Born So We Could Be Born Again

Published: Dec. 24, 2021, midnight

b'For many years, my family celebrated Christmas at my grandparents\\u2019 home in northern Wisconsin, where winter is typically very cold and snowy. One year my dad thought it would be fun if he and I hiked out into the woods and cooked breakfast over a fire. We got lost. Then we couldn\\u2019t start the fire. We were mocked by our family upon our return. We learned though, and the following year everything went well. Except it was so cold, I kept moving my feet closer and closer to the fire until I noticed my boots were melting! Again, I was mocked.\\nAnother year, some other family members joined us and pretty much made fun of the whole thing, saying, \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153We could have stayed home, been warm, and had better food.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d No one really understood why my dad and I did this tradition. Mostly we were made fun of. But those mornings are some of my favorite memories of my dad.\\nPeople often make fun of what they don\\u2019t understand. You\\u2019ll notice this when you follow your Heavenly Father as well. He sent Jesus into this world to save people from sin and death, to forgive us and give us new life. Jesus revealed the Father and proclaimed His kingdom, which was totally foreign to the way the world was going. Most people didn\\u2019t get it, and they rejected Him. Even Jesus\\u2019s brothers didn\\u2019t understand. Many people mocked Jesus, especially people from His hometown. Even His own disciples rarely seemed to understand what Jesus was up to.\\nDon\\u2019t be surprised if following Christ makes you look weird! It will, and the world that doesn\\u2019t understand will mock you. But Jesus said, \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d (Matthew 5:11). When people make fun of you for following Jesus, remember that He knows how you feel. And even when others don\\u2019t understand, it\\u2019s okay. You can still enjoy being with your Father! \\u2022 Jeff Weddle\\n\\u2022 Without Jesus, none of us would want to spend time with God, let alone follow Him. We need Jesus to give us faith to move us from mocking Him to trusting Him. When you find yourself mocking others, how can Jesus\\u2019s grace bring you comfort and move you toward compassion?\\n\\u2022 Why did Jesus Christ come to save people who didn\\u2019t understand or like Him? (Including us!) \\nThe person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:14 (NIV)\\n\\xa0\\nRead Verses:\\nEzek.37.1-Ezek.37.14|John.11.17-John.11.44|John.10.10'