On the 6th day of Christmas--Practice Jesus

My mom shared this poem the other night while speaking at our ladies Christmas ornament swap at church. She spoke about having less of me and more of Him. {{John 3:30--He must increase, but I must decrease.}} 

Practice Jesus

If we practiced Jesus every way,

It'd be like Christmas every day;

If we, like Him, we're meek and mild

And loved each woman, man and child,

If we'd read our Bible, it'd remind us, 

So that every single day would find us

More and more in sweet accord

With our sweet Jesus- Master, Lord.

Then every day that we're alive 

Would be like December 25.

-anonymous 

I love Christmas and I want it to be like Christmas every day! :)

On the 5th day of Christmas-Ornaments for the tree

Yesterday we were reminded that Christmas is about the tree...what goes on the tree? Ornaments of course! Lots and lots of different and beautiful kinds of ornaments. On our Christmas tree there's a wide variety, some big, some small, some handmade, some simple, some that sparkle, and some that jingle. Each is different but each makes me smile...that is what God wants others to do when they see us. The bible says we are to die daily and take up our (own) cross just as Jesus did. He wants us to have a  meek and quiet spirit to put on our tree. The verse actually says to hide it in the heart but whatever is in your heart will show up on the outside too.

 Here is a pic of my newest ornaments I got from the ornament swap we had at church the other night. I totally love them!

Like I said above we are all different (each of God's designs are beautiful and unique) but our attitude can make us look quite ugly...make sure this Christmas and everyday you put on a quiet (still, silent, calm, peacful) and meek (humble and mild) attitude! This is much easier said than done. We need to remember the lost are watching closely and we are supposed to be different. Also remember the word of God is an ornament of grace (kindness, beauty, and favor), show others grace like God has shown you. The Bible teaches us how to be quiet, meek and graceful. 

Below are a few verses showing us what Gods favorite ornaments are like. Please read them.

1 Peter 3:4

But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.

Proverbs 1:7-10

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge:

but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

 My son, hear the instruction of thy father,

and forsake not the law of thy mother:

 For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head,

and chains about thy neck.

I am thankful for all the meanings behind the traditions we have. Most people have no idea that just about every aspect of Christmas is pointing to and showing us the Word (the Lord Jesus Christ). Check back tomorrow for another day of Christmas :)

On the 4th day of Christmas...the Christmas tree

As you can probably tell I love Christmas! It is my most favorite time of year. Every month this year when the calendar hit 25 I let everyone know exactly how many months it was until Christmas. I love the decorations, the pretty lights, the movies, the music, the sweets and the tree! In a way it's like Christmas decorations are focused around the tree. Who decorates for Christmas without a tree? I sure don't. We have a few different Christmas trees we put up in our house. I love decorating them and thinking about the memories each ornament has.

Even the tree points to Christ. If you haven't learned about the history of Christmas I recommend you do that. A few years ago I heard a Sunday school lesson about it. I learned some great things. Today I want to talk about the tree. It's not Christmas without the tree. :)

There are 3 ways to look at it. Take a look at your tree:

1. it has 3 sides. There is the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. You can't have one without having the others. 

2. The tree of Calvary where Jesus died for the sins of the world. The greatest tree of all! I am thankful He died for me!

3. Christmas trees aren't like the other trees...all the other trees I see have bare branches. Christmas trees stay green all year long. Like our Lord they never change with the changes of the seasons. 

What do you see when you look at your tree?

Below is a little poem I wrote. Come back tomorrow for more :)

On the third day of Christmas- Good tidings of great joy...meeting baby Jesus

Don't you love how different God's mind is from ours. Of all the people in the world he sends the angel to the lowly shepherds who were watching over their flock. He sends the angel to tell them the Savior is born and to invite them to go visit him! I never really noticed this before tonight but Jesus is a shepherd (the true shepherd) and the first people besides Mary and Joseph to get to meet the Savior were the shepherds. The wise men came later when Jesus was around 2 years old. I love how God always uses the little, the young, the dumb, the poor, those who are nothing special and he makes himself real to them and shows them his glory! They were told first hand that "peace on earth and good will toward men" had finally come! And because they went and search for the babe in the manger they got to welcome sweet baby Jesus to earth. Just think of it, the one who would die on an old rugged cross just 33 and a half years later, they got to see and worship as a newborn baby! I think that is so awesome!

Here is the account of the shepherds:

 Luke 2:8-17 KJV

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them:and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not:for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

God loves to show himself to those who he knows will humbly bow before him. Luke 2:20 says: And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

 They had seen Jesus, been with Jesus and they didn't hide it. They went and told about his birth. Meeting the Savior changed them and it changed me too.

I wasn't there the day Jesus was born, I wasn't there the day he died, and I wasn't there the day he arose from the grave...but I'm so thankful for the day I met him! On May 10,2009 I met this Savior and he gave me peace indescribable, he gave me joy unspeakable, and he gave me love unfathomable! Despite my extreme unworthiness he sent the Holy Ghost to speak to my heart; he led me to an old fashion altar where I bowed my knee and my heart and became his forever. I am glad I know what Christmas is really about. He came to die for you too. ❤ 

Check back tomorrow for the 4th day of Christmas :)

On the 2nd day of Christmas- letters to God

Little kids love writing a Christmas list or letter to Santa. I love the movies where the kids don't write a list but an actually letter to santa. A letter is so much sweeter than a list. I was never taught to believe in Santa (and I'm thankful for that...why would any parent want to lie to their child...and then we wonder why there are so many unbelievers. If parents are lying about Santa how can kids be sure they're not lying about God. Just sayin'.) but we do write out lists to give to our parents each year. It helps them with the shopping. Haha. It's nice to sit down and write what you want.

 But maybe this year instead, write a letter to God. A prayer letter, a thankful letter, a love letter whatever you want. We need to remember Christmas isn't about getting "things" like iPhones, new cars, or clothes or whatever you might be wishing for; it's about the birth of our sweet Savior. Every year we celebrate his birthday and we get the gifts but He gets nothing. I for one have no gift I could give him in return for all he's given me but I can thank him. For some reason it makes him happy when we say "thanks" or "I love you Jesus." Joy stands for Jesus, Others, Yourself. Christmas is supposed to be a joyful time. The only way it can be is if we make it about Jesus and others and then yourself last.

 

I found this great pic of google...please read the the letter closest to the top. If you can't understand it here is what it says: dear God, I love you so much but your love is impassable, it is called unfailing love, it is powerful. Your love is awesome and insane. ❤ This child is wise! 

**Also something nice to do would be write a letter of encouragement to someone else. Show someone you care for and love them through your words. Words are so powerful and sometimes we forget that. You can heal a broken heart with kind words but also break a heart with harsh words. Christmas can be extremely hard for some people due to financial issues, loved ones who've died, and just because life. Write a letter and ask God what you should say and give it to someone, anyone, even a stranger. It just might give someone the Christmas spirit. 

Until tomorrow, I hope you have a very merry day!❤