“For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭4:6-7‬ ‭

As much as He is divine, Jesus Christ is also a person. He has a face. He radiates light and love. We worship our fully alive God in the person of Jesus, who lives in us through His Spirit. We are in a glorious relationship with the person of Jesus, who is God. The all-surpassing power of God at work in us to love Him and others is because of Jesus Christ. Our hearts and Jesus’s heart are united. Hallelujah!

“But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭13:5-6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Start your day by telling God, “I trust you.” Sing praises to Him throughout your day. End your day by telling God, “I trust in your unfailing love.” For God is with you throughout your day, and as our good Father, He delights when we praise Him and trust Him. He abounds in love for us. He is trustworthy. Entrust your heart to Him!

Matthew 6:27 “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”

God wants us to be present in the present to His Presence. If we trust Him this very moment, we will not worry about the next moment. When we are present to Him at this moment we are currently living, we are guided by His all-powerful and loving Spirit. There is no time for fear or worry. We are living in the moment with the God of the universe, the El-Shaddai (God Almighty), who created us to be His children and provide for our needs, one moment at a time.

Luke 2:14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace good will to men”

2 Corinthians 1:20 “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory”

Jesus’s birth, life, death and resurrection were His Spirit saying YES to God. All of God’s promises of faith, of hope, of light, of life, of peace and of love find their fulfillment in Jesus Christ. The angels sing in glory of God’s Son! May our spirits respond by saying YES to Jesus.

Psalm 16:11 “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy;
    at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

Christmas is the joy of God’s presence bursting into humanity. In His presence, there is fullness of joy. The Son of God, Christ our Lord, fulfills our heart’s need for full joy. It is joy, not of this world, but of God incarnate! Be joyful, for His Spirit is with you, indwelling you. Abide in Christ; He will abide in you and fill you to the full measure of His joy!

Psalm 51:6

“Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
    you taught me wisdom in that secret place.”

Our deepest desire is for intimacy — being fully known and fully loved. All of our hearts’ desires originate in our longing for intimacy with our Creator God. He has known us fully, since we were formed in our mothers’ womb. Our lives journey toward embracing the intimate love of our Lord. And, what He desires from us is our faithfulness, our delighting in Him, as He goes to extreme measures to love us.

Psalm 84:2 My soul yearns, even faints,
    for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out
    for the living God.

In all of our striving to serve God, seek His will, and know His plans for our lives, we must remember that primarily God wants us to passionately pursue Him, to delight in Him above everything else, and to love Him with our whole hearts. King David was so in love with God that he spent significant time singing and crying out to His Father. His soul yearned for God’s presence. May our time, prayers, songs, thoughts, feelings, words, hopes and souls reflect a passionate pursuit of our Lord!

Psalm 18:2
The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.

You can seek refuge in our mighty God, our Rock of Salvation. He is an impenetrable fortress that surrounds you with His power and guards your heart and mind with His peace. Picture God’s walls erected high and strong around your spirit. Know He is shielding you from enemy attacks of fear, anxiety, despair and hopelessness. He surrounds and indwells your spirit with His Spirit of peace, joy, love and hope. He is your place of safety forever.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful.

Paul prays for God’s children to be wholly sanctified, His Spirit making holy, blameless and fit our immortal spirit through Christ, our intellect, our emotions, our will and our physical body. Through God’s faithfulness, we are made completely holy, led to repentance and purified by Christ’s sacrifice. Let us depend on the One who makes us holy and glorify Him with our whole being. Lord, lead us on the path of holiness by your Spirit. Amen!