Merry Christmas

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I pray that all my readers have a Merry Christmas and:

“The LORD bless you and keep you;

 The LORD make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;

  The LORD lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.”’ (Numbers 6:24-26)

I have been reflecting on the humility of Jesus lately. He was in heaven being fully God; He humbled Himself and became a man. God being God, He could have chosen to be born today in a rich family with all the luxuries which goes with it. He could have traveled in a stretch limousine and fly on His own private 747. He would have all the best servants to meet His every need. Then when it became time to die, be falsely accused and die by lethal injection.

But He didn’t….

He was born in a manger some 2,000 years ago. During His earthly ministry, He traveled on foot preaching the Gospel. He had no luxurious residence at which to live.

And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” (Luke 9:58)

He came not to be served, but to serve. He came to show us the way to God and take the punishment you and I deserve upon Himself.

He was obedient to the Father, even to death on the cross. Look at the way He died. It has been said that the Roman cross was one of the most brutal and painful forms of execution ever created. This is the way He chose to die. He did not resist. He knew what would happen to Him in Jerusalem, yet He rode in on a donkey and did not hide. However, the grave could not hold Him and the enemy lost. Jesus rose from the dead just as He said He would do.

He did this for you and me; we can now live with Him forever. Thank you Lord Jesus! Let all of us enjoy this time with friends and family, which is an awesome thing. However, let none of us forget Jesus is the reason for the season.

For those who do not know Jesus as Lord and Savior, Jesus said you must be born again in order to see the kingdom of God. See John chapter 3. Come to Jesus and receive forgiveness and eternal life.  If you would like information on this, please leave a comment or visit one of Ray Comfort's websites here.

For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

The Humbled and Exalted Christ

⁵ Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, ⁷ but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. ⁹ Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5-11)

A Superficial Faith

A person with superficial faith gives to the needy, yet underneath he is whining to himself. “Why do I have to give? If I don’t I might be seen as greedy, after all people know I have the resources.” This person wants to be seen before men as charitable, but only wants the recognition of man.

“Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 6:1)

A person with superficial faith sits down at the dinner table with his family to pray; however, it is a canned prayer with no real substance behind it. At church, he prays before the congregation with pride thinking, “Look at me go, I am laying out a top notch prayer here.” This person only wants to be seen before men as spiritual, but he has no personal prayer life.

⁵ “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. ⁶ But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. (Matthew 6:5-6)

When a person with superficial faith is fasting, he makes sure everyone knows it. He works hard around the church but is concerned only with his social standing. He disfigures his face in order to appear as working hard and willing to sacrifice for the Lord. His desire is for others to believe he is righteous.

¹⁶ “Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.” (Matthew 6:16)

A person with superficial faith gives others the impression that Christianity is a burden with a whole lot of hoops to jump through. His faith is all about himself. However, there is a much better and wiser way. Our public faith should be an overflowing of our personal and private faith.

Come to the Lord and:

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! (Psalm 34:8)

¹³ Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, ¹⁴ but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:13-14)

Come and drink of the water Jesus offers, turn to Him in love getting to know who He is. He is the One who died for us; He gives us life. When our faith in private is real, our public faith is true. Through us, God will bring froth life in a lost and dying world. Instead of complaining, reflect on the goodness of God appreciating all He has done. Open His Word with enthusiasm expecting to hear from God while growing in knowledge and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Marriage

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I am pleased to announce on Friday December 2, I was married to a lovely Christian woman. We had a small, but nice wedding ceremony, followed with a weekend away for a nice honeymoon.  We had such an awesome time. Right now I am so happy and excited looking forward to our future together.

Some time ago I was discussing the topic of marriage with someone. This person to whom I spoke with made a statement I must totally disagree with. What was said: “I will never get married again. The only difference between living together and marriage is a piece of paper.” Oh how wrong that is. According to Jesus, it is God’s design that one man be married to one woman for life, and the two become one flesh. Men and all the animals of the earth were created from the dust of the ground, but women were created from the flesh of man. God gave Adam his wife from his own flesh to be his “helper.” Women have a distinct place in all of creation, for wives are their husband’s strength at his point of weakness. I want to be one flesh with my wife united together by God, anything short of that; we are both short changing ourselves.

