Month: December 2018

Is it time for a New Year’s resolution or what? I’m going to say, or what! Watch my video for an alternative idea I have to starting off the new year right.

Please leave your comments below.

Happy New Year!

Christmas is almost here! Can you feel the excitement in the air? I must admit, even at my age, I just love this time of year. I love making gifts for people, having family and friends over, wrapping presents and counting down the days with my little ones.

Beyond the fun festivities the season brings, there is a deeper reason why Christmas is so special. Let’s read about it in John, chapter 3:

¹⁶ 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. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. ¹⁹ This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. ²¹ But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

I am so moved by knowing that we aren’t merely celebrating Jesus’ birth, but also the light that it brought into a very dark world. John, chapter 1 tells us:

⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome^[a] it.

It goes on to say:

⁹ The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.

Third Day has a beautiful song called, Jesus, Light of the World, that I’d love for you to listen to (or read the lyrics) if you have a few minutes.

One of the pastors at my church has been doing a series this month entitled, Light Has Come, and it so perfectly encapsulates the Hope, Joy, Peace, and Love that we can experience at Christmas and even throughout the year if we know Jesus.

We no longer have to live in the darkness of sin. As believers, we will still struggle with sin, but we are no longer bound by it. We are no longer slaves to it. Talk about Good News!

I am so thankful for the True Light that came into the world and changed it (and us) forever. I pray we have opportunities this Christmas to share and reflect that Light, which is our quest here at Goberadiant.

A big THANK YOU to all who have supported me this year in my blogging. Being radiant is not easy, but you have spurred me on in that area more than you know.

Wishing you a Christmas that is Merry and Bright and filled with Light – the Light of Jesus.

See you next year!

 

It’s pop quiz time! Whoever guesses the answer first wins. Ready? Here we go. What is a one-word, three-letter question that 3 and 4-year-olds ask a lot?

Did you guess it? That’s right, it’s the question, “Why?” It’s a popular question for little ones and even for adults. Asking that question usually helps us understand something more fully, doesn’t it?

What if asking it now, at Christmas time, could help us understand something a little more? Let’s try it.

Why did Jesus come all the way from heaven to be born into this world as a baby and later grow up to be the man who saved us from our sins? You could answer that in a few different ways but if you really had to narrow it down to just one reason, maybe even just one word, what would it be?

L O V E. He did it all for love.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16). 

Can you even imagine how big is God’s love for us?

Think about when a mom says to her son, “I love you to the moon and back.” Her love for him is soooo big that she helps him understand it by telling him how far it reaches. But she helps him understand that love even more by showing him that great love every day.

Sometimes it’s hard for us to understand just how much God continues to love us. Perhaps we could pray a prayer we find in the Bible to help us:

“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Eph. 3:16-19)

Understanding God’s love motivates us to love Him back. The Bible says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27)

As we prepare to celebrate Jesus’ birthday, one of the best gifts we can give Him, the gift He will most appreciate, is love. We can love Him and we can love others.

What are some ways we can show love to others this Christmas and throughout the year?

1. Bake cookies and wrap them up for your neighbors, a postal worker or cashier at the grocery store.
2. Spend quality time with someone and really listen to him/her. Be interested in what they care about and like.
3. Write a letter and let someone know how much they mean to you and what makes them special.
4. Do a task around the house without being asked and without complaining.

Here’s the last quiz question for the day: What are you going to do this week to show love to someone?

Let us go be radiant, or in Christmas terminology, let us go be bright.

Photo by Anna Sommer on Pexels.com

Wishing you a love-filled Christmas.

 

 

 

Often, when we think of peace, we think of an absence of noise around us. There are no horns going beep, beep. There are no airplanes whirring above. There are no dogs bark, barking in the background, it is simply serene and quiet.

However, there is another kind of peace that the Bible talks about. This kind of peace is not one that we experience around us, but rather, inside of us.

Let’s read about it in Luke 2:14. “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” Luke 2:14. The angels were announcing the birth of the Prince of Peace and it was He who would give people the opportunity to have peace in their hearts.

Jesus wanted His disciples to have peace and be encouraged after He left them and went back to heaven. He said to them, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27). This peace was like an actual possession–a parting gift Jesus was giving them. The Holy Spirit was going to be with the disciples and help them.

This peace was not an absence of noise, but rather, an absence of fear.

Jesus continued talking to His disciples and said to them, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33).

Jesus, Himself, is our peace (Eph. 2:14). Because of that, we, like the disciples, don’t have to worry or be afraid when we face hard things. Instead, we can remember that Jesus has overcome, and we share in His victory.

Here are some ways you can continue to think about and share the peace that you have in Jesus.

1. Take a couple of minutes and sing “Silent Night,” right now.
2. Go on a nature walk and share with someone how God has gifted us with His creation to promote peace in our lives.
3. Reach out to veterans and thank them for how they help promote peace and point out how Jesus gives us peace.
4. Have a night where you unplug from social media (phones, TV, and computers) and spend time together doing something that helps you focus on Jesus.

Wishing you a peace-filled Christmas!

Let us go be radiant this week!

Hello! Welcome to Go Be Radiant! I’m in the midst of a 4-week Christmas devotional series on Hope, Joy, Peace and Love. If you missed last week’s post, you can find it here. These devotionals are written for the whole family, so feel free to gather ’round and read them together.

Have you ever noticed what happens when people see a little baby? Their faces absolutely light up! Whether the baby is sweetly sleeping in his mother’s arms or eagerly taking in his surroundings, people can’t help but smile. Babies have a way of bringing tremendous joy to those around them.

This is one of my bundles of joy when he was a baby.

Do you think baby Jesus brought joy to those around Him too? I believe He did. But there was something extra special about the joy He brought. It was not only going to be for those near Him, but even for those far away. It was going to be for ALL people.

Right after Jesus was born, an angel appeared to some shepherds watching their flock at night. “The angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.’” Luke 2:10-11.

Why did Jesus’ birth cause such joy? Because His birth meant a promise had been fulfilled. Many, many years before, God promised to send someone who would “…proclaim good news to the poor,” and who would “…bind up the brokenhearted.” This person would also “…proclaim freedom for the captives.” Isiah 61:1. This was good news indeed!

The shepherds had to go see this baby that the angel had told them about. When they had witnessed, with their own eyes, this special baby boy, their hearts must have been filled with joy. “The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen which were just as they had been told.” Luke 2:20.

We know that this miraculous baby grew up to be a man and when He did, He had an important job to do. He would willingly give His life so that we could be with Him forever in heaven. As you can imagine, the disciples were grieved when Jesus died but their grief would turn to joy. Why? Because Jesus defeated death and rose from the grave! Another promise had been fulfilled!

Soon, it was time for Jesus to return to heaven and just before doing so, He blessed the disciples. “While He was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.” Luke 24:51-52.

Why were the disciples joyful even though Jesus had left? Because they had the joy of knowing that their Lord was preparing a place for them and He was at the right hand of the Father, exactly where He was supposed to be. No one could ever take that joy from them.

The same is true for us. However, sometimes we don’t feel joyful because of difficult circumstances in our lives. If that’s true for you right now, take a few minutes and share how you have joy in Jesus even when things are hard.

Let’s turn our focus outward. Can you think of someone you know who needs joy in their life? Why not take a few minutes and write them a note of encouragement? I’m sure coloring a picture for them would also brighten their day. Another idea is to have a craft night with friends and use the word JOY in your craft, making a point to share the joy you have in Jesus.

The next time you see a baby, remember the joy we have in Jesus. Wishing you a joy-filled Christmas!