“Candy Cane Celebrates Sweet Savior!” By Ramesh C. Reddy

Updated on Mon, Dec 30, 2019 at 09:44 a.m. (EST) & Mon, Dec 30, 2019, 07:14 p.m. (IST), DEC 2019 Edition

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“Candy Cane Celebrates Sweet Savior!”

Ramesh C. Reddy
Publisher

When I was young, I used to love eating the original candy canes. Now, my precious daughters Esther (7+) and Evangeline (4+) love eating candy canes.

What about you?

Do you love eating the original candy canes?

Have you ever wondered the story behind the original candy canes that you eat?

Every time, I see an original candy cane, I am so touched when I think about the story behind it. After you read it, my prayer is you will see the original candy cane in a new light.

True story of the Candy Cane (Dramatization to make the point)

Once upon a time in a land far away, there was an elderly gentleman who loved children so much and wanted to make them a candy where the message of the gospel can be presented too.

One Christmas morning, he decided to give all the children a striped candy. The children loved the candy and it's taste. However, they wanted to know how come the candy had a weird shape. This gave the elderly gentleman the opportunity to spread the gospel.

"You see children, this Christmas day I want you to remember the birth of the Savior who was born for you and me even as you eat this candy. Let me tell you the meaning of the candy", replied the elderly gentleman.

The elderly gentleman started to tell the meaning. "I made this candy in the shape of a cane to represent the 'staff of a shepherd'. Jesus is your Good Shepherd and you all are his tender sheep. The 'staff' is used to lead/pull you all in the right direction if you go astray.

I coated it completely with a 'white color' to represent purity. You see Jesus had no sin but was perfect in everything he did. Each of us did yucky things though and Jesus wanted to forgive us and deliver us from these yucky things so he came to earth to be our Savior.

I coated the 'white cane' with stripes of 'red color' to represent the blood of Jesus washing away all the yucky things we have done and make us pure. Jesus died for you and me to rescue us from all our yuckiness by becoming our Savior when we turn to Him and ask Him to forgive us from this yuckiness known as sin.

I also coated it with 'three thin stripes of red' to represent Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit represented in the Trinity: God, the Father, God, the Son, and God, the Holy Spirit.

Each time, you eat a candy cane, I wanted you to remember how much God loves you so much that He sent Jesus as a baby, born during Christmas to become your Savior one day and later give you His Holy Spirit to live in you and guide you everyday as He will become your Lord and Master when you ask Him to. He will be a good master who will love you and take care of you. Also, the shape of the cane gives you the first letter of the One who will become the Savior of the world: The letter 'J' for Jesus.

This is the meaning of the candy cane in your hands and the gospel story." replied the elderly gentleman. Never forget that Jesus is the reason for the season and my gift of the candy cane to you represents the Good News of Christ. Amen!

Eating the original candy cane makes it that much more exciting and special to me because of the meaning behind the candy cane!

This Christmas season no matter what our profession, let us take the time to spread the message of true love, joy, peace, and hope that can be found only in the Savior. Christmas can just become a thing to us if we get so bogged down with our jobs and the duties we have to do rather than taking the time to understand the true meaning of Christmas.

My prayer is that each one of you will remember our Lord and Savior during this Christmas season and spread the love of Jesus Christ the remaining days of 2019 and in the coming days of 2020!

May you be touched by the Lord's presence and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ as you yourself bask in the loving Arms of love of our Savior. We cannot give anything or spread the Good News of Christ unless we have personally seen and experienced His love in our own life.

We will only be excited to share or spread any news if it makes an impact in our own life for that is human tendency so may you be impacted by Jesus Christ in your own life that you cannot keep Jesus to yourself but have the urge and desire to keep spreading Jesus.

May you all continue to have a MERRY CHRISTMAS SEASON and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, it touches me so much when I see the original candy cane and what it means. Thank you Jesus for being my Good Shepherd and guiding me by your staff. It is so cool the candy cane is in the shape of a 'J' to remind us of you. Not only that but the white coating reminds me of your purity. You who had no sin became sin for us that we may attain the righteousness of God. The red stripes represent your blood shed to cleanse us of all of our sins. The tiny stripes represent the Trinity. We love you Lord and need you. Thank you for being their for us and being our sweet Savior! In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!

Lord Jesus, You are my all in all. You are my Prince of Peace, Rock, Savior, and Friend. You are my Holy Father guiding me through to live a life of righteousness, holy righteousness. Oh God, I need you more than ever. I need to feel your hands around me holding me tight. I need your love to surround me so that you can glow in my life. Help me please Jesus. I desire in your presence. Thank you for guiding me to live a life of righteousness. Oh God you love me more than ever. You hear my voice when I cry out to you. When I seek your face, you fill me up. You are my all in all. Thank you Jesus so much for your help no matter what I face, your grace is available and you take my case. Thank you for hearing us and answering us. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! AMEN! (Most of the prayer is from a vineyard song called “All in All”)

If you would like to invite Jesus Christ into your heart and make Him a daily part of your life, you can this very moment. You will never be alone. You can claim God's promises for you in the Bible and see them come true, before your eyes, in His wonderful timing. You don't have to wait for a special time to come to the Lord. You can come right now as you pray the prayer below, meaning it in your heart.

