101st Post - Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

How fitting is that? The 100th post was about Jesus. :)

Christmas Eve has found me, and Christmas Day has begun...

It was a pretty early morning yesterday, and in fact, I'm still up. And it was a late, but wonderful night previous, but that's another story. lol

My family got together, several of us, for a potluck waffle breakfast, which we also did last year. Family and one family friend who is like family were there, though Tiger was missed, since he didn't get much sleep and needed the rest. Two aunts, one of their mothers, and an uncle, as well as my brother's family, were missed, as well, for varying reasons, though I hope they all had a wonderful day celebrating in their respective ways.

This year, someone had the idea to do no gifts bigger than an envelope.

Well, let's just say I'm glad Tiger and I weren't the only ones to fudge on the no gifts thing, including the person I understood made the "rule," who in the end, it seemed, wasn't the one after all. LOL

We gave a lot of ornaments, mostly, because we wanted something simple but memorable. There was a muff I made for my sister, and a birthday gift for my Dad to open later on, and such. We received a couple of really thoughtful books each, beautiful homemade cards, ducks given in the name of the family to those in need, a wooden cross, an apple cider scented candle we burned several hours tonight to cheer the place up, and those from one another. Tiger seems to enjoy his battery-powered meditation fountain, and I'm overjoyed at the thoughtfulness of the lovely necklace he gave me, as well.

The bigger gift, though, and the most important one, was and will always be Jesus Christ; salvation, deliverance, healing through Him, and all He has done on behalf of sinners like us. We know that all things work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose, and that we can do all things through Christ, Who is our strength. We know we have been given authority to pray in His name with the Holy Spirit's guidance and that when we do, God the Father will listen from heaven and answer our petitions. We know that Jesus is the only way to the Father. We know that in Him, we are forgiven all our sins, shortcomings, debts, and trespasses. We know much though it is still all a mystery to some degree, which is where faith comes in.

We are told in Hebrews that FAITH is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. We are also told in Scripture that if we have FAITH as a mustard seed, we will ask what we would and the Father in heaven will hear, and we will receive what we BELIEVE.

Mustard seeds don't stay seeds forever; they have to die to grow. Sometimes

1 And Only Son of God, the Christ

An angel spoke to Zechariah that his wife, Elizabeth, would have a son, who would be the foreteller of the Christ.

An angel spoke to Mary and told her she would CARRY the SON OF GOD.

Her fiance, Joseph, was told to marry her is a dream by an angel, and assured it was indeed the son of GOD she bore in her womb, and not that of another man.

Taxation led Mary and Joseph to the manger where Jesus was born.

A star led wise men from the east.

Shepherds were treated to a heavenly choir.

Leaders in the region were threatened by this baby. This baby who was and IS the Son of God, the Messiah, the Christ, the LAMB OF GOD Who was, eventually, given over to shed His blood to cover our sins.

There is only ONE SAVIOR. There can only be ONE GOD. There could only be ONE virgin birth, and it was HIS, the birth of Jesus the Christ. Only ONE could be fully MAN and fully GOD. A mystery, yes, but a truth deeper than the oceans' fathoms.

This Christmas, it is the birth of this special, one-of-a-kind GOD-MAN BABY that we celebrate. It is a time of year to reflect on all God has done for us, and all we can do for Him. It is a time to be humble before the Lord of lords and King of kings, bowing down before Him as those who came before Him as a child, and

Mary and Joseph... 2 Raised the Christ

Faithful people to raise the Son of God was a definite gift to the world, and not just Him. MARY and JOSEPH were a blessing to all the generations beyond Him in that they were faithful and trusting of the Father in heaven, Who gave them the responsibility to care for, teach, raise His Son, Jesus, Who was fully man and fully God, borne of Mary while a virgin.

MARY and JOSEPH... faithful parents. Faithful people. Without them, the world would have turned out so much differently, and so on this, the eve of Christmas, the celebration of the child burgeoning in Mary's belly about to be born, we celebrate the WHOLE OF GOD'S PLAN... He knew who would be faithful parents, and gifted them with His Son, a great responsibility greater than that of any other parents in history.

Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh... These 3

GOLD, FRANKINCENSE, and MYRRH, given as gifts by the wise men when they finally reached Jesus when he was a couple of years old, were also given at His death. They were a gift of FORESHADOWING and PROMISE to the world.

A lot of people look at the Bible, reading the Christmas story, and place the wise men, whom they presume to be three, at the manger. And that's alright, even if it isn't what the Bible actually says. We know there were three differing kinds of gifts given before Him, but the Word also tells us Herod had all baby boys UNDER TWO killed, ACCORDING TO the timing the wise men gave regarding the star they had followed. There may have been two wise men, or twenty, and at the time, it mattered for their own lives, but for the story, the wise men weren't the point or to be the focus. The FOCUS should be on 1- the babe, the Christ, and 2- the specific gifts brung before Him.

You see, GOLD foresees Judas' betrayal of Jesus; FRANKINCENSE is considered to be a burial scent; MYRRH was a perfume, likely part of that which was broken open at His feet by the woman who washed them with her tears, preparing Him for burial. They are a promise, a foretelling, to those who believe in and on the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, that He would indeed be killed; that He would lay His life down and bring it back up again, for death could NOT hold Him; the grave had NO POWER over Him, and the same is true for US WHO BELIEVE.

We will die one day, true... and when we do, Jesus promises that at some point after death, unless we are those who meet Him in the sky, we will be resurrected and have bodies that are glorified; different than the ones we now have. He did, and the Word tells us, we will, too, if we trust and believe in and on the Lord Jesus Christ AND WHAT HE DID ON OUR BEHALVES at the cross.

This is what the GOLD, FRANKINCENSE, and MYRRH are ultimately about. Eternal salvation. They are a foretelling and a promise. They help us remember and believe. They are there to help guide us to the babe, the Christ.

4 Parts Patience

When God came to earth as a baby in the form of Jesus Christ, it was a long-awaited, wonderful gift. It was a gift of reward for PATIENCE through many generations. And then, when Jesus was here, the planet needed still more PATIENCE until He went to the cross, where the Word says the earth and humanity wait together now for the fulfillment of the promise of eternal salvation and rest.

Jesus also had PATIENCE. He was perhaps the most patient person there was, for though totally divine, He was also totally human. There never was before nor has there been since nor will there ever be another person like Jesus, no matter how hard some might try. And when He comes to the earth again on the last day, who will He find that has been patient and faithful to Him?

Patience was and still is a gift, even when we don't necessarily see it that way. In what ways has being patient- on purpose or due to circumstance - been a blessing to you in the long run?

5 Thousand Words of Wisdom

Another gift of Christmas is WISDOM. God's WISDOM, epitomized in the Proverbs, was LIVED in Jesus. When Jesus was born into the world, full godly WISDOM was sent to us, that we might learns from Him all that we can and learn to love Him.

The WISDOM of God isn't like that of men. Men's wisdom might seem like the best thing to do is a given situation; street wisdom might seem wise; GOD'S wisdom IS true wisdom and comes only through the Holly Spirit's guiding. And He is faithful to guide us when we request the help, in prayer, in wisdom, in love, in everything we say and do... and when He guides us and we follow, God's WISDOM lives on in the world through us...

6 Things to Ponder

When Jesus Christ came into the world, it was said that Mary PONDERed everything that was going on in her heart. We were given the gift of PONDERING. We can look back on all we've learned and experienced, and on all God did in Christ, and PONDER them. We can have both hindsight and foresight this way.

If we look at The Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55; Douay-Rheims Version), we read:

My soul doth magnify the Lord.

And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid;

for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

Because he that is mighty,

hath done great things to me;

and holy is his name.

And his mercy is from generation unto generations,

to them that fear him.

He hath shewed might in his arm:

he hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.

He hath put down the mighty from their seat,

and hath exalted the humble.

He hath filled the hungry with good things;

and the rich he hath sent empty away.

He hath received Israel his servant,

being mindful of his mercy:

As he spoke to our fathers,

to Abraham and to his seed for ever.

There's just something serene and wonderful about this prayer of praise, and we have been given the gift of reading it, as well as praying our own praises to God for all He has done in our lives. Today, PONDER in your heart all God has done. He has done great things!!

