Once again, by the grace of God, and to God be the glory, I am able to join [with] you, again.  This is day 5 in this 7 Day Christmas Letter Series.  I hope to begin by saying Grace and Peace be with you in Christ Jesus; and also with me. The pictured Star is amazing to me in how it helps me see the organization to writing the story of our life, with Christ at the center of our life; and with the measure of faith in God as the first gift!

Christ is a relationship trusting God.  Christ is not a religion, but rather a hand to hold on to! Christ Jesus has one hand on us and one hand on God!  Have you reached for God’s hand today?

What is Christmas to the world?  What is Christmas to you?  Today is about writing the story of your life, but what is the story that you want to tell?  The Spirit of the Lord woke me up with an awesome message!  We need to remove the “If Only(s)” out of our life!

We need to get rid of the “If Only(s)” !

Press Through in Christ …

And grow in, [If only] we will trust God!

…Unconditionally

Let me explain how this come to pass.  This month has been brutal with time, tasks, and emotional decisions in our family!  Not to undermine your situations, because, well, I am thankful for renewed health and wellness.  But, this year my husband has been working some of those extraordinary hours.  My days have been running about the same, but in different directions.

I will save your ear with the details of our month that have come with both heavy emotional trials, and a lack of sleep, but with extraordinary praises of blessings in the end as we are still passing through our calendar of December.  In addition to the added tasks of Christmas time, my car began making all these weird noises to the point I didn’t know if my engine was going to blow; or my wheel was going to fall off.  Testing began and we’ll leave it with that.

On a personal note, perhaps one day over a campfire, I will tell you some of the humor in it all as I discovered the cause and quick fix of 3 of the 4 noises!  Just a Jesus smiles to you …  But, I have been delivered from the frustration to trusting in God for the 4th unidentified noise to date.

Last night, feeling naturally empty and tired from the multi-directional day, I prayed, God what else do you have to give to these Christmas letters for the rest of the week?  Because I was feeling so emptied out and tempted to doubt, I knew enough to rest, sleep and most of all to know and trust that God would, Lord willing, wake me up in the morning and give me a fresh brew for today!  …because this is my faith!

Lord willing

Trust is a powerful hand to hold on to!

As my faith knew was possible, what I didn’t know the substance, (but yet my faith knew) last night; Yes, the message this morning from the Lord was clear to me!  “If only” I had more time, then I could be doing all these other things that families love to enjoy!  Time with the family, Shopping, Baking, Cleaning, the sparkle of everything made to look brand new!  Yet, this is exactly what I have been writing about in these Christmas Letters!

What are your stresses?  How many “If only(s)” are in your way?  What are your “If only(s)”?  If only, your dad hadn’t died; then Christmas would be perfect?  If only, your husband was near again, then you would feel the warmth of the Christmas season?  If only our child wasn’t sick, then your concern would be full of smiles?  If only you had a job, then you could buy extravagant gifts for all?  If only you had a car, you would go to work or church or visit the widows?  If only, I had more time, then I would do more?

“If only” I knew …

Well this is where faith in Christ comes in! God knows!  Painting a picture of the Father’s Love, God has had a plan for these things, since from EVEN before the beginning of time as we know it!

I don’t know, lots of “If Only(s)” to overcome in this world, but that is exactly why Jesus come!

How about… letting go of the “if only(s)” that we can’t change? and trusting God can work it all together for the good.  How about …being content just the way things are; and trust God, that God is working out His plan of Salvation….? YES, God is; and yes we can trust God!  How about spending some time in your resting faith, just believing, thanking and praising God for the life you feel swelling up on the inside of the real you every time you spend quality time with God.

Faith pleases God; and without faith it is impossible to please God.  As a diver puts on his gear to go under the water to discover what is already there, pray and open your Bible to discover the measure of faith that God has given you to grow in.

