Merry Christmas!

By Dr. Michelle McIntosh

“She will give birth to a Son, and you shall name Him Jesus (The Lord is salvation), for He will save His people from their sins. All this happened in order to fulfill what the Lord has spoken through the prophet [Isaiah]: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child and give birth to a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel’—which, when translated, means, God with us.” Matthew 1:21-23

Christians, this is our precious opportunity to celebrate the birth, life and legacy of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. It is a time to thank our Heavenly Father for His great Gift of Salvation through Jesus and to share the love and joy of God with family, friends and strangers too. Our acts of kindness toward others should be expressed in honor of our Great Redeemer.

God’s unconditional love toward us reminds us of the new commandment Jesus spoke to His disciples. And, that is that we, believers, should love one another as Jesus loved us. The kind of love that does not bring harm or discord. God’s love is perfect and never ends. It brings peace, comfort and the right solution to any situation—good or bad. We are the light of the world and we have the answer to all of Man’s problems in Jesus!

It is also the perfect time of the year to remember our inheritance and rights in Jesus Christ. The One who fulfilled the penalty of the sin nature and gave each of us the right to become the children of Almighty God. For in Jesus, we have authority, dominion and power over Satan and all his deceptive devises.

Here are a few reasons Christians should continue to celebrate the birth of Jesus our Messiah:

  • I AM A SON OF GOD: Gal. 4:5, Eph. 1:5 and Rom. 8:14

  • I AM A NEW CREATURE: 2 Cor. 5:17, Eph. 4:24, Col. 3:10, and 1 Peter 1:23

  • I AM JUSTIFIED IN CHRIST: Gal. 2:16 and Rom.3:24

  • I AM SANCTIFIED IN CHRIST: Heb. 10:10 and 1 Cor. 1:2

  • I AM SEATED WITH CHRIST FAR ABOVE ALL POWERS: Eph. 1:20-23; 2:5-10

  • I AM BLESSED WITH EVERY SPIRITUAL BLESSING: Eph. 1:3-8

  • I AM FILLED WITH GOOD THINGS: Phil. 1:11 and Heb. 13:21

  • I AM LOVED AND ACCEPTED COMPLETELY: Rom. 8:38-39 and Eph. 2:14-18

  • I AM THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD: 2 Cor. 5:21, Rom. 3:22-24, 5:17, 10:3-4

  • I AM MORE THAN A CONQUEROR: Rom. 8:37, Gal. 1:3-5 and 2 Cor. 2:14-17

  • I AM CALLED TO LIVE AN ABUNDANT LIFE: Jn. 10:10, 1 Jn. 5:3-5, 2 Tim. 1:9

  • I AM A JOINT HEIR WITH CHRIST: Rom. 8:14-17, Gal. 4:6-7 and Eph. 1:11-14

  • I AM A KING AND PRIEST TO GOD: Rev. 1:5-6 and 1 Peter 2:9-10

  • I AM ONE WITH GOD: 1 Cor. 6:17, Eph. 5:30, and Jn. 17:20-22

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16