Priceless Gift!

Wow! I cannot believe it's been almost a year since I have written on this blog. I did not plan to stay away that long. The good news is that I am back and I have received so much insight that I cannot wait to share with you. As we celebrate today the birth of our Savior Jesus, it is also a time for reflection about things and events that transpired in both our personal and spiritual lives. Let me just say the Lord took me to school this year. He made me wean from the bottle and challenged me to graduate from Kindergarten to a higher level where I can begin to eat some solid food such as meat. So, I have tested the "meat of the Word" and I can tell you that it is good and it gets better day by day. That's why I have no intention of reverting back to "baby food". I am praising God for spiritual upgrade and for allowing me to graduate to higher level in Christ. Throughout the upcoming blogs, I will write about the lessons I have learned and how I dealt with life's unexpected turns.
However, I just stop today to say a prayer for you but most importantly to bring my gift to Jesus: a Thanksgiving offering.
Indeed we don't need a special day to say thank you. We all know how the world becomes so frantic during this season as I mentioned it on a previous blog .  We can dare to be different by being less self-centered and more Christ-centered. After all, it is His Birthday.
Imagine for a moment being the guest of honor at a celebration that was the talk of the town. Your transportation, your clothes, your shoes, your jewelry were all paid for by the same person who invited you. Not to leave anything undone, He even booked you a room at a "Taj-Mahal" like hotel.You could hardly believe your eyes when you entered the place where the festivities were taking place : exquisite foods, "out-of-this world" delicacies and drinks" Did I mention "precious stones" cutlery and diamond plates that you did not have to return ? How about the "professional staff assigned to cater to every one of your needs. But wait, you were not just like any guest ! You were seated at the table of Honor and treated like Royalty. In addition, you were not required to bring any gift or even contribute anything. Rather, it was written in golden letters on the invitation cards:

"Come as you are, Grace will be supplied in Abundance at no Cost to you"

This is not a fantasy but a reality that anyone can live when they understand the reason why Jesus came. I don't know about you but I am going to tell you few among countless blessings He bestowed upon me when I accepted His invitation :

- He gave me a second lease as far as my life is concerned with a much better proposal that I could not refuse: "The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life." (John 10:10, NLT)

- He covered my nakedness, made me over and crowned me with Glory: “ I bathed you with water and washed the blood from you and put ointments on you. I clothed you with an embroidered dress and put leather sandals on you. I dressed you in fine linen and covered you with costly garments.I adorned you with jewelry: I put bracelets on your arms and a necklace around your neck,and I put a ring on your nose, earrings on your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. " (Ezekiel 16:9-12, NIV)

- He covered all my unrighteous acts with His grace and made me right with Him: "For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:17, NLT).

- He did not disqualify me because of pre-existing conditions but He accepted me with all the baggage from my past: "To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he has made us accepted in the beloved." 
(Ephesians 1:6, KJV).

He looked me straight in the eye and told me to believe until it sunk deep within my soul that: "I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." (Psalm 139:14, NIV)

The list goes on. I would not have enough room to tell it all. Jesus is the "Man". How can I ever repay Him back? It is impossible. Nevertheless, I know I can do this much, which is to glorify God for bringing Emmanuel, who wanted to tabernacle among lowly men. I am so glad you came, Jesus, my Lord, my Brother and Best Friend more than two thousand years ago on a Christmas day! Happy Birthday!

Merry Christmas to all! May you be rooted in the love of God and may this wonderful season grant you an Abundance of Christ's Peace that will linger forever. Joyeux Noël!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we come with a grateful heart to present to you a Thank offering. Nothing can compare to the most precious gift that you have freely given us, your Son, Jesus Christ. In Jesus, we have received salvation, eternal life, restoration, deliverance, freedom, peace and so much more. May your Name be praised! Power, Glory, Dominion and Honor belong to you Emmanuel, King of Kings, Prince of Peace, Bread of Life, Adonai !  I love you! I Adore You! In Jesus' Name! Amen!

May your life be a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God !

Abi



 


 

 

An Attitude of Gratitude.

"Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5 :18 (NLT)

I am sure you previously heard the following cliche: "your attitude determines your altitude". Today, I am taking the liberty of modifying it a little bit by saying : "An attitude of gratitude will determine our altitude". Altitudes are the milestones we want to reach, the dreams we want to accomplish, the goals we want to achieve. Along the way, we are faced with the reality that such heights are not attained without overcoming obstacles. Many who are now able to stand at the summit of the mountain of Success and Achievement will tell you that they first needed to go through the valley of despair, disappointment and discouragement. Our perfect example is Our Lord Jesus Christ. He did not allow the pains of the Cross and Golgotha from preventing Him to grasp the Glory of the Resurrection. I not only admire Jesus' total obedience to our Heavenly Father but I am also learning other facets of His personality. Jesus' attitude did not stink! Let me correct it for the purists out there: Jesus' attitude was above reproach. He never complained about dying for ungrateful sinners or having to do it all by Himself. He did not have a " Why Me? " attitude. Rather, He remained in a posture of humility and wore a " Thank God" attitude. Jesus knew that because of His sacrifice, everyone who would accept Him and call upon His Name, would  be saved and receive eternal life. So, He was thankful.

