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This Christmas Season Remember Those in Prison
by BILL HUNT As we celebrate this Season, I'm praying for you. You're missing a lot at Christmas and the New Year. And we're missing you! The turkey, the gifts, the tree, the colored lites, your family, your friends, your relatives. I can't bring myself to be too specific because of the gap you bear. What I really want to say is you can receive (1) the real gift of Christmas, Jesus. The King of Heaven and Earth, the expected Messiah, the Son of God, the Savior, the Babe in the Manger can still be yours. All you need to do is repent to him and believe in him. Trust your life to him with all your heart. Do you know he has other gifts for you? Jesus immediately gives you two main gifts: forgiveness and salvation. (2) Forgiveness is God's Love given perfectly. Since God is perfect, he forgives perfectly. And since he forgives perfectly, this means he forgets perfectly. The sins you have repented, he forgets in total. Only the devil keeps trying to remind you. (3) Salvation is the Kingdom of Heaven for eternity, for ever. Jesus says in the Gospels you are present in the Kingdom of Heaven even while on earth. Imagine that, in prison you can actually walk in the Kingdom of Heaven on earth! And there are still other gifts, God gives you. (4) Gift of free will: All life long, we are given choices between good and evil. On the spiritual plane, it is the battle between God and Satan, between right and wrong. You chose! (5) Gift of a blessing life: Here is a great secret many people do not want to admit. If you chose God's way, he will enclose you with his blessings. Blessings, the wicked can not receive. (6) Gift of manhood or womanhood, maturity: You are young at any age, yet you insist you want to be an adult. Being adult means to accept responsibility for yourself. Otherwise, you will never escape the child or the teenager trapped in you by terrible experience. (7) Gift of honesty, denial: Those who chose wrong also chose the way of denial. They think they can hide their sins from others. What they are really doing is hiding their sins from themselves. (8) Gift of forgiving others, blame: Those in denial also consistently blame others. No matter how others affected you or failed you, they did not choose your actions. Not your parents, not your family, not your friends, no one! Do not blame others for what you did. Or you'll never see the truth about yourself and find your victory. (9) Freedom: You will win victory in your life if you first win the victory in yourself. To do this, you must repent of your sins and turn to Jesus, the Son of God, with all your heart. That's why he came. You can do this yourself in prayer. God gives you the Gift of Himself. (10) The Gift of His Father. "And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength" (Mark 12:30 NKJ). God wants your love and he wants to give you his divine love. (11) The Gift of His Holy Spirit. Jesus sends you his Comforter who brings you his fruits, gifts, and ministries. He is constantly with you to remind you of the presence of Jesus. (12) Gift of others. God gives you the gift of others. "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Mark 12:31 NKJ). Regard and respect others in the same way you want them to regard and respect you. Yes, even in prison. No one can ever stop you from talking with God in inner prayer. Read your scripture, pray, and obey God daily. If you turn to him, he will always be with you...especially in prison. Experience what happens when God walks with you. Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year, wherever you are! Bill Hunt dedicated his marriage to discovering God's 100 million miracles in life. As a Christian Writer, administrator, and career educator, he writes true miracle stories and Christian teachings on FaithWriters and CornerRetreat.blogspot.com. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |