It’s not polite to reject a gift…
If we do well not to reject a simple Christmas gift, how can we then reject the greatest gift? As a brother in Christ, I urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. His goodness leads us to repentance, and we shouldn’t be surprised that if we reject his grace, He will remove His blessings. If blessings lead us closer to us, they will come. If pain leads us closer to Him, it will come. His goal isn’t to make us happy, it is to make us His. Now is the time to turn to Christ. We do what we can so that all may experience God’s presence. As servants and children of God, we rejoice in everything: in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonment and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and the left; through flory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet people will call us imposters; known, yet people will not understand us; dying, yet we live on; beaten, yet we will not be killed; sorrowful for the world, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, yet he possess everything in Christ. We are people of delightful paradoxes. Christ flipped this world upside down. The poor are rich. The downtrodden are uplifted. Those who die to themselves are those who truly live!

Love first, ask questions later
Speak freely and open your hearts to everyone. Make a decision everyday to love and serve those around you. Do not hold your affection or encouragement for anyone, but instead, encourage freely and love boldly. Open your heart to others, and they will open their hearts to you. It is the only way.


Homefront vs. Battlefront
Do not link yourselves with those who are not children of God. You do not want your homefront to be your battlefront. Surround yourself with those who are striving for holiness, not their own personal gain. If you are living with people who bring you down, it makes it so much harder for you to bring others up. You can’t carry everyone’s weight. How can you move forward in relationships when you are going two different directions? What do righteousness and wicked have in common? What fellowship can light have with darkness? We should find ourselves among the lost, but we should not let the blind lead those who can see. I am not suggesting isolating yourself from the world; I am suggesting you bring God’s light into it. Walk strongly in the light. Do not let and idol or person attempt to remove you from it. Pursue holiness in every relationship because every relationship is a chance to make others more like Christ and to love others like Christ.

But some of us do not have the option to separate the homefront from the battlefront. We are stuck we families, friends, and relationships that drain us. Sometimes it’s easier said than done to love those who make us want to pull our hair out. Should we run away? Should we just let it take its toll on our live? By no means! When you're jolted, what spills out is whatever is filling you. Fill yourself with the Fruit of the Spirit: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Constantly renew your mind and pray for those who annoy you, for those who persecute. When you are insulted, respond with grace and patience. When there is pain, respond with joy. With selfishness, respond with kindness. With ingratitude, respond with faithfulness. With anger, respond with gentleness. With disruption, respond with peace. With high tempers, respond with self control. Fill yourself with the fruit each day.


Accept His grace. Encourage his people. Fight the good fight.