Countdown to Christmas - Day 20

"Blessed is the Lord God of Israel,
For He has visited and redeemed His people,
And has raised up a horn of salvation for us
In the house of His servant David...
...To perform the mercy promised to our fathers 
And to remember His holy covenant...
...To grant us that we,
Being delivered from the hands of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear,
In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life."
~ Luke 1:68, 69, 72, 74, 75

I LOVE the song I'm about to share with you. It is my absolute, all-time favorite Christmas song. It is not a classic hymn. It's a modern-day tune. It speaks of the blessing that God the Father passed along to you and me. It speaks of a Father's love, that He would grant us a way to come before Him, that nothing could separate us from His love.

"For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." ~ John 3:16-17

God loves you and me so much. He didn't send Jesus to condemn us. He sent Him to convict us of our sins, so that we would turn from the ways of this world and give our lives fully to Him. In return, we are promised abundance of life in Christ, eternity with our Father in heaven, and so much more. I'm not saying life will always be easy, but have you ever known anyone else who has loved you with such a complete and unconditional love? I haven't...

Lord, when all else seems to be falling down around us, nothing appears to be going as it should, and we begin to wonder if You still care, help us to remember what You have done for us already. Help us to remember Your great mercy, Your triumph over this world and our sins, and Your unending devotion to us all. We thank You today, Jesus, that we are not condemned but are loved and treasured for eternity.