There’s a difference between wealth and greed. One can be wealthy and not be greedy. God blesses many people with wealth and they are not greedy. Many don’t fall for the ‘the disease of me’. When one believes that happiness is found in more, it puts us on this never ending treadmill of more. Where are our thoughts? What good is it to gain so much in the world, yet lose the soul?

Our motivation in how we participate in life should be aimed at pleasing God.

To what length would you go to show your faith? How far would you go for a friend? How far would you go for an enemy? When some realize the tremendous gift of Salvation, they will go to great lengths, even breaking the law, to bring others to Jesus!

The story of our faith can often seem like the faith of that of an underdog. Look at Gideon and the challenges he faced. Are we willing to do God's will at any given moment, like Gideon? We need not focus on our weaknesses as we consider the challenges, but rather remember who is backing us.

When we have hurts in our lives, we develop personal emotional crutches upon which we lean. Some of us have aches in our hearts. We have excuses. We lean on those crutches of past aches to hold us back from making real progress. Do you want to be made well? Really??

We live life as a spiritual race. We also have a cloud of believers cheering us on. The reality of our faith is that we have yet to see what God has prepared for us. It is important for us to throw off every encumbrance to run that race of faith.

How are we going to enter the new year? Are we entering the new year dreading the future? Does the passing of Christmas Day and Advent leave us feeling empty? We should move forward boldly looking backward, remembering the anchor of our faith. The redemption of Christ happened in the past, yet it is the ultimate act of God that reaches forever into the future!

Friends add a profound dimension to our lives. Friends can uplift us, can guide us, can admonish us, can laugh with us and can cry with us. A special bond is found between friends. God desires that same bond of friendship. God reaches out to us through Jesus Christ.

There are times when we feel like we have the weight of the world on our shoulders. We all know we will do our best to make the Christmas season go perfectly, no matter how much we know it won't go perfectly. This is why the Scripture from Isaiah 9 is so important to us. God never intended us to carry all that weight! When we give God the glory, we also give God the responsibility.

The Gift of Salvation came from God, who came to us in the form of Jesus. Welcome His peace into your hearts as the events of Advent unfold in Scripture!