Some of us get to Heaven sooner than others and like a family reunion, we wait to be reunited with our loved ones in Heaven.  But don’t let the “if only(s)” in this broken world get in the way of your peace with God; or your joy in Jesus today.  Build quality in your relationship with God, the Father [and your Father, through Jesus Christ].  Build yourself up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.  Grow in your relationship with God, who is our Father God, to those of us who believe Christ made our relationship restored with God.

Jesus is personal; and He is The Savior and Lord God gave to the world.

“Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.”  Matthew 10:24

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”  John 14:27(KJV)

“But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.”  James 3:14

Sometimes we just need to rest, sleep and trust that God is still God, even when we rest! Yes, God is God.  We need to remember God commands us to rest, because we need rest, but also rest in our faith is a beautiful trust in God!

Christmas is no more about us than life is!  We celebrate Jesus as we remember where we were and what Jesus has gone through for us!

What is the story of your life?  Is your life centered about Jesus?  Or, has your life become consumed with the “If Only(s)”?  Is your life ahead of God, reaching for the goals in this world?  Or, is your life behind God, feeling defeated and sitting on the sidelines feeling defeated?

How about walking side by side with Jesus?  Peace in Christ is a beautiful trust and position with God.

Instead of striving and reaching [with all your might] for your goal, why not reach for God’s treasure in Christ?  And, as “simply difficult,” [as simply trust God and follow by faith] logically sounds, simply trust God,… and do all that is on your heart to do …is the most productive you will ever be!!!

If God wants it done, it will!  Trying on our own will work ourselves to a frenzy until we stop running ahead of God reaching for our thoughts; and turn around to seek God’s will.  This is exactly the message that I could feel the Spirit of the Lord brewing on my heart last night, but I was much too tired and it wasn’t time!  This morning, the Spirit of the Lord whispered to me and said, “get rid of all the “if only(s)” and trust God unconditionally!

BAM!  And there it was!  

The message for this Christmas letter!

get rid of all the “if only(s)”

and trust God unconditionally

You see, life is not about the perfections of traditions; [traditions are unforgiving to life’s inevitable changes], but Christ is forgiveness and the power and the life and the way and the truth to the life God is taking us to!!!

Life is about trusting God.  We can trust God that He is working our situation of heaviness together for the good to you and to those you know and love.  God does NOT play cruel tricks on us; God works the tricks Satan plays on us together for the good to them that love God!

God does NOT play cruel tricks on us;

God works

the tricks that Satan plays on us

together

for the good to them that love God!

We can trust God! Satan wants us to blame God, but that is a lie!  Satan is to blame / sin is to blame!  Satan will attempt to deceive you into delighting in evil …!

INSTEAD, we are called to rejoice in the Truth of God!!!

we are called to rejoice

in the Truth of God!!!

Trust God, He has a all-knowing plan!  You are right where God can do a miracle, according to your faith!  …and, according to something special God is doing that you may not even understand at this time.

Hold on to your faith!

Jesus has one hand on you and one hand on God!  Hold on to your faith!

I truly believe it is powerful to embrace the struggles that we go through in this life, because these are the very opportunities to really hear from God, in this crazy and broken world full of evil, but still God is good!  Reach for Jesus!

Reach for Jesus!

Our assignment is to get rid of the “if only(s)” and look up to Jesus and Praise God unconditionally!  You may think, like I have many times before, “this time, God I need your help to find something positive to say about this …. thing that I am going through.”  God will give you the words!!!

Seek God first!

God will give you the words to speak!

This time I will say SING praises to God!  For, when we speak, it is not always from our spiritual heart; sometimes we speak what we feel / rather than what God wants our faith to speak!  YET, when our spiritual heart and soul sings … OH my this is where the blessings of the Lord flow out!!!

The blessings flow from from

the Birth of Christ!

Jesus is the HOPE God has sent to the world!