7 Trillion Tons of Love

Photo from We Heart It

 Do you know how much God LOVE's you? More than seven trillion times more than anyone else ever can or will. He sent His one and only begotten Son, Jesus, the Messiah, to earth because He LOVES YOU...

We've all seen or heard stories about love that is such a wonderful thing. Can you imagine LOVE more than you've ever dreamed of... that Someone loves you more than anything else in the world? THAT is the LOVE God has for each of us, as individuals, and that is why we are called to love God first, then to love others as well as ourselves wonderfully... unselfishly...

Photo courtesy of We Heart It

In 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a, NASB, we read:  Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails;

This is the ideal. This is GOD'S Love. Jesus was LIVING LOVE sent from above. He is the greatest gift of all, year-round.

Photo from We Heart It 

8 Rays of Light

LIGHT. Not the first thing someone thinks of when they consider gifts God gave to us, but really... Jesus is the LIGHT of the world, and without LIGHT, we cannot see clearly. In the natural, LIGHT is what helps us to see color, as well. Color is formed, for the most part, by light!

The Color of Faith blog that I write, found HERE, is all about seeing through the eyes of faith. And without LIGHT, there is nothing faith can see. Jesus, the LIGHT of the world, came that we might SEE. He came, in part, to open the eyes of the blind - in physical as well as emotional and spiritual senses.

This Christmas, let's be thankful for the LIGHT. Where do you shine, and who do you see shine in your life? Who is a good reflection of Jesus, the Light?

Photo from We Heart It

9 Memories of Mercy

Another gift we remember this season is that of MERCY. In His mercy, Christ died for us. In His MERCY, He became one of us for a brief time, in part to have a more compassionate understanding of what we go through so that He can have further MERCY on us throughout life.

Looking back on your life, what acts of mercy have touched your heart?  In these moments... you have witnessed God at work.

Provided by We Heart It

Connecting Blogs

I am going to be shutting down my other Kura Kimanna blog, and therefore have transferred the posts from there to here. Feel free to browse, learn, comment, and ponder!

Thanks!
Harmony

10 Portraits of Peace

Peace, peace, God's peace... this was the gift Jesus reminded us of when He gave Himself at Calvary, but He was also called the Prince of PEACE for a reason. God sent Jesus to earth so we could have PEACE with Him! We are reconciled to God the Father only through God the Son, and His Spirit brings the peace that comes from knowing God has forgiven us and this can occur only by faith.

Do you have peace with God today? If not, I challenge you to have a talk with Him sooner than later and talk to Him about your life.

From We Heart It

11 Graces Showing

Today, I want to talk about GRACE. Grace is another gift God brought to us when He sent the Christ to earth as a baby, born in a manger, as preparation for the even bigger GRACE of the cross.

God was gracious to us then, and He is still gracious to us today. When you look back on your life, where do you see the fingerprints of God's grace?

12 Laughs of Joy

JOY. There's something about JOY that's different than happiness. JOY comes from God, happiness can be from a cheeseburger. Joy is an internal thing, and happiness, an external one. JOY comes from Jesus. It is a JOY that He came and offered up His life on our behalves... not the pain He went through, itself, but the total sinless unselfishness created by love that brought the JOY of the Lord, as our strength through all He has done for us.

Having JOY is about an attitude. You can have joy even when things are hard, times are tough, and you want to cry... even if you're not happy, JOY can be found. There really IS JOY is the Lord. He will never let us down or forsake us. He sent His Son, the Christ, to fulfill His own joy, and our own...

Looking Forward...

For those who didn't know I had surgery last week, all is well and beginning to heal. I am quite thankful things went as well as they did, and that I should be up and around by my Tiger's birthday on the 20th, and even more by Christmas. I'm greatly looking forward to both, as well as my Dad's 60th birthday!

Beauty and the Beholder

We all see beauty in life somewhere. It isn't for us to judge another person's idea of beautiful, or to try to persuade others - as fashion, media, and others sometimes do - that what they find beautiful isn't or what they find unattractive is attractive.

Beauty comes in many forms and ways, but it is up to us, individually, to decide for ourselves what we value as beautiful. Take a few moments today to consider what beauty means to you:

Is beauty a size, shape, or color?
Is it a scent or taste?
What is beautiful, really, in your heart?

What the heart finds beautiful will be beautiful.