God is available to all who seek truth. The birth of Jesus Christ, His only Son, celebrated at Christmas isn’t about giving gifts to family and friends, or making once a year donations to charitable causes. Jesus wants to come into the hearts of men and exchange their nature of sin for one of love. Will you come?

 

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The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance,

but the Lord looks at the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7

In a world obsessed with class, position, fairness, race, and politics, the age-old battle between the haves and the have-nots exists to this very day. God does not respect the values of the world. He respects open and humble hearts. In the eyes of God, we all need the one thing only He can offer, forgiving grace, available to all.

Mary and Joseph were poor, yet God chose them to parent His only Son. The fact that they came from the ignoble village of Nazareth, despised for its poverty and obscurity meant nothing to Him at all. Jesus was born in a stable, not a palace, yet His visitors included men from every walk of life. God chose a poor couple filled with faith and a desire to obey, knowing they would make themselves available to do His will.

Despised by Jewish society as poor outcasts, shepherds were the first to hear the news of Messiah’s birth. God valued these lowly men, sending not just one angel, but a heavenly choir to announce the birth of His Son. And they responded. Leaving their sheep, they ran to the stable to worship the tiny babe. They were the first to spread the good news of the Savior. Whatever their station in life, God is available to people whose hearts are open.

The visit of the Magi marks the revelation of the Christ child to the Gentiles, those not of the Jewish race chosen to convey His message to the world. These wise, educated men, able to read the stars, were wealthy enough to travel a long distance, possibly for almost a year, in search of the king foretold by prophecy. They lavished gifts on the child born in poverty, but recognized the blackness of King Herod’s heart. Seeing him as evil, they refused to inform him of the child’s whereabouts, returning home another way. God is available to all who desire the truth.

The homeless person living in a cardboard box is as precious to God as the wealthiest millionaire living in the finest mansion. He loves each the same. People who sincerely seek God exist among the needy as well as the rich, and the wicked exist across society as well. Jesus was a king with no home in which to lay His head. In Philippians 2, Paul wrote:

Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
⁷ rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
⁸ And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

God humbled Himself to become a man in order to bring hope. His offer of forgiveness and eternal life is available to everyone willing to humble themselves, confess their sins, and admit their need for forgiveness and grace. Each of us must open our hearts as the shepherds, seek Him as the Magi, and allow Him to rid our hearts of evil, coming with humility and accepting the grace of Jesus Christ. He is available to all. Will you come?

© Copyright by Norma Gail Thurston Holtman, November 30, 2015

About the author:

Norma Gail is the author of the contemporary Christian romance, Land of My Dreams, winner of the 2016 Bookvana Religious Fiction Award. A women’s Bible study leader for over 21 years, her devotionals and poetry have appeared at ChristianDevotions.us, the Stitches Thru Time blog, and in “The Secret Place.” She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America. Norma is a former RN who lives in the mountains of New Mexico with her husband of 40 years. They have two adult children.

Connect with Norma:

Website: www.normagail.org

Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/Norma-Gail/e/B00ILHXBAK/

Book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQbZIoC_JSE

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorNormaGail

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+NormaGailwrites

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/normagailth/boards/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7874459

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Norma_Gail

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/norma-gail-thurston-holtman/42/71a/3b2

Book Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Land-My-Dreams-Norma-Gail/dp/1941103170

Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas Bookstore: http:// lpcbooks.com/product/land-of-my-dreams/

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/land-of-my-dreams-norma-gail/1119606864?ean=9781941103173