HOPE: THE HEART OF CHRISTMAS

This is how much God loved the world; He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why; so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. John 3:16 MSG

The story of Christmas is full of HOPE!

Hope! The joyful anticipation of something good!

There is no greater illustration of hope than that of children on Christmas morning. They rise with joyful anticipation, go to the living room in their pajamas, knowing they have surprises under the tree.

They know something good is going to happen, and they are already happy about it, even though “it” hasn’t happened yet. Their excitement is evident, verbal in every sense. To look at them, you know how they feel. There is no wondering. They are filled with hope!

Every good story offers a great promise. Promises give hope. The Christmas story is no different. It speaks into the hopelessness of the age we are living in. It reveals to us a God that has been on a mission to save us.

God promised a rescuer who would fix all that was broken in us. He made good on His promise by sending us His son, our Savior, who one day will return for us!

The Gospel is called the Good News for that reason; A story full of hope to all the Kingdom of God’s citizens.

We were designed to live with great hope! Yes, we live in difficult times and we must deal with disappointment often, but hope is greater!

Does your hope show to others? Is your hope evident on your face and by your body language like a child’s on Christmas morning?

Hope is the byproduct of what we are thinking about, meditating on, reading and filling our heart with. Promises create hope. If your hope tank is low, meditate on the promises in the Word. It’s Good News!

We have such a gift to share with others. The hope of the gospel! It’s what Christmas is all about.

DECLARATION TO LIFE: I was designed for hope. I will live with hope and it will be evident to those around me.