One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. Romans 14:5–6 ESV

December Newsletter

Thank you for reading our devotional and being a part of our ministry. This is our monthly update on what is happening here at Refreshing Hope Ministries. Christmas is coming soon and we will be celebrating the birth of the Lord Jesus as a man at our house. I know that this is a controversial subject to some, but I feel it appropriate today to talk about hijacked holidays. 

There is a lot of paganism in our holidays, as with all of our culture. Even the English days of the week are all named after false gods and mythical figures. Sunday represents the “sun goddess.” Monday is “god of the moon day”. Tuesday is “tiw’s day”, a Norse god. Wednesday is “wodan’s day”, a Germanic god. Thursday is “thor’s day”, another norse god. Friday is “frige day”, an Anglo-Saxon goddess. Saturday is named after the Roman god “saturn”. 

My wife has a birthday every year and I try and take the time to do something special for her. It does not matter if her birthday falls on a pagan holiday or not. If it did, that holiday just got overwritten because it is now Sylvia’s birthday to me. So it is with Christmas, I could not care less what it was. To me, it has now been overwritten as the birthday of Jesus as a man, and I will celebrate it as such at my house. 

I could go on to talk about Easter, but it is a waste of words. We have hijacked those pagan holidays, and now regardless of what they originally meant, they are now “Christian Holidays.” The Lord Jesus may not have been born as a man on December 25^th, but He was born on a day and the Bible does not say which. It could be the 25th just as easily as any other day in the year. He may not have risen on “Easter Sunday”, but He did rise and most of us choose that day to celebrate it. It is not “When it happened” that is so important, but that “It did happen.”

Have a heart like Jesus and care for others this Christmas. Love one another. Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you. Overlook the insults. Give a gift like you would like to receive. 

Here is what has been happening at Refreshing Hope Ministries:

- We have had 522 prayer requests come into the prayer network over the last thirty days, and our prayer partners have sent 1,505 replies! 

- We added a new testimonial page for the Daily Word on the signup page and about us.

- We are starting to add frequently asked questions to our teachings and recently added a new teaching on Bible translations and the King James Version.

- We are still moving ahead with upgrading the equipment here and have some of the new changes in place, though we still have a ways to go.

I pray that you have a Merry Christmas. Keep Christ at the center of your holidays and interpret the “Christmas Spirit” as the “Holy Spirit.” May you and your family be richly blessed and may the peace of God rest on your house this season, in the name of Jesus. 

Please remember us in your year end giving. We could not be here without your support and we sincerely thank you, but take care of those around you first. 

Merry Christmas,

Dion