Christmas or “Christmass” is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Amidst all the giving, and receiving, it is good for us at Christmas to stop and think about the life, of our saviour. The World and many Christians, have lost site of the real meaning of Christmas. God the father sent His son Jesus to be born a human baby (Luke 1:26-38). Born of a lowly virgin called Mary in a stable, laid in a feed trough amongst the farm animals (Luke 2:7). Angels announced His birth, not to kings but to Shepherds out in the fields guarding their sheep (Luke 2:8-20). Jesus put aside His deity and all the benefits of Heaven (Phil 2:5-8) to walk this earth in selfless humility, teaching and modeling the righteous, holy and sin free life God has for us (Luke 8:1). Jesus used no chariots, or costly hotels. His followers provided for Him as He stayed in homes (Luke 8: 1-3; Luke 19:5) and often out under the stars (Luke 22:39). He walked in unconditional love, healing and bringing new life to those oppressed by the devil (Acts 10:38). He confronted sin, even in the leaders of the day (Matt 23). Eventually those leaders arrested, scourged and crucified Him (Luke 22:47-23:49); he was betrayed by one of his own Disciples (John 13:21-30). Christ died as a sacrifice for our sins that separated us from God, so we could be forgiven (Col 1:14). Through Christs death and resurrection, He defeated satan and stripped him of all power and authority in our lives (Col 2:15). Through faith in that baby born in a stable and as we make Him Lord of our lives (Rom 10:9-10), we can enjoy all the abundant life he has for us (John 10:10).

As Christians we are still be tempted to sin by desires that satan can bring into our minds (James 1:14-15; 2 Cor 11:3) Satan tempted Eve to disobey God (Gen 3:1-6), he tempted Judas Iscariot to betray Jesus (John 13:21-27), and Jesus, at the start of His Ministry on earth, resisted satans temptations three times with the Word of God (Matt 4:1-11). Jesus sympathizes with our temptations as He was very God but also very man (John 1:14) in His time on the earth, tempted to sin but sinless (Hebr 4:15). Jesus, through His death and resurrection stripped satan of all power and authority over our lives and won forgiveness for us (Col 2:15; Eph 1:7). The apostle Paul confessed that as a born-again Christian his spiritually renewed inner man or heart (spirit) desired to do right but his flesh or unregenerated mind, will and emotions wanted to follow the temptations to sin. (Rom 7:21-25). We share this struggle. However, as Paul also taught us, with the power of the Holy Spirit in us, we can direct our flesh, overcome temptations’ and walk in the victory Christ has for us (Rom 8:1-2). God told us that we are not tempted any differently than anyone else, that He won’t allow us to be tempted in any way we can’t handle and He will always show us how to escape every temptation with His Word (1 Cor 10:13). Get in the word grow your faith (Rom 10:17), pray and allow the Holy Spirt to have His way in your life.

Jesus said: “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10b; NKJV). The apostle Paul wrote that the Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives in us as Christians and brings life to our physical bodies (Rom 8:11). Therefore, sickness and disease are not of God, they are brought against us by the attacks of satan (John 10:10a; Acts 10:38). God told His people in Old Testament times that: “I am the Lord who heals you” (Ex 15:26; NLT) and King David wrote that God is the one: “who heals all your diseases” (Ps 103:3b; NKJV). In His time on this earth Jesus ministered healing to many people. Luke reported in his Gospel (Luke 4:40) that Jesus heled every sick person that came to Him and the apostle Matthew wrote (Matt 4:23) that Jesus healed many different diseases and sicknesses. Jesus sent out His disciples to preach and heal the sick (Matt 10:8). By the stripes and wounds Jesus suffered, prior to His crucifixion, He won healing for all of us (1 Peter 2:24). In His great commission to all Christians to go and preach the Gospel, Jesus commanded us to: “lay hands on the sick and they will recover” (Mark 16:18b; NKJV). Miracles of healing were frequently seen in the early Church (Acts 9:36-42; 8:6-8; 5:12). We all live in the continuance of the early Church and God never changes (Mal 3:6), healing is ours today!

“And God is able to bestow every blessing on you in abundance, so that richly enjoying all sufficiency at all times, you may have ample means for good works” (2 Cor 9:8; WNT). What wonderful promises, overflowing blessings and the ability to bless others and the kingdom of God. As God said to Abram, we are “blessed to be a blessing” (Gen 12:2). “Every good and every perfect gift” (James 1:17; NKJV) comes from our heavenly Father who never changes (Mal 3:6). I am reminded that all God’s promises to us are always, “Yes and in Him Amen” (2 Cor 1:20; NKJV) and by God’s Holy Spirit power in each one of us, He can do exceedingly abundantly beyond our wildest dreams (Eph 3:20). God has blessed us with all the spiritual blessings we need to become Christians, grow in our walk with Him and become His ambassadors to the world around us (Eph 1:3; 2 Cor 5:20). In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus encourages and exhorts us not to worry about the needs of life such as food, drink or clothes because our heavenly Father is aware of our needs and is more than able to supply them. Jesus said just, “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you (Matt 6:33; NKJV). We will be blessed if we walk in obedience to God and his word and seek Him with our whole heart (Ps 119:2). God wishes to bless us in all our hearts desires, all our plans and aspirations (Ps 20:4). But we must never forget that it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35)!

“Be earnest and unwearied in your prayer (life) alert and intent in your praying with thanksgiving” (Col 4:2; AMPC). In other words, we need to persevere in prayer and not give up even if answers are coming slower than we would like. (See also Luke 18:1-8). As I was reading this verse I was reminded of Nehemiah. Nehemiah was one of the Jewish exiles and he was cupbearer to the king of Persia. He got bad news from Judah that the wall of Jerusalem had been torn down and so he started praying. I noticed that in his prayer (Neh 1:4-11) he began by giving God praise and then he repented on behalf of the children of Israel who had turned away from God. Then he laid his petition before the Lord and it was very specific, “Please grant me success today by making the king favourable to me. Put it in his heart to be kind to me” (Neh 1:11; NLT). He then asked the king to give him a leave of absence so he could return to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall. When the king asked him how he could help we are told that Nehemiah again prayed before he replied” (Neh 2:4,5; NLT). He prays once more in chapter 6, verse 14 when he is facing opposition to the building of the wall. In fact, Nehemiah endured a lot of opposition but he was obviously strong in faith because in the midst of persecution he declared, “The God of the heavens will grant us success” (Neh 2:20; NLT).

It seems that Nehemiah was a man of prayer, as we as Christians should be. He prayed before speaking or acting and God gave Nehemiah success and he and his team rebuilt the wall in just 52 days.