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.
One Great Purpose
While Mary and Joseph were still finalizing their guest list and picking out a wedding cake, she startled him with some unexpected news—she, a virgin, was pregnant.
Assuming she’d been unfaithful, Joseph was poised to cancel the engagement. But while he was still considering his exit strategy, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream—telling him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife, for the child inside her was from the Holy Spirit.
“And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
Matthew 1:21 NLT
This miracle was the fulfillment of hundreds of prophecies—God-inspired predictions about the Messiah, Savior, or “Chosen/Anointed One”—recorded in the Old Testament.
From conception, Jesus’ purpose was made 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 in which you were born? But God has you here, right now, on purpose.
You’ve been grafted into an ongoing story playing out since the beginning of time. And this timeless offer, to be saved from the shackles 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 is rebelling against His design and His plan. And we’ve all done it—we’ve all fallen short of God’s righteous standard.
But that’s why He sent Jesus—because He loved us that much.
And then, Jesus gave His life for the sake of the world.
If you’ve never accepted the free gift of salvation, today can be your day, and this moment can be your moment. There’s nothing you can do to earn it, but you can come to Him—just as you are.
Sacrificial Love
Jesus, all powerful and completely perfect, chose to give up His life for us. He willingly went to the cross to be crucified, the most painful death imaginable, because He loved us so much.
And He invites us to do the same.
1 John 3:16 tells us, "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters."
How can we demonstrate this kind of sacrificial love in our own lives? How can we give our time, attention, or resources to help someone in need? Are we intentional to listen and be present for others, even when it's not easy or comfortable? Are we willing, if it comes down to it, to give up our lives for the sake of God and others?
This kind of love is challenging. It asks us to look beyond our own needs and to see the needs of others. It calls us to be selfless. The good news is, Jesus isn’t asking us to do anything for someone else that He wasn’t willing to do for us first. He knows ...
“And the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him; and they feared the people: for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them. And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor. And they asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly: Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Cæsar, or no? But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Why tempt ye me? Shew me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said, Cæsar's. And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Cæsar the things which be Cæsar's, and unto God the things which be God's. And they could not take hold of his words before the people: and they marvelled at his answer, and held their peace.”
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