The world would have us believe that there are many religions and names by which we can be saved, but the Bible tells us that it's only through the mighty name of Jesus that we're offered the incredible gift of salvation. We're invited to come to Him as we are, filthy in all our sin, and be washed clean by the power of His blood that was shed for us on the cross.

It's no accident that the King of the universe came to earth in the most humble way possible: born in a barn, surrounded by animals, with His first visitors being simple shepherds of the fields. The very nature of His birth teaches us that whether you're born in a barn or live among nobles, Jesus came for all people -- and we're all equal in our need for His redeeming love.

You don't always see the difference between houses built on solid foundations and houses built on shaky foundations until the storm comes -- and the same is true of how we build our families. When we make Jesus the center of our homes and our lives, no amount of trials or tribulations will be able to shake our foundation. Only He can bring us stability not just for this temporary life, but for eternity.

In John 14, Jesus tells us that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and that there is no other way to the Father except through Him. Our job as Christians is to spread that Gospel message. In a world where "truth" seems more subjective every day, are we ready to share the one and only Truth with others when the opportunity presents itself?

Mary wasn't perfect. She wasn't sinless. But she had a heart that was prepared to submit to God's will for her life. When we follow her example and adopt a willingness to obey, Jesus moves in us and uses us to do Kingdom work with eternal impact.

God's love was so clearly displayed when He sent His Son, Jesus, to be the Savior of this world. He loved us enough, even in our sinful state, to make the greatest sacrifice of all on our behalf. He doesn't want anyone to be condemned to hell, but we have to choose to receive the gift He's offered: salvation through Christ alone.

The story of the birth of Jesus is filled not only with THE wise men of the nativity story, but with other wise people who submitted to God's call on their lives. True wisdom comes when a person responds to God's leading with obedience. Only by following Him do we become "wise guys" in the best sense of the word.

If being a Christian were a crime, would there be enough evidence to convict you? When we surrender our lives to Christ, we're born again with the Holy Spirit inside us -- and that's a heart transformation that everyone around us should be able to see!

The difference between Jesus and any earthly king is that Jesus never grew up to become a king -- He was born the King of Kings! We can't accept the gift of salvation that He gave His life to pay for without submitting ourselves in reverence to Him. When we choose to make Him the King of our lives, we're also choosing to let Him rule our every decision, every day until the day He calls us home to Him.

When it comes to questioning the Bible, the Christmas story is one of the most popular examples for why it "can't" be legitimate. Skeptics who challenge Scripture are nothing new, but when we have our doubts, it's important for us to research and study God's Word ourselves instead of throwing out the whole Bible just because we don't understand every single thing it says. At some point, we have to come to a place of choosing to believe not only what Scripture tells us about Jesus, but what it tells us about the salvation He offers us.