Wonderful means exciting wonder – marvelous and astonishing…

Psalm 98:1
O sing to the LORD a new song, For He has done wonderful things, His right hand and His holy arm have gained the victory for Him.

Psalm 96:3
Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples.

Psalm 119:129
Your testimonies are wonderful; Therefore my soul observes them.

Psalm 145:5
On the glorious splendor of Your majesty And on Your wonderful works, I will meditate.

1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Here is the most wonderful news of all:  For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.  (John 3:16)

This is why we celebrate Christmas – Jesus sent to us, God with us… Emmanuel.

How wonderful…

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!

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Holy means exalted or worthy of complete devotion, as one perfect in goodness and righteousness.  God’s holiness is not simply the best we know made infinitely better.  God is absolutely untainted. His holiness stands apart—unique and incomprehensible.

Isaiah 6:3

And one called out to another and said,
“Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts,
The whole earth is full of His glory.”

1 Peter 1:15-16

…but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.”

Revelation 4:8-11

And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, “HOLY, HOLY, HOLY is THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS AND WHO IS AND WHO IS TO COME.” And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”

Holy also means that God is without any sin. Are we as people without any sin? No, only God is without any sin!  God calls us to be holy, as He is holy… and we can only do that through Him.

Lord, please help us to be holy as You are holy.

Jehovah-rophe means “Jehovah heals.” God alone has the remedy for the healing of mankind. The Gospel is concerned with the physical, moral, and spiritual healing of all people.

Exodus 15:26

And He said, “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the LORD, am your healer.”

Deuteronomy 32:39
‘ See now that I, I am He, And there is no god besides Me; It is I who put to death and give life I have wounded and it is I who heal, And there is no one who can deliver from My hand.

Psalm 6:2
Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am pining away; Heal me, O LORD, for my bones are dismayed.

Psalm 147:3
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

Jeremiah 17:14
Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; Save me and I will be saved, For You are my praise.

1 Peter 2:24
and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.

God does not just put a bandage on our wounds – He is the Healer who can take away all our pain.

Thank you, Lord, for healing Your people!

This is another guest post about Santa–this time from the perspective that by taking Santa out of Christmas we are keeping Christ at the center. It is from another one of my great bloggy friends, Heather from Not a DIY Life. She’s such a good mama, a strong woman of God and a servant in her church. Please read, comment and enjoy!

Sometimes as Christians, we have to make decisions about how we will live our life differently because of the difference that Christ has made in our lives. And sometimes these decisions are not popular with other people.

It’s difficult to go against the flow.

We made one of those decisions recently. We are not including Santa Claus in any of our Christmas celebrations. It’s been difficult. And our child is only two and a half years old. How much harder will it be when she’s in school?

First, there are the random strangers who ask our daughter if she’s ready for Santa Claus. Then there are our 8 and 10 year old nieces who claim they still believe in Santa Claus. (We may not follow the crowd on Santa Claus, but I am not about to rain on any kid’s parade.) Then there is the rest of the family. Some are Christians and some are not, but they don’t understand why we wouldn’t want to include Santa Claus. After all, EVERYONE is doing it.

How do you deal with the criticisms, the looks, and the sometimes-harsh words regarding this kind of decision? As you would with any matter of faith.

Know what you believe. Know why you believe it.

We have prayerfully considered how the decision to not include Santa Claus will impact our family and our daughter as she grows. We have listed our reasons WHY we do not want to celebrate Santa. And we are ready to share with those who want to listen.

This decision was not made lightly. And it wasn’t made with the intention of rocking the boat. We are respectful that other people hold very dearly to the Santa Claus story and all that he represents.

I’m not sharing all of this to try to convince anyone else of what they should or shouldn’t do. I’m sharing because it’s hard to be different, and it’s comforting when we find others with similar beliefs and values.

Paul tells us in Romans 12 that we are not to “copy the behavior and customs of this world.” (v.2, NLT) That tells me that “just because everybody else is doing it” isn’t a good excuse. (And I have a feeling that I will be reciting that verse a lot as our daughter gets into her tween- and teen-age years.) Paul says it’s okay to be counter-cultural.

However, Paul also reminds us in Colossians 2:16ff that we are not to condemn other Christians who observe customs of the culture. Just because we do something that is counter-cultural doesn’t make us or our children spiritually superior.

Back to the original advice: Know what you believe and why you believe it. Be able to explain why you celebrate Christmas (or any other holiday or cultural custom) differently. Plan ahead. Talk to parents that have made the same decision who have older children and ask them what obstacles they have encountered.

