At Christmas time—year after year—the world is dramatically reminded that God sent his Son, Jesus, to save lost mankind from his sin and its devastating consequences of eternal damnation. Christmas is also a good reminder that Jesus is coming back to earth for all who have accepted him as their personal Savior.

There are many references in the Old Testament section of the Bible that predicted Christ’s first coming to earth—an event that is an indisputable fact of history. According to Bible scholars there are 318 references in the New Testament about Christ’s second coming to earth. And as every prediction in the Old Testament regarding Christ’s first coming was fulfilled in minutest detail, we can be just as certain that every prediction in the New Testament regarding Christ’s second coming will also be fulfilled in minutest detail.

Jesus is coming again. God promised it in his Word, the Bible. Jesus himself promised it as well. And all the signs that Jesus and the Bible said would precede his second coming are evident today, also reminding us that Christ’s return could be very soon. The important question is: If Jesus were to come today, would you be ready?

For help to make sure you are ready for Jesus Christ’s return, see the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: http://tinyurl.com/real-christian.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, how can I ever thank you enough for your great Christmas love gift to me and to the world. In appreciation for all you have done for me, I surrender my heart and life afresh to you. Please use me in whatever way you will to be a part of your plan to spread the gospel to the world in which I live and in some way to people around the world. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Jesus in John 14:2-3 (NIV).

Henry Carter was working feverishly trying to prepare something fresh for his Christmas sermon when he was disturbed by a knock on his study door. It was the dorm mother of the church’s home for disturbed children. There was a crisis upstairs with one of the boys. Most of the boys go home for Christmas and only a few were left behind and were feeling very much abandoned and unloved.

Henry reluctantly followed the dorm mother up the stairs to the small dormitory chafing inwardly at yet another interruption. This time it was Tommy. He had crawled under his bed and refused to come out. The woman pointed to one of the beds. Not even a toe showed so Henry addressed the cowboys and bucking broncos on the bedspread. He told them of the beautifully decorated Christmas tree with all the presents in the church next door … and how there was a special present for Tommy.

Tommy was not impressed and continued to “play dead.”

Henry’s frustration increased as he knelt down on all fours and lifted the bedspread. As he peered under the bed his eyes met two enormous blue eyes expressing the fear and pain Tommy was experiencing. Henry could have easily pulled the little eight-year-old-looking-like-a-five-year-old child from under the bed, but he knew that this wouldn’t help. It was trust, not coercion, that Tommy needed—plus he needed to make the decision to come out by himself. So Henry tried as best he could to get Tommy excited about the special Christmas supper to be offered after the service, the wonderful presents, and the stocking filled with magnificent Christmas gifts with Tommy’s name on it.

All to no avail.

So … what else could Henry do? He got down on his stomach and wriggled himself under the bed to lay with his cheek pressed into the floor beside Tommy. Not a word he said seemed to have any effect. Not being able to think of anything else to say, Henry just laid there in silence beside Tommy. It seemed like such a long time but as Henry patiently waited, in time a small, cold hand crept into his.

After a while Henry said, “You know, Tommy, it’s pretty uncomfortable under here. Let’s you and me go where we can stand up.”

Ever so slowly they did.

Henry had no more worries about finding a Christmas message.²

To be concluded in tomorrow’s edition of Daily Encounter.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you for the marvel of the Christmas story. Please help me to fully understand why Jesus came to earth as a baby and then some 33 years later died on a Roman cross to save mankind from our sin. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Luke 2:8-11 (NIV).

2. Adapted from “Take Hold of Love,” by Henry Carter, pp 29-30, The New Guideposts Christmas Treasury. Copyright © 1998, Guideposts, Carmel, New York, 10512.

“The Doll and a White Rose” by V.A. Bailey

I hurried into the local department store to grab some last minute Christmas gifts. I looked at all the people and grumbled to myself. I would be in here forever and I just had so much to do. Christmas was beginning to become such a drag. I kind of wished that I could just sleep through Christmas. But I hurried the best I could through all the people to the toy department. Once again I mumbled to myself at the prices of all these toys, and wondered if the grandchildren would even play with them.

I found myself in the doll aisle. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a little boy about 5 holding a lovely doll. He kept touching her hair and he held her so gently. I couldn’t seem to help myself. I just kept looking over at the little boy and wondered who the doll was for.

I watched him turn to a woman and he called his aunt by name and said, “Are you sure I don’t have enough money.” She replied a bit impatiently, “You know that you don’t have enough money for it. The aunt told the little boy not to go anywhere because she had to go get some other things and would be back in a few minutes. And then she left the aisle.

