That, my friends, is the thrill of hope.
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