When the Holy Spirit works in our hearts through the gospel message, our faith overflows in service to others. As individuals and as groups we show our faith and love for each other by caring for those in need. The early New Testament church provided great examples for us of what that means. We too can care for others and connect with others to not only tell them about Jesus but to also care about their earthly needs.

Service to others starts with God’s love. Because of what he did for us, we fill up on that love and joyfully pour it out to those around us. God chose us for lives of service to him and others—we are to bear the fruit of our faith by acting it out in love. As individuals and as members of churches, we are to cultivate a servant’s attitude in each other and in our children.

The story of Esther shows us how Satan can use the ugliness and sin of racism to turn people against each other. We are no different today. Satan looks for the differences in people and then exploits them and drives people apart. The good news in Esther’s time as well as now, is that God’s will and plans for us will always win out. Jesus’ forgiveness is for all.

Jesus gives us a great example of the importance of worshiping in God’s house. Without being in the Word, we would never know God’s rescue plan for us, we would never grasp the truth of his love and forgiveness for us. It is our privilege to take every opportunity that we can to build and strengthen our faith by being in God’s Word and learning from the teachers he has put before us.

God gives us many blessings through our worship at church. Though we are sinful, we are shown mercy and offered forgiveness. As we see what God did for us in sending his Son, we give praise and thanks back to God for the endless love he shows to us. Through worship, we reconnect with God, our faith is strengthened, and we get the opportunity to worship together as a group with other believers and express our joy for God’s many blessings.

The new year often means a fresh start, and this section of Proverbs gives us God’s guidelines for how to start fresh his way: always keep God at the center—first and foremost. Honor your family and friends, showing them love and faithfulness and God will bless you. Trust God to make your hardships into good and to lead you where you should go because he’s already in your future. Trust him to bless you as you are a good steward of his things, and know that there may be times of discipline. But these are times God uses to strengthen us for the road to heaven.

In Merry Christmas? you'll hear the stories of three people who didn't always know the joy of Christmas but who found encouragement and hope in Jesus Christ and the message of his birth.

Zechariah’s experience had shown him that God’s plan for the salvation of his people was still strongly in place. The Old Testament promises he had made were coming true before Zechariah’s eyes. These verses of Luke are the overflowing of praise that Zechariah had for his Lord—praise for God’s tender mercy in keeping his promise to send a Savior to the world. Zechariah saw how God’s plan fit together and couldn’t contain his joy. We too praise God for his steadfast mercy and gift of salvation.

Believing what God did for us through Jesus is our connection to God. All that Jesus did for us doesn’t mean anything if we don’t believe it. Not only does God give us our faith, but he also gives us the power to believe. And God uses us in strengths and weaknesses, pleasure or pain (just like he did Zechariah and Elizabeth) to carry out his will in our lives. Belief in Christ means our lives have meaning and purpose here on earth and immortality in heaven.