Dee2rites Blog

Tag: Christmas

  • The Happiest Time of the Year?

    “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.”  Psalm 42:11

    For many people, the holidays are a time of celebration, parties, and happy family gatherings. But for some, that is not always true. Empty chairs are a reminder of loved ones who are not here this year. Memories of sad times are more poignant and a reminder of past loses and failures. Deployed family members are missed more sharply during Christmas celebrations. So how do we cope? Those who are Christians, often experience guilt over not being happy during the season we celebrate the birth of our Lord, adding to our feelings of loneliness, sadness and depression.

              Temporary holiday blues can be due to unrealistic expectations, overplanning, and overspending which adds to stress. These are things which can be corrected by less shopping, and keeping expectations of a good holiday more realistic.

              But what about those who are experiencing real hurt, who are missing loved ones or who suffer from S.A.D. (Seasonal affective disorder, a type of depression that occurs usually during fall or winter.) These feelings are real and cannot just be dismissed.

              Here are just a few things that God has shown me over the years.

    1. Celebrate the life of your loved one who has passed. Enjoy the memories you have of them, and remind yourself, that if they were believers in Jesus Christ, they are celebrating in heaven.
    2. Give yourself permission to cry and call out to God, being honest with your Heavenly Father. Many of the Psalms of David were him calling out to God, reminding himself to praise Him even when times were bad.
    3. Take care of yourself physically. Get plenty of rest, go for walks or do other exercise. Shower and get dressed, even if you don’t feel like it. Sisters, style your hair and put on your make-up. Brothers, shave or trim your beard. Eat healthy meals, and limit carbs and sweets.
    4. Spend time alone with God, meditating on His Word and praying. The Psalms are an excellent place to spend time meditating.
    5. Look for someone else to bless. Take a meal to someone who is also missing a loved one. Call or text someone you haven’t connected with in a while. Give a lonely child, or adult, a hug. Ask God to show you who He  would like for you to reach out to and bless.
    6. Spend time with others, especially other believers. When we’re depressed, our tendency is to shut ourselves out from other people. While that is ok occasionally, we mustn’t allow that to become our norm. Go to church. Go to family events. Go wherever God leads you.
    7. Seek help. If your feelings become overwhelming, there are people ready and able to help you. Counseling with a Christian counselor can help you work through those feeling. But if you start having thoughts of suicide, call for help immediately. In the USA, you can call or text 988 to get help.

    When the Apostle Paul wrote to the Philippian church to “rejoice, and again I say rejoice” he was sitting in a nasty Roman prison, facing certain execution. Here’s just a few of the things he wrote in the 4th chapter of Philippians:

    V. 4 “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

    V. 6-7 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

    V.8 “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”

    God didn’t create us to be down, sad or depressed. Jesus said that He came that we might have LIFE and have it more abundantly. So my prayer for you during this Holiday Season is that regardless of your circumstances, that you will receive the joy of the Lord, and the peace of God to surround you.

    If you don’t know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, He’s ready to receive you, that is why He came and went to the cross. Pray “Lord Jesus, I acknowledge I am a sinner and need a Savior. I repent of my past sins, and I ask You to come into my heart right now. I believe You died on the cross for my sin, and You were resurrected on the third day. I receive you as my Lord and Savior, and I choose to live for You from this day forward. Amen”  Welcome to the family of God!

    Peace and blessings in our Lord Jesus Christ,

    Dee

  • Decorating for Christmas

    “You shall have a song
    As in the night when a holy festival is kept,
    And gladness of heart as when one goes with a flute,
    To come into the mountain of the Lord,
    To the Mighty One of Israel.” Isaiah 30:29

    God instructed the Jewish people to have celebrations and festivals throughout the year, each one symbolizing specific things and reminding them of His goodness and love. As Christians we’re not given instructions for celebrations or holidays, we’re to live daily celebrating His goodness and love. But we have added holidays and if we use them to celebrate Him and to proclaim Jesus, I think He enjoys them too.

    I love decorating and particularly decorating for Christmas. It takes me days and days to complete, if I ever actually do, because over the years I have collected many decorative items. This year it is especially taking time because we’re in a different house and finding just the right spot for each thing takes a little time. But one thing gets finished first – the Christmas tree. As I decorate, I reflect on the meaning of Christmas and how most of the elements on the tree are symbolic of Christ and the reason for celebration. Some are obvious – there are lights on the tree because Jesus is the Light of the world and we use an evergreen tree because He gives us eternal life. And of course the star that lead the way to the new born King. But there are deeper meanings for me too.

    CHRISTMAS TREE – CHRIST’S TREE
    The first reminder for me is the tree itself. Jesus died on a tree because Adam sinned and brought spiritual death because he ate fruit from the wrong tree. So Jesus came to die on a tree that we could have eternal life.
    “who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.” (1 Peter 2:24)
    The tree itself reminds me that through Jesus’ death on the tree, I have eternal life and that by His stripes I was healed.

    GIFTS OF GOLD, FRANKINCENSE AND MYRRH
    Gold. There are many gold ornaments on our Christmas tree. The gold reminds me of the gifts the wise men brought to the infant Jesus, the new born king. On earth gold is a precious commodity. Here men fight for it, hoard it. But in heaven, gold is not as precious as it is here, there the streets are paved with gold. The most precious gift by heaven’s standards is the gift God gave to mankind, His own precious Son, Jesus. Jesus is the most precious gift, and that gift gives us the gift of eternal life.

    HEARLDING ANGELS – GOD’S MESSENGERS
    I have never seen an angel, but because I believe God’s Word, I believe they are here all around us. “Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14)
    An angel announced to Mary she would be the one to bear the Messiah. An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream that Mary’s child was of God would save their people. Then the night Jesus was born, an angel of the Lord announced to the shepherds that Messiah had come and instructed them where to find Him.
    “Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.” (Luke 2:10)
    Suddenly then a multitude of heavenly host appeared praising God,
    “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:14)
    When I see the angel decorations, I am reminded that just as the angels announced Jesus, I am called to be a messenger of God’s love, joy and peace through Jesus Christ our Lord.

    RED AND WHITE
    I put dozens of shiny red ornaments on our tree. For me, the red ornaments are reminders of the blood of Jesus shed on His tree. It is by His blood that my sins, though many, have been paid for and washed away.
    “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7)
    Isaiah the prophet speaking for God said, “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.” (Isaiah 1:18)
    The white snow on the tree reminds me that even though I once was a sinner, now through the blood of Jesus, I am made pure, I have been given His righteousness.
    “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)
    I love Christmas, everything about it – the music, the food, the decorations, the lights, giving and receiving gifts. I enjoy all of it, but the best part is remembering why I have reason to celebrate and rejoicing in God’s greatest gift, Jesus! He is the reason I have so much to celebrate.

    MERRY CHRISTMAS!

    Peace and blessings in our Lord Jesus Christ,
    Dee

  • THE BEST GIFT


    “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.”

    “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”

    “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.”

    “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,”

    (so) “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

    “This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
    But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’
    All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ which means, ‘God with us.’
    When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.”

    “So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
    And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’
    Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
    ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.’
    When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’
    So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.
    The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.”

    Scriptures: John 1:1,2; Isaiah 7:14; Micah 5:2; Gal 4:4; John 1:14; Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 2:4-20.

    MERRY CHRISTMAS!

    Peace and blessings in our Lord Jesus Christ,

    Dee

    For God so loved the world

  • Christmas Greetings

    Here it is – almost Christmas. We’re in the mist of rushing around shopping for the perfect gift for loved ones, preparing special foods, decorating our homes. Retailers are hoping for that last minute surge of buying to bolster their lagging sales year. Christmas lights brighten homes, businesses and the streets. Radio stations are playing non-stop Christmas music. Children are anxiously waiting for that jolly fat man in the red suit to bring them their deepest wishes. Parents are waiting for the bills to start coming in and worrying over how to pay for all this joy.

    For believers, Christmas is much more. Yes, we can fully enjoy the parties, the music, the lights and the gifts. God wants us to celebrate and takes delight in our excitement as long as we remember the reason we’re celebrating. Christ. The very essence of Christmas. God’s anointed one in the flesh come to live among us. The gospel writers Matthew and Luke give written accounts of the events surrounding the birth of Jesus. But John goes back to the beginning.

    In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:1-5, 14.

    Jesus’ existence did not begin in a stable in Bethlehem. His existence was from the beginning of all creation. He was there when God said “Light be!” (Gen 1:3) He was there in the Garden of Eden when Adam fell. He was the “I AM” who sent Moses to deliver Israel from captivity. God’s plan from the beginning for all mankind to have a savior and deliverer was brought forth in that Babe in the Manger.

    As believers we celebrate not only the birth of Jesus Christ, but His life. Sinless, perfect, a sacrificial lamb without spot or blemish. We celebrate that God gave the greatest gift of all to mankind – His own son, God Himself made flesh to live among us and to be the sacrifice that alone was sufficient to remove our sin for all eternity. And we celebrate His first coming with anticipation for His soon return – not in a lowly manger, but as the Lord of Glory coming to take His place as Ruler of all creation.

    Glory to God in the highest and Peace on Earth to all men.

    Merry Christmas

    Dee