“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace   as you trust in him.” (Romans 15:13 NIV)

I don’t know what you’ve gone through this past year. It may have been a   very tough year for you personally. But I do know this: God is not finished   with you. If your heart is still beating, if you’re still taking a breath, it   means God has a plan for the rest of your life.

“Stop your crying and wipe away your tears …. There is   hope for your future” (Jeremiah 31:16-17 TEV). God has a plan for each day of your life. And   God wants the rest of your life to be the best of your life. Then, one day,   he wants to take you to his home — a perfect and permanent home called   Heaven.

The sad thing is that a lot of people don’t want to come   home for Christmas because home for them is hell on Earth. Home might be a   place of anger, frustration, violence, abuse, shame, guilt, resentment,   pressure, or manipulation.

If that is how you view home, then understand this: The   Bible says, “Even if my father and mother abandon me, the LORD will take care   of me” (Psalm 27:10 GW).

Why did Jesus Christ come at Christmas? Because he didn’t   want to love you from a distance. He wanted to love you up close. God came to   Earth and became one of us so we could know what he was like.

God is inviting you to come home to a person who made you,   who loves you, who sent his Son to die for you. It’s not real hard to   understand. The bottom line is this: Are you going to take a small step of   faith this Christmas and come home to God? Or are you going to let it bypass   you another year and continue to celebrate the birth of somebody you have no   connection to at all?

Right now God is ready to welcome you — no matter who you   are or what you’ve done. I don’t care if you’re a religious person or a   non-religious person. I don’t care if you’re Catholic or Protestant or Jewish   or Buddhist or no religion at all. This isn’t about religion; it’s about having   a relationship with God. You can come to God and say, “God I want to come   home to you, and I want you to make your home in my heart.”

Talk About It

• What        decision do you need to make today about your relationship with Jesus        Christ?

• What        next step do you need to take toward finding a home with God? Let your        local church or your small group support and help you as you take that        step.