And be prepared. Your children will question why your family does things differently. They may feel left out. Let them know that it’s okay to be different. Use age-appropriate words to explain why this decision is best for your family.

It may not be the easy road. But teaching your children to honor Jesus will be worth it.

photo by Timothy K Hamilton

Day 15: Repurposed Jewelry Box Silhouette Diorama of the Stable

“She gave birth to her first baby. It was a boy. She wrapped him in large strips of cloth. Then she placed him in a manger. There was no room for them in the inn.”  Luke 2:7

Day 16: Repurposed Jewelry Box Manger with Spagetti Straw and Christmas Ball Baby Jesus (*whew*)

“She gave birth to her first baby. It was a boy. She wrapped him in large strips of cloth. Then she placed him in a manger. There was no room for them in the inn.”  Luke 2:7

Day 17: Trashbag Lamb. Inspired by DadCanDo.com

“There were shepherds living out in the fields nearby. It was night, and they were looking after their sheep.” Luke 2:8

Day 18: Stamped Scroll declaring the GOOD NEWS that Jesus is Born!

“But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy. It is for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:10-12

Day 19: Shepherd Who Praised God AND Told Others About Jesus

After the shepherds had seen him, they told everyone. They reported what the angel had said about this child…They gave glory and praise to God. Luke 2:17 & 20

Don’t forget to look at all our Advent Calendar Ornaments!

A victory is an achievement of mastery or success in a struggle or endeavor against odds or difficulties – it is an overcoming!  We can go from triumph to triumph and say, “Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57).

1 Chronicles 29:11
” Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O LORD, and You exalt Yourself as head over all.

Psalm 98:1
O sing to the LORD a new song, For He has done wonderful things, His right hand and His holy arm have gained the victory for Him.

1 Corinthians 15:54
But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, ” DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory.

Lord, thank you for being our Victory!

God as Father is the first person of the Trinity.  The Creator of the universe cares for each one of us as if we are the only child He has.  Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father” (Matthew 6:9), and the Spirit of God taught us to cry, “Abba, Father,” as in the intimacy of the family.

Isaiah 64:8

But now, O LORD, You are our Father, We are the clay, and You our potter; And all of us are the work of Your hand.

Romans 8:15-17

For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

Just as our earthy fathers treasure each little thing our hands touch, how much more does our Heavenly Father treasure us?!

We praise you, Abba Father!

All that God is, He has always been. All that He has been and is, He will ever be. He cannot change because He is perfect and will remain perfect.

Psalm 102:25-28
²⁵“Of old You founded the earth,
And the heavens are the work of Your hands.
²⁶“Even they will perish, but You endure;
And all of them will wear out like a garment;
Like clothing You will change them and they will be changed.
²⁷“But You are the same,
And Your years will not come to an end.
²⁸“The children of Your servants will continue,
And their descendants will be established before You.”

Mighty mountains may fall, but the Lord never changes.

We thank you, Lord, for your unchanging ways!

Omnipotent means having unlimited authority and power.  God has power, and since God is also infinite, whatever He has must be without limit; therefore, God has limitless power!

Jeremiah 32:17-18, 26-27

17 ‘Ah Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You, who shows loving-kindness to thousands, but repays the iniquity of fathers into the bosom of their children after them, O great and mighty God The LORD of hosts is His name;

26Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying, “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?”

The story of David and Goliath (from the Jesus Storybook Bible) helps show that God is so powerful He can do all things – even things that we can’t, or things that seem impossible.

Lord, thank you for your omnipotent ways!

Adonai means “Master” or “Lord” – one having power and authority over others.  God as Adonai calls all God’s people to acknowledge themselves as His servants, recognizing His right to command them as the Lord of their lives.

Deuteronomy 2:7

“For the LORD your God has blessed you in all that you have done; He has known your wanderings through this great wilderness these forty years the LORD your God has been with you; you have not lacked a thing.”‘

2 Samuel 7:18-20

Then David the king went in and sat before the LORD, and he said, “Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far? And yet this was insignificant in Your eyes, O Lord GOD, for You have spoken also of the house of Your servant concerning the distant future And this is the custom of man, O Lord GOD. Again what more can David say to You? For You know Your servant, O Lord GOD!”

Psalm 18:2

The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Psalm 18:31

For who is God, but the LORD?
And who is a rock, except our God…

Acts 2:36

“Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ–this Jesus whom you crucified.”

2 Corinthians 4:5

For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake.

Philippians 2:10-11

so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

We celebrate that the LORD of lords came to dwell among us on earth – What Joy!!!

Thank you, Lord, for being Lord of our lives.