You see, I can use few pointers myself from Jesus' life. I woke up this morning with a phone call  and some email that really upset me. The news were discouraging. All I wanted to do was to crawl in my bed and lament all day.However,something inside of me encouraged me to see the " glass half-full" rather than "half-empty". I believe that it is the Holy spirit who is constantly teaching me to renew my mind and change my attitude.  We must realize that our enemy ,satan ,will always send us some distractions in order for us to fail. Always remember that the devil can see where God is taking us. He knows that God has a great future and plans  for  us (Jeremiah 29: 11) and that is why he will do everything in his capacity to block or destroy our destiny. We can either fall for his tricks or change our attitude towards the problem we face. I don't know what has been troubling you lately? Maybe it does not seem as if you are making some progress. Maybe, you think that life has been unfair to you and you will never make it. Be comforted because God says in

Jeremiah 32: 27:

"I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?" (NIV)

Absolutely NOT! God can transform our circumstances instantly according to his timing and Will. While, we are waiting,we should keep on pressing. We should  count our blessings and adopt an Attitude of Gratitude.

I started a " Gratitude journal" where I write 5 things that happened during the day and that I am grateful for. This simple but yet powerful exercise allows me to keep my attitude in check and to recognize that God is in control and the last time I checked Jesus is still seated on the Throne,at the right hand of the Father. So who cares what the world would bring tome today ? I am thankful that God woke me up this morning, that's enough for me to praise Him. Hallelujah! What are you grateful for today, every day? Write it down!

Prayer: Dear Holy Spirit, please teach and show us how to be thankful regardless if things are good or bad. Empower us to have the mind of Christ,which will allow us to conquer every situation we face no matter the difficulty. We thank God that He cares and sees us even in the midst of our struggles. He will not give us more than we can bear and will provide a way out for us when it becomes unbearable (1 Corinthians 10:13). Help us, Lord Jesus, to keep running for the prize of the higher calling that is found in you alone. In Jesus' Name. Amen!

May your life be a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God !

Abi

Who would Imagine a King?

The buzz! If you haven't heard by now, you must be sleeping under a rock.It is everywhere.People are doing their last minute shopping , picking up gifts, going over and beyond their spending limits. Come on y'all! There is a birthday celebration and no one wants to be left behind. It's Christmas time in the city!
I absolutely love this time of the year. I love the colors. I love the decorations. I love the scents. I love the mint flavored and pumpkin spiced hot chocolate. I love the sweet potato pies. I love the elaborated designs done with the Christmas lights. Did I mention the Christmas cartoons? Charlie Brown's Christmas , anyone? Above all, I love the one who inspired all this joy and excitement: Jesus Christ. Over the years, our society has trivialized Christmas and reduced it to a season of high consumerism and commercialism.
What about the birthday's boy? Jesus? For many of us, He has just become a cute porcelain figurine that we can include in the nativity display if we even bother to have one. For others, we  just pay him some "lip service" during a special Christmas' Eve or Midnight worship service. After that, let's just be merry and happy! Jesus? Oh, well! He understands our hearts, don't you agree?
I am not trying to be a "Grinch" and steal your Christmas. However, I want us to remember what the prophet Isaiah foretold about  Mary's baby boy:

" For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end." Isaiah 9: 6-7 (NIV)

Yes, Emmanuel came to us as a baby boy, born in a manger but His initial status should not make us forget who He really is:

Jesus is  Mighty God.

Jesus is the Prince of Peace.

Jesus is the Author of Life.

Jesus is the Giver of all blessings.

Jesus is the Lord of Lords.

Jesus is my King. He is your King. He is truly the reason for this season. This is just not a slogan but it is the essence of Christmas. So, as you are celebrating with friends, family and counting your blessings, just pause with me for a moment and say: "Thank You, Jesus!" . Better yet, Let's sing: " Happy Birthday, Dear Jesus." We don't need to be pitch perfect, all we have to do is to make a "Joyful Noise" unto Jesus. Trust me,St. Paul was right when he said:

"remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" Acts 20: 35 (NIV)

Dear Friends, in the Spirit of Christmas, Let us offer to Jesus the best gift we can give Him: Our Gratitude. Merry Christmas to all of you!

Prayer: Dear Jesus, I would like to wish you a Happy Birthday! I don't have myrrh to present to you. I don't have frankincense to offer to you. I don't have gold to adorn you. So, I am offering you the fruit of my lips. I am giving you my praise and thanksgiving. Thank you Jesus for coming into the world to bring me Joy, Peace, Liberty and the most precious of all gifts: Salvation and Eternal life. I love you Lord for being my Savior and King. Amen!

May your life be a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God !

Abi