This Christmas Do Not Ignore

or Doubt Who Jesus Is

I am excited about the month of December. First of all, it’s Christmas—and I love to celebrate the birth of Jesus together with our family and God’s people around the world. . . .

Because it will be Christmas soon, I want to share with you a little about the gift of God we have received in Jesus.

His name is wonderful. Just before I sat down to write this letter, I listened to a beautiful Gospel song that you may know as well: “His Name Is Wonderful.” The song refers to the prophetic Scripture in the book of Isaiah that describes to us the coming Savior of the world with these words:

And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).

There are many other names in the Bible that give us even more details about who Jesus is. Here are just a few of them:

• Immanuel (Matthew 1:23), which means “God with us.”

• The Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6).

• Rock (1 Corinthians 10:4).

• The same yesterday and today, yes and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

• The Author and Perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).

• Lord of all (Acts 10:36).

• The Good Shepherd (John 10:11).

• Deliverer (Romans 11:26).

• Healer (Matthew 9:35). . . .

What is God trying to tell us with all these names?

That He is very well aware of all our struggles, failures, fears, confusion, suffering and the persecution we may face for the Gospel.

That He does not scold, condemn, revoke our calling or turn His back on us when we are discouraged, weak or overcome by failure.

That He has assessed every one of our struggles in life—and He has provided a perfect solution for each of them.

That He sent His solution as a gift 2,000 years ago: Jesus, His Son.

There is not a problem or struggle in our life or ministry where Jesus is not the answer.

• When we feel lonely or forsaken by all, He is our Emmanuel.

• In our confusion, He is our Counselor.

• When we are in the midst of a storm, He is our Rock.

• When we don’t know what direction to go, He is the Way.

• When our heart is troubled, He is the Prince of Peace.

• When we are surrounded by opposition, He is the Mighty God and our Deliverer.

• When we are frightened by all the changes around us, He remains the same—yesterday, today and forever.

• When we are overwhelmed and overburdened in the ministry, He is the Good Shepherd who leads us to a place of refreshment.

• Even if death approaches us, He is the Resurrection and the Life.

God made it easy for us to recognize where we need to turn to with our problems by putting name labels on His Son Jesus. But sadly, we don’t read the name labels, or we ignore them and try to find our answers in all the wrong places.

God’s way is so simple: Don’t ignore or doubt the name labels that God put on Jesus. Find the one that spells out the solution to your problem. And then believe with all your heart that He indeed is your answer. As you put your faith in Him, He will fulfill each promise that is contained in His name.

Celebrate this Christmas by getting to know who Jesus is. Take time to go through your Bible and look at all the wonderful names of Jesus you can find. Write them down on a sheet of paper, pray and think deeply about the meaning of each one of them and then apply them to your situation. Perhaps you can do this also as a group in your ladies meeting. The more you discover who Jesus is, the more your joy and faith will increase, and Christmas will take on a much deeper meaning.

. . . [D]o you see how precious you are in God’s sight by all He gave you when He sent Jesus to become your Savior?

Let us take time to remember God’s love for us and thank Him for:

• Sending Jesus . . .

• All that is ours in Jesus.

• Our calling to serve Him.

• The privilege to suffer, give up something or face rejection for His name’s sake.

• All the blessings, protection and care we received from Him during this past year.

• His promises that remain the same for this coming year.

May the peace and joy of the Lord be with you as you celebrate Christmas and step out into the new year.