“Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, as your reasonable service.” — Romans 12:1 In the weeks after Christmas, stores receive returns from people who received unwanted gifts for the holidays. They replace them with the things they really want.
But you probably know several friends who always give exactly what is needed. How do they know exactly what the other person needs and what gift will be most successful? The key to the best gift is not just money, but the ability to listen to the other person and take a sincere interest in their preferences.
This includes our family and friends. But what about God? Can we give God something that He really considers valuable, meaningful? Is there anything that He does not have?
The text from Romans 11:33-36 is a hymn of praise to God for His great wisdom, knowledge and glory. But immediately after it comes a call to give oneself to God. “So I beseech you, brothers, by God’s mercy, present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, as your reasonable service” (Rom. 12:1). Instead of letting the world shape us, we should be “transformed by the renewing of our minds” (Rom. 12:2).
So what is the best gift we can offer God today? With humility, gratitude and sincere love, we can offer ourselves to Him – our heart, mind and will. This is what God wants from each of us.
Dear Lord, I want to give you my heart, mind and will to humbly serve and worship you, thanking you for everything you have done for me. The best gift for God is our whole being. Author: David McCasland
New. What a beautiful word. Fresh. Something never discovered before. Beginning.
Is this what you are looking for? To become new?
Isaiah 43:18-19 says, “Do not remember the past, do not dwell on the past. Look, I’m going to do something new, it’s coming. Don’t you feel it? I will pave a road in the desert, rivers in the waterless steppes.
The prophet Isaiah wrote his book about 700 years before the coming of Jesus. This passage was written to the Jews who are in captivity in Babylon and are desperate for deliverance. They were in physical as well as spiritual captivity. Sin – errors and untruths, which are the source of separation between man and God – reigned in human hearts, and no one could defeat it. But the exit was approaching.
The last part of the passage says: “I make a way in the desert, and rivers in a dry land.”
For the people lost in sin and separated from God, there was no way out on their own. But God opened the way by sending His Son Jesus as the perfect sacrifice and conqueror of sin, which man could not overcome alone. New. He came to make all things new.
Jesus is the way in the desert. He is a stream in the wasteland. He is the way when there is no way.
When you feel broken by your sin, caught in an addiction you can’t shake, overwhelmed by temptation, or frustrated by failure, you don’t need to put in any more effort. You need to upgrade. You need a way out. You need Him.
Jesus can renew you today. You don’t have to wait. You don’t have to try to cleanse yourself of your sin. Your transformation can begin today – and it begins with Jesus.
Everything is masterfully created: the sky, trees, mountains, oceans. Animals, people, visible and invisible.
You can breathe because you have been given lungs, oxygen and an environment that supports life. You can move because you have muscles, tendons, and brains that train your body. You can think, dream, plan, design, create, build — because you are given the desire, the ability, and certain raw materials.
So, if you want to live a life of meaning that leaves an eternal legacy, you must stay connected to the source of life. Jesus said this using an illustration familiar to His listeners:
“So abide in Me, and I will abide in you. A branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it is a vine. Neither can you, unless you are in Me. I am the vine and you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, produces a rich harvest. And without Me you will not be able to do anything.” John 15:4-5
When Jesus says, “I am the vine,” He is making a statement. He says that He is the source, that all that is created is because of His life-giving power.
So, if you seek real truth, genuine wisdom, or something to change this world for a long time, keep close to God, because everything worth being or doing begins with Him.
And they said: “So let’s build a city for ourselves… And let’s make a name for ourselves.” — Genesis 11:4 When I was a little boy, we lived near several construction sites. Inspired by construction processes, my friends and I collected the remains of building materials to build a fortress for ourselves. Borrowing tools from our parents, we hauled wood and spent days trying to make our material serve our goals. It was fun, but our structures didn’t last long.
In the 11th chapter of the book of Genesis, we read about a great building project. “So let’s build a city for ourselves,” said the people, “that tower, and its top reaches to the sky” (v. 4). The big problem was that they did everything to make “a name for themselves” (v. 4).
This has been a constant problem with humanity: we build monuments to ourselves and our achievements. Later in the biblical narrative, this story is contrasted with Solomon’s motivation to build God’s temple: “Behold, I intend to build a house for the Name of the Lord my God” (1 Kings 5:19).
Solomon understood: what he builds should point to God, not to himself. He even wrote a psalm about it, which begins with the words: “When the Lord does not build the house, its builders labor in vain” (Ps. 126:1). Just as I used to build a fortress as a child, what we build on earth will not last. Instead, God’s Name and what we do for Him has eternal significance.
And what are you building in your life? How does your life glorify God? Heavenly Father, please forgive me for the times I have focused on myself and not on what You are doing in the world. Author: Matthew Lucas
“My heart spoke for You: “Seek My face!” Therefore, Lord, I will seek Your face.” — Psalm 26:8 In 2022, our granddaughter Sofia was born – the only girl among our eight grandchildren. So, this year was special for my wife and me. When our son makes a video call, the excitement grows even more. My wife and I may be in different rooms, but her joyful scream indicates that she sees Sofia. Seeing the ones we love is now possible with just a call or a click of a computer mouse.
Being able to see the person we are talking to on the phone is relatively new, but meeting God – praying with the conscious understanding that we are in His presence – is not. David’s prayer in Psalm 26 was uttered in the midst of a confrontation that called for extraordinary help beyond the capacity of his closest human allies (vv. 10-12). This prayer contains the following words: “My heart spoke for You: “Seek My face!” Therefore, Lord, I will seek Your face” (v. 8).
Difficult times prompt us to “seek” God’s face (v. 8). But this is not the only time when we can be in personal communication with the One in whose presence “joy is great” and at His right hand “always bliss” (Ps. 15:11). If you listen carefully, at any moment you can hear Him say, “Come and talk to Me!”
At what time of the day do you feel that your heart is most tuned to communicate with God? How can regular communication with Him prepare you for the “day of trial”? Heavenly Father, I thank you for the opportunity to communicate with you. Please help me to always be ready to spend time with You in prayer. Author: Arthur Jackson
“And when they saw the dawn, they were extremely happy.” — Matthew 2:10 My husband and I always enjoyed attending the Christmas service at our church. In the early years of our marriage, we had a special tradition: after the service, we would dress in warm clothes and climb a nearby hill, where 350 glowing lanterns were hung on tall poles in the shape of a star. There, often in the middle of the snow, we meditated on the miraculous birth of Jesus, looking out over the city. Meanwhile, many people in the city looked down at that bright star on the hill.
This star is a reminder of the birth of our Savior. The Bible tells about wise men “from the east” who came to Jerusalem in search of “the born King of the Jews” (Mt. 2:1-2). They watched the sky and saw the star when it came down (v. 2). Then the wise men left Jerusalem for Bethlehem, and the star went “before them until it came and stood above where the Child was” (v. 9). There they “fell down on their faces and worshiped Him” (v. 11).
Christ is the source of light in our lives both figuratively (as the One who guides us) and literally as the One who created the sun, moon and stars in the sky (Col. 1:15-16). Like the wise men who “rejoiced” when they saw His star (Matthew 2:10), our greatest joy is knowing Him as the Savior who came down from heaven to dwell among us. “And we saw His glory” (John 1:14)!
How has Jesus brought light into your life? Who can you share this light with today? Lord Jesus, thank you for being the light of my life. Author: Kirsten Holmberg
This Sunday, the last pre-holiday service was held in our church. Our dear guest, pastor Anna Gaydarenko, shared the word of God – “Gratitude is a memory of the heart.”
You can watch the service and the sermon by following the link on the church’s YouTube channel.
We also invite everyone to share the joy of Christmas with us next Sunday, December 29 at 10:00 a.m. At the holiday service, there will be Christmas carols, a holiday performance “Holiday, Holiday, Holiday Agency”, gifts for the little ones and everyone present, as well as a festive buffet after the service.
