Welcome to my home:
a place to rest,
a place to revive,
a place to pray.

Who needs grace, raise your hand.

My hand is up high. I need grace upon grace!

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In my newly released children's book Christmas Morning, a little girl unwraps her final gift. She opens a box to find...a crimson red rode. It's velvety soft, and on the pocket, her name is monogrammed in white. After all the other gifts she has opened (see previous posts) she is humbled that this exquisite robe was hand-stitched, made uniquely for her.  When the little girl puts the robe on, she feels like she is wearing love itself.

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Symbolically, the name of this gift is the robe of amazing grace and it is meant for each one of us who knows Jesus as Savior.

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Can you believe the King of kings took off his royal robe and gave it to you and me? But even before he did this act, he, in his lovingkindness, first took off our own filthy garments. All our sin was removed and placed on him at the cross. He dealt with it there completely. It is finished.

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Then he robed us in his righteousness. Now that's amazing grace!

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Here are a few verses that speak into this truth:

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I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness... Isaiah 61:10

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Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.” Zechariah 3:3-4

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‍For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9.

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‍And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. But the father said to his servants,‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate. Luke 15:21-24

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All too often, we choose to keep our dirty clothes on. We're too comfortable; we're too guilty; we're too passive; we're too self-righteous; we're too afraid to take the risk. If we really knew what it meant to wear his robe we would not hesitate to have Jesus himself wrap us in it. He's holding it up for us to put one arm in, then the other. Will we?

In the story, I chose crimson red for the robe because it represents royalty. When we accept Christ, we belong to a kingdom that will out last and out shine anything this world has to offer.

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Become the little girl in Christmas Morning. Marvel at his amazing grace and humbly wear his robe. It's yours--your name is monogrammed on the pocket.

You are his.

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In my previous posts, you can read about each of the different gifts in my newly released children's book Christmas Morning. (Now available on Amazon!)

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In this post, the little girl in the story picks up the brightest yellow bag she has ever seen and unwraps...

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a beaming lantern of light.

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‍With much excitement, she decides to test its power by walking into a pitch-black closet. And sure enough the light overcomes the darkness, and she shouts "Joy to the World!"

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Just as the other gifts in the book have symbolism, this lantern does as well. This light is meant to represent the Light: Jesus.

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He says, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12

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Also, hear these words of truth:

God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. Genesis 1:3

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...God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 1 John 1:5

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In him was life, and the life was the light of men. John 1:4

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Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105

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How difficult it would be for us to walk around in complete physical darkness. Spiritually speaking, it's the same thing. Our souls, without Christ, are formless and void. Without him, we wander, we flounder, we fall.

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But then, the light of life enters in! He gives us Hope! His word guides our every step! When we look to him, we are radiant! And amazingly, we become his ambassadors. We now have a purpose much greater than ourselves. Jesus says to you and me today, "You are the light of the world...Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:14,16

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Become the little girl in the story. Rekindle your lantern of glory if it's been waning. The world is dark and needs you. Be a part of the incredible privilege of overcoming the darkness in your time and place in God's redemptive story. It's why you are here.

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There is no greater mission in life than shining his lantern of Light.

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In the continuation of sharing my children's book Christmas Morning, the little girl in the story delightfully opens up the fifth gift. (See previous posts for the proceeding gifts). She tears the pink and purple striped paper and opens a dainty box to find...

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a small bottle of perfume. This heart-shaped bottle is attached to a necklace so she can wear it everywhere she goes.

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As I have mentioned in my previous posts, each one of the gifts in Christmas Morning symbolizes a faith-based truth. In this case, the beaded necklace and bottled perfume represent the love of God in our hearts. When the little girl sprays the perfume, the whole room is filled with a beautiful aroma. The idea of this gift came from this verse in Scripture: Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. John 12:3

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Both the expensive ointment of Mary's and the little girl's perfume in the story, when poured out, result in a sweet smelling aroma. Everyone present is affected by the scent.

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Take a slow moment to think on this truth: the Spirit of God abides in our hearts. He is love. He is beautiful. He is powerful. He is alive. He is kind. He is good. He is joy. On and on. When we submit to His Spirit, all these things stir up in us... and then exude out of us! We "smell" good! It is by no accident that God calls this outpouring the "fruit" of the Spirit! Doesn't all fresh fruit smell wonderful?

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These verses emphasize God's love and its effect on us and others:

...And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Romans 5:5

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But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

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‍For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing... 2 Corinthians 2:15

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‍Let my prayer be counted as incense before you... Psalm 141:2

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We can be filled up to all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:19)... for the purpose of being poured out! How wonderful to know that when we do this, whether it's through praying, serving, or using our unique gifts and talents, we will give off a pleasing aroma, first to God, and then to others in our appointed realm of influence. Let's not hold back!

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Become the little girl in the story. Humbly, yet boldly, choose to fill whatever room you enter with the sweet smelling aroma of his Spirit.

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**Guess what? Christmas Morning is now available on Amazon! The official launch will be November 1st, but feel free to beat the Christmas rush and purchase it now if you'd like! And if you love it, I would kindly ask you to leave a review, as this will continue to help this treasure book of truth move forward.

link: bit.ly/3VzhyW1

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I pray that it will be a beautiful fragrance of God's love for all children and parents who open it.

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