II Corinthians 11  You can hear Paul's heart in this letter to the church.. his burden for them to stay true to the gospel and not be led astray by the false teachers.. especially those who came in the name of Jesus, but preached lies..  Paul compared himself to these false teachers.. but prefaced it by saying that he would not "boast beyond" what the Lord had "apportioned" to him. 

Paul was jealous for the believers.. he wanted them to stay faithful to the true Christ.. in "simplicity and purity of devotion.."  He wanted them to know that he, himself, would not take advantage of them as the false teachers did.  He would not ask them for wages.. he would not expect them to provide for him.. instead, he relied on those who gave willingly to help him on his way. 

Paul did not want to boast in anything.. he considered it "foolishness".. but he needed them to understand that he knew what he was talking about.. his background and his experiences testified of his own devotion to Christ.. through being beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, imprisoned, and more.. he remained faithful to Christ, and he wanted them to do the same.  He was willing to be weak. .he was willing to be humble... and he was willing to sacrifice himself, for the sake of the true gospel.  They would not find that true of those who did not really know Jesus Christ as their Lord. 

A question I read from a devotional yesterday struck me.. and seems to fit this study.. " Who is Jesus to you?"  I have been thinking of this since early this morning.. fitting for Christmas day.. I think.  Maybe those of you who read this will ponder it too... there are infinite answers to that question, but let me share a few:

Jesus is my Savior.  He is my Master.  He is my Friend. He is my Comforter. He is my King.  Jesus is my Healer and my Helper.  Jesus is my Light and my Life.  Jesus is my constant Companion and my favorite place of Refuge.  Jesus knows me, loves me, and holds me close.  Jesus is my hope and the reason that I celebrate Christmas!

I hope you all have a Blessed Christmas and maybe you can ask yourself this question too.. Who is Jesus to you?

Father, thank You for the incredible gift of Jesus Christ, the Lord.. a child born, a Son given, a Savior who made a way for us to come home to You. All glory and honor and praise to You. Amen!