July 15, 2003
FSM 379a GP
Cover by Kristen
© November 2001 by The Family
—A message from Jesus
Celebrations around the world! Happy holidays! Festivities! It is a time for giving, a time for gifts! And yet, what is this I see? I see people searching for love. I see people without any true Christmas gifts. I see people everywhere, running here and running there, desperately looking for some little ray of hope, a little love, a little mercy, a little relief, some kind of salvation. And amidst all this, I couldn’t help but notice you sitting there, wondering, Does anybody really care? Well, yes! I care! And I love you!
I’ve had My eye on you for a long time now. I’ve always loved you, and I always will. In fact, I care for you so dearly that I come with special gifts straight from My heart to yours. You won’t find these gifts in any shop or mall. They cannot be sold or bought for a price, and yet they are priceless and rare. Those who possess them are most richly blessed.
Love, joy, peace—these are My special gifts for you! Love that knows no boundaries. Love that does not judge you by the color of your skin, your place in society, the way you look, or how you speak. Love that gives. Love that shares. Love that cares. Love that is alive, vibrant, warm, and kind. Love that is unconditional and forever.
Love that is patient in a world of intolerance. Love that is understanding when others fail to see into your heart. Love that is kind and tender, when all else around you seems cold and hard. Love that comforts you in your sorrow, that consoles you when you’re lonely, that gives you a helping hand when you’re down. Love that is full of happiness and laughter. Love that brings peace in the midst of stormy weather. Love that always finds a way.
My love is always there for you—any place, any time, day or night. My love will descend to any depth to save, go any length to rescue. It knows no stopping place; it knows no limit in giving. I give you My love, infinite and true.
My love brings peace of mind when you are confused, rest when you are weary, and strength when you feel you cannot go on. My love will calm your fears and give you courage in the face of despair. My love can heal when your body is broken; it can soothe your heartaches and pain. My love will ease your mind when it is troubled and weary; it will melt away tension, worry, and strain.
My love is My Christmas gift for you. It’s always been there for you. Will you take it now?
I can’t promise you will never have heartaches, disappointments, or worries as you walk down the road of life. But I can promise that I’ll give you encouragement, instruction, guidance, wisdom, and the strength you need to come through. I promise to never leave your side. Together we’ll survive any difficulty, overcome any weakness, hurdle any obstacle. My love is power—power to do and power to be.
I know, I love, and I care for you, as if you were the only one in the world. That’s the reason I came to Earth on Christmas Day—to give My great love to you. I want you to have abundant love in your life. I want you to be free from sorrow.
You may ask, In these modern times so grim and bleak, who could possibly care for me so much? In these days when so many people’s love has grown cold, who can I really trust? Where do I look? Who do I believe? This sounds so good, but is it a sham? How could anyone have so much love, and all for free?
Well, all I ask is that you give Me a chance. Try Me and see. Just hold out your hand, and let Me place My gifts of love there. Don’t worry, but simply receive. And in the end, you will see just how happy you’ll be.
Come talk to Me, anywhere, anytime, anyplace, any way you prefer. Talk to Me out loud, or whisper softly if you like. Speak to Me in words, or just send Me your thoughts, signaling Me from your heart in the rush of the day or in the stillness of the night. Any way you feel comfortable is fine with Me. You can tell Me anything you want, and I will understand. I’m here for you, with a listening ear, sympathy and understanding.
All you have to do is say yes. Just open your heart, reach out and receive. Call on Me and I’ll come to your aid with My free gifts, My Christmas gifts for you. Just say, I take You, Jesus. I want all Your gifts, and a life that is full and free. Give me Your gifts of love, joy and peace. Show me the way. Show me how to live, and how to act along my way. It’s just that simple. I’ll do the rest.
Please don’t wait too long. I have wonderful things in store for you, if you’ll give Me a chance.
And when your life on Earth is done, I’ll bring you home with Me—home to My country, Heaven, where there is no pain, no sorrow, confusion or war. Here there is no fear, no hatred, no greed or strife, only My free, abundant gifts of love, and much, much more. All you have to do is say yes and accept them. I’ll be waiting.
I love you,
Jesus
—Motivational messages about keeping the right priorities during the busy Christmas season
Like most everyone, you’ve got a full calendar for December shopping, presents, parties, plans, preparations, cooking, cleaning, hosting, visiting. But stop for a minute and reflect: Why am I doing all this? Who am I trying to please? Or just impress?
This holiday is meant to be a celebration of the purest, simplest and most complete love ever known—the love of a Heavenly Father who sent His Son to live among us, to teach us how to love, to make our lives better and happier. He eliminated the need for complex rules and rituals, and taught us that we didn’t have to be perfect, get everything right, and live up to unrealistically high expectations. All we had to do was love Him and love our neighbor, and with that, we’d please Him and find happiness.
Why not try something different this year and strive for simplicity in your Yuletide celebrations? Clear out some of the unnecessary clutter of events and expenses that won’t really mean much to anyone anyway. Leave yourself time to concentrate on the things that will truly mean something to you and to others: spend time with the people you care about; get gifts that will show not merely your good taste, but your care and concern; find someone with fewer blessings than you, and reach out to fulfill some need he or she has.
