I am set apart and devoted.

To Jesus.

This does not mean I am a victor daily. This means I do face depression; I have anxiety, and I have all the mess that the enemy and world can invariably attribute.

Gratefully, I love and want to glorify Jesus in His Name and please Him. He loves me more than I could imagine loving and is ever so faithful every minute of each day.

There are days when I experience failure and fall hard.

This is how we grow in the Lord.

Just remember Him and focus on Him.

As it says -Luke 12:7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

---what does this mean? God’s providence is so all-encompassing that not even a single sparrow can fall to the ground without Him knowing it. God is in control of our lives as well as the tiniest details. Even if we suffer as His servants and will die, we can trust that nothing happens to us outside God’s control, will, and plan.

Let us look at Luke 10:25-37 (The Parable of the Good Samaritan)

"On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered, “‘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.’ You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

God the Father begot God the Son to come here on earth as a babe [of the flesh] of a virgin.

To rescue, love, shepherd, and bring righteousness to those who love Him. When we ask The Lord our God into our hearts, the sinful nature we are born with is erased.

We emotionalize it is challenging to want to love him in this manner on a day-to-day, but it is undemanding. Just as if we tell our children to do something that we know is good for them today and in the future, fundamental and without effort, but they have a difficult time with it due to self. Whatever you think is problematic, step out a fraction, and the freedom and joy in Christ are vastly exhilarating. It is surreal. It is joy.

God, the Father, knows all the best for the good of those who love him.

Let us love him and obediently adore him.

Willingly.

Our hearts will change each day to be more like Him. To live faithfully to Jesus is to come to know God the Father on His behalf, which fulfilled us as righteous even though we are unworthy. God made us worthy with His Grace, as we are made just like Him.

The narrative is authentic. Let us believe, love, and hold onto it with all of our being through faith.

Lots of hugs and love, Friends. In the mighty Name of Jesus.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all!

It's a relief that we are currently living in the presence of the Prince of Peace and Joy to the World! Let's take a break and commemorate the wonderful gift of Jesus.