MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Dear friends in Christ,

This time of year provides a lot of opportunities to stop and reflect on the months that have flown by and to think about what lies ahead for us in 2010.

I guess it’s impossible to live without some regrets. The presence of sin in the world and in our hearts means that we have not yet finished a day in which everything we did was exactly right. But we can’t live our lives as a Christian without a sense of thanksgiving that overshadows the sorrows. One thing I’ve found to be true: When you take a look back at your life, you can see many more reasons to praise and thank God which were not as obvious as when you were going through it. We see how He has been faithful in keeping His promises and gracious in His dealings with us.

Past mercies give confidence to our present hope for the future. As we consider God's dealings with us over the last year, we are encouraged to trust Him for whatever He brings into our lives in the year ahead. As we consider how the Lord has helped us so far, we are strengthened in our faith to depend on Him as we move into the future. I believe that past grace is the surest guarantee of future grace.

The foundation of this hope is found in this great promise from the Bible -- Romans 8:32. "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" The Apostle Paul is saying to us, "Look back at all that God has done in giving us Jesus Christ." He did not spare Him, which is a way of reminding us that God "delivered Him up" to that painful and shameful death on the cross so that we, His people, could have our sins forgiven and our lives transformed.

If God did not spare even His Son in order to provide for us, how can we think for even a moment that He would fail to give us anything we need in the future? The cross of Jesus Christ guarantees that God will graciously provide for us all that we need both in this life and the life to come. That is why Jesus Christ came to earth. That is why He was born.

So as you celebrate Christmas, with whatever traditions and activities that you enjoy, take advantage of the opportunity to praise God again for what the Apostle Paul calls the "unspeakable," gift of His Son. If you have Christ you can be sure that from your heavenly Father's kind hand you have and will have everything you need.

Have a blessed and happy Christmas!

In Christ,

Rob & Kathy Barnes