The promise extended to Abraham was extended first to his father, Tara. Tara had heard God, believed God and followed God, but then he became bitter. He allowed the pain of his past, the disappointment of the loss, the bitterness in his heart to take his focus off of God. He died in the place of relational pain, serving other gods.

The first commandment to love God is not usually challenging for us as Christians; the second commandment, however, to love our neighbor, is often quite challenging. Loving our neighbor sounds simple enough until we have a crazy neighbor. We all have someone that challenges us that lives near us. Our call is to love our neighbor even when they disagree with us or when they may not be loving to us.

Love is a choice that we make every single day. Love is supernatural. The love of God is powerful. The love of God is working and compelling. Because Christ loved us, we can demonstrate his love in our life. It’s compelled love that takes us into our prayer rooms to pray for peace, for revival, for healing. It’s compelled love that raises up great men of God like Martin Luther King, Jr. We cannot help but choose love because love compelled us, love chose us, love lifted us.

God loves us before we do anything. We can’t outgive God. We can’t outserve God. God loves us right where we are. He gives us grace on our life to do the things that he has called us to do. We have to lay down the things that are causing burdens and weight. We can give Jesus our yoke, the weight, and the outcome. It may be a burden of sin or unforgiveness that has caused weights that we cannot bear. We must remember that we carry the spirit of God, and we are the salt of the earth. Just as salt preserves meat, so can we preserve this world.

If we want to be more like Jesus we have to be more focused on service than on status. The Kingdom of Jesus is not earthly. A king on earth is evaluated by his power, but in the kingdom of heaven, it is the one who serves.

Our God is a planner. He prepares us for what he has for us. Who could have been prepared for what 2020 was going to bring? Yet, Jeremiah 29:11 says the Lord has plans for us and will not forsake us, and Ephesians 2:10 tells us that God has prepared good works for us and that we are his workmanship.

Don’t overlook the greatest gift of all: It is the great work that God is doing in us through the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus sent his disciples all over the world to preach the gospel, but he told them not to go anywhere until he sent the Holy Spirit. Those words are for them then, and they are for us now. Give yourself an early gift. Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit this Christmas.

We need to learn to tune in to God’s voice. God is often more willing to speak than we are to listen. When we are overwhelmed with a big decision, more than ever we need to tune into God's voice. Let others speak to you with what they believe to be God's word, but don't settle until you have a specific word from God to you.