Living for Jesus

http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=919CCCNU

Have you heard the story of Ryan and Chad Arnold? The link above is the news video that tells the tragic story...of a brother (Ryan, pictured above with 2 of his 3 sons) who donated part of his liver to save his brother (Chad, who was dying of liver disease). The surgery was successful but a couple of days later Ryan unexpectedly went into cardiac arrest, and died shortly after in August of this year. He was 34.

Chad is recovering and has a blog. I was reading a post that his Mom wrote

http://cometoofar.com/#/?p=295

I pray that during this festive holiday season God will be especially near to them and continue to grant them peace and comfort. I'm sure that the message of Christmas is even more precious to them than ever...and what a miracle and wonder it is. That the Son of God came in the flesh to the world He created. He being so big that this universe, the size of which is unimaginable to us, is the work of His fingers and being held in the palm of His hand. He who stretches out the heavens like a curtain...was willing to come to this earth in the form of a weak, dependent, newborn baby and grow up here in what He knew would be a hostile environment. That the very people He created would proudly consider themselves above Him, would hate Him and seek to kill Him...even though He offered the truth, serving them with deeds of love and mercy. The whole story is unfathomable when I really ponder it!

Satan tried so hard to win against Jesus in those 33 years that Christ was here, and is still working SO hard today. I think that at Christmas time he tries so hard to make people forget about why we celebrate in the first place and dazzles us by the shopping and the gifts and the decorating and the festiveness of it all... and it might be understandable for those who don't know the glorious message of the gospel to get carried away with these things. But how it must grieve the heart of God to see Christians being distracted from the real meaning of Christmas and settling for things that don't even matter.

God help us to focus this Christmas, and every day of the new year and beyond, on the message of Christ and the Cross and the incredible, unfathomable story of salvation there.

...the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. Matthew 20:28