If Christ were here today, I believe that is how He would celebrate Christmas.
Why is it that the occasion that celebrates God’s great love is for many one of loneliness and sadness? Is it because we forget the true meaning of Christmas? Sometimes we lose it in the baubles and lights, the presents and the celebration. When we forget the real purpose of Christmas we lose the happiness that comes with it. Preparations crowd out the purpose of Christmas—showing thankfulness and appreciation for what God gave mankind on this night.
Christmas is ultimately a celebration of love—God’s love for each one of us. The best way we can celebrate Christmas is by giving our gifts to Jesus, gifts of love and thankfulness. It is a time when we can stop and remember those who are often forgotten. We can reach out to help those in need. We can show our thankfulness by reaching out to those whose need is greater than ours.
These are the things that not only make God happy, but help us find deep satisfaction. Christmas is not made special by presents, decorations and parties, but by what we give to Jesus and to others from our hearts. Giving from your heart demonstrates true gratitude and appreciation for what God has given to us during this Christmas season.
—Messages from Jesus about the true meaning of Christmas, and what He wants most from you
I’d like to explain what Christmas means to Me, and what it is that I need at Christmas. Even though I am the Lord of the Universe, I long for something else. The best way you can honor Me is by giving Me your heart as a gift for Christmas.
Palaces I have; riches untold are at My fingertips. I have it all, but the one thing that would touch My heart, the one thing that would make Me weep for joy would be if you gave Me your heart for Christmas. I want to be your sweetheart, I want to be your family, I want to be your lover, your companion. That would touch My heart more than anything else you could give Me.
Some people try to give Me anything they can to keep from giving Me their heart, but having their heart is the one thing that would make Me the most happy. I want your heart this Christmas. Will you share it with Me? I’ll share Mine with you. Let’s exchange gifts. I’ll give you My heart and you give Me yours. That would be the best Christmas gift ever.
Christmas is My favorite time of the year. You have seen how excited a child can become, knowing that Christmas Day is approaching. The child is so happy, knowing that it’s a time when he can receive gifts from his parents. The child receives gifts from his parents all year in the way of their loving care, but the visible gifts at Christmas seem to seal that love in his heart.
Here is a secret to giving Me joy at Christmas, and what makes it My favorite time of year. Throughout the year, you, My faithful and loving children, give Me gifts of your love. You do loving deeds for each other, and therefore for Me. You shower Me with praise. And I love every bit of this! I breathe in and live off of your praises, much as you breathe in and live off of My Spirit.
When Christmastime arrives, you give Me even greater gifts of love by sharing Me with others. Though you have been sharing Me with others throughout the year, you give even more in this way during the Christmas season. You give extra in your time of praising Me for My birth, and in your time of sharing Me with others. It’s much like that special gift a parent gives his or her child at Christmas. That gift is often the most visible gift of the year. It’s the same with the gifts you give Me at Christmas.
Yes, Christmastime is My favorite time of the year! Merry Christmas!
Author unknown
The sides of the path were covered with a carpet of white snow. But in the center, its whiteness was crushed and churned into a foaming brown by the tramp of hundreds of hurrying feet. It was the day before Christmas. People rushed up and down the path carrying armloads of bundles. They laughed and called to each other as they pushed their way through the crowds.
Above the path, the long arms of an ancient maple tree reached upward to the sky. It swayed and moaned as strong winds grasped its branches and bent them toward the earth. Down below a haughty laugh sounded, and a lovely fir tree stretched and preened its thick green branches, sending a fine spray of snow shimmering downward to the ground.
I should think, said the fir in a high smug voice, that you’d try a little harder to stand still. Goodness knows you’re ugly enough with the leaves you’ve already lost. If you move around anymore, you’ll soon be quite bare.
I know, answered the old maple. Everything has put on its most beautiful clothes for the celebration of the birth of Christ. From here I can see the decorations shining on each street corner. And yesterday some men came and put the brightest, loveliest lights on every tree along the path—except me, of course. He sighed softly, and a flake of snow melted in the form of a teardrop and ran down his gnarled trunk.
Oh, indeed! And did you expect they’d put lights upon you so your ugliness would stand out even more? smirked the fir.
I guess you’re right, replied the old maple in a sad voice. If there were only somewhere I could hide until after the celebrations were over, but here I stand, the only ugly thing among all this beauty. If they would only come and chop me down, he sighed sorrowfully.
Well, I don’t wish you any ill will, replied the fir, but you are an eyesore. Perhaps it would be better for us all if they did come and chop you down. Once again he stretched his lovely thick branches. You might try to hang onto those three small leaves you still have. At least you wouldn’t be completely bare.
Oh, I’ve tried so hard, cried the old maple. Each fall I say to myself, ‘This year I won’t give up a single leaf, no matter what the cause,’ but someone always comes along who seems to need them more than I. He sighed once again.
