TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16th: "What The Gift Means to You

Yesterday, we looked at the one thing that the Gift of Jesus at Christmas means to you. Today, we continue our theme by thinking about THE HOPE that Jesus gives.

Jesus Our Hope"We have lasting hope through the salvation we have in Christ ... Hope means that even when it looks like it's all over, it's not all over yet. That's why the Bible says we can rejoice even in our tribulations (problems). God is working in our hard times to produce proven character and hope in us." -Dr. Tony Evans, Totally Saved

Psalm 33-22"May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you." (NIV)

Jesus Our Hope
For millions of people, the Christmas season means nothing more than parties, gifts, decorations, and time off of school. For many of us, however, this time of year is a happy reminder of the hope we have because of Jesus Christ.
Before Jesus came, God seemed distant to the people. Kind of hidden in a temple, accessible only to the high priest. Worshippers wondered whether their sacrifices were acceptable. They often doubted if God was really there. They had seen Him do some amazing things but even then, they doubted.
Christ means hope—to the person made fun of, to someone struggling with an addiction, to someone who feels distant from their parents. Even if you're just slogging your way through the problems in our life, if you have Jesus, you have hope. And he is not a false hope, a childish fairy tale that we wish will have a happy ending. When Jesus was born, lived a perfect life, was crucified, and then rose again; that ended the argument. Period. Our hope in him is solid and it is real.
Christmas is a renewal of that hope. It reconfirms for us that God has given us that gift of hope in Jesus where ever we are in life. But what does that mean to you? Today, think about the fact that even when times are hard, when your friends desert you, when you have done something that you feel is not forgivable, there is still hope. That hope is found in a baby born in Bethlehem that went on to pay the ultimate price....to give hope to the hopeless. Take some time today thanking God for that gift of Hope.
More tomorrow,
Dan