By GARY ANDREWS
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

I often wonder how many people have the opportunity of reading the Christmas Story.
I know that at my church we do and on many occasions my wife and I read it at home. This is something we have tried to share with our children with hopes that someday they will share this story with their children and it will continue on down the line.
Instead of great joy and sharing, Christmas has become a time of stress and the burden of over-spending monies that we don’t have nor have any idea how long it will take us to get it.
Billy Graham tells us in his Hope for Each Day, to not let the Christmas season overwhelm us. We don’t need to feel that we have to do everything, or go into debt just to impress people. Instead, we need to focus on Jesus and take time every day to read the prophecies of His coming and the wonderful story of His birth.
The Christmas message is still the same as it has been for over 2000 years.
Read the following verses from Luke about the Savior’s birth and really let it sink into our hearts. All of us truly need to enjoy Christmas and let it be the good news of great joy through Jesus.
“In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.”
For the entire Christmas story please read Luke 1:26 - 2:40.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the Christmas season. All of us that know you know that you are with us in whatever we do and we praise you for this. Amen.
(Suggested daily Bible readings: Sunday - Isaiah 7:13-14; Monday - Matthew 1:18-25; Tuesday - 2 Corinthians 9:6-15; Wednesday - John 10:7-10; Thursday - Luke 1:32-33; Friday - Psalm 145-:17-21; Saturday - 1 Peter 5:5-7.)
Gary Andrews is the author of Encouraging Words: 30-days in God’s Word. To obtain a copy go to his website www.gadevotionals.com.

By GARY ANDREWS
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Christmas: the season of giving!
I have received many emails speaking of great gifts given to others whether the giver realized it or not. These are called miracle gifts and most of these contained no more than people giving of themselves.
My wife and I have watched many Christmas specials and have reached the conclusion that the greatest gift you give while inhabiting this earth is the gift of hope.
One email I received was about a four-year old boy who visited Santa Clause in a department store, and all he asked for was that Santa would come to the hospital and visit his younger sister who was dying of leukemia. Her greatest wish was that she could talk to Santa.
After work that evening the Santa and the manager of the store made their way to the hospital to visit this young lady. Upon their arrival and at first sight the young lady jumped with joy and almost pulled all of her medicine tubes from her body. Santa embraced her with a big hug and sat on the bed beside her.
They talked for a few moments and Santa told her to get well and he would see her next Christmas.
Santa left the room with tears in his eyes not knowing how long this young child had to live. With great anticipation he prayed with her and for her and instilled into her the gift of hope and future expectations.
This particular Santa worked for this department store every year and the next year was no different. One of his first visitors was a young girl who ran and jumped into his lap and asked, “Do you remember me?” Santa said, “of course I remember you.”
This was the same answer he gave to every child that asked him this question. Then the young girl said, “I am the one you came to visit last year in the hospital.” With tears in his eyes Santa hugged this young girl and said a prayer of thanksgiving for her life had been spared.
Through his unselfish giving of his time and through his inspirational gift of hope the Santa helped this young girl to overcome this dreaded disease and become cancer free.
The gift of giving in its purest form expects nothing in return. Giving is its own reward. Look what Jesus did for all of us. He gave Himself to be crucified on a cross so that you and I can have the gift of eternal life and all we have to do is believe.
Prayer: “Our Father, which art in heaven, thank you for your gift of life here on earth and for the knowledge of knowing that we will spend eternity with you because you sent your son to save us from our sins. You have told us so many times through your Word that we should believe and have faith in Christ Jesus. Amen.”
(Suggested daily Bible readings: Sunday - John 3:16-21; Monday - 1 Peter 1:13-16; Tuesday - Psalm 71:5-8; Wednesday - Isaiah 41:13; Thursday - James 1:5-6; Friday - Ephesians 2:8-10; Saturday - 2 Thessalonians 1:3)
Gary Andrews is the author of Encouraging Words: 30-days in God’s Word. To obtain a copy go to his website www.gadevotionals.com.