“We love Him because He first loved us.” — 1 John 4:19 Sitting next to my friend Margaret, who was lying in a hospital bed, I watched the bustle of medical staff and visitors. A young woman sitting next to her sick mother asked Margaret, “Who are all these people who keep visiting you?” She replied, “These are members of my church family!” The young woman remarked that she had never seen anything like it; in her opinion, numerous visitors were like a “manifestation of tangible love”. Margaret, smiling, answered: “All this can be explained by our love for God through His Son Jesus Christ!”
With her answer, Margaret repeated the words of the apostle John, who in the last years of his life wrote three letters full of love. In his first letter, he said: “God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him” (1 John 4:16). That is, those who recognize that “Jesus is the Son of God” (v. 15), have God who lives in them through “His Spirit” (v. 13). How can we lovingly care for others? “We love Him because He first loved us” (v. 19).
Thanks to the gift of God’s love, visiting Margaret was not a difficult task for me or for other members of our church. I received more than I gave, not only from Margaret, but also from observing her gentle testimony about her Savior Jesus. And how can God show love to others through you today?
Have you been surprised that someone noticed a manifestation of God’s love in your life? How does His love move you to serve others? Loving God, I love because You first loved me. Please continue to increase my love so that Your Spirit will shine through me. By Amy Buescher Pye
While Maria and Joseph were finalizing the guest list and choosing the wedding cake, she surprised him with unexpected news – she, a virgin, was pregnant.
Assuming she was unfaithful, as any logical person would, Joseph was ready to call off the engagement. But while he was still considering his exit strategy, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and told him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife, because the child in her is from the Holy Spirit.
“Mary will give birth to a Son, and you will call Him Jesus, because He will save people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21
This miracle was the fulfillment of hundreds of prophecies—divinely inspired predictions about the Messiah, Savior, or “Chosen One/Anointed One”—recorded in the Old Testament.
From the moment of conception, Jesus’ purpose was known: to save His people from their sins. Because even before God created the world, His plan was to save it.
Isn’t it interesting that you didn’t choose the time, place, body or family you were born into? But God has you here, right now, on purpose.
You have been inculcated into a continuous story that has been unfolding since the beginning of time. And this timeless offer of being saved from the bonds of your sin and freed from a debt you could never pay has been extended to you.
What is sin? Sin is choosing our way instead of God’s. Sin rebels against His design and His plan. And we’ve all done it—we’ve all fallen short of God’s righteous standard.
But that is exactly why He sent Jesus—because He loved us so much.
Like a soldier who gives his life for his family, friends or country, Jesus gave His life for the world.
If you have never accepted the free gift of salvation, today can be your day, and this moment can be your moment. There is nothing you can do to deserve it, but you can come to Him just as you are.
Have you ever had your hopes up for someone and they let you down? We live in a broken world and even the best people fail and hurt. But Isaiah knew that someone would come who would be different. He will be reliable, consistent and just what we need.
In Isaiah 9:6, Isaiah points to a king with four titles: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. But what do these names mean?
An amazing counselor is someone who is wise, intelligent, and compassionate. This is the kind of leader who provides support, advice and direction in life.
One whose title contains the word “mighty” is strong, steadfast, and ready to stand up for what is right.
This king will be the Eternal Father, the One who sees His people as His children, not servants.
And the Prince of Peace describes the One who has dedicated Himself to building bridges between different groups and ensures that everyone has everything they need for a full and healthy life.
On Christmas morning, a Son was born with all these wonderful titles. Not in a palace or a castle, but in a modest, ordinary nursery.
When we look at the life of Jesus, we see how He consistently demonstrated these qualities. He supported and gave advice to people who had questions. He was strong in the face of threats and temptations. He cared deeply for everyone he met. And Jesus gave His life to restore peace between God and people forever and ever.
Jesus is the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Eternal Father, and the Prince of Peace. Have you seen Him in each of these roles in your life? How do you see the wisdom, power, kindness and constant care of Jesus in your life?
