The church’s primary mission will always be to share the good news of Jesus and make disciples for Him. The motivation behind this, as we will see in this series, should come from a profound love of God, and for others, that develops as we progress on the journey to become like Christ. Even though our mission remains the same, the pandemic is forcing us to make changes in how we do evangelism and how we practice the other Six Habits. The apostle Paul was willing to change and adapt to win people to Christ and so should we. Now is a good time to evaluate where you are on your faith journey and then make plans to grow spiritually in 2021.

After the birth of Jesus, Magi from a distant land came with their gifts fit for royalty. They bowed down in worship before the one who had been born, not merely King of the Jews, but as King of all kings, the Lord Supreme over heaven and earth. The desire of the wise men to worship this glorious King is the same desire God has put in every one of our hearts. When we try to fill the deep desires or the core longings of our hearts with anything or anyone other than God, we will become restless. God is calling each of us to seek Christ, to behold His truth and grace, and to bow down and worship Him with all that we have and all that we are. When we do that, our restless hearts will find rest and true joy, and our faith will flourish.

After the birth of Jesus, Magi from a distant land came with their gifts fit for royalty. They bowed down in worship before the one who had been born, not merely King of the Jews, but as King of all kings, the Lord Supreme over heaven and earth. The desire of the wise men to worship this glorious King is the same desire God has put in every one of our hearts. When we try to fill the deep desires or the core longings of our hearts with anything or anyone other than God, we will become restless. God is calling each of us to seek Christ, to behold His truth and grace, and to bow down and worship Him with all that we have and all that we are. When we do that, our restless hearts will find rest and true joy, and our faith will flourish.

In this line of the hymn, Wesley reminds us that Jesus is the fulfillment of all the Old Testament messianic prophecies promising that one day Messiah would come and strengthen, comfort and restore God's ancient people, Israel. Although He fulfilled Israel’s prophecies, Jesus came to bring salvation to the entire world. He is the consolation of His people, both Jews and Gentiles. There were many prophecies that looked forward to Messiah’s coming, and many devout Jews prayed earnestly for the day when He would arrive. Simeon, a man of faith, was “looking for the consolation of Israel.” When he saw Jesus as an infant, Simeon knew that this Child was the fulfillment of his messianic hope; this inspired Wesley’s song.

In this line of the hymn, Wesley reminds us that Jesus is the fulfillment of all the Old Testament messianic prophecies promising that one day Messiah would come and strengthen, comfort and restore God's ancient people, Israel. Although He fulfilled Israel’s prophecies, Jesus came to bring salvation to the entire world. He is the consolation of His people, both Jews and Gentiles. There were many prophecies that looked forward to Messiah’s coming, and many devout Jews prayed earnestly for the day when He would arrive. Simeon, a man of faith, was “looking for the consolation of Israel.” When he saw Jesus as an infant, Simeon knew that this Child was the fulfillment of his messianic hope; this inspired Wesley’s song.

The second person of the Godhead is the Son. Jesus is called by many other names in Scripture and fulfills many roles for us throughout our lives. This week, we’ll look at one name that helps us to develop and maintain a close relationship with Him: that of Friend. Understanding this friendship relationship is powerful. Jesus was and is eternally God. As God, Jesus represents the greatest friendship we can ever experience. Some struggle with the concept of “friendship” with Jesus; He is our King, not our Friend, is the sentiment. But friendship with Jesus does not diminish His glory nor does it diminish His authority in our lives. Jesus is both our King and our Friend, and we need to cultivate that friendship.

We tend to let our life experiences, relationships, culture, media and the world around us define who we are. We are pressured to use our jobs, financial status, successes, grades, appearance, and what other people say about us as the means by which we create our identity. If we have any hope of finding who we truly are, we must first know God, the giver of all things. When we go to the Word of God instead of all the usual means, we will find a description of who God says we are. However, a gap often exists between intellectually knowing these truths about who God says we are and living them out. Living out of an identity based on how God sees us and what the Father says about us frees us up to live confidently and with stability

We tend to let our life experiences, relationships, culture, media and the world around us define who we are. We are pressured to use our jobs, financial status, successes, grades, appearance, and what other people say about us as the means by which we create our identity. If we have any hope of finding who we truly are, we must first know God, the giver of all things. When we go to the Word of God instead of all the usual means, we will find a description of who God says we are. However, a gap often exists between intellectually knowing these truths about who God says we are and living them out. Living out of an identity based on how God sees us and what the Father says about us frees us up to live confidently and with stability

God, as our loving heavenly Father, desires to protect us from anyone or anything that could harm us. God is able and willing to use the vast resources at His disposal to provide protection to those that trust in Him. There is no other power in heaven or on earth that can do all that God can do. Although God has the ability to deliver us out of every physical calamity or trouble, it may not be His will to do so. Sometimes He uses these trials to purify us. We are protected in all things, yet we have the ability, by allowing our sin nature to rule us, to depart from the will of God. When we trust in God and willingly seek to obey Him, then we will be in a place where we enjoy His protection in our lives.

God, as our loving heavenly Father, desires to protect us from anyone or anything that could harm us. God is able and willing to use the vast resources at His disposal to provide protection to those that trust in Him. There is no other power in heaven or on earth that can do all that God can do. Although God has the ability to deliver us out of every physical calamity or trouble, it may not be His will to do so. Sometimes He uses these trials to purify us. We are protected in all things, yet we have the ability, by allowing our sin nature to rule us, to depart from the will of God. When we trust in God and willingly seek to obey Him, then we will be in a place where we enjoy His protection in our lives.