Running To Win on Oneplace.com

What do you do when you've made a bad call, and you have to live with it? The Bible has many examples of this. But how do we make the best of a bad decision? There is hope for us, even if we've really messed things up.

While many people prefer to mind their own business, Esther got involved at a crucial point in the history of the Jewish people. She spoke at great personal risk. We must do the same to face the daunting challenges that lie ahead.

To save her people from extinction, Esther faced the risk of execution as she begged the king of Persia to rescind a royal edict. She didn't try to "pass the buck." She knew that at that key moment, she had to act.

At crucial times, great leaders arise, often from simple roots. They're seen at the junctions of history, and they are often called upon to make momentous choices. Today we meet one such leader, a woman named Esther.

Once people find forgiveness and freedom in Christ, they realize how enslaved they once were to the power of sin. Jesus came to deliver people from sin and give them abundant life and joy.

People in deep bondage often are under the illusion that they are free. Many of the religious leaders of Jesus' day thought they were free, and they didn't like being told that they needed deliverance. We can be delivered, for Jesus came to set us free.

Jesus said, "Everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. If the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed." That's great news. Freedom is more than not being in jail. Freedom is living without the shackles of sin.

The love God bestows through His Son is a love we're meant to share, even with those some consider unlovable. Love only works when it's seen in action, as it was when Jesus gave His life for us long ago.

"Greater love hath no man, than a man lay down his life for his friends." That's what Jesus said, and that's what He did. There is no greater love than the love of God through His Son, and that's the greatest Christmas gift one could receive this year.

One of the marks of those who believe in Jesus is joy... joy that goes down deep even in times of sorrow. It comes from having fellowship with the Father and His Son Jesus.

Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." The life He offers to those who believe is an eternal one. This Christmas, let's be thankful for the life our Savior promises, a life that transcends our temporary time in this world.

The life God gives to those who believe in His Son is a life that transforms our inner motivations. Once we believe and are transformed by Christ, we see the world in a whole different light.

At Christmas, we would rather not think about the end of life. But the eternal life Jesus brought for those who believe means that death is not the end. In one sense, Jesus becomes the beginning of the real life we were meant to have.

The lights of Christmas come down in January. But the light Jesus brings into the hearts of believers can burn brighter every day. Yet sin can quickly obscure that light, so we must be diligent to walk in obedience.

The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. God wants to break money's stranglehold on our hearts, and the key is giving in secret. Let's pursue right motives and methods to do just that.