By Pastor Joey Carroll
Well that certainly went by quickly. Another holiday season and year has come to an end. Once again for us Christians, we can all give testimony to the faithfulness of our Heavenly Father. Another year has passed, and He has faithfully shepherded His people and provided for their needs.
As for my family, it was one of the best Christmas seasons we have ever had. My oldest announced that she and her husband would soon be giving birth to our first grandchild. My middle child came through some challenges that could not have gone any better for her. And my youngest and only son, preached his first sermon. It was certainly a joyful season for us.
Not all Christmas seasons have been so joyful. I remember just last year was my first Christmas season without my mom. A few years ago, my wife experienced her first Christmas without her dad. Other families I personally know just experienced their first Christmas season this year without someone dear to them. And if you know someone like that, be sure to call them, encourage them, and pray for them often.
If it were not for that very first Christmas over 2,000 years ago, we would all be lost in despair every time someone close to us dies. But that very first Christmas, when our Savior came, marked the end of death. The very first Christmas is when God turned the hour glass over to begin pouring out its sand. The time for the experience of death will soon be no more, and it is all because of the love of God.
God, the Son of God, was born a man in order that He might die for men. And in so doing, He conquered both sin and death on our behalf. He has promised for all those who have faith in who Jesus is and what He has done for us on the cross will only know joy and peace and life forevermore. I hope, as we begin this new year, the Christmas season will never be very far from your thoughts. Even though it is often the most difficult time of year for many, it will forever be the greatest time in human history because it was the time when God rescued us from everything that destroys us.
I also hope that you will continue walking with us this year as we finish up 1 Corinthians. We have been in the letter for some time, but we have a long way to go. Next week, we will begin in 1 Corinthians 8, where Paul begins a discussion that will carry us through chapter 10. If you have time to read it, you will notice that it begins with this, “Now concerning things sacrificed to idols,” (1 Corinthians 8:1, NASB). You may feel like that this is going to be a subject that has nothing to do with the church in our day. But the heart attitude that was present in the Corinthians church in these three chapters serves as one of the most needful messages for the church today.
This article originally appeared in The Clarion Newspaper.
Corinth Baptist Church 