Prayer:
God I am a sinner. I am invaded by this deadliest virus. Many times I feel so guilty and yucky inside. I need forgiveness. I am so sorry for my sins. I have not obeyed you with my whole heart! I have gone my own way and done my own things. I struggle with sin. I need you Jesus in my life so I can receive forgiveness and a new beginning. In the process, I can forgive others as you help me to. Thank you so much Jesus. I accept the antidote you have sent me. I believe Jesus you died for me and your cleansing blood will cleanse me from all my sins. You came back to life to save me. Thank you God I am set free, free from the bondage of sin. Hear my cry Oh Lord. I accept you Jesus into my heart. I make you my Lord and Personal Savior of my life. Thank you Father God for giving me Salvation. Thank you Jesus for coming into my heart and making my heart your home. Thank you for living in me Jesus and I will live for you and serve you the rest of the days of my life. Thank you for being my Lord and personal Savior! I can live a life of peace with you on my side. Thank you that you have heard my prayer and answered me! In your Name I Pray Jesus! AMEN!

No matter what you feel in your heart, know that Jesus has come in and resides with you! You are not alone! To make your walk strong with the Lord, spend time in prayer talking to Him as you would to a friend. You don’t need special words to talk to the Lord. Spend time in His Word reading Psalms and turning them into prayer. Next allow God to heal you and speak to you through the Gospel of John or Gospel of Mark before moving on to other Books of the Bible! Slowly, let the Lord show you to which Scriptures He wants you to go to next. It is also important to be part of a body of believers to help you grow in the faith. Find a Bible believing church that preaches the Word of God from Genesis to Revelation proclaiming Jesus Christ our crucified and risen Lord who brings us hope, healing, and help!

No matter who you are, it is not ever too late to join a Bible-believing church or a college fellowship. I highly encourage each of you to come to Small Group on Friday nights at 7:30 p.m. and Oakland International Fellowship on Sunday mornings at 9:00 a.m. for prayer, 10:00 a.m. for Community Bible Time in Gospel of John, worship at 11:30 a.m, and fellowship lunch at 12:30 pm.

May the Lord's presence and peace fill you with His love now and forever! Amen!

Friend, if you have prayed this prayer and meant it in your heart, you are a new creation in Christ and all old things are passed away and everything has become new! You may feel something or may not but don’t base it on feelings but base your new life in Christ on the promises of our Savior who will never leave you nor forsake you! Amen!

Feel free to email me at reddy4hisglory@gmail.com if you want to meet to study the Bible, pray with, talk about Spiritual issues or whatever is on your mind! My number is 412-641-9426

"This is my work and I can do it only because Christ's mighty energy is at work within me." (Colossians 1:29, TLB)

Express Your View

Advent Devotionals:

Matt 1:3,5-6, Luke 1:26-27: "What does God do about your G.E.N.E.A.L.O.G.Y in life?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Dec 09, 19, 06:19 a.m.)

Matt 1:18-19: "How has your L.O.V.E influenced others in life?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Dec 10, 19, 04:15 a.m.)

Matt 1:20: "What has a D.R.E.A.M revealed to you in life?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Dec 11, 19, 09:23 a.m.)

Matt 1:20: "Why expect a M.I.R.A.C.L.E this season?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Dec 13, 19, 10:11 a.m.)

Matt 1:21: "What significance do you give a N.A.M.E in life?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Dec 17, 19, 10:57 a.m.)

Matt 1:21: "Who are you depending on to S.A.V.E you?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Dec 18, 19, 10:11 a.m.)

Matt 1:21-22: "How can P.R.O.P.H.E.C.Y make you believe in Jesus?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Dec 19, 19, 09:36 a.m.)

Matt 1:22-23: "What does I.M.M.A.N.U.E.L mean to you?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Dec 20, 19, 09:10 a.m.)

Matt 1:24: "Whose C.O.M.M.A.N.D.S do you obey in life?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Dec 21, 19, 09:43 a.m.)

Matt 1:25: "In what outcome will you give C.R.E.D.I.T to the Lord in life?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Dec 23, 19, 10:02 a.m.)

Luke 1:31-33: "What K.I.N.G.D.O.M will you be part of in life?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Dec 24, 19, 09:38 a.m.)

Luke 2:8-14: "How do you relate to the S.H.E.P.H.E.R.D.S this Christmas season?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Dec 25, 19, 09:24 a.m.)

Luke 2:15-20: "Why be the one to S.P.R.E.A.D the Good News of Jesus this Christmas season?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Dec 27, 19, 07:14 a.m.)

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