Merry Christmas,
I have many, many faults in my personality. I am flawed and incredibly grateful the Lord keeps no record of wrong once we humble ourselves and repent. One of the faults I have is I never give up on people. You may be asking why this is a fault. Because this trait has, in the past, caused hurt and pain in my own family and robbed them of my time.
So why would I do this if it causes my family pain? This question is a great one I have asked so many times in the past, and there is an answer that I can not ever forget, an answer that if I forget, I fear I will cease to be who I was created to be. The answer is a simple one: Jesus never gave up on me.
Carah and I have a cousin named Lisa, and she and her mom came to Kylie’s & Bailey’s baby shower a few months ago, and I was hoping to see her at the end. When I got there to clean up, I was disappointed and missed her. I am unsure why, but she has always had a special place in my heart. So I sent her a message telling her I was sorry I missed her.
It started a conversation I had no idea had occurred. Lisa told me something about my son Albert that I did not know. She sent this message. “Albert reached out to me a couple weeks ago. asked if I wanted to join him and Maci for church. I had turned him down a couple times in the past. I woke up that Sunday and went I felt like it was Gods way of bringing me back”
As I was processing what I was reading and being blown away that I had no idea that Albert was doing this, I got another message that read, “I really appreciate him always reaching out. He never gives up on me.” Before I could finish reading another message popped up, “God is working thru him to me and I love that so much.”
As you can imagine, I got flooded with emotions, but today, I am pondering Christmas and thinking about all the pain in families at Christmas. All the prodigals missing from the dinner table, broken friendships hurt by sin, and even the sting of death affect us profoundly. I want to encourage you today to never give up! Do not stop praying; do not stop inviting; never stop asking. God is using you even when you feel rejected. Remember that battle is the Lord’s. Just be faithful.
This Sunday, you will have two opportunities to invite people to church as we celebrate the birth of the messiah who came so we can walk in freedom and lead others to the very joy we get to enjoy. Who can you invite? I hope to see everyone at 9:30 AM and 5 PM on Christmas Eve. May your home be filled with the Prince of Peace.
Pastor Chris