December 2017 - GraceAndWorks

Jesus is the Messiah spoken about in Old Testament prophesies (Genesis 3:15, Isaiah 7:14, 2 Samuel 7:12-13, Psalms 89:29, Zechariah 9:9, John 4:21-26).
Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see (Colossians 1:15-17).
Jesus is our nourishment and our lifeline; our Bread of life (John 6:35-38).
Jesus  will never leave us in darkness. He is our light (John 8:12, John 9:1-5).
Jesus is “the door”, not “a door” (John 10:9-16). Furthermore, Jesus is not only our Shepherd who leads us into the “sheepfold,” but He is the only door by which we may enter and be saved. He is the good Shepherd and He will look out for us, because He knows us and He loves us.
Jesus told Thomas, “I am the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). In other words, the only way to the Father and eternal life is through Jesus Christ. We must be in Christ.
Jesus is the vine and we as Christians are the branches (John 15:1-5). Jesus, the vine is the source of life for us, the branches. The branches are totally dependent upon the vine. Without the vine, we could bear no fruit. Without the Christ, we are cut off and there is no hope of eternal life and we are nothing.

As we engross ourselves with the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, remember who Jesus is and what He means to our lives.

The little child comes to you about 30 minutes after all the Christmas presents have been opened and he/she has tears running down their cheeks. Their new toy is broken!! What to do? You hug them and tell them everything will be OK, then you try to fix it.

Someone threw a rock through your plate window. It’s cold and windy outside, so you find the duct tape and cover it up until it can be fixed. The repairs are all done and all is good again.

You were following a semi down the road and a big rock comes sailing through the air and breaks your windshield. You get angry as he drives on and there is nothing you can do to stop him. So, you call the insurance company and then take it to get repaired. You pay the deductible, it’s fixed, life goes on, and all is well.

Your health is broken!! You go to the doctor for a routine checkup and he finds you have a problem and it needs to be fixed. You get upset, cry a few tears, gather yourself, and hopefully get it taken care of. It’s fixed, life goes on, and all is well.

Your life is broken. Completely shattered, in shambles, tears running down the cheeks, nothing is working, no where to turn, all is lost, and you are at your wits end!! What to do? Some will turn to a psychologist to get help. Some will turn to a friend. Some will lean on their spouse. Some will crawl up inside a bottle of booze. Some will turn to some type of drug. Some, if it gets bad enough, will turn to suicide. Psychologist, friend, spouse, alcohol, drugs, suicide–REALLY?? Will any of these actually work? Probably not.

The one thing that will work is God. He is the Great Physician!! He has given us His written and living word to find the answers we need. He has an open communication line, through prayer, that we can talk to him. He will never give up on us or forsake us. He will be there in any time of need. Talk to Him, let Him speak to you through His word, you’ll be amazed how quickly your life will turn around!! You have cried the tears, gathered yourself, and got your life fixed. All is well!!

Have a good day!! SMILE God loves YOU!!