We all know the greatest love statement ever made:
“For God So Loved The World (you, fill in your name) that He Gave His Only Begotten Son.
God put on an earth suit, walked the earth for thirty-three years, learned what it is like to live as a human being, was tempted at all points as we are but did not sin, raised the dead, healed the sick, taught us about Himself and His ways, created a new and wonderful covenant of Grace and Truth replacing works and laws, died the worst most painful death that anyone ever could, paid the price necessary to forgive all of our sins past, present, and future, gave us all things that pertain to life and godliness including His faith, gave us His power, gave us the ability to speak things in and out of existence, defeated the evil one and gave us dominion and power over the stench in God’s nostrils, healed all of our diseases, gave us His joy, and gladness so that our Joy and gladness would be complete and overflowing, gave us prosperity and the knowledge of how to gain wealth, and overcame all of our tribulations and the world.
(John 1:16-17, Psalm 103:1-3 and 12, Isaiah 53:4-5, John 1:25, 1 Peter 2:24, Hebrews 8:12, Hebrews 10:10-18, Revelation 1:5, 2Peter1:1-4, John 14:12, Mark 11:22, Luke 10:18, John 17:13, John 10:10, Luke 6:38, 2Corinthians 9:6-14, John 16:33)
So that WHOSOEVER (you, fill in your name) believes and believes in Him will never die but will live for eternity with Him in His glorious heaven.”
(John 3:16)
Yes, God proved His love for each one of us in that He died for us while we were in our deepest, darkest sins! This love, often referred to as ‘agape’ in the Bible, is a selfless, sacrificial, and unconditional love that God has for us, His creation.
“For while we were still weak, at the right time, Jesus died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person–though perhaps for a good person, one would dare even to die–but God proves His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Jesus died for us!”
(Romans 5:6-8)
Let that scripture soak into your bones and marrow. Regardless of what we have been taught by religion, our salvation is not based on our behavior or lack thereof but because of God’s love, mercy, and grace; it is based not on what we do but on what He did! Isn’t that fact worthy of continual contemplation, praise, gratitude, thanks, and celebration?
Jesus taught us that no man has greater love than to give His life for His fellow man. Then He did just that.
(John 15:13)
It’s profoundly transformative to accept the fact that Jesus did all of this for us personally, just the way we are, without regard for our performance or lack thereof. Many of us have been influenced by false teachings built on the opposite premise. But the truth is, His sacrifice was deeply personal, a testament to how much He values and cherishes each of us.
It takes revelation from Holy Spirit to help us grasp that God sees us as individuals. It takes His guidance to accept that we (fill in your name) are God’s glorious inheritance and that we are all He wants. It takes learning, receiving, meditation, and finally believing to fully feel His love for us, but when we do, we walk in His glory.
(Ephesians 1:18)
We undergo a profound renewal and rebirth spiritually, mentally, and physically when we truly embrace God’s love for us. When that happens, we begin to love ourselves and, in turn, others. When fully embraced, this love becomes a beacon of hope and inspiration, guiding us to obey His command and bear much fruit.
Let us not confine our celebration to a single day. Let us instead choose to continually rejoice in the love that God has lavished upon us. Let us celebrate Christmas in our hearts daily, filling our lives with the joy and warmth of His love.
THINK ABOUT THIS. THE KEY TO CHRISTMAS IS THAT “FOR GOD SO LOVED THAT HE GAVE!”
“What? You can’t write about or celebrate Christmas!
It’s not even Thanksgiving! It’s not even Halloween!”
The traditional norms set by the legalists have created a rigid framework. This framework, upheld by some hard-core religious types, dictates that we must not listen to Christmas Carols or think about Christmas until the day after Thanksgiving. They believe that we must uphold the sanctity of the annual gobble feast, and avoid focusing on the greatest of all days until it has passed.
Thanksgiving is a tradition close to my heart that should be celebrated daily. The designated day should be about that and that only. Unfortunately, Thanksgiving Day has lost its essence and become a day about everything but giving thanks.
Let’s make Thanksgiving a daily regimen not a once a year thing.
King David gave us an excellent example of Thanksgiving and praise in His Psalms. The twenty-third Psalm is a psalm of Thanksgiving and a declaration of the Love God has lavished us with. The one hundred and third Psalm is a perfect example of praise and Thanksgiving:
“Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits,
who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,”
(Psalm 103:1-3)
Jesus taught us the importance of giving thanks in the parable of the ten lepers.
On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. Ten men who had leprosy met him as he went into a village. They stood at a distance and loudly said, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”
When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice.
He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
(Luke 17:11-19)
Jesus was pleased when this gentile man, who had no relationship with God, returned to thank Him. He told the man that his belief had healed him. The men had heard about Jesus, decided to believe in Him, and believed that if they asked Him, Jesus would heal them.
That belief healed them. When Jesus died on the cross, He took away all diseases, illnesses, maladies, and infirmities.
Unlike those men, all we need to do to receive our healing is believe that fact without doubt. The thing that blessed Jesus was the thanks given by a man who was not even a Jew.
(Psalm 103:3, Isaiah 53:4-5, Matthew 8:16-17)
What about us? How many blessings has Jesus lavished on us for which we should be forever grateful and give thanks daily? Are we the nine or the one?
The vicissitudes of life, the cares of this world, the clutter of social media, the entertainment and sports worlds, our jobs, or whatever “we do,” the hustle and bustle of our goings and comings distract us, and we push God down the totem pole of our lives. We need to fight this. We should give God our time and thanks as He gave us everything.
Thanksgiving Day is a great event, but it is not a prerequisite for celebrating the entry into the world of our Lord and Savior, His Majesty Lord Jesus.
Which brings us back to Christmas. Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus. It should rightfully be called Jesusmas or Yeshuamas. Christ is a translation from the wrongly asserted Greek word Christos or the anointed.
Since the early translations from the original texts were done by Greeks. They donned the word “anointed” or Christ on the name that is above all names. Jesus or, more correctly, Yeshua! Jesus was anointed for three years to do the work of His Ministry. Holy Spirit empowered or anointed him to do miracles, signs, and wonders to prove His identity and speak irrefutable logic.
Christ is not the first name, last name, or title of Jesus. When Jesus breathed His last breath and evacuated His earth suit, He became the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, not the Anointed. The word anointed has no power. The name Jesus or Yeshua is the name that is above all names. It is the name at which every knee shall bow, and every tongue will confess, that He is Lord to the Glory of God.
A little background on our tradition
The “-mas” in the word “Christmas” comes from the
Old English word mæsse, which refers to a church service, particularly one in the Roman Catholic Church that includes the celebration of the Eucharist.
So Christmas is a celebration of Jesus, a time to express our love and gratitude. We need to do that every day, not grudgingly or out of necessity but out of love and worship. Therefore, let’s begin right now.
Most folks have yet to learn how intricate and complex the essence of Christmas is. It began with Adam and Eve, and the instant they were conned by the evil one ushering sin into the world. It was then that God devised His plan of salvation for His beloved humans.
In our upcoming series of teachings, we will explore the lengths to which God went to give us the greatest gift of all: Himself.
Stay tuned. You will learn much about the greatest event of all time that perhaps you did not know or possibly need reminding of. Great Joy is coming.
END OF TEACHING
