Sunday, December 12, 2010

I'm back, and Merry Christmas!

I'm back in America! Thank you all so much for your prayers and support these past two years. I praise God for allowing me to serve Him in Mali the past two years. Some days were definitely easier than others, but it is such a privilege to be used by God to share the gospel. Praise God for the work He is doing in Mali and all over the world!

This Christmas season I've been so thankful for my salvation and thinking about what it was like before people had Jesus. As soon as Adam and Eve sinned, they were promised that one day death would be defeated. God told the snake that Eve would have a descendent and that Satan would bruise His heal, but He would crush Satan's head! God called a people to Himself, revealed Himself to them, showed them their need for a Savior, and promised that one was coming. For thousands of years people waited for that Savior. They struggled to follow the law and have a right relationship with God on their own, but they failed terribly. We can't do it on our own, we can't be good at all, much less good enough for God. That was the point. Try as we might, we desperately need a Savior.
Can you imagine, after thousands of years of waiting, finally Jesus came! Most people didn't recognize Him, but those that did followed Him and many gave their lives for this message. Jesus is the only hope we have.
People before Jesus waited for Him to come, knowing they needed salvation, they needed help. Now, we live as a result of Jesus coming. We have salvation! Our lives need to reflect how great a salvation we were given, how much we were saved from.

What's heartbreaking is that 2,000 years later, so many people don't know. They know they need more, but they don't know what. All over the world we see seekers turning to false religions, trying desperately to work their way to a right relationship when we know that it's impossible. We can't be good enough but praise God we don't have to be! We live in a time of hope, but they don't know it!

Please pray for these people this holiday season. 2,000 years later and they still don't know that they don't have to struggle to find God, struggle to obey God, and still die not knowing where they will spend eternity. God came to them! They don't know that! Pray that they will receive the message of hope they need to hear. They don't have much time.

Here are they lyrics to one of my favorite Christmas songs, Oh, Come, Oh, Come Emmanuel

Oh, come, oh, come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come O Rod of Jesse's stem,
From ev'ry foe deliver them
That trust your mighty pow'r to save;
Bring them in vict'ry through the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Oh, bid our sad divisions cease,
And be yourself our King of Peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

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