Friends and family, we send you our 2023 Christmas message with love.
We could recount all the cool experiences we had in 2023, or talk about how Greg completely remodeled our Master shower even with a left hand that is 30% functional, but if you are at all interested, Ellen's blog covered it with photos. http//happywonderer.com
Now that we are both in our seventies we feel an urgency to share our greatest treasure with you. Some of you have the same treasure but our desire is for all our friends and family to know this treasure. We'll start with the words from our favorite song since September of this year, My Worth Is Not In What I Own. (Keith and Kristyn Getty, and Graham Kendrick)
My worth is not in what I own,
not in the strength of flesh and bone,
but in the costly wounds of love, at the cross.
My worth is not in skill or name,
in win or lose, in pride or shame,
but in the blood of Christ that flowed, at the cross.
I rejoice in my redeemer,
greatest treasure,
wellspring of my soul.
I will trust in him, no other,
my soul is satisfied in him alone.
As summer flowers we fade and die,
fame, youth and beauty hurry by,
but life eternal calls to us,
at the cross.
I will not boast in wealth or might,
or human wisdom's fleeting light,
but I will boast in knowing Christ, at the cross.
Two wonders here that I confess,
my worth and my unworthiness,
my value fixed, my ransom paid,
at the cross.
I rejoice in my redeemer, greatest treasure,
wellspring of my soul.
And I will trust in him, no other,
my soul is satisfied in him alone.
My soul is satisfied in him alone,
my soul is satisfied in him alone.
We are all sinners and we all need redeeming. Jesus is the one and only redeemer who can save us from our sins and their consequences, giving us peace with God. Jesus paid our ransom at the cross. He is the only one who could be the perfect sacrifice for sin. We need to recognize that our sin separates us from God and we need what Jesus accomplished on the cross to reconcile us to God. Acknowledging our sin and putting our faith in what Christ did on the cross gives us new life, spiritual life, with God.
When Greg and I came to that place in our lives, recognizing our sin and trusting in Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins we began a new life with eyes and hearts open to learning more about God from the Bible. All he wants us to know and become is written in His Word. From Genesis to Revelation we learn about Jesus and how he is the answer for life with God. Satan is real and dominates our world with lies. His sphere lies in darkness and that is where we are until we accept the light of the world, Jesus. With Jesus you inherit light, without Jesus you will remain in darkness.
"May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:11-14
Don't let Satan fool you into believing you are just fine the way you are, that you aren't a huge sinner, that you are a 'good' person because you haven't murdered anyone...yet! No! That belief will land you in hell instead of heaven. We are all sinners and we need Jesus to save us from the eternal consequences of our sins. We urge you to choose light and life today! Start the new year with the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior who loves you and cares for you!
For those of you who have put your faith in Jesus we encourage you to keep growing, don't drift, obey God's Word, learn more about our God in Three this year. We hope to love Jesus more in 2024!
Love in Christ,
Greg and Ellen
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