I told you not to give so many to that dirty little paper boy, said the fir. Why, you even lowered your branches a little bit, so that he could reach them. You can’t say I didn’t warn you.
Yes, you did, the old maple replied. But they made him so happy. I heard him say he would pick some for his invalid mother.
Oh, they all had good causes, mocked the fir. That young girl, for instance—colored leaves for her party indeed! They were your leaves!
She took a lot, didn’t she? said the old maple, and he seemed to smile.
Just then a cold wind blew down the path and a tiny brown bird fell to the ground at the foot of the old maple and lay there shivering, too cold to lift its wings. The old maple looked down in pity and then he quickly let go of his last three leaves. The golden leaves fluttered down and settled softly over the shivering little bird, and it lay quietly under the warmth of them.
Now you’ve done it! shrieked the fir. You’ve given away every single leaf! Christmas morning you’ll make our path the ugliest sight in the whole city!
The old maple said nothing. Instead he stretched out his branches to gather what snowflakes he could that they might not fall on the tiny bird. The young fir turned away in anger. It was then he noticed a painter sitting quietly a few feet from the path, intent upon his long brushes and his canvas. His clothes were old and tattered, and his face wore a sad expression. He was thinking of his loved ones and the empty, cheerless Christmas morning they would face, for he had sold not a single painting in the last months.
But the little tree didn’t see this. Instead he turned back to the old maple and said in a haughty voice, At least keep those bare branches as far away from me as possible. I’m being painted and your hideousness will mar the background.
I’ll try, replied the old maple. And he raised his branches as high as possible. It was almost dark when the painter picked up his easel and left. And the little fir was tired and cross from all his preening and posing.
Christmas morning he awoke late, and as he proudly shook away the snow from his lovely branches, he was amazed to see a huge crowd of people surrounding the old maple, oohing and ahhing as they stood back and gazed upward. Even those hurrying along the path had to stop for a moment before they went on.
Whatever could it be? thought the haughty fir, and he too looked up to see if perhaps the top of the old maple had been broken off during the night.
Just then a paper blew away from the hands of an enraptured newsboy and sailed straight into the young fir. The fir gasped in amazement, for there on the front page was a picture of the painter holding his painting of a great white tree whose leafless branches, laden with snow, stretched upward into the sky. While down below lay a tiny brown bird almost covered by three golden leaves. And beneath the picture were the words, The Most Beautiful Thing Is That Which Hath Given All.
The young fir quietly bowed its head beneath the great beauty of the humble old maple.
By Van Varner
Heavenly Father,
Christmas began
With the gift of Your Son,
Who in turn gave the world
The gift of His life.
Let me remember, O God,
That Christmas remains
A matter of giving,
Not parties, not presents,
Not material wealth,
For Christmas is Christmas
When I give of myself.
You are God and man, king and servant. You left Your throne of immortality and encased Yourself in human flesh. You became one of us, so that You could save us. Inexpressible joy comes to me when I think of how You quietly and humbly came into our world and changed it forever.
When You were born among us, You gave us the greatest gift of salvation, of peace, of hope, of love. Who could have imagined the transformation that would come through a little baby, born to commoners, wrapped in rags, sleeping in a feeding trough?
Thank You for what Christmas means—that whether or not I have family and friends, good times or bad, I will always have You. I will always have Your love—love that has stood the test of time, love that saved me and so many others like me. Thank You for making the choice to experience both the joys and sorrows of Earth. Thank You for enduring the tears, pain, frustration, loneliness, exhaustion, and death so that You could truly say that You understand us. Never has there been a more perfect love than Yours.
I don’t know if I can fathom all it cost You to leave Your throne that night, but the part I can imagine makes me want to love You forever.
Thank You for leaving the halls of Heaven to be born on Earth, then to live and die amongst us, and thereby to change the world—and my life.
Though You came as a little child, Your warmth, love, and peace soon spread through the whole earth. Your love is ready to enter into every heart that welcomes You.
As we are gathered in remembrance of Your birth, we lift up our arms in praise to You. Thank You for being willing to leave Your Heavenly home. Thank You for coming down to Earth to take on a mortal frame. Thank You for living and dying for us, for making the greatest sacrifice ever. We know we don’t deserve it, but we stand humbled in gratitude that You love us so much.
During this Christmas season, help us to pass on Your love. Help us to take advantage of this time, when people are more open to You, to spread Your love and truth. We don’t want to fail You, Lord. We want to shine and give out the true message of Christmas to all that we possibly can.
Thank You for this time that we can celebrate Your birth. Thank You for the blessings You have poured out on us. You’ve taken such good care of us. You’ve given us wonderful friends and loved ones to be close to and fellowship with. You’ve supplied all of our needs, and even some of our wants.
We know that the beauty of this season is not the material gifts that we give or receive, the parties we go to, or the decorations that we put up. The beauty of Christmas is in Your magical love which encompasses us. Help us to share Your love with others, and take time to appreciate all that You’ve given us.
(End of File)