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And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
There was a time in my life when I would chase after all the things that made me feel good. It didn’t matter how it affected others, as long as I came out with what I needed to satisfy my cravings for happiness. Sure, I was happy most of the time, but that kind of life left me feeling empty and always looking for more.
I’m not going to stand here and lie to tell you that my life after deciding to follow Jesus has been all roses. Because we all know that even though roses are quite beautiful, they also have thorns. But there’s just something different about my life since I started following Him. There’s “life” inside me that I never had before. There’s a joy that can’t be taken away, no matter the circumstance. There’s peace that surpasses all understanding. There are these things that we’ve explored through this Advent series.
Knowing that we have life because He came is one of the most precious gifts that He could have given us.
The gift of life is not only something that I cherish, but also one that I strive to strive to help others find too. So my prayer is that we not only come to appreciate this gift of life that we’ve been given, but also that we become vessels of life that are poured out on others. Lord, help us to see where there is a lack of life, and help us to understand how we can bless others with Your amazing gift. Amen.
Sharing the gift of life is something that can done everywhere we go. One way to do it is to be an encourager. Imagine running into a co-worker who is getting beaten down by circumstances in his or her life. Sharing a kind and encouraging word with them when they need it is like planting a seed of life in them that you can nurture and grow. We don’t always have to immediately go for the home run and tell them about how Jesus will make it all better. We simply love unconditionally as we were loved unconditionally, and be there as their hunger for True Life grows deeper.
Another practical way to share life is through child sponsorship. As I’ve travelled overseas, the one thing that breaks my heart the most is seeing a child with no hope. It’s difficult to look into their eyes and know that they’re just trying to figure out where their next meal is coming from.
That’s why I’m partnering with Help End Local Poverty and their HELP One Now initiative to get children in their programs sponsored. Not only does a sponsorship help cover basic immediate needs, but a portion of the monthly cost gets invested into community development programs to make sure that these kids grow up into a society that they can flourish in. Sponsoring a child is a great way to come alongside a great team who is ministering the Gospel and plant seeds of life that will grow far beyond what we could imagine.
So please join me in sponsoring a child today. Visit my sponsor page at HELP One Now to find a child to sponsor. And if you sponsor one, especially in Haiti, then please let me know. I’ll be visiting the children in Haiti this coming February. I would love to find your sponsored child and get a video of them for you!
Merry Christmas! I’ll leave you with a really cool rendition of my favorite Christmas song…
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrNcD34KFhM&w=590]
am ahimbisibwe emmanuel from uganda affering biology,chemistry,math and fine art in A’level of uganda in east africa. i need a sponsor for my education so that i can achieve my dream of becoming a doctor. email me at ahimbisibwe_emmanuel@yahoo.com if you can help me. thanks. God bless you abandantly and exceedingly.
Thank you for stopping by and sharing your story! I usually recommend that people work through a reputable organization for sponsoring like this, mostly for accountability reasons. So I am sorry that I cannot suggest that people do this individually, but I will leave your information here in case someone feels led to work with you. God bless!
Dan, thank you for your faithfulness at this great website. I am so glad to have met you this year and to discover in that meeting a person whose heart is as big as the world. May you and your family have a blessed Christmas, in every way possible. And a joyous new year, as well. (And I LOVE the video – it’s one of my favorites this Christmas.)
Thank you Diana! I’m glad to have met you as well! I look forward to the next time we meet and can share stories about our times in the mission field and elsewhere! You rock dude!
Merry Christmas, Dude. Your words,your book, the work of your hands…all tremendous gifts to me this year. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
it’s a blessing to be able to be a vessel for God as He pours out grace and healing and restoration on the world today, and i just can’t imagine not wanting to be a part of that! i’m glad that i’ve been able to touch you (and many others) with my work, and i thank you for how you’ve touched my life! #fistbump dude!