LOOKING BACK INTO 2011 WE MUST DO FOUR THINGS
1. HEART THAT THANKS THE LORD
The Lord protected us, provided for us, and guided us all the 365 days of 2011.
It is purely the grace and mercy of God that we have sustained all that came in our way.
PSALM 103:1-2
" Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all hi  benefits-”
We rebelled against Him in many ways; we neglected His Word many days; we did not spend any time on some of the days; and we did not have time for the Lord most of the days.
Lamentations 3:22-2  “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail
They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness."
So we must have heart of thanks to the Lord.
2. HEART THAT TELLS OTHERs
We should not keep it to our self all that we have received from the Lord.
We must share it with others what the Lord has done for us when the opportunity is given.
Share it and express it with others, Talk about them
PSALM 96:3" Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples."
3. HEART THAT THINKS SERIOUSLY
Just take moment and think about our way of living throughout 2011.
We must examine our hearts to see if there is anything that grieved the Holy Spirit.
We must have a heart to think and experience a thorough spiritual checkup. 
HAGGAI 1:5:5 Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. 
6 You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You
drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn
wages, only to put them in a purse with holes it.”
4. HEART THAT TURNS AROUND
After giving a careful thought to our life in 2011 we must take a decision to turn from everything that is not right before God.
2 CHRONICLES 7:14
" if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 
PSALM 139:23-24
" Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 
See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."
STEPPING INTO 2012 WE MUST POSSESS THREE THINGS.
1. A HEART THAT TRUSTS IN THE LORD
At the beginning of a New Year we must take a decision to trust the Lord.
PROVERBS 3:5-6 " Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."
2  A HEART THAT THIRSTS FOR THE LORD
We must be filled with a strong hunger and thirst for the Lord. Spiritual appetite is a strong indication of spiritual health. 
PSALM 42:1-2 " As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. 
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?"
MATTHEW 5:6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. "
3. A HEART THAT TOILS FOR THE LORD
JOSHUA 24:15
" But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond The River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for
me and my household, we will serve the LORD."
Our #1 priority of 2012 should be to serve the Lord faithfully no matter what.
This decision can impact our lives not only in 2012 but throughout our lives.

The Incarnation
The term "incarnation" means "to become flesh." 
The incarnation is that event where the second person of the Trinity – God the Father; God the Son; and God the Holy
 Spirit, became human.
The term "incarnation" is not found in the New Testament, but the concept is clearly defined in the following scripture
portions.
John 1:1-3 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.3 Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made." 
John 1:14 "And the WORD became flesh and dwelt among us..."
When the Word became flesh, He dwelt in the womb of Mary and was born as Lord Jesus.
Lord Jesus is the incarnation of God and God in flesh.
Col. 2:9  "for in Him dwells all the fullness of deity in bodily form." 
Phil. 2:6-8
6 Who (Christ), being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to HIS own advantage; 
7 rather, HE made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 
8 And being found in appearance as a man, HE humbled Himself  by becoming obedient to death even death on a cross!
1 Tim. 3:16 
 Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the
 Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.
I like the way Pastor Chuck Swindoll puts it.
Incarnation was in the bigger plan of God before anything was created by God.
 It is mind boggling, beyond human comprehension,and an unresolved mystery
Col 1:15-17
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
16 For in HIM (Christ) all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through HIM (Jesus Christ) and or HIM.
17 He is before all things, and in HIM all things hold together
So God created the universe, Galaxies, the Solar system and Planet Earth for His Incarnation.
The purpose of creation was for Lord Jesus to come into this world as a human.
And the purpose of His Incarnation was to redeem the sinful humanity from  sin so they can have an eternal relationship with God.
The Bible says sin came into this world thru one man Adam.
Since then everybody born to a woman is a sinner by birth and carry in his/her DNA.
Sin cannot be removed by any rituals, practices, good works, pilgrimages, sacrifices, vows or religious living.
Sin is cleansed only by the blood of Lord Jesus Christ who died on the cross for us all.
Only sinless man, Lord Jesus, can pay that price for sin required by God.
On Christmas Day, God became a man so that He can die and pay the price for human sin once for all so that you and I can live eternally after our death.
That is why we celebrate with great joy that a Savior is born some 2000 years ago.

Worldwide, Christians are preparing to celebrate the Birth of Lord Jesus Christ on Dec25th, 2011. The festivity, the decorations, the Christmas trees, Christmas music, the hectic shoppers, and greeting cards reflect a spirit of celebration and participation. We in America approach this season in different ways.
Secular America thinks it is ‘happy holidays’ for vacation and party.
The commercial America wants to make more business and profits.
Christians plan to celebrate sharing gifts and helping the needy.
Serious Christians reflect on the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ as an event that transformed the human history once for all.
The Mysteryof Christmas is that UNSEEN GOD BECAME A MAN.
The Miracle of Christmas is that HE was born to a VIRGIN WOMAN, MARY.
The Message of Christmas is that HE WAS BORN TO SAVE the human from sin.  
Behind every Christmas tree, the serious Christian sees a CROSS that reminds the grace of God and HIS mercy on sinful humanity. The same Lord Jesus Christ was crucified on that Cross to pay the price of every human soul through HIS death.
His resurrection from death brings hope, joy and peace to everyone who believes in HIM.
May the Lord Jesus Christ who is ALIVE now, bless you and your family the joy of the His birth, and grant His Peace that passes all understanding.
MAY THE LORD JESUS CHRIST BLESS YOU ALL AND GRANT JOYAND HIS FAVOR AS WE CELEBRATE HIS BIRTH