Merry Christmas Indeed

Today I asked someone I know if she had a good Christmas! She replied, “We don’t celebrate Christmas! Christmas is a man made holiday! Jesus was not born on the 25th of December! It is wrong to celebrate Christmas!”

Her words made me think about Christmas! The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I need Christmas! It is true that I don’t know the exact day and moment of Jesus’ birth, but I can rejoice with my fellow believers, on December 25th that a savior was born! After all, isn’t that the whole reason for the season?

Our savior was born to bring us salvation! I want to rejoice and celebrate his birth, every Christmas, regardless of the fact that it’s a man made date and not Jesus’ true Birthday! I want to remember that Jesus was born to save me!

 

 

 

Merry belated Christmas and a Happy new year!

Warm & Safe

Last night my 26 days old daughter slept in my arms for more than 2 hours. She was warm, secure and did not need to worry about anything because daddy had her and would not let her go!!
This reminded me that God the Father has me in his arms and embraces me each day. He will not let me go, so I do not need to worry about anything! Ho loves me more than I love my daughter and he cares for me!

Culture of Service

Lately at church we have been talking about the culture of service. Last Sunday Jim shared about a homeless guy whom he saw. The guy was filthy and was barely able to walk!!! This whole thing made me think about my relationship with Christ!
One of my favorite Christian singers is Todd Agnew and my favorite song of his is “My Jesus”. Every time I listen to this song, it makes me wonder if my relationship with Jesus is authentic or not. The part that strikes me the most is this:
 

“Cause my Jesus would never be accepted in my church
the blood and dirt on His feet might stain the carpet”

Every day I see people that I could help, but 99% of the time I don’t help them. It makes me wonder, if I saw Jesus as a needy person, would I help him or would walk away from him? If Jesus came to my church, would I accept him as a member of my church, or would I push him away and think he does not belong?
Well, according to Matthew 25: 31-46, the truth is that if I help someone in need, I have helped and served Jesus. 
 

^{.................}‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ (Matthew 25:45)
 

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If you would like to hear the song, watch the YouTube video below:

Creation

Last week I listened to multiple conversations regarding the idea that “there in no God and those who believe in God are narrow minded.” As I was thinking about this concept I was reminded about a picture that I had taken a while back.


To many this picture might not represent anything, but to me this pictures is real fascinating because you can see a Yellow Crab Spider amazingly camouflaged on a yellow flower.
Now you decide for yourself:
Do you think such amazing creation can come to existence by a big bang and evolve into such perfection?
If you ask me, I don’t think so!!! This represent God’s perfect creation.

Romans 1:20-2

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Undeserved Love

        Last weekend we were honored to bring our new born daughter home from the hospital for the first time. My wife and I love her so much and like most parents we have prepared her a room and are willing to give her anything she needs and even lay our lives down for her if needed.

        This reminded me of the fact that our daughter has not done anything to deserve our love other than coming to this world. She doesn’t even understand the concept of loving us back yet.

John 15:9
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.

      The more I think about it, the more I realize that our  heavenly Father’s love is the same way for us. We have not done anything to deserve his love; yet he loves us and blesses us. He even loved us so much that he gave his only son for us to take our sins from us. The love of the Father for us is an undeserved love. We have done absolutely nothing to deserve it, yet He keeps loving us.

1 John 3:1
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

1 John 4:10
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Baby

Last night as I was laying down on my bed, thinking about the sonogram pictures and the fact that I will be holding my baby girl in my arms soon,  I was amazed by the love that I feel towards her.

It struck me that if I, a sinner, know how to love my daughter so much without even having met her yet, how much more is the heavenly Father’s love for his children?

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart……” (Jeremiah 1:5)  

“Before I was born the LORD called me; from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name……” (Isaiah 49:1)

Last night once again I was reminded about Father’s love for us. We are blessed and have so much to give thanks for on Thanksgiving Day.

Amazed By God’s Grace

We have had two of LifePoint’s official services and both of them have been amazing so far! It totally amazes me to see how God can start something from Nothing. A few months ago I didn’t even know there would be a LifePoint Church, and some years before that I didn’t even know there was somebody named Jesus who loved me so much to give his life for me!

I am really looking forward to all the things that God is going to do in the coming months and years! I know Jesus’ love, grace, kindness is beyond my comprehension. I know that He loves people in Catalina, AZ and He wants to reveal himself to the them. My prayer is that He Would do this Through LifePoint Church and all the great, loving and nice people who are members of LifePoint.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)

Equipped to Serve

 

Ephesians 4:11-12

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;

It is so cool to know that we as followers of Jesus are equipped with tools to serve God and be a part of the building up of the body of Christ! This weekend as we had our first Lifepoint Church service, I was reminded on how each member of the body of Christ is equipped to serve. It was really cool to see, everybody doing all they can to bring glory to God’s name. LifePoint Church is already blessed with awesome people who are so willing to use their gifts to make Jesus’s name know to Catalina, AZ and the world.  

God’s Provision

On Sunday we left to San Diego to attend a seminar on Planting Churches called “Sticky Teams”. While there, we listened to multiple people who led the break out sessions and shared all of their good experiences about planting churches. The thing that struck me the most was to listen to them as they shared how God had provided for them in every step of the way and how they had experienced the attacks of the enemy in the same way as our team in Tucson does.

It is good to know that God is in control. All we have to do is to trust him. The rest is easy, because he will take care of the obstacles.

Psalm 143:8
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.

Isaiah 12:2
Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation."