The Christmas season for many people is a very challenging time. For many people, this time of year brings up many difficult memories of family fights or the loss of loved ones. For others, it brings up great memories of family sitting together, unwrapping presents and enjoying life. Maybe you find yourself in one of these two categories today. You’ve faced a great deal of heartbreak during the Christmas season or even great blessing. If you’re like me, you’ve experienced both great blessing and great difficulty during the Christmas season.
Life isn’t very often fair by any standard. It seems to throw us curveballs and challenges at every turn, yet in the midst of all blessing and difficulty is Jesus Christ. God’s Word declares that the Lord is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:5). The promises of God are tied to God’s character, and this is good news to us. The promises of God declare that God who is infinite in wisdom, sovereign in majesty, and glorious in splendor is worthy to be trusted and obeyed. The promises of God are higher than the heavens and deeper than the deepest ocean.
This Christmas season, rather than allowing everything going on around you to affect your attitude and perspective in a negative way, I want to challenge you to hold on to the promises of God in your heart and declare to yourself the truths therein. Let us not be cavalier in doing this; it is with great solemnity that we are to take what the Bible says and apply it to our lives. Perhaps you’re facing a great trial. The promises of God are truths that you can lean on in the midst of trials. Remember, God’s Word summons you to come before the throne of God’s grace (Hebrews 4:16). Along with this, Jesus’ personal invitation is for us to “come all you who are heavy laden and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28-30). I don’t know about you, but that’s the best news in the world! I can rest and abide in Jesus, who longs for me to commune with Himself!
This Christmas season, no matter if it’s a great season of life or a difficult one, I encourage you to be content. The Apostle Paul learned to be content in all situations (Philippians 4:10-13). We need that as well, especially as we face seasons of blessing and seasons of difficulty. The next time you find yourself overwhelmed with emotion, I encourage you not only to look to Jesus but to gaze at His beauty, to be enveloped in His love and dazzled by the grandeur of His magnificence. As you look to Jesus, you’ll find that your thoughts will begin to change, as well as your perspective and thus your life.
Dave Jenkins is happily married to his wife, Sarah. He is a writer, editor, and speaker living in beautiful Southern Oregon. Dave is a lover of Christ, His people, the Church, and sound theology. He serves as the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries, the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine, the Host and Producer of Equipping You in Grace Podcast, and is a contributor to and producer of Contending for the Word. He is the author of The Word Explored: The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy and What To Do About It (House to House, 2021), The Word Matters: Defending Biblical Authority Against the Spirit of the Age (G3 Press, 2022), and Contentment: The Journey of a Lifetime (Theology for Life, 2024). You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, or read his newsletter. Dave loves to spend time with his wife, going to movies, eating at a nice restaurant, or going out for a round of golf with a good friend. He is also a voracious reader, in particular of Reformed theology, and the Puritans. You will often find him when he’s not busy with ministry reading a pile of the latest books from a wide variety of Christian publishers. Dave received his M.A.R. and M.Div through Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.
