I pray that each of you had a blessed Christmas and will have a blessed new year. Going through the season of Advent and Christmas should remind each of us about the importance of being a blessing to others. The spirit of Christmas is the spirit of giving. As we look at the epiphany story we read that the wise men brought gifts and presented them to the newborn King of Israel. They brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Gold is the king of metals and is an appropriate gift for one born to be the King of men. This new King was to rule, not by force, but by love. His throne was to be a cross.
They brought a gift of frankincense, which is a gift appropriate for a priest. The Christ was to be the high priest who would open the way to God for sinners. He was to build the bridge by which we could come into the presence of God and by which God in love would enter our lives.
The wise men also brought a gift of myrrh, a spice that was used to anoint the bodies of the dead. Even at the beginning of Christ's life there was an indication of a cross at the end of the way. Jesus Christ was to be the true King, the perfect priest, the supreme Savior.
The wise men are not the ones who started the practice of giving gifts at Christmas. It is appropriate for us to take note of their gifts for the King, but let us not forget the great gifts that Christ gave to us.
The Christ of Christmas was born to be the King of our hearts. For the kingdom of God, He was born and lived a sinless life on earth. For the kingdom of God, He prayed and preached and wrought miracles and taught His disciples. For the kingdom, He suffered the darkness of Gethsemane and endured the awful agony of the cross. For the kingdom, He arose from the dead and lives to make intercession for those who come to God through Him. Jesus Christ is the one whom God has appointed to be our King.
He offers us the gift of forgiveness. Our part is to repent and turn from a life of evil and self-destructiveness and He gives us the gift of eternal life. He also offers us adoption into the family of God (John 1:12). He offers us guidance through the difficulties and perplexities of life (John 8:12). He assures us of fruitfulness and significance if we will abide in him (John 15:5-9). His desire is for us to be with him forever (John 17:24).
He has given us the Holy Spirit to be our guide. The Holy Spirit will be our teacher and helper throughout all of the journey of our earthly life (Luke 11:13; John 14:16-18).
These are precious gifts of God that come to us through His Son. They are perfect, precious, permanent, and personal.
The wise men brought rich gifts and presented them to the Christ child while he was still a baby. They could not possibly know the joys of His salvation as we know them today. If they brought the best that they had, it only makes sense that we should bring even greater gifts to this one whom God has appointed to be our King.
Let us give Jesus Christ the throne of our hearts. Satan wants to be enthroned in our hearts and be the sovereign of our lives. Perhaps Satan's greatest rival for this position is our own selfish selves. We have an ungodly desire to put ourselves above all persons and things. Instead of giving ourselves the throne rights of our lives (which means giving them to Satan), let us give them to Jesus Christ.
Jesus deserves to be King because of who He is. He deserves to be King because of what He has done for us. Jesus deserves to be King in our lives because of what he will do in us and through.us.
Let’s present our ourselves as a gift to God in gratitude for His great mercies to us (Rom. 12:1). Paul taught the believers at Corinth that their bodies were the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16). He further declared that their bodies belonged to God because they had been purchased by God in the act of redemption (1 Cor. 6:19-20). In reality, Paul was encouraging them to let God abide within their bodies so that others would be reminded of his gracious presence in them.
We also ought to bring the gift of thanksgiving and give God the praises of our heart. Through the psalmist God declares, "He who brings thanksgiving as his sacrifice honors me" (Ps. 50:23 RSV). To remain silent when we can give praises to God for His goodness is to rob God and at the same time to deprive others of the blessings this testimony could bring. To give a joyful testimony about God's goodness before nonbelievers is to encourage them to trust God with their lives. This is the greatest favor that we can give to an individual, and it is the greatest joy that we can bring to the Father God.
Living the Christian life means we are to give unto the Lord. God initiated this spirit by giving His Son to be our Savior. To become our Savior, Jesus became our substitute. He bore our sin by dying on a cross, and God raised him from the dead to show his great love for us.
Because God loved us first, we should love him. Because God gave his best, we should give our best back to him. True worship is bringing the best we have to God, who has already given His best to us. Why does God love a cheerful giver? It is because God is a generous giver. God loves in a special way those who have responded to His love and become the channel through which His love reaches others. Let us become givers of ourselves to God, to our family, and to others.
May the Lord place a smile on your face and love and joy down deep in your heart as we become generous givers to the Lord and others. Be blessed and be a blessing!!!!
Pastor Baggett
This month in Children's Worship, our kids refocus on love. As we learn together what true love is, we learn how to notice God's love in this world, and we learn how to be God's love in this world! Thank you so much for joining us on this journey!
Ultimate Wednesday is back in action! This semester we are focused on how to "Check-in with Jesus." As we focus on prayer and what personal time with God looks like, we hope our kids will learn to develop a real personal relationship with Jesus! Please pray for our kids as they memorize scripture each week and hide God's word in their hearts!
Please also continue to pray for our many Children's Workers who shine the love of Jesus as they serve these kids and their families! Just a reminder for those serving with children in any capacity, there will be a children's worker training on January 29th, during the Cafe'; please get your food and go to the classroom for a brief review of how we keep our kids and workers safe, as well as a few other updates!
We are excited to see God moving in this new year! Grove Youth Night will be on January 15th from 4:30 to 6:30. Open Gym, games, snacks, Worship, and Devotion! Our hope and goal is for our teens to know who Jesus is and grow closer to Him every day!
As we grow and become more like Jesus through the relationship we have with Him, it is our hope that we help nurture you and your walk with God that will last a lifetime of growth and be a stronger disciple of Jesus.
During Ultimate Wednesday, we focus on this relationship, strengthening our prayer lives and learning scripture that empowers us to walk with Jesus daily.
We are still looking for more volunteers to help with our teens on both Wednesday afternoons, Wednesday evenings, and during Grove Youth Nights. We would love to have you come love on these young people!
Dec. 4th - Steve and Rheta Russell
Dec. 11th - Bryan Smithson Family
Dec. 18th - Phyllis Worthington
Dec. 25th - Jesus!
In Memory of Joann & CJ Wade
by Terry & Cheryl Manning
In Memory of Vickie Cox
By Agnes & Marvin Strickland
In Loving Memory of Vickie Cox
by James and Jennie Lous Garris
In Loving Memory of Shirley Smith
by James and Jennie Lous Garris
In Loving Memory of Janet White Tripp
by James and Jennie Lous Garris
In Loving Memory of Willie Pogue
by James and Jennie Lous Garris
In Loving Memory of Johnny Oakley
by James and Jennie Lous Garris
In Loving Memory of Cindy Venters
by James and Jennie Lous Garris
In Loving Memory of Gary G. Baker
by James and Jennie Lous Garris
In Loving Memory of Pattie Moore
by James and Jennie Lous Garris
In Honor of Stephanie Goetz - ECU Graduation 2022
by the Chappell Family
In Memory of Misty Mills Pellington by Kellie Chappell - Gonzalez
In Memory of Bill Jones, Jr by Kellie Chappell - Gonzalez
In Honor of Eli Tucker Chappell Baby Dedication 12- 11- 2022
by Kellie Chappell - Gonzalez
Pat & BT Chappell, Happy Anniversary Love, Kellie, Tom, & Steve
