Christmas thoughts & quotes

Christmas thoughts
Quote - There has been only one Christmas - the rest are anniversaries.
~ W.J. Cameron

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What do you think of when you think of Christmas???
Reindeer, Christmas carols, decorated trees, gifts, turkey, family, snowmen or maybe a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes...
One word that usually does not come to mind is fear.
Fear is usually not gripping us in terror, panic attacks, as it paralyze and overwhelms us. Often fear is much more subtle so we call it concern, worry, just being cautious or by some other name but it is nonetheless a form of fear and can keep us from God’s best. Throughout the Christmas story people were faced with fear. Herod insecurity caused him to fear losing his authority and position. His fear & insecurity lead him to hatch a deceptive and evil plan.
Zacharias, Mary, Joseph and the shepherds faced fear too but they responded differently.
They choose to FEAR NOT and they were among the very few whom at His birth recognized the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes as Emmanuel – God with us, the Prince of Peace.
Like that first Christmas God still speaks to us in the quiet and in the uncertain circumstances of life saying ‘Fear Not’.
He still brings peace that passes understanding to our lives and hearts.
He was, is and will always be the PRINCE of PEACE.
Shalom.

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Prince of Peace – we think of peace as quiet, tranquility, contentment, or maybe as peace from war but when I went back to the Hebrew word used here I found it meant so much more than that.

It means safe i.e. well, happy, friendly
also welfare...e i.e. health, prosperity, peace.

He is the Prince of Safety, Wellness, Contentment, Friendship, Health, Prosperity & Peace.

These things involve our whole being - spirit, soul, body, mind, finances, and relationships.

He came not just to be a story we remember at Christmas or our Savior we recall at Easter but to affect and influence our lives for good on a daily bases - 365 days a year -
to be our All in All, all the days of our lives.

May this CHRISTmas we known Him not just as the babe born in a manger but as our Wonderful, Counsellor, as our Mighty God, as our Everlasting Father and as our Prince of Peace in a fresh and meaningful way.

Wishing you and your family a very
M e r r y C H I S T m a s and a B l e s s e d N e w Y e a r !

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