“The best things in life are not things.” This is painted on a piece of wall decor in our home. The truth is, to walk into our house presently, you might think that was the farthest truth from our minds. We’ve already begun to do what so many do this time of year and that is transform our home into our little Christmas wonderland. A lot of Christmas and winter-related things are placed throughout. I love it. Jeanea loves it. Most importantly, our first grand baby, born this year, loves it. With that said, we are fully aware that the best things in life are not things, or at least not material things.

 

All of our temporary material things can be gone in a blink so I’d like to share three things that will last. Three things that can’t be taken from us are faith, grace, and strength. These three all come from God.

 

First, I’m so grateful when I realize that without a measure of faith given to me from God, I would never even turn to Him for salvation or anything else. Hebrews 11:6 says, “ without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

 

The second thing that I am grateful for is grace. Ephesians 2:8-10 declares, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” We are created to do good works, but I am so thankful to God that I do not have to work for my salvation. God’s grace is a gift and cannot be earned.

 

Lastly, Isaiah 40:29 proclaims, “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” God’s strength is always available.

 

Unlike the temporary things that we will all enjoy the next couple of months, faith, grace, and strength are things we cannot do without. As we approach the holiday season, may we constantly remember that Jesus truly is the reason for the season. Jesus is the object of our faith and gives us the ability to believe. He has provided the grace we need for salvation. And He continues to provide strength to persevere in every circumstance.