2012 Christmas Music Marathon Day 32

We are nearing the end of this year's edition of Christmas Music Marathon.  Christmas day will be the final entry for this year.  There have been some old familiar favorites and some new arrangements of old songs, as well and some new music this year.  It has been a great experience searching the videos and listening to the music of the season.  After posting every day for the past 32 days, my hat is off to those of you who blog on a daily basis.  It is definitely a commitment and I salute your efforts.
Christmas Eve at the Driller household begins with a candlelight service at the church.  After the service we will come home, have dinner, read the Christmas story, and open our presents.  It will be a very family affair.
I want to thank those of you who have endured this marathon.  There are no prizes for finishing the race.  I just hope you enjoyed the experience.  Merry Christmas to you and yours.  May you celebrate the birth of the Savior and give Him thanks for all He as done.  May the new year be filled with those things that bring you joy.

I am often amused by the fact that people are upset when they don't understand God's actions or His purpose for allowing some things to happen in this life.  The truth is, if God were small enough for us to understand, He wouldn't be big enough to be God.  I don't think most of us truly want to understand God as we want to control Him.  We create a god in our minds that fits our lifestyle and our personal belief system.  It may be a god that we are comfortable with, but it is not the God of all creation.  That God has always confused mankind.  God promised His people a Messiah.  They were looking for a king, greater than David, to deliver them from Roman rule.  God sent them a babe in a manger.  Christ healed the sick, raised the dead, but refused to come down off of the cross and save Himself.  He didn't come to save Himself.  He came to pay the price for our sin and provide a way for us to spend an eternity in fellowship with Him.  What began on a night in Bethlehem and finished on a cross at Golgotha has always been difficult for mankind to understand.  We have a very difficult time wrapping our minds around, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life."  That's just too simple for us to understand.  Take a few minutes and read the following verses in the Bible;


1st stop on the Roman Road To Salvation...
God Is The Creator Of Life

Romans 1:20-21: “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.” God reveals himself to us - His divine nature and personal qualities - through creation. We must acknowledge God as the Creator and sustainer of life.
2nd stop on the Roman Road To Salvation...
Why We Need Salvation – The Fact Of Our Sin

Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We must recognize that we are sinners and that we do not meet God’s perfect standards. Sin is serious in God’s sight and includes thoughts, words and actions. All sin (i.e. hatred and lust) makes us sinners not just the big, obvious sins like murder and adultery (Romans 5:12).
3rd stop on the Roman Road To Salvation...
Man’s Inability

Romans 3:10: “As it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one.” No one can earn right standing with God. We must understand that our good deeds or religion are unacceptable to God because our good works cannot cancel out our sin. For a view of man’s sinful condition, read Romans 3:10-18.
4th stop on the Roman Road To Salvation...
The Penalty Of Sin

Romans 6:23a: “For the wages of sin is death.” God’s holiness demands a penalty (consequence) for our sin, which is death. Eternal death is separation from God forever in Hell. God is a just God, and He demands punishment for every sin. Justice is getting what we deserve, because of our sin, we deserve death.
5th stop on the Roman Road To Salvation...
God’s Plan Of Salvation

Romans 5:8: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” God sent His Son Jesus Christ to pay the penalty for our sin by dying on the cross. God is a God of mercy and He sent Jesus to take our sin upon Himself and the punishment we deserve. Mercy is not getting what we deserve, we deserve death, and Jesus took our place.
6th stop on the Roman Road To Salvation...
God’s Promise Of Eternal Life

Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Eternal life is a free gift from God, there is nothing we can do to earn eternal life. Grace is getting what we don’t deserve. Because of God’s amazing grace, He has given us eternal life through Jesus Christ!
7th stop on the Roman Road To Salvation...
Man’s Responsibility

Romans 10:9-10: “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” We must believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God Who died for us on the cross, rose from the dead, and is Lord. We must put our trust in Jesus alone to make us right with God. Salvation involves believing in our hearts (inward belief) and an outward confession that Jesus is Lord.
Romans 10:13: “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” There is no complicated formula to salvation; Jesus paid the price of our sin for us. Our response is to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. If we do, we will be saved from eternal death in Hell to eternal life in Heaven.
Final Stop on the Roman Road To Salvation...
Results Of Salvation

Romans 8:1: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” By accepting Jesus’ death as a payment for our sins, we will never be condemned for our sins.
Romans 5:1: “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Peace with God means we have been reconciled to Him through Jesus Christ. We can now have a relationship with the living God because sin no longer separates us from Him.
Are you uncertain that if you were to die today you would go to Heaven? Have you followed the Roman Road to salvation? Will you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior today? You can pray to God right now and claim the promises of His word as your own.

• Admit that you have sinned against God and ask Him for forgiveness.
• Believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God Who died for you on the cross, rose from the dead, and is Lord.


• Call upon Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior.

Merry Christmas.