By GARY ANDREWS
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

I think that each one of us should realize that we are special and unique. God made us this way He wants us to be this way and we need to accept this. In this world today we find many people, who want to change their bodies, alter their lifestyles, and go against the norm in everyday living. I believe that these type individuals are searching for something that will build them up and let them know they are accepted.
Something that everyone should realize is that God doesn’t make mistakes! We alter His plans because we are driven by worldly values and go searching for better things than we have.
Many of us believe we have no friends and that the people around us don’t like us and just tolerate our being. In some instances this is true but it isn’t because of them, it is because of us.
When I was a youngster in junior high school I was very shy. I was afraid to speak up and state my case even when I had something to say. I kept quiet in class knowing that I had the correct answer to questions and would sit back in my desk waiting for someone else to speak up. My shyness led to some form of insecurity in the classroom because I was afraid to talk to my fellow students.
Yes, I had many friends but I wanted everyone to be my friend. I would search out the students that were shyer than I was and talk with them trying to help their ego. I would forego the opportunities of talking with the more popular students because I felt inferior.
As I have matured and gone in a different direction than most of my classmates I realized that if I wanted to succeed in this world I was going to stand up and speak up to make a difference. When one goes into the sales profession the first things he or she learns is that you cannot be shy on sales calls, you must know your product and speak to the advantages of it, and to listen to the customer.
I have learned through the years that even when I thought I was inferior to some of my classmates I was really their friend. Many that I have come across in my retirement years are very cordial and recall some of the good times we had in high school. I find that most of them are interested in where life has taken me and I am pleased to learn the direction they have gone also. I have overcome my shyness and the Lord has placed me in some tremendous locations allowing me to have friends throughout a vast area.
A friend from long ago once said that every time he saw me I was smiling. This is a trait that I have because God gave me happiness and I want to share it with others. There is an old saying, “A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone, even if they don’t like you.” This is a true statement and over my years of management and dealing with the public, I have found this to be a very worthy help mate.
The one friend that I have always had and count on is the Lord God. Proverbs 18:24 states, “A man who has friends must himself by friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”
We all need to realize that every night, someone thinks about us before they go to sleep. To someone else you may mean the world to them and this is why God made us special and unique. We need to live up to our potential and quit worrying about what others think about us and lead the life that God has allowed us to have. Be a friend to everyone whether you want to or not. It will pay dividends in your future.
Prayer: Lord I pray that I have befriended all of the people that you want me too. I pray that I can be the example that will lead someone to you. Amen.
(Suggested daily Bible readings: Sunday – Luke 5:17-26; Monday – Isaiah 41:8-10; Tuesday – John 15:11-17; Wednesday – Ecclesiastes 4:9-12; Thursday – 2 Timothy 1:13-18; Friday – Proverbs 17:17-18; Saturday – James 4:1-6.)
Gary Andrews is the author of Encouraging Words: 30-days in God’s Word. To obtain a copy go to his website www.gadevotionals.com.

By GARY ANDREWS
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Sometimes I find it hard to sleep and get up early in the morning because I have something on my mind. Most of these times of insomnia I have a particular subject on my mind and until I get up and talk with the Lord about it, I cannot ease my mind of these thoughts.
My family and I have been thoroughly blessed and I wonder if I have praised God enough for all the blessings He has given me. I once heard a pastor say to his congregation, “What if we wake up in the morning and all we have is what we have thanked or praised God for?”
A Psalm of David tells us, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name.” Have you ever thought that the word “Bless” also means “Praise”? Everything we have or ever will have is given to us by the Lord God and many of us never take the time to say “Bless you Lord” or “Praise you Lord” or “Thank You Lord”.
Many will tell you that the Lord had nothing to do with their success and that through hard work and dedication on their part they earned what they have. It is a sad day when anyone would think this, especially a child of the Living God, but there are many people in the world today that will tell you this. It is a sad day that when people believe all of their riches came from within them and what they have done to obtain them. They live it up on earth and never realize that when their time comes to an end what is going to happen to all of their riches. They are certainly not going to take it to the grave with them. These riches are going to someone else to squander and use as they see fit or either to someone that will say “Bless you Lord” and use these riches for the kingdom of God.
In verse two of this Psalm we are told, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” What is your definition of benefits? Again, many of us do not think that all we have is a benefit of the Lord. Where would we be without Him and what would we have if the Lord God had not created us and give us a world to live in? Not only has He given us a world to live in but He has given us a Christian nation to live in. We are the most blessed nation in the world and have riches beyond belief compared to others in this world. To the ones of us that complain about what we don’t have should really stop and thank God for what we do have. There are many people in other countries that don’t have the luxuries that we enjoy and complain about.
The Psalmist started his chapter with “Bless the Lord” and ended his chapter with “Bless the Lord.” In everything we do or say we should bless the Lord’s Holy Character. He is a merciful God, a forgiving God, and a gracious God. If it were not for the grace of God where would any of us be? Whether we are His child or not, each one of us will stand before Him on judgment day and give an account of how we spent our life and what we did for Him. Our God wants to be praised and when our time on earth is done and we go to eternity with Him, this is what we are going to be doing. Why should we praise God; because He is God.
Prayer: Father God, I do praise you in everything. You are the light of the world and I give you all the praise for all you have blessed me with. Thank you for loving a sinner such as I. Amen.
(Suggested daily Bible readings: Sunday – Psalm 103:1-22; Monday – Nehemiah 9:1-6; Tuesday – Revelation 7:9-17; Wednesday – 1 Thessalonians 3:7-13; Thursday – Daniel 2:19-23; Friday -  Psalm 115:1-3; Saturday – Acts 12:21-24.)
Gary Andrews is the author of Encouraging Words: 30-days in God’s Word. To obtain a copy go to his website www.gadevotionals. com.