Author Archives: Matthew, Karen, and God

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
‭‭II Corinthians‬ ‭5:17-21‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
https://www.bible.com/114/2co.5.17-21.nkjv

“You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5:43-47‬ ‭MSG‬‬
https://www.bible.com/97/mat.5.43-47.msg

“If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love. Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have. Love doesn’t strut, Doesn’t have a swelled head, Doesn’t force itself on others, Isn’t always “me first,” Doesn’t fly off the handle, Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others, Doesn’t revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, Puts up with anything, Trusts God always, Always looks for the best, Never looks back, But keeps going to the end.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭13:3-7‬ ‭MSG‬‬
https://www.bible.com/97/1co.13.3-7.msg

Love is the key to having peace, prosperity, and happiness. God is Love! It reminds me of the song, What The World Needs Now is Love Sweet Love. It’s the only thing there’s just too little of. When we put God first in our lives and in our nation, we will regain consciousness on how to love one another again. 🙏

The last couple of months have been tough for my wife and I. We are both recovering alcoholics and most of our family drinks and of course around the holidays there’s an abundance of this going on. There a saying in A.A., ” If you hang around the barber shop, your going to get a haircut!” This means that if you keep tempting yourself with something that can make you stumble then you will eventually stumble. Last night after being tempted to drink hard for the last couple of nights, I was driving around looking for a pharmacy that was open so I could get some night time sleeping medicine because I am sick. Nothing was open because of it being Christmas my thoughts suddenly changed to getting some small liquor bottles and drinking them before I got home to help me sleep. The cravings were so bad that I almost started drooling! I have been sober for over 10 years and never had a craving like this before. I remembered a promise that I made to God the last time I drank. I told him that if he got me out of a certain situation then I would never touch alcohol again. So I prayed to God asking him to get me through that awful night. God is good and took every craving away from me! I went to sleep a little while after getting home and woke up another day sober. Joshua 1:9 NLT This is my command-be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Laura Story is a Christian author. She sent her followers a Christmas letter about her family in 2020. At the end, she shared how we have hope in Jesus no matter what our circumstances. I hope you find it as encouraging as I did. Wishing you and your families a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year! 🎄

The words of Isaiah 9 still ring true and full of hope, just as much today as they did in Isaiah’s day:

“The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shone.
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be uponhis shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:2, 6) ✴️

I’m not sure what your year has held, but for so many, it has felt like darkness. The heaviness of racial strife and rising Covid numbers is almost unbearable. In the dark, we’ve struggled to see our way, struggled to see good, and even struggled to see how God might be in the midst of such bleak hours. Yet, His Word stands true. It was our darkness that necessitated His coming, the brokenness of our world that moved His heart to rescue. And though He came in the fragile form of a baby, He reigns now as a Wonderful Counselor, for those who need guidance this very day. He reigns now as our Mighty God, stronger than hate or walls of isolation, and more powerful than even a global pandemic. He is the Everlasting Father, who sees His children in their depression and weariness, scooping them up in His arms, that they might find comfort in His embrace. Lastly, He is our Prince of Peace. This year, we are not promised a peace that comes from political resolution or our best-made plans coming to fruition. This Christmas, we may not even experience a peace that comes from intimate family gatherings or restored health, our own or of those we love. The peace God promises us is the person of Jesus. He steps into the brokenness and sits with us in the mess. The God who was willing to be born in a smelly barn and wrapped with spare cloths, this same God stays with us in our weakest moments, in our desperation, in our loneliness and in our sorrow. In the midst of my dashed plans and unmet expectations, will His presence alone be enough to bring my heart peace? 

This is my prayer for you and your family this Christmas, that God might bring you peace despite your circumstances. Even in the chaos, I hear the call of the angels in Luke 2, and of believers throughout time, bidding us to fix our eyes on Emmanuel, God with us: 

O come, all ye faithful
Joyful and triumphant
O come ye, o come ye to Bethlehem
Come and behold Him
Born the King of Angels!
O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
Christ the Lord.

Every once in a while someone will bring up a bad decision that I had made in my past. Sometimes the devil will present something that is a reminder of the same thing. Either way these can be a damaging effect on your walk with Christ if you allow it. You see, once we walk with our God it’s really important to stay straight on our path. The devil does not want us to succeed and will use all kinds of tricks in his arsenal to get us to abandon our faith. He loves to remind us that we are not good enough and that we should not continue our journey because we will not persevere. People can be extremely difficult at times to deal with and can be quite rude. They can say things to bring us down and be the most unforgiving when it comes to mistakes whether current or past. The devil loves to play on things like that and will try to get your mind stuck on the matter. That is when we need to rely on our mighty God with prayer and faith. The Bible states that no one is perfect, no not one. We are not out to seek human praises however, we are aiming for God’s. He has already forgiven us as soon as we have asked for it and His love is way better than anything a person can give us. He sent His son Jesus Christ to die for us on the cross so that we could live free from sin. Just because we made a mistake that does not mean that that mistake defines us. We learn from those mistakes, ask for forgiveness and keep on going, not letting anyone or anything stand in our way. When we were kids and fell off our bike did we just give up or did we get back on and try again? Please join me in prayer! Dear heavenly father thank you so much for yet another beautiful day. Thank you for forgiving us for our sins and trespasses Lord. Help us to be better Christians than we were the day before. Lead us guide us be honest when we speak to people have your Holy Spirit moving us so that we can be the best that we can be. In Jesus precious name amen!

“The people who walk in [spiritual] darkness Will see a great Light; Those who live in the dark land, The Light will shine on them.

For to us a Child shall be born, to us a Son shall be given; And the government shall be upon His shoulder, And His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭9:2, 6‬ ‭AMP‬‬
https://www.bible.com/1588/isa.9.2,6.amp

Merry Christmas, as you reflect on the birth of our savior. Let the light of Jesus illuminate your way to right living as you continue to fall more in love with him each day. God bless you and your families during this holiday season.

JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON. ❄️