Speak for the blessing (identify what you hope for) that is the faith and what you speak is substance to what you hope for; and the evidence of the things not seen (faith)!  Speak blessings not curses!  If you are afflicted, pray for your trouble and bless the Lord by praising Him for what you hope for!

Our words in Christ are powerful!

Jesus is the way and not a quick fix; Ask, Seek and Knock.  I don’t have it all figured out, but God does …Follow Jesus!  I still feel lead to say this to someone …Because God’s Word is the power of Christ everyday, and including weekends and holidays, so it is Christmas time …Jesus is much more than tradition!  Christ is our position in our relationship with God that we can know and believe in the love God has for us!

JUST Telling someone about your pain, (a form of complaining) is harmful to you, (we all want to be heard and understood)  But what does God’s Word say about these things? Sometimes, yes; there is a thorn to bare; and yes, we can pray for each other to have the strength to overcome, persevere, endure, etc., BUT, in all things, we can ask God about it and listen to hear what the Spirit of the Lord speaks to our faith that knows what to do.

The Bible says to pray if you are afflicted; unless you are as the Bible says “sick” then, still, you are to call on those who are spiritual to pray over you and anoint you with oil (see James 5: 14).  Now, the Lord will correct me if I am wrong, so do your own knocking on God’s door about what to do, but as far as I believe today, “it is written” is the power to my faith; and complaining is the curse.

This is the blessing of Christmas:  There is power in Jesus Name!

If you are merry; Sing praise to God!  Our spiritual heart close to Jesus is the merry in the Christ of Christmas!

Our spiritual heart close to Jesus is the merry in the Christ of Christmas!

Where is your faith?  Find your faith in Jesus Name; and trust God to believe by faith and sing praises to God for what you hope for, but cannot see! This is Christ in everyday Christmas to me!

Christ in everyday Christmas

What is Christmas to the world?  What is Christmas to you?

I hope these Christmas Letters are inspirational, encouraging, and “upliftingly powerful” to help you grow in your measure of the faith that pleases God!

Christ in our hearts each and every day is what Christmas means to me, just like the 4th of July!  There is freedom in Christ that the world has not understood!  Be the light of Christ in this time that the world is intently looking to see who is this Christ in Christmas? And, are wondering, is this Christ for me?

in this broken world, there is a need:

hope.

Perhaps you are wondering, who is this Christ?  And, IS Christ for me

Yes!  There is hope in Christ!

And, yes!  God has so loved you that he gave his son for you!

God is guiding us in this broken world to trust God unconditionally and learn to rest in His Spirit trusting both in God’s ability and in God’s perfect time; as well as trusting in God’s perfect purpose!

I am really hearing from the Lord now!  Thank you Jesus!  We are writing the story of our life!  What is the story you want to tell?  Does your vision match God’s will for your life?

Are you experiencing the joy of the Lord that your soul believes the Spirit living in you to sing praises to God that you know and believe in the love God has for you; and for those you know and love; and are around you?

I sure believe your heart’s desire is close, if not exactly on target, yet beware of the “if only(s)” and trust God unconditionally!

John 14:6King James Version (KJV)

⁶ Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

This is the message in this Christmas letter!  Christ has come to give us life; and the gift of life with God to live blessed!  Yet, do we know how to live blessed?  Do we know how to survive in this world after the miracle through Jesus?  Do we know how to trust God; and trust God unconditionally?

Do we know why?

Before we see what follows in this letter; may I share what the Lord spoke to me last night?  The Spirit of the Lord said to me, “do you know why you and your husband do what you do?”  I thought about how we are so blessed to know that we can trust God.  God said, “you need to tell the readers that the reason you are writing how to survive is not because you don’t know how to live blessed, but rather that you and Robert are sacrificing your time for the good of others.”  I am like, wow.  That felt really good to hear God say to me that we are doing okay!

It is normal to God to care!

