Dec 26, 2014 The Good News of Christmas by Rick Warren “There is only one God, and Christ Jesus is the only one who can bring us to God. Jesus was truly human, and he gave himself to rescue all of us.” (1 Timothy 2:5 CEV) Christmas is all about good news. But it’s not the good news of special gifts. It’s not the good news of a big meal. It’s not even the good news of spending time with friends and family. Christmas is about the Good News of God’s love. The Bible says all of us are lost without God. We’re directionless. We’re without protection. Our potential eternal impact upon the world is unrealized. We’re without real joy. Our eternity in Heaven isn’t secure. The Good News about Christmas is that God sent Jesus to seek and save the lost. The Bible says, “There is only one God, and Christ Jesus is the only one who can bring us to God. Jesus was truly human, and he gave himself to rescue all of us” (1 Timothy 2:5 CEV). If you’ve ever spent time in church, you’ve likely heard the word “salvation” many times. But you may not know what it means. The word is like a diamond; you can look at it from many different angles. Jesus came to rescue us. We can’t solve all of our problems on our own. Without Jesus, we’re trapped in the expectations of others. We’re trapped in living for the approval of our peers. We’re trapped in addictions. We’ve tried to change over and over again, but we don’t have the power needed to escape. Jesus came to give us that power. Jesus came to recover us. We all long to recover parts of our lives that have been lost. Without Christ, we long to recover our strength, our confidence, our reputation, our innocence, and our relationship with God. Only Jesus can do that. Jesus came to reconnect us. Many people think that God will scold them if they come back to him. But God isn’t mad at you. He’s mad about you. Jesus came to Earth on the first Christmas to reconcile us to God, to give us harmony with him again. Jesus came to Earth to give us the gift of himself. Too many of us celebrate his birthday without accepting this free gift of salvation. It goes unwrapped year after year after year. That’s not smart! You were made by God and for God. Until you understand that, life will never make sense. This Christmas, open up the most important present you’ve been given: a new relationship with God through Jesus. Talk It Over Which of the above facets of salvation has been the most important in your relationship with God? Why? How can you “unwrap” God’s gift of Jesus this Christmas? In what ways can you tell others about this gift? What can you do to better celebrate Jesus’ birthday? PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >> Our Gift: The Most Requested Rick Warren Sermons A collection of Pastor Ricks most powerful, life-changing messages on six audio CDs. MORE The Hope of Christmas: Audio Series (purchase) Pastor Rick wants to help you remember the reason you celebrate Christmas and why it should change not just the way you celebrate the holidays but the rest of your life as well. MORE This devotional is based on the current Daily Hope radio series at rickwarren.org. Rick Warren has helped people live with hope and on purpose for more than 40 years. He’s the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Southern California and author of several books, including “The Purpose Driven Church” and “The Purpose Driven Life,” read by more than 100 million people in 137 languages. He created the PEACE Plan (plant churches of reconciliation, equip servant leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, educate the next generation), which is used by churches in 196 countries. His radio teaching and daily devotional, Daily Hope, is offered across America. Follow Us: Follow Pastor Rick on Facebook and Twitter. Enjoy today’s devotional? Listen instantly to the full radio message at Daily Hope Radio. Did someone forward this Daily Devotional to you? Get your own free subscription to The Purpose Driven Connection Daily Devotional, your daily inspiration via email. This devotional © 2015 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Posted on: Fri, 26 Dec 2014 14:40:36 +0000
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