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The most powerful argument for the truth of Christianity is not the argument of theology. It is the argument of a transformed life. God has given us the privilege of being His representatives to the world around us. Are people drawn to the beauty of the Gospel by the way we live our lives each day? Do they want to know Him because of what they see in us?
It has been said that everyone ages, but not everyone matures; everyone grows older, but not everyone grows up. The same is true spiritually. But God’s desire is for us to grow up spiritually; to mature in our walk with Him. Are you pursuing God with an intentional, passionate hunger that will feed you spiritually and cause you to grow and mature in your faith?
How much do you value your salvation? Did you know that your salvation is so glorious and so wonderful that the Old Testament prophets spent their lives trying to understand it all, and even angels long to know more about it! How would we live differently if we truly understood what our salvation was worth?
The birth of Jesus would have been very different if you and I had arranged the details. We would have chosen a better place for Him to be born instead of an unsanitary stable. We might have chosen a different time in history, a different city, even different parents. But God knew exactly what He was doing when He chose such lowly circumstances, and our lives are forever changed because of it.
Two criminals were crucified beside Jesus; one on His right and one on His left. One of them cursed Jesus and was plunged into hell, but the other one cried out for mercy and was given eternal life in heaven. All of mankind is pictured in those two criminals. We will all die on one side of Jesus or the other; either rejecting Him or receiving Him. Which one are you? Are you ready to face eternity?
Have you ever looked down on someone because of their sinful lifestyle? What that actually reveals is that we do not understand what awful sinners we ourselves are. Today we look at a man who didn’t think he was a sinner, and a woman who knew she was, and how her awareness of her great sin caused her to express extravagant thankfulness to Jesus.
Jesus Christ is a great man. He is wise, compassionate, gentle, approachable, loving, caring. As a man he is top of the charts for a potential husband. He is the Son of God and is one with his Father. His bride, the church, is made up of people, but what kind of people? And how does Jesus show his love for his bride?
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The world has tried every imaginable way to end war and crime and hatred and violence, yet despite all their best efforts to bring lasting peace to mankind through education, politics and money, nothing has changed. And nothing ever will change until we recognize and admit that our greatest problem is sin, and our greatest need is a Savior.
What is the greatest need in the world today? Is it a stronger economy, better government, less war? While those things are important, they pale in comparison to man’s greatest need, and that need was met in the One who came that very first Christmas so long ago. That Baby in the manger was the Savior of the world who came to forgive our sins and restore our broken relationship with God. Have you ever recognized your need for Christmas?
Who would you die for? Most of us would be quick to say that we would die for our children, our spouse, and perhaps even a small select group of others; but that’s the easy answer. Would you die for a murderer? Would you die for a rapist? Would you die for a member of ISIS? The fact is, Jesus did die for those people, and His selfless sacrifice makes it possible for all of us sinners to be made right with God forever!
When John the Baptist appeared on the scene of history, the people of Jerusalem, Judea and all the area surrounding the Jordan came to see him. When they came it seems that they had some knowledge of what baptism was, so what did baptism look like to someone living in the first century?
