There’s a wonderful promise in the Old Testament that I came to understand when I was a young boy. The promise is found in Genesis 26:6. God says to Abraham, “Through your descendants all the nations on earth will be blessed.”

When I read that as a boy, I remember thinking, This is something I can pray for my own kids someday! So, as my wife and I started our family, we prayed that prayer for each of our four boys. We said, “Lord, through these boys, please bless all the nations of the world.”

Now, there were some rough years. One of our sons, Andrew, took a big spiritual hike for about 13 years. We experienced a lot of sadness. But we kept praying, “Lord, bless the nations of the world through our boys.” And praise God, Andrew did finally surrender his life to Jesus Christ!

Now, he’s an evangelist – sharing the Good News all around the world. In fact, each one of our boys is serving the Lord in different capacities. It’s thrilling to watch how God has answered that prayer of ours!

So, dream great dreams for your family. No matter where your kids are right now with the Lord, don’t despair. Pray for your children by name, asking God to bless the nations of the world through them. The Lord will hear, and answer!

If you’ve had the joy of leading someone to faith in Jesus Christ, you know it’s one of the most thrilling experiences on earth! Knowing that another soul has entered into the Kingdom of God gives you an excitement that is beyond words! And you can begin encouraging this new believer in their faith. Now, as you begin the discipleship process, it’s so important to practice patience. Often we want to see someone’s bad habits changed overnight. We get discouraged when a new believer isn’t as spiritually mature as we think they should be. But even though it’s important to encourage a new child of God to grow, it’s also important to practice patience. The reality is that it takes each of us time to mature in the Lord. I accepted the Lord as my Savior as a 12 year old boy. And even though it was a very real commitment, I didn’t really begin living the Christian life in its fullness until I was 17. You see, it’s God’s Holy Spirit that brings the growth, not you or me. In First Corinthians 3:6 Paul says, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.” So yes, keep encouraging and praying for your friend. But also, let them learn, and grow, in God’s perfect timing.

Did you know that when Christ says “I am the light of the world; whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life” he’s actually talking about today? Yes, it was true 2,000 years ago. Jesus was walking on earth in a human body. But Jesus Christ is just as alive today, friends. We must never forget that! Yes, he died on the cross to forgive us all our sins. But, He rose from the dead. Death couldn’t hold him.

This Christmas, talk about a Christmas of light. Tell your family and friends about Jesus. A Christmas of light is a Christmas lived in the presence of Jesus Christ, who said “I am the light of the world.”

As you go through your holiday routine, tell people about what Jesus has done in your life. When you’re shopping for Christmas presents, let the cashier know that Jesus loves them. When you’re making Christmas dinner, tell your family what Jesus has done in your life.

Read Luke 2 with your children. Teach them the meaning of Christmas. Don’t let this Christmas come and go without focusing on Jesus Christ. During the Christmas season people may be more open to learn about Jesus. Right now is a great opportunity to tell other people what Jesus means to you.

These days, we use the word “hope” all the time. “I hope this year will be better than last year and I hope the market goes up and I hope my stocks do better.” Let’s “hope so.” But, real hope isn’t about hoping things will go better. The hope I’m talking about is reality – a living expectation – squarely based on God’s revealed promises.

When you open your heart to Christ, God actually comes into your life. That’s real! Suddenly, you know God for yourself. And it isn’t a religious thing. It isn’t just doing the proper thing on Sunday or Christmas or Easter. Now it’s a deep, personal relationship with the Living God. You become a child of God. Suddenly you have peace with God. You know you’re loved. You have the Holy Spirit. You’re a new person.

The Bible says, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” And your hope keeps on growing as you get to know God more and more each day.

The miracle of Christmas is hope. Christ came to earth as a baby to bring us this hope. He died and rose again so we might have real hope, not just “hope so.” Who has God placed in your path who needs to hear of this hope? Pray, and ask the Lord for the opportunity to lovingly, respectfully, share His hope with your friends and family.