For the Lord your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.

Romans 6:23 -- For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Sin. The word has gained unpopularity among those that reject Christ in this day and age. People don't even like to use the word anymore. Too negative of a connotation. The pleasure and profit of sin is too appealing to them, though nothing more than people ploughing iniquity, sowing vanity, and reaping the same.

The shunning of the word sin is to shun the shame that came into the world with sin. However, no matter how much our society attempts to sugar-coat wrong-doing, or pretend that the shame of sin is not there, there is still a certain effect of shame in relation to sin.

Sin is the direct disobedience of God, and the shame associated with this is so tremendous that those that reject God have done whatever they can to make sin relative, and to erase the shame. But since they have been unable to do so, now their goal is to eliminate God. They think that if there is no God, there is no sin, and ultimately: no shame.

Well, I have news for those that have decided that God is not an important part of their lives. For the sinner, the end of sin is death. Not necessarily a physical death, but a spiritual death. Though the way of sin here on Earth may seem pleasant and inviting, the end is separation from God.

But through Christ there is salvation from this death by sin. From this condemnation the believer in Jesus finds liberty. The way of the believer is up-hill, the path is narrow, thorny, and beset, but everlasting life in the presence of the Almighty God is at the end of it.

The gift of God is eternal life. And this gift is through Jesus Christ our Lord. Christ purchased it, prepared it, prepares us for it, preserves us to it; He is the All in all in our salvation.

He is the ultimate Christmas Gift.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. - John 3:16

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us…And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.
— Psalm 16:11

It has been said the best cure for hedonism is an attempt to practice it.

If you chase after pleasure, you eventually will come to the same conclusion as King Solomon: "I said to myself, 'Come on, let's try pleasure. Let's look for the "good things" in life.' But I found that this, too, was meaningless. So I said, 'Laughter is silly. What good does it do to seek pleasure?' " (Ecclesiastes 2:1–2).

The Bible tells us that if our intense desire is to please ourselves, then it will be the source of all of our problems: "What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don't they come from the evil desires at war within you? You want what you don't have, so you scheme and kill to get it . . . " (James 4:1–2).

It comes down to this: If you live for yourself and your happiness and your pleasure, then you will be a miserable person. It's ironic that the people who live for happiness never find it, while the people who live for God find happiness as a byproduct. The people who chase after pleasure never really experience it—they may find little bits here and there, but nothing to speak of. Yet the people who live for God experience the ultimate pleasure.

Pleasure is not in itself a bad thing, although you might get that impression from some Christians. I think the Christian life is the most pleasurable life around. Why? Because the Bible teaches, speaking of God, "You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever" (Psalm 16:11). True happiness comes from God.

- - Greg Laurie

But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord.

When my wife and I met it was love at first sight. We became high school sweethearts, and were thoroughly convinced that our love was stronger than anything the world could throw at us.

However, the first years of our marriage were rough, and it came to the point that I wondered if we would make it.

We grew up in different cultures, and different religions. It got to the point that in 1996 we separated for a year.

During that time my dad said to me, "You know, even if she wasn't the right woman for you when you got married, by becoming married she became the right woman in the eyes of God. Rather than battle her, give the marriage to the Lord, and just love her."

Just Love Her.

The separation reached the point of Divorce Court. There we were, battling over the kids in court. I gave my side of why I deserved custody to the moderator with venom. Despite my faith, I was angry that the woman I loved was allowing our marriage to dissolve. I foolishly allowed my anger to control my words.

Then the moderator asked for her argument regarding why she should have custody of the children. My wife stood up there, ready to battle with me, and said, "All I know is I want my husband back."

My heart fell into my knees, and that night I fell upon my knees in prayer. We talked after our day in court, and then got back together.  A couple years later she accepted the Lord, and from then on we placed our marriage in the hands of the Lord, and now have a marriage I once only dreamed of having.

They say the Lord works in mysterious ways. Well, I don't know about that, but in my case, it took a storm to make us realize how much we love each other.  Sometimes, it is the storms that are the most blessed events of our lives.  Sometimes, it is during those storms that He molds us into who we must be for Him.  It is in those storms that we build character and strength.  It is in those storms that He carries us, ensuring that we reach the other side safely.