experience Jesus this Christmas

What stands out for you at Christmas? Oh, there is so much. So much to celebrate. So much to enjoy. So much to focus on.

But take some time to think that through because often we take this holiday in other directions by focusing on the things, the hype and pieces that keep us from focusing on Christ.

Think about it. Focus on Christ this Christmas.

Luke 1:31,38 NLT

You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus… Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

Mary was visited first by an angel, and then she became the earthly mother of Jesus. Can you imagine how that changed her life. Accepting this call was a big deal. She experienced God and His grace.

Matthew 1:21,24 NLT

And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins… When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife.

The story is similar from Joseph who became the earthly father of Jesus. This truth changed His life even through he wanted to step away from his obligation, yet God led him to keep on. And Joseph experienced life and grace and so much more because of the plan of God.

Luke 2:15 NLT

When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

And so many others in the Christmas story experienced Christ. Look at Elizabeth and the Shepherds, the wisemen and the people in the temple. Each saw Jesus, the gift from heaven that would change the world.

May we see and experience Jesus. May we help others experience Jesus this Christmas! Experiencing His love and grace changes everything.

I close this e-devotion with the overflow from my trip to Cuba. There are so many things that I saw and experienced that left me grateful. But what stands out are these … workers who are willing to go to great lengths to share Jesus with others, the testimony of those who have met Christ, the way God uses situations and stuff to open doors of ministry, how people who have so many obstacles have so much joy, and finally how my life (our lives) are changed by watching God work in the lives of others!

God is good. Are you ready to experience Jesus this Christmas?

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Michael Harrison's e-devotion

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