The boy continued to hold the doll. After a bit I asked the boy who the doll was for. He said, “It is the doll my sister wanted so badly for Christmas. She just knew that Santa would bring it.” I told him that maybe Santa was going to bring it. He said “No, Santa can’t go where my sister is, I have to give the doll to my Momma to take to her.”

I asked him where his sister was. He looked at me with the saddest eyes and said, “She has gone to be with Jesus. My Daddy says that Momma is going to have to go be with her.”

My heart nearly stopped beating. Then the boy looked at me again and said, “I told my Daddy to tell Momma not to go yet. I told him to tell her to wait till I got back from the store.” Then he asked me if I wanted to see his picture. I told him I would love to. He pulled out some pictures he’d had taken at the front of the store. He said, “I want my Momma to take this with her so she doesn’t ever forget me. I love my Momma so very much and I wish she did not have to leave me. But Daddy says she will need to be with my sister.”

I saw that the little boy had lowered his head and had grown so very quiet. While he was not looking, I reached into my purse and pulled out a hand-full of bills. I asked the little boy, “Shall we count that money one more time?”

He grew excited and said, “Yes, I just know it has to be enough” So I slipped my money in with his and we began to count it. And of course it was plenty for the doll. He softly said, “Thank you Jesus for giving me enough money.”

Then the boy said, “I just asked Jesus to give me enough money to buy this doll so Momma can take it with her to give to my sister. And he heard my prayer. I wanted to ask him for enough to buy my Momma a white rose, but I didn’t ask him, but he gave me enough to buy the doll and a rose for my Momma. She loves white roses so very, very much.”

In a few minutes the aunt came back and I wheeled my cart away. I couldn’t keep from thinking about the little boy as I finished my shopping in a totally different spirit than when I had started. And I kept remembering a story I had seen in the newspaper several days earlier about a drunk driver hitting a car and killing a little girl and the mother was in serious condition. The family was deciding on removal of the life support. Now surely this little boy did not belong with that story.

Two days later I read in the paper where the family had disconnected the life support and the young woman had died. I couldn’t forget the little boy and just kept wondering if the two were somehow connected. Later that day, I couldn’t help myself and I went out and bought some white roses and took them to the funeral home where the young woman was. And there she was holding a lovely white rose, the beautiful doll, and the picture of the little boy in the store.

I left there in tears, my life changed forever. The love that little boy had for his little sister and his mother was overwhelming. In a split second a drunk driver had ripped the life of that little boy to pieces.²

Please don’t drink and drive this holiday season nor throughout the coming year.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to always be sensitive to the needs of others around me and, where needed, help me to reach and be as Jesus to them as the lady in today’s lesson reached out to the heart-broken little boy. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV).

2. “The Doll and a White Rose” by V.A. Bailey. Source Unknown.

Joy, my wife, wrote how, “For several years our family vacationed every year at Christmas time in Mexico. We always took individually wrapped candy canes to give to the local children. One Christmas morning I had taken the bus to attend a Christmas church service. After the service, while waiting for the bus to arrive, I saw a very poor looking, unkempt little girl and greeted her saying, ‘Felice Navidad’ (Merry Christmas) and gave her a candy cane.

“A few minutes later, I felt someone tugging on my skirt and turned to see this same little girl smiling as she handed me a walnut! My first thought was, ‘I can’t accept this walnut from her as it may be all she had received for Christmas.’ However, I thought of the true meaning of Christmas giving so accepted her valuable gift. I got back to the beach where my family member were and was so deeply touched by this poor little girl’s precious gift, I cried. I still have the walnut and every year tell the story now to my grandchildren—and we still cry.

“I treasure this gift from a poor little girl who gave me all she had out of the abundance of her loving heart.”

At this Christmas season we are again reminded that Jesus gave his very all that we might be forgiven of all our sins and given the gift of eternal life—the greatest Christmas gift anyone could ever receive.

Jesus has this gift of forgiveness and eternal life for you, too, dear reader, so if you haven’t accepted it, be sure to do so at this Christmas season. For help, be sure to read “How to Be Sure You’re a Christian” at: https://learning.actsweb.org/christian.

And may you and I, like the little Mexican girl Joy wrote about, always give out of the abundance of a loving and grateful heart.

Suggested Prayer; “Dear God, thank you that you gave out of the abundance of your loving heart the greatest love gift in all the world—the gift of your Son, Jesus, to come to earth as a baby to live and die for my sins so that I could be given the gift of forgiveness and eternal life. And thank you, Jesus, for all you have done for me. Because you died for me, help me to live for you and always give to you and others out of a loving, grateful heart. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Matthew 19:14 (NIV).