Friday's Fave Five #58

It's time for another Friday's Fave Five (hosted by Susanne at Living to Tell the Story).

My Fave Five this week:-
1. CHRISTmas: Celebrating CHRIST's birth with family. I also loved the candlelight service at church. The feast, fellowship, and fun were fabulous, too :). Giving and serving others always bring me joy. I also like seeing my loved ones being happy and surprised by the gifts I pick out  for them.

2. My kids helped bake cookies for our annual Christmas give-away goodies. We enjoyed delivering them (plus my homemade bookmarks) and visiting with our neighbors.

3. My husband has had last Friday and this whole week off. We love having him home with us!

4. Our Top Ten Highlights from 2011 (which includes the slideshow I made that sums up our year in pictures)

5. Relaxing and reading. You can check out my Top Ten Reads of 2011 here.

"Long after the angels disappear into the heavens, the shepherds return to their flocks, the magi journey home, and the great star sets, JESUS remains.
The Child in whom we rediscover God's great love for humanity becomes the adult Redeemer who challenges us to imitate His selflessness and compassion in order that we might transform our world in love. 
May we allow the miracle of CHRISTmas to continue long after the holiday trappings have been packed away. 
May we welcome the adult Messiah and His challenging Gospel to recreate our lives--making the peace, justice, and hope of this holy season a reality in every season of the new year." 
(~Author Unknown)

Have a blessed & Christ-centered New Year, everyone!

He Has Come for Us

God rest ye merry gentlemen let nothing you dismay
Remember Christ our Savior was born on Christmas day
To save us all from Satan's power when we were gone astray
O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

He has come for us, This Jesus
He's the hope for all mankind
He has come for us, The Messiah
Born to give us life (He is born to give us life)

From God our heavenly Father a blessed angel came
And unto certain shepherds brought tidings of the same
How that in Bethlehem was born the Son of God by name
O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

All the angels sing Hallelujah, Jesus Christ is born
All the children sing Hallelujah, He is Christ the Lord

He has come for us, This Jesus
He's the hope for all mankind
He has come for us, The Messiah
Born to give us life (He is born to give us life)

"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." Luke 2:10-12
"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him." John 3:16-17
"The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth...No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made Him known." John 1:14, 18

How thankful I am that Jesus has come for us!  Such amazing love!  May the presence of Jesus bring you comfort and joy this CHRISTmas and always!

Indescribable Joy

Joy surpasses any happiness.  Happiness is dependent on circumstances.  Joy is not.  I am filled with overflowing joy (not because it's my birthday :) but because of Jesus).  Joy is found in our gratitude to the Lord.  Joy is found in knowing Jesus.  Joy is found in walking with Him even through the valley of the shadow of death. Joy is found in living for God (our Source of joy) and doing His will. Joy is found in childlike faith. Joy is found in Christ-like attitude. Joy is found in loving, giving, and serving.  You can have true joy if you love Jesus above all else, then sincerely love and genuinely care about others, and put yourself last.
Jesus
Others
Yourself

Oh the sheer joy of it!
Walking with Thee,
Out on the hilltop,
Down by the sea,
Life is so wonderful,
Life is so free.
~Ralph Spaulding Cushman

"You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." Psalm 16:11
"The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes." Psalm 19:8
"The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song." Psalm 28:7
"If you obey My commands, you will remain in My love, just as I have obeyed My Father's commands and remain in His love. I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete." John 15: 10-11
God is my Joy and my Delight.  How thankful I am for the joy of the Lord deep within my soul!  Joy to the World...Joy to you all! "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.'"(Luke 2:10-11) Christ's birth brought indescribable joy to mankind because He is the Messiah! Let's share with others the joy of knowing Jesus and the wonders of His love! May our joy and love (that we receive from Him) be contagious :).

"Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls." 1 Peter 1:8-9

Have a CHRIST-centered & joy-filled CHRISTmas, everyone!

Have We Committed a Crime?

"What is the greatest crime in the desert? Finding water and keeping silent." Eastern proverb

"Jesus answered her (the Samaritan woman), 'If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked Him and He would have given you living water.'....Jesus answered, 'Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.'" John 4:10, 13-14

We (Christians) have found the living water, but...have we been keeping silent? Have we committed the greatest crime in the spiritual desert?

      You Forgot My Soul

You lived next door to me for years
We shared our dreams, our joys, and tears.
A friend to me you were indeed...
A friend who helped me when in need.

My faith in you was strong and sure
We had such trust as should endure.
No spats between us ever rose;
Our friends were like...and so our foes.

What sadness then, my friend, to find
That after all you weren't so kind.
The day my life on earth did end
I found you weren't a faithful friend.

For all those years we spent on earth
You never talked of second birth.
You never spoke of my lost soul
And of the Messiah Who'd make me whole.

I plead today from Hell's cruel fire
And tell you now my last desire.
You cannot do a thing for me...
No words today my bonds will free.

But do not err, my friend, again;
Do all you can for souls of men.
Plead with them now quite earnestly,
Lest they be cast in Hell with me.

~Author Unknown

Are we truly loving our neighbors as ourselves? Are we doing all we can to reach the lost...to help quench their thirst by leading them to the Living Water...to show them that only Jesus offers lasting spiritual satisfaction?

"Save some, O Christian! By all means, save some. From yonder flames and outer darkness, and the weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth, seek to save some! Let this, as in the case of the apostles, be your great, ruling object in life, that by all means you might save some." Charles Spurgeon (Note from me: Only God can save! I think Mr. Spurgeon understood that and he just meant that Christians need to reach out to the lost in the hope that they might come to the Lord and be saved.)

There's a must-see video for every Christian produced by http://www.asialink.org.uk/ .  Please scroll up to the bottom of this page to watch the video. 

Please visit here for the links to other Spiritual Sundays posts.  Have a blessed day in the Lord, everyone!