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Sherri and I want to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas! Today is a joyous occasion. Jesus came to this world to redeem all humanity. 

We are truly blessed to have an intimate, life giving long term relationship with God! 

Let us take time today to reflect on the goodness of our Lord and the love he displays in our lives daily! Spend time with The Lord today.

Thank him for all of his acts of kindness! For truly the child that came through the Virgin Mary, born in a stable, visited by angels and humanity, grew to minister to and save the lost!

 Born to die on a cross has certainly Changed our lives. 

JESUS CHANGED MY LIFE!

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6 ASV)

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The Goodness of God  Psalm 34:1-10 I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; The humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together. I sought the Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.

DAVID RECALLS HOW GOOD GOD HAD BEEN TO HIM IN DELIVERING HIM FROM THE CLUTCHES OF KING SAUL.

DAVID HAD BEEN ON THE RUN BECAUSE KING SAUL HAD ISSUED A WARRANT FOR HIS ARREST.  DAVID FOUND HIMSELF HIDING IN CAVES, A REFUGEE FROM INJUSTICE;

HE WAS ON KING SAUL’S EXTERMINATION LIST. BUT WHEN HE CONSIDERED THE GOODNESS OF GOD, HE CRIES OUT IN ADORATION, “O MAGNIFY THE LORD WITH ME, LET US EXALT HIS NAME TOGETHER.”

DAVID PRAISED GOD FOR WHAT HE HAD DONE AND FOR WHO HE IS.

Psalm 145:  8 The LORD is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy. 9 The LORD is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works.

God’s goodness toward us is more than we can comprehend! In-fact, because of God’s goodness we are alive today.  No one is just saved or healed; it’s because of God’s goodness.

When deliverance comes it’s because of God’s goodness. When a person isn’t saved it’s not because God hasn’t tried to reach out to them.

Vs.9 say’s, The LORD is good to all.

Everywhere you read in God’s word you will find time and time again a God that goes the extra mile.

The text say’s, The LORD is gracious, full of compassion, slow to anger, great in mercy, He’s good to all, His tender mercies are over all His works!

Nahum 1:7 The LORD is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him.

 There’s a decision to be made!) Make the choice today. To remember God for all of his Goodness.

Let us look at a few areas that God’s goodness can be seen.

Through Salvation:

John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

Romans 2:4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?

Jesus told the woman at the well in John 4: 10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, Give Me a drink you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.

God sent His only Son to give the world living water!

God’s goodness can be seen Through His creation.

Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,

Isaiah 55: 12 For you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace; the mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing before you, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

Think about that, all of creation applauds as you allow Jesus to take control of your circumstances!

Surrender to him today! Let him be Lord of your life!

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1 John 4:7-12 7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. Seeing God Through Love 12 No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.

THE LOVE OF GOD

There is nothing like the love of God! It is the most overwhelming thing I have ever encountered in my life. It is the greatest gift God ever gave us!

The reason I can say that is this, because He loved us, He was moved to do everything else that He has done.

Let me mention that John’s epistle has a 4 fold purpose. •  That our joy in Him might be full -

1 John 1:4 •  That we might not sin against Him -

1 John 2:1 •  That we might know that we have eternal life -

1 John 5:13 •  That we ourselves might love others the way God loves us -

1 John 4:11 •  There is a fifth, and that is to share the great love of Almighty God.

 HOW GOD’S LOVE IS DESCRIBED

It Is Unending - Jer. 31:3.  The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.

There is a difference between infatuation and love! God’s love is eternal!

.  It Is Unselfish

It asks for nothing in return! However, it leads man to repent and turn to God in love -

Rom. 2:4; Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?

1 John 4:19.     19 We love Him[a] because He first loved us.

It Is Unmerited - Cannot be earned or deserved! God loved us because He desired a people to love.

His love is based in His grace!

 God loves us because He chooses to love us.

It Is Unconditional - It is not based on what we can or cannot produce, it is a product of the heart of God.

Man can never reach a place when he will not be loved by God!

God loved us first, He loved us anyway and He loves us eternally!

Nothing can separate us from the love of God,  Rom. 8:38-39.   38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  

HOW GOD’S LOVE IS DEMONSTRATED God’s love can never be fully understood, but it can be seen!

It is best seen at the cross!

  He Stood In The Gap - The Lord Jesus placed Himself squarely between guilty sinners and the wrath of Almighty God,

  4 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray;

 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.   V.11-12

 HOW GOD’S LOVE IS DISPLAYED

Beside Calvary, the greatest canvas for the love of God is the lives of those redeemed by grace.

If we are saved, and posses the love of God, it will be visible in our lives! •

 Men are limited in their ability to love, but God possesses every shade of love imaginable! When the love of God is present in the life of a believer, it will be visible in 5 different areas.

•  Love For The Savior -

•  Love For The Scriptures - Psa. 119:105;  Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.   I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil,” Psalms 119:162.

•  Love For The Sanctuary - Not that we honor a building, but we honor what happens in this building.

David - Psalms 122:1   A Song of Ascents. Of David. 122 I was glad when they said to me,“Let us go into the house of the Lord.”

•  Love For The Saints - 1 John 4:20-21;    20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can[a] he love God whom he has not seen? 21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.

 John 13:35  By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” 1John 4:12   No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.When the saints walk in love, the world sees God.

Jesus had a heart for sinners - . Nicodemus, Man with withered hand, Blind man, etc. •  God’s love is more than just being loved!

It is opening our lives so that the Lord can love through us. So that He can reach a world for Himself.

 We ought to praise the Lord for His overwhelming love!

  Matt. 22:39.37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’[b]

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