TAHOE/TRUCKEE, Calif. and#8212; Christmas time. The time for gifts, love and cheer, right? Realistically, Christmas is more the time for crankiness, long lines and crime. It is sad a season of joy has become a season of hustle and bustle, hurts and anger, short tempers and impatience. As Godand#8217;s people, we are called the lights of the world, the bearers of the Good News, the stewards of His good intentions. It is our job in this time to be spreading hope, faith and love to all those we encounter, starting with our families and loved ones and then letting it ripple out to our community.

Hope is defined as and#8220;To look forward to with desire and reasonable confidenceand#8221; or and#8220;To believe desire, or trust.and#8221; We can have hope in God and His will for us. Something I think we forget so often is we serve a God of miracles! We serve the same God who parted the Red Sea, the same God who fed 5,000 people with a two loaves of bread and five fish, the same God who provides money of the exact amount for a bill we canand#8217;t pay, the same God who shows up in the midst of disbelief and fear to knock us off our feet and show us He can do anything, the same God who does supernatural things, whether seen or not, in every personand#8217;s life and#8212; we serve a God of miracles! We can have much hope in Him, for He has the most supreme track record of coming through. Spread the hope today we have a Creator who only has good thoughts toward us. (Psalm 139)

Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen according to Romans. So now, we can take hope further and have faith in it; faith is the acting out of hope. Today is the day to act out in faith. To have faith in people and to encourage them they can do the impossible, for with God all things are possible. (Luke 1:37) Today, let us listen for Godand#8217;s voice and do His will no matter how crazy or dumb it feels. The more we put our faith in Him, the greater God can glorify Himself and draw others closer to Him. Our Father uses everything for His glory and if we follow His will, how much more will He use our faith to accomplish good?!

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We are told we will be known for our love for one another. Most people donand#8217;t expect to receive love. They expect to be hurt, to be ripped off, to be taken advantage of. Some people donand#8217;t have a family to go home to this Christmas. Some people donand#8217;t have loved ones, or even friends. Some people are completely alone in the world, except for the fleeting companion of smile and hello they receive at the grocery store. This Christmas, we can give the gift of unattached love. We can give and not expect to receive back. We can leave anonymous gifts for people, leaving recognition in the shadows in order for God alone to receive the glory for His blessing.

As you enjoy your Christmas, New Years and festivities, embrace hope, faith and love. May they drive and lead you. May you have hope in people and what God can do in both their lives and our own; may you have faith in God and His provision and His will for your life, knowing He is the Miracle God; may you have love first of all for the Love who gave you His everything, second to those whom you love and lastly for the stranger who has no one else to love them. May we bear all things, believe all things, hope all things and endure all things. and#8220;And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.and#8221; (1 Corinthians 13:13)

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and#8212; Submitted to aedgett@sierrasun.com