I will share about Christian books I have read or listened to.
I will be sharing about my life before and after Christ. I will include stories about my pet and other pets I have encountered.
How Weakness Becomes Strength
Think of a situation you wish you could change, and then imagine what the apostle Paul must have been going through in 2 Corinthians 12.
Paul was suffering, and so he repeatedly begged God to remove his pain. But God doesn’t change Paul’s situation. Instead, God tells Paul that His “grace is enough” for him.
Charis, the ancient Greek word for “grace,” conveyed the favor God showed humanity when He sent Jesus to earth for us.
Before Jesus, people couldn’t draw near to God on their own. But Jesus made a way for anyone to experience intimacy with God. A relationship with God isn’t something we earn—it’s a free gift we receive when we accept that Jesus died for us and rose from the dead.
So when God tells Paul that His “grace is sufficient,” what He’s essentially saying is: “I am enough for you.”
God could meet Paul’s needs because God was all Paul needed—and God was with Paul. The influence Paul had was only because God chose to show off His power through him.
“For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
2 CORINTHIANS 4:6-7 NIV (emphasis added)
We are all like “jars of clay”—simple and not that impressive. But when we submit our lives to God, we become containers that showcase His power.
Like Paul, we can then boast about how weak we are so that way God gets the credit for every great thing that happens to us.
Our situations might not change, but our cry often changes from, “God please remove this suffering,” to, “God, when I suffer—show me how You are using this for Your glory and my good.”
So whatever you’re facing, know that God is near. He sees you, and He loves you. Take some time today and ask God to show you how He is empowering you. Draw near to Him, and let Him strengthen you.
Day 24 of the reading of the gospel of Luke
Merry Christmas Eve
Luke 24
“Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: and as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. And they remembered his words, and returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest. It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, ...
The Fulfillment of Promises Made Long Ago
“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord.”
To modern ears, this verse is a familiar, warm, and comforting centerpiece of the Christmas story. But to those who first heard these words from the angel on the night Jesus was born, every word was electric, buzzing with fulfilled expectations.
A Savior.
Born in Bethlehem, the town of David.
The Messiah.
The Lord.
For centuries, Israel had lived with a promise. The prophet Isaiah had declared, “To us a child is born, to us a son is given… and He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). Jeremiah had spoken of a righteous branch from David’s line, a King who would reign wisely and bring justice (Jeremiah 23:5). Micah, too, had foretold that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, David’s town (Micah 5:2).
So when the angel announced this birth to shepherds under the night sky, it wasn’t just...
