As our family gathers for Christmas each year, we read the Christmas story. Actually, we read part of the Christmas story. We don’t include the genealogies found in either Matthew 1 or Luke 3. But these 32 verses are part of the Christmas story. In fact, they are a significant enough part that God included them in our Bibles.

Perhaps you, like me, have noticed that many people are more willing to come to church at Christmastime than at any other time.

Thanksgiving is more than a holiday; it is an action—thanks giving. Of course, everyone—saved and unsaved alike—has much to be thankful for. We all enjoy what Spurgeon called the “common mercies” of God. And most people try to practice gratitude.

2 > 4. Unless you are completely mathematically challenged, the above equation ought to bother you. After all, even second graders know that the number 4 is greater than the number 2. So let me readily admit that it’s merely a cute way for me to share a profoundly simple principle about giving thanks.

Parents are responsible not only to teach God’s Word to their children but to “teach them diligently.” Deuteronomy 6:7 describes the level of persistence with which we are to teach our children: “and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.”

Everyone I know is tired, even people who are retired are tired. Our society lives at a fast pace, so we are going to be tired doing something. This even extends to the ministry. In 2 Corinthians 12:15 the Apostle Paul said it like this: “And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you.” We need what Paul had—a healthy sense of the reality that this is the only life we get.

When you begin your Thanksgiving gratitude list, what do you include? Most of us probably begin with God’s gifts of salvation, family, church family, and friends. We then move to tangible gifts such as shelter, clothing, vehicle, and financial provision. If we stay at our list long enough, we add events and highlights of the past year.

Before time began, God wrote the story for your life. He wrote you into His Master plan and purpose and gave you a role that only you can fulfill. So, how can you be sure you are living out the STORY God has written for you? Here are five decisions every Christian should make:

King David had his share of trouble from his enemies. In Psalm 143, he is at a breaking point. Tired of being hunted down like an animal, he is despondent, discouraged, disillusioned, desperate, and depressed. Not even his mighty men could bring comfort or consolation to his soul.

I have freedom—to vote, to speak, to travel, to live. We enjoy a level of freedom people in repressed nations cannot even fathom.