In our crazy busy life style, that is more of a “sacrifice of normal in the world’s view” than normal, it was nice to hear that to God, this is normal and good!  What is this normal to God?  It is normal to God to care!  It is normal to God to care about others, willing to sacrifice other worldly things (although natural God-given human desires), for spiritual things, so that, by being willing to sacrifice these things of our self, for the good of others to find and grow in this faith that pleases God.

So that others, who may not have ever seen a picture painted of God’s grace, can know trusting in God, is so good and good for you!

a picture painted of God’s grace

It is natural to God to jealously desire for you to be blessed, because God has so loved you since before you were even born.  It is natural to God to do all that is within his limits to get our attention and to draw you near to Him, so that you can choose; and can come to know and believe and grow in the love God has for your in your own personal life!

It is natural to God to know there is more; and you are worth the sacrifice of God sending His Son!  You are worth even the sacrifice of God’s Son, to save your soul from death to give you the choice to choose to live eternal life with Him!  God knows there is more than the glimpse of life we can see in this broken world; and we can seek to find God in our personal life, even in this broken world!

you are worth even the sacrifice of God’s Son, to save your soul from death to give you the choice to choose to live eternal life with Him!

So, it is natural to God, for me to willing pour Christ who lives in me, into the life of another for (your) their benefit to know there really is something beyond the sacrifice that is more worthy of our time.  There really is more than the concerns of meeting the world’s standards!

It really doesn’t matter what Christmas is the world, because whosoever who might believe in Christ shall not perish, but have everlasting life!  What matters is who the Christ in Christmas is to you (we each are a whosoever might believe)!  It matters if you believe and trust God to smile for Jesus for the world to see how confident you are that God has So loved you!

how confident are you that God has So loved you?

We need each other to be honest with each other!  We can be of an honest comfort to others who are struggling behind that brave smile, by the same comfort we ourselves have received from God!  I hope to encourage you to be sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and let His words flow out of you!  When God moves through you, and by faith you trust God can make a difference in someone’s life; you will see the evidence flow through the healing and longing tears of the one who was just trying to be brave and hide what was going on deep inside!

No, don’t hide your light and don’t deny your pain.  Yes, be careful who you trust!!!  But in all things, build yourself up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit; and let patience have its perfect work in you, so that you will experience the power of God’s love bring you through well!

Trust God, because you can!  Follow Jesus, because He is good!  Jesus is the Truth, the Way and the Life!

Get the “if only(s)” out of your life; and listen to God say to you,

the only, If Only, we need to know and believe, is the power of, IF ONLY, we will Trust God!

There was more, but that is where the Lord is leading me to stop today!  Praise God!

Merry Christmas to you!

I hope this is an encouragement to you to seek Jesus to be the center of your life; so that the story that you are writing in your life will enable you to sing praises to God from your merry soul!

And, the Scripture of the day that the Lord is bringing to my mind is found in the Bible addressed, Chapter 5 and Verse 13 and written in the book of James:

Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms (James 5:13 KJV).

Is any merry? let him sing psalms

Christmas time to me is not a celebration of what I can do, but rather a reminder of Jesus and what God has done for me and whosoever might believe.  The Greatest gift we can give is to God and of our heart … then God does amazing things for us; and for those around us as well.

 

Grace and Peace be with you in Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord!

 

See Also:

1. INTRODUCTION
2. A letter to you Speaking Light to your seed …
3. Day 3; Part 1: Blood, Purity and Life Everlasting!
4. Day 4; Part 2: Wise men still seek Him!
5. Day 5; Part 3: The Story of a Christian life is about Jesus!
6. Day 6; Part 4: How Does a Christian Grow in the Faith that Pleases God?
7. Day 7; Part 5: Personal Note from Karen

 

• Focal Topic:  From the birth to the Resurrection, our Hope is Jesus!
• Recommended Daily Reading, 2 Peter Chapter 1

 

Love in Christ,

Karen Rowe

Hope in Today Ministries, Inc.

The Train Whistle, Sounding the call of God’s Love