Peace Is Here

Thursday, December 25, 2025 

In the same region, shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: Today in the city of David a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be the sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped tightly in cloth and lying in a manger.” Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people he favors! Luke 2:8-14 CSB

Peace Is Here

The announcement of the birth of Jesus came with these words, Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people he favors! When God stepped down from heaven and entered our world as a baby, the result was that mankind could have peace with God through him. Jesus would fight the battle against sin that mankind could not, bringing victory to all who trust in what he accomplished. Jesus represents us before God in his authority to bring restoration and peace to our relationship with God.

Not only did the birth of Jesus offer us peace with God, it ushered in the ability for those who belong to him to have peace and find strength in his name every moment of every day. His death on the cross and resurrection offers us peace that will be with us forever. His peace is present because he came to earth as a baby, but his peace is present with us because he lives in our heart. His peace is with us through every valley and difficult situation. As believers we can know peace in the face of adverse circumstances because Jesus is the victor over death, hell, and the grave – the worst this world can throw at us. His peace comes with the promise that he has overcome the world so we can rest in him. 

I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world. John 16:33 

On Christmas and every day we carry the peace of the Lord within us. May you know the peace that  Jesus gives and may you share it with everyone around you. 

Merry Christmas from the staff of North Side Baptist Church

For God So Loved...

 Wednesday, December 24, 2025

For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

For God So Loved...

Ancient cultures gave their kings both political and spiritual significance because many believed their king to be imbued with divine powers.  Thus, in order to be thought of as “good”, the personal and public life of the king had to be beyond reproach in the eyes of his subjects.  

A king was to make his life an example by showing honesty and integrity as well as taking responsibility for his actions.  A king would win the trust and respect of his subjects by proving himself to be just and fair in all his dealings; as well as enforcing law and order in the kingdom. I n other words, the love for a king was determined by the actions taken by a king to better the lives of his subjects.  Beyond that, a king was highly cherished by his people if they sensed that he loved them.

The whole foundation of Christmas is based on love because God so loved He gave…  The very nature of God is to give. He gave us life in the first place. He sustains our lives with His gifts of sunshine and rain and much more. And when our days are finished on this planet, He gives us eternal life.  He gave us the ultimate love gift - Jesus, the King of Kings, - who so loved His subjects so much that He left His throne in glory to become like them and live among them. He gave His very life in order to obtain redemption for us, His subjects, so we could reside with Him forever.

All that King Jesus has done is better the lives of His subjects in all facets of life.  Our King wants good things for us because He loves us.  God could have chosen to condemn the world and leave them without any hope, but He chose to love in the greatest way possible…the sacrifice of His Son. It is the love that Jesus demonstrated, dying on the cross, that grabs the heart of mankind. The sacrificial and selfless death of Jesus is the only way will we ever have eternal life, a true gift of love.  It is also only through His son’s heart in us that we can love others.  The greatest gift we can give, not only at Christmas but every day, is to take the love He has shown us and give it to others around us.