GoodNews Florida

GoodNewsFL.org 37 DECEMBER 2017 ENCOURAGEMENT -1$ . -*1$ ǽ ˋ *0-'4ǼǕǗȐ#*0-Ǽ) '$1Ȑ$)./ƙ 1$' ' ˋ + $'$5 '5#$( -ȇ. - ˋ $/ -ȟ*(+)$*)ǒ#*( ( &-.-1$ . ˋ /#$)"ǒ+-.*)' - ˋ &$' )0-.$)"ǒ $)!0.$*) - ˋ ̴ $ /$*)./0+ǒ-($) -. ˋ $ ). Ǽ*) ǒ$).0- ˋ *($)$(0(#*0-.-,0$- (;3(5,(1&( $ +,*+(5 67$1'$5' 2) +20( &$5( ³ %5,*+767$5 &$5( &DOO ( 2DNODQG 3DUN %OYG 6XLWH )RUW /DXGHUGDOH )/ EULJKWVWDUFDUH FRP ,1 +20( ,1 )$&,/,7< &$5(*,9(56 # -$"#//- - 3+-$) ˋ 0-)/ *(+/$$'$/4 ˋ ǕǗȟǚ $1 '$)$ ''$)/0++*-/ ˋ *)Ȑ&$' *(+)$*).#$+ /* &$' 0-.$)" ˋ 1-.$"#/*) 1-4 /$)/ 5HDG 2XU ([FHOOHQW 3DWLHQW 5HYLHZV RQ *RRJOH (YHU\ &KLOG 6KRXOG 5HFHLYH $Q 2UWKRGRQWLF (YDOXDWLRQ %\ $JH 'HERUDK $ )HUUHU '0' 06 ::: ($67257+2'217,&6 &20 'U )HUUHU 'U +HUUHUR 0XVW EH SUHVHQWHG DW WLPH RI VHUYLFH &DQ QRW EH FRPELQHG ZLWK RWKHU RIIHUV • Fractured friendship, Jesus is with you! • Financial fall-out, Jesus is with you! • Sickness and disease, Jesus is with you! Experience has taught me that God will use difficulties in life as the means to reacquaint us with fresh realities of his grace. Per- haps you are remembering someone close to you who has passed through the valley of the shadow of death, and this time of year brings back painful memo- ries of great loss. It was Christ- mas day 1995 around 4 p.m., just as we were sitting down to din- ner, when we received the call from the Veteran’s Hospital in Miami that my father had taken his last breath. Kim and I had gone to see him that morning, and in only a few short hours, he was gone into glory to be with Jesus. The only thing that got us through was in knowing that Jesus was with us. Immanuel was with us in our pain. Immanuel was with us in our sorrow. Immanuel was with us while we were in our valley of the shadow and walked with us every step of the way. It is my prayer that this name of our Lord, Immanuel, God with us, would be a source of great comfort and joy to you this Christmas season, whether it is the most wonderful time of the year or a time mixed with great pain. Now, there is one more thing I want you to remember. As our Lord Jesus Christ is with you, you are also with Him. You are with Him in His victory over sin. You are with Him in His victory over Satan. You are with Him in His victory over death and the grave. And one day, you will be with Him in His new heavens and new earth, that special place where there will be no more crying, mourning, pain, or death for the old order of things will have passed away. I am praying a very merry Christ- mas to you and yours. “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Because He is born to you, He is with you now and will be with you forever more. This is the gospel. This is grace for your race. Never forget that… Amen! Tommy Boland is senior pastor of Cross Community Church in Deer- field Beach. He blogs regularly at tommyboland.com