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The God of the universe was born into the poverty of a peasant and spent his first night in the cows’ feed trough. He left the glory of heaven and moved into our neighborhood. Who could have imagined he would do such a thing?

What a world he left. Our classiest mansion would be a tree trunk to him. God became a one-celled embryo and entered the womb of Mary. He became like us. Just look at the places he was willing to go: feed troughs, carpentry shops, badlands, and cemeteries. The places he went to reach us show how far he will go to touch us. He loves to be with the ones he loves.

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For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

Recently I told you about an Ohio doctor who allegedly poisoned a woman with chemical abortion drugs. He now faces six felony charges.  

Investigators say Dr. Hassan-James Abbas used his estranged wife’s identity to order the drugs, then crushed them and forced them into the woman’s mouth while she slept. She had told him she wanted to keep the baby just one day earlier.  

Prosecutors say Abbas held her down, prevented her from calling 911, and attempted to hide evidence after the assault. The woman sought emergency care and reported what happened. A grand jury has now indicted Abbas on charges including abduction, identity fraud, and illegal distribution of abortion-inducing drugs. 

 His medical license has been suspended as the case moves forward. Chemical abortion pills put women in danger and enable abusers. 

One of the amusing sides of Christmas is people shopping in departments they never otherwise shop in - generally clueless. Let me give you an example that I can relate to - men shopping in the ladies clothing department. Oh, we're a mess. Now, if you need a good laugh; you're feeling a little down, you ought to go to the ladies garment department somewhere; especially the more personal the item is, the funnier it is to watch men shopping. They're slightly embarrassed, generally incompetent at what they're doing, and it's very important if you're going to go shopping for a woman during the Christmas season that you get the woman's size: your wife, your mother, your sister, your girlfriend, or whatever. And you trust that the tags are right, of course, on the size. You know that a small had better be a small, because you don't know anything. A large had better be a large. Now, you want to know how to sow some confusion and have some fun? (Don't anybody do this, please.) Imagine if someone snuck into that store late one night and just changed the tags around. Well, people would make a lot of wrong choices, all because the sizes were wrong. Now, that doesn't happen to clothes, but it does happen to people, and it takes the Christmas Story to straighten out small and large.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "How Christmas Rightsizes the World."

Our word for today from the Word of God is found in Luke 1:52-53. Mary is pregnant; she's carrying the baby Jesus, and we get a little idea of the insight God has given her as she prays this prayer, what is often called The Magnificat. She says, "God has brought down rulers from their thrones, but He has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things, but He has sent the rich away empty."

You know, Mary has the right sizes on the right people. She has the smalls on the small, and the bigs on the big. You see, the world would call these the big people - those people who are called rulers and rich. But she says, "the rulers have been brought down. The rich have been sent away empty." God's heroes - the people the world calls small. They're identified as the humble, who He lifts up, and the hungry, who He fills up.

You see, what is a big deal to men is a little deal to God - big deal like money, gifts, title, fame. That's a little deal to God. Conversely, what's a little deal to men: "You don't have much money. You don't have much influence. Not many people know you. You're average." See, that's a big deal to God. You hear people say all the time, "Well, I'm just a... I'm just a student. I'm just a mother. I'm just a secretary. I'm just a helper. I'm just a Sunday school teacher. I'm just a laborer. It's just a small church. It's just a little class. I'm just a choir member." With God, there are no "just a's," not in God's value system.

Bethlehem, we're told, was "little among the villages, but out of you (little village) will come the Prince," Mary, the peasant but the Mother of God's Son. Shepherds, the outcasts of their society, the first evangelists. I wonder if you have the two qualifications for God's heroes: humble, which means you are totally depending on the Lord, and hungry, restless to know and serve Him more. God likes to make folks like that big for Him - the humble and the hungry.

Remember to give attention to the people others ignore. They're the big people to God - children, the poor, the powerless. Oh, by the way, don't ever call yourself "just a..." again. God does His biggest things through the smallest instruments. Call big what God calls big. Make sure you've got the right size.

Anne shares about choices, surrender, living for God and faith from Genesis 4:25.

Taking the gospel to work, plus Kyle Idleman on what it means to guard your mind, and should you bring your significant other home for Christmas?    

Featured musical artist: Hollyn

Roundtable: Sharing the Gospel With Coworkers

If you work in a secular industry or environment, is it possible to make your faith known? What are creative ways to bring the gospel into how you show up on the job? Our guests have experience living out their faith in creative ways in everything from the corporate world to customer service to a counseling practice. They’ll give you the courage and tools to speak up, love your coworkers, and be the hands and feet of Jesus in the office, classroom, factory and beyond.        

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Culture: Thoughts Got You Stuck?

How do you keep your mind settled and sorted when too many things compete for your attention? Pastor and popular author Kyle Idleman explains what it means to guard your mind, and how fighting toxic thoughts, calming the chaos and fighting for truth makes a difference when fielding offenses and Satan’s lies.    

 Every Thought Captive: Calm the Mental Chaos That Keeps You Stuck, Drains Your Hope, and Holds You Back   

Inbox: Bringing Your Date to Christmas

You want to bring your boyfriend or girlfriend to meet your family at Christmas. But what are the dos and don’ts for doing so? Counselor Erin Smalley weighs in.    

Link to Counseling Services 

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