Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! — 2 Corinthians 9:15
Jesus was the unique God-man. As God, He walked on water, calmed the storm, healed the sick, and rose from the dead. As man, He got thirsty and tired; He felt sorrow and pain.
Jesus came to earth as a helpless, tiny seed planted in the womb of a young Jewish virgin. Forty weeks later, Jesus was born in a filthy stable.
Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Its name meaning “the house of bread,” Bethlehem was the birthplace of the Bread of Life. God wanted people to know that the hope of the world is a Savior.
On this Christmas Day, in the midst of family and friends, gadgets and gifts, join Paul in exclaiming,
Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! — 2 Corinthians 9:15
Code Word: Love
The very definition of our Lord is this: “God is love” (1 John 4:8). is Advent season comes to a close with this word: love. Love is the oxygen of the Kingdom. Without it there is no Christmas.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. — John 3:16
Believe on Him.
Lord, I love You on this Christmas Day because You first loved me. Happy birthday, Jesus. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Excerpted with permission from The Christmas Code by O. S. Hawkins, copyright O. S. Hawkins.
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Your Turn
CHRIST IS BORN! REJOICE! Merry Christmas, friends! We pray your day is filled with the awe of the birth of our Savior and joy with friends or family. ~ Devotionals Daily
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About the Author: O. S. Hawkins
O. S. Hawkins is president and chief executive officer of GuideStone Financial Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. GuideStone serves more than 250,000 individual participants from churches, missionary organizations, colleges and universities, hospitals, and other nonprofit institutions with their financial and benefit service needs. GuideStone Funds is the largest Christian-based mutual fund in the world with assets under management of over 20 billion dollars. Prior to the beginning of his tenure at GuideStone in 1997, Hawkins served as senior pastor of the historic First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas (1993--1997) and as senior pastor of the First Baptist Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida (1978--1993) as well as earlier pastorates in Oklahoma.
Hawkins, a native of Fort Worth, Texas, earned the Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. He also earned the Master of Divinity and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. In addition, he holds the Doctorate of Literature degree from Liberty University (Hon.) as well as several other honorary doctorate degrees.
He has been married to his wife, the former Susan Cavness of Austin, Texas, since 1970. They have two daughters, Wendy and Holly, both of whom are also graduates of TCU. Wendy is married to Brian Hermes and Holly is married to David Shivers. The Hawkins’s also have six grandchildren.
Dr. Hawkins is the author of over 40 books including the best-selling “Code Series” with over two million in print, including The Joshua Code: 52 Scripture Verses every Believer Should Know, The Jesus Code: 52 Scripture Questions Every Believer Should Answer, and The Bible Code: Finding Jesus in Every Book in the Bible.
Follow O. S. Hawkins on Twitter @OSHawkins. For free videos, podcasts, and book downloads, visit www.oshawkins.com.
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