Party Don't Stop!!!

Hey Y'all! I don't truly consider Christmas over until New Years Eve but sadly it now must come to an end. Christmas is my absolute favorite time of the year and I'm sad its over. Thankfully one of the biggest things I learned this season is that even if "holiday festivities" stop being celebrated, the true meaning of Christmas (Christ's birth) can and should be celebrated all year. To continue this important celebration I would love to share several things I learned through studying the Christmas story this year. [I take no credit for these quotes they are all sourced from the Church of the Highlands Advent Devotional] • We can only be forgiven, healed and set free because Jesus chose Christmas. - emphasis on the word CHOSE • Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her! - Luke 1:45 • God is looking for people who will be faithful with little so that he can entrust them with more • Where Jesus' journey began did not determine what he could accomplish for the kingdom. - In this current day and age everyone is real distraught over where people grew up and how that affected their success. This is a wonderful instance of how God can use anyone and setting a limit on yourself or others only limits God. • Before Mary had time to doubt or become insecure, God gave her confidence she needed to walk out his purpose for her life. • We may want to be refined, but are we willing to say "yes" to God and walk through the fire? • Mary chose to trust God rather than resist her calling, even if it meant a lifetime of reign misunderstood. - This was a major one for me because it means Mary completely disregarded her pride and image in order to carry out the plans God had for her. • God challenged Joseph's fear with the peace of divine purpose. - I love this because divine was my word for 2019 and the fact that it was specifically used in this telling of the story really stuck with me. • When we hesitate with God, we create breeding ground for doubt, fear, and insecurity- none of which come from him. - This is super important. My dad always says the devil's favorite word is "tomorrow". When we hesitate with God or "put it off till tomorrow" the devil not only wins because it opens up that breeding ground for the things mentioned above but it could be even worse if tomorrow never comes. • Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. Luke 2:19 - I have always wondered what the significance of this verse was and it was not until now that I finally understood. In the devotion this verse was connected to, it encouraged me to treasure up all the blessings and small glimpses of God so I could ponder them when times are tough and we need to remember them for motivation and encouragement. • Waiting a lifetime for God's promise is worth it. - Sarah was told by God that through her Child a covenant would be formed between Him and Abraham's descendants. Obviously she never got to see this in her lifetime because it was not until several generations that this promise came true. If I were in Sarah's place, this would've been extremely difficult for me because I have a really hard time with not being able to see the big picture that God has painted. Nonetheless the promise to her was fulfilled and it was absolutely amazing. It gives me great hope to know that God with fulfill all promises even if they happen beyond my lifetime. - Another example associated with this, was Simeon. He was promised that he would see the Savior and despite his age he saw him when Christ came to the temple. Upon meeting Jesus he praised and pray to God thanking him for the fulfillment of His promise and peace be ready to die now that he had seen him. • When God reveals the significance of Jesus birth to the magi, we get our first tangible glimpse of his desire to reconcile with the entire world, no matter our background or depth of depravity. - Many don't know that the wise men or Magi were not at the manger for the birth of Christ. Because this is such a common misconception, I often find myself studying their side of the story a bit more in detail. My favorite part about their appearance in the story is the fact that they were not Jewish and in fact are believed to have been from Arab nations. It's so assuring to see gentile relevance in the Christmas story and to see the desire of the Lord to save all people regardless of their descent. • Gold: Jesus is King Frankincense: Jesus is God Myrrh: Jesus is the savior Here's some photos of this years celebration of Jesus Birthday!!

Thanks for the love and support.

As always, love ya and stay tuned!

Emily ♡