"I AM the Way, the Truth and the Life.
No one comes to the Father except through Me.
If you really knew Me,
you would know My Father as well.
From now on, you know Him and have seen Him."
John  14: 6-7
The Way Of The Lord Ministries
Reverend Noreen T. Kevern
520-237-0329
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God Bless
The Way of The Lord Ministries - Tucson Arizona - Funerals, Baptisms, Christening, Prayer Services, Spiritual Needs, & Wedding Services.
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God’s Peace and Love

For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16

All the stockings are hung and it’s just a few more days before Christmas and there is so much to do. We have a To-Do list a mile long to get things
accomplished before Christmas day comes. We rush from store to store, trying to buy the right present for each person on our list. We plan dinner and church
and rush here and there. We are frustrated and tired of the crowds and the traffic and for what?

Christmas is about celebrating the birth and the return of our Lord and Savior Jesus. These past few weeks have been about preparing for the coming of
Jesus, not as a baby, but for His return. Jesus lived a life that He wanted us to learn from and to then live our lives according to the standards that He gave us.
His life was to die for our sins. When we see the manger, we must not forget the cross, for without the cross, our Salvation means nothing. We have far too
often forgotten that we are to live this life to prepare for the next. Many have lost track of the cross and in doing so, have lost track of our Salvation. We depend
on rules and regulations that churches, government and people have set up, we depend upon ourselves, we depend upon money but we don’t depend on
God. We want God to live up to our standards but we don’t want to live up to His.

When I began writing this, I admit I was a bit stressed from a variety of things. I had to stop for a while and wait upon myself to get out of the mood I was in and
then allow God to speak to me so that I could be receptive to what He wants me to write. Because I allowed things to affect me, I in essence, blocked God out of
my life. That’s what we do when we focus on things instead of God. And we all do it at various times in our lives. We become disappointed in someone, we don’t
feel well, we don’t feel like dealing with something, it’s been a long day, we have been shopping or driving, and instead of praying over the problem we focus on
how the problem is affecting ourselves. Far too often, we put prayer on the backburner, when it should be the first thing that we do. Because I was stressing
about things, my mind was blocked from what God wanted me to here. Have you ever felt blocked and alone from God? I imagine most people have felt that
way. It didn’t take me long to refocus, ever though I was distracted by things that were going on around me.

John the Baptist said: “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of
Him.’ The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s
voice. That joy is mine and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less (John 3:27-30). When I preach Christ, it matters not about me, but
about Christ. I have to listen for my bridegroom’s voice to know what He wants of me. And sometimes that means that I have to change the direction that my life
is going. Change is hard at times because it requires that you step out in faith in a way that you have never done so before. But change is good and hearing
my bridegroom call to me brings such joy into my life. Have you ever heard the Lord speak to you? Then you know the joy that comes. Many though have not
heard the voice of God speak to them and others think that if you are hearing voices…well, they think that you need help and quick. But I don’t worry about that
and neither should you. Far too often we push aside that feeling or dream or vision that we may have, thinking that it’s crazy to even think about it. We go on in
life, not quite feeling right, until God finally makes it quite clear what He wants in your life. John knew his job was coming to an end. We, who are preaching, are
doing so because God has called us to prepare His children for the coming of our Lord. We are preparing the way for return of  the Lord. Just as John went
out, so we must go out.

For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn it, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does
not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the Name of God’s one and only Son (John 3:17-18). Jesus didn’t come to condemn us
but to save us. That’s why we say He is our Savior. Nothing in this life means anything, unless we confess our sins and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. Many
people don’t like the word “Lord” because it gives a meaning of having authority over another. When He had finished washing their feet, He put on His clothes
and returned to His place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” He asked them. “You call Me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I
AM. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I
have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than His master, nor is a messenger greater than the one Who sent Him. Now that you know these
things, you will be blessed if you do them (John 13:12-17).

Have you served anyone lately? Have you done something for someone else that you didn’t want to do? Or have you been selfish and only thinking about
yourself and what others can do for you? Our lives are to be in service to one another, but we should never be taking advantage of another. When you treat
someone as if they owe you something or you expect someone to do something for you because after all they are Christians and should be serving you
anyways, is not the meaning of what God is after.

Are you teaching those around you about our Lord Jesus? Far too often we are uncomfortable about sharing our faith, but we must move past our fears and
stretch ourselves and preach the Word. We are responsible for bringing the Word and teaching with the Word in our lives. We cannot be afraid of what another
will think, whether or not they will think that the Word sounds harsh and judgmental. There is no getting around God’s truth.

So let yourself be reborn this Christmas, full of God’s love and peace. Allow yourself to step out in faith and do something that you have never done before.
Smile at all those you meet, showing a loving face that reflects your Savior. Christmas time is rough for some and your smile may be what they need to make it
through. Don’t worry about saying “Merry Christmas” just say it with joy and mean it. It’s only offensive to those who don’t believe in God and so then what
does it matter to them since they don’t believe, and it offends Satan. Remember that God loves all His children even if they don’t love Him. So love all those
around you who may be unlovable. Trust in God no matter what your circumstances may be. And don’t be afraid to step out in faith. If you have a loved one
who has lost their way, remind them that God is waiting for them to come and ask Him for His forgiveness and to accept Him as Lord and Savior.

God is calling out to you: “Listen to Me, My people; hear Me, My nation: The law will go out from Me; My justice will become a light to the nations. My
righteousness draws near speedily, My Salvation is on the way, and My arm will bring justice to all the nations. The islands will look to Me and wait in hope for
My arm (Isaiah 51:4-5). He is our light and our Salvation. Look to Him and be His light in the darkness that surrounds us. His coming is near and He will
establish His justice for all the world. Wait in hope all you who believe and trust and be not afraid for He hears and sees all and His law teaches us what we
need. His righteousness is right around the corner. Prepare the way for the coming of the Lord! Awake, Awake! Clothe yourself with strength, O arm of the Lord
(Isaiah 51:9). Clothe yourselves with the full armor of God so that you will be able to stand when evil surrounds you. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth
buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In
addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of Salvation and the sword of
the Spirit, which is the Word of God. And pray with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints
(Ephesians 6:13-20).

So give the gift of prayer for those you love, but more importantly pray for those that you don’t love. Prayer is powerful, because we are lifting them up to the
Lord and keeps us focused on Him. Be alert for the time is coming for Christ’s return. Don’t be caught walking with the devil. Do good for that is what God wants
of us. And trust in God and show in your life His peace and love.