And the Soul Felt Its Worth

This past Monday, I was driving down the interstate and passed a cemetary. I noticed that a grave site was being prepared. Though I didn't know the family, I couldn't help but think about them...that they would gather under that green tent and bury the body of someone they loved. But then, immediately, my heart was filled with a burst of excitement, as I thought about the hope that we have in Christ! The body is buried but the soul... Oh the soul! Praise God for giving us a soul that can (if we choose salvation) live beyond death in Heaven with Him! But before the birth of Chirst, the 'soul' had no understanding of it's purpose. This is one of the reasons I am so thankful for the birth of Christ. Even though I had imagined the sadness of that family, I also imagined the joyous night Jesus was born. Inside of my head, it unfolds like this... I see Mary laying in the stable on hay that Joseph had fixed for her. He tries to make it as comfortable for her as he can. I see rolls of sweat falling from her brow as she thinks, "It shouldn't be this way. Not for this baby." I see Joseph pacing, his mind filled with concern for the 'love of his life' and now... a new love, that would be here any moment. It is time now. Joseph kneels beside of Mary and whispers that he loves her and that God would be faithful to them. He reminds her of what they had gone through and that it was almost over. Little did they know...it was only beginning for them. The baby is born and Mary wraps him in whatever she can find. She holds Him close to her. She whispers His name over and over again..."Jesus". I see that precious chosen couple holding this child. The child that changed everything they ever knew. They can't take their eyes off of Him. Of course they feel the happiness of being new parents, but, there is something else. It's their hearts... They feel a spiritul completeness that they had never felt before. And then... then I hear Heaven singing. I see God, the Father, stand up from His throne. The angels have gathered for the most wonderful thing they have ever seen or known. For they know that this baby, this Christ child, has changed the world. He has arrived! God's plan to save the world, is now in motion... Perhaps that is not exactly the way the night of the birth of Christ really happened, but in my mind... it is. I do believe that the night Christ was born, the world felt it. We know this from reading, in God's word, of how the shepherds (and later on, the wise men), were drawn to see this particular baby. I guess what I think is so wonderful is that because of this night, you and I have hope. Hope that can never be taken away by death or tragedy. Hope that won't waiver or fail. Hope that is not only certain, but actually grows bigger inside the heart of the believer. Hope, because of a Savior. I was singing, "O Holy Night" in church, the other day, and God showed me something about that song that will forever change the way I sing it. It was the phrase: "Til He appeared, and the soul felt its worth." Many Biblical commentaries say that the soul is what contains the spirit of the body. The soul can mean life, spirit, or breath. Genesis 2:7 says, "the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being." God has breathed breath into all of us, thus giving us each a soul. I find it amazing to think that I am a part of God! He breathed life into me! And the night of Christ's birth, the soul felt it's worth! In other words, the soul always had purpose, but on that night, it realized it's value! Do we truly understand that a God as Holy as ours, loves us so much, that He would send down His son to be near us and to give us a place for our soul... Heaven. I guess my question is, does your soul feel it's worth? If you have never asked Christ in your life, you must do so to truly feel and understand how loved you are! Maybe you are a Christian, but lately, you don't feel worth anything to anyone. Let me encourage you in the Lord, today, and say that you are so very valuable to God. Maybe your eternity is secure, but you feel hopeless in your walk here on Earth. My sweet friend, don't buy into Satan's lies and allow him to rob you of what God says you are. We can rejoice, not because of ourselves, but because we have God's breath in us! How can we still feel the worth today? How can we feel His "worth" when we have buried those we loved? How can we feel His love when we feel abandoned by our family or feel as though we are drowning in depression? How? Because we have the best thing with us already... God's spoken word. Dive into His word and you will see Him change your life. When our soul hears the one who created it, it recognizes it's worth. You will find that in His spoken word, you do have hope, even though the world tells you there isn't any. You will find that this story that happened so long ago, will come alive in your heart! Why? Because the 'soul felt it's worth'! God came down as a baby and that's what changed everything. I pray that you will join me today in just meeting with God and telling Him that you want to draw near to Him... I pray God's blessings upon you and your household. May you have a very Merry Christmas and may you rejoice in the birth of our Savior, the whole year through! Love, Corrie My prayer for today: Father, I praise your Holy name for sending your son to this world! Thank you for loving us enough to find a way that I may spend eternity with you and not in Hell, apart from you. I pray that if there is someone who is reading this that doesn't know you, Lord, draw them unto you. I pray for my brothers and sisters in Chirst who are undergoing trials. Lord, run to them. Remind them of your love for them...