⁴ And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,⁵ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? ⁶ So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”  (Matthew 19:4-6)

¹⁸ And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” ¹⁹ Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. ²⁰ So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.
²¹ And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. ²² Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.
²³ And Adam said:
      “This is now bone of my bones
      And flesh of my flesh;
      She shall be called Woman,
      Because she was taken out of Man.”
 ²⁴ Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
²⁵ And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. (Genesis 2:18-25)

How Do I Want To Be Remembered?

                                Photo Credit:  Sunsets Wallpaper

 

I remember my grandparents who went home to be with the Lord back in the 80’s as kind and caring people to be around. I always enjoyed my visits with them, but the thing I remember most is their love for the Lord. The light of Christ always shined bright in their lives.

In the Bible, King David sinned, but he repented. God referred to him as “a man after His own heart.” He is known for his courageous stand against Goliath and writing many of the Psalms. The apostle Paul is known for his conversion on the road to Damascus and his bold testimony of Christ Jesus thereafter.

Adam and Eve are remembered for eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil resulting in the fall of mankind, not that I or anyone else would have fared any better. Judas Iscariot is known as the betrayer of Christ. Jonah is known for being swallowed by a great fish when he disobeyed God. God instructed him go to Nineveh, but he chooses fleeing to Tarshish.

Today many people are known for taking care of their families, yet Jesus is nowhere in their lives. Some put their jobs over their family and their kids remember them as always being gone. Others are known for their kindness, but they know not the Lord. Some are remembered as always being drunk. Others are known as grouches. Some are seen as hypocrites. They profess to be believers in Christ pretending to live righteous lives, yet live like the devil. Others are Christians who may be saved, but few know they are. Others are believers who are on fire for the Lord. They will be remembered for their testimony. 

Questions:      

            

How do I want to be seen as I live and remembered when I am gone?

Do I want to be a lamp for the light of Christ or a lamp hidden under a basket?

Do I want to live life for God’s glory or my own pleasure?

What will my opinion of these answers be one hundred years from now?

 

Believers Are Salt and Light

 
¹³ “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. ¹⁶ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:13-16 NKJV)

Happy Thanksgiving

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I have not been around much lately in blogger land, but all is good and I have so many things to be thankful for. One of which is I will be getting married in December to a wonderful Christian woman I have been seeing for the last couple years. I am so thankful the Lord has blessed me with this relationship.  Here in the USA tomorrow (Thursday November 24) is Thanksgiving, yet for all of us Christians, everyday should be a day of giving thanks to God for all He has done for us. He has given us eternal life and “supplies all of our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians4:19) He leads and directs our paths and heals our broken hearts. He is always there to comfort us and gives us strength in the time of need. He is our Prince of Peace and anoints our heads with oil. Our cup runs over. The list goes on and on, let us all remember to lift up our thanks to God, not just on Thanksgiving, but every day.

 

¹⁶ Rejoice always,  

¹⁷ pray without ceasing,  

¹⁸ in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (I Thessalonians 5: 16-18)

 

 

(Psalm 23)

¹ The LORD is my shepherd;
         I shall not want.
 ² He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
         He leads me beside the still waters.
 ³ He restores my soul;
         He leads me in the paths of righteousness
         For His name’s sake.
       
 ⁴ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
         I will fear no evil;
         For You are with me;
         Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
       
 ⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
         You anoint my head with oil;
         My cup runs over.
 ⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
         All the days of my life;
         And I will dwell in the house of the LORD
         Forever.

 

I wish to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and may the Lord bless each and everyone of you.

 

Wondering Mind

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Lately, I find my mind wondering off a thousand miles away. I go before the Lord in prayer only to realize I have drifted away. Then I set down to read and know not what I read, so I must re-read. My mind being consumed with things... some good, such as a growing relationship with my girlfriend. This brings me great joy. But… then there is worry. Will the economy crash and burn or not? Will my IRA survive this crazy economy; I do not know what to think or do. It is scary having your retirement invested in what could be a collapsing economy, yet what is one to do? Then my mind is off to something else.

O Lord, what am I to do?

You will keep him in perfect peace,
      Whose mind is stayed on You,
      Because he trusts in You. 

(Isaiah 26:3)

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” 

(John 16:33)

Do Not Worry

  
²⁵ “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
²⁸ “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; ²⁹ and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
³¹ “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. 

(Matthew 6:25-34)

Unbelief

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I just returned home from a wonderful vacation, and a much needed one I might add. While in Chicago, we attended a terrific Bible study one night; the topic was from Mark chapter 16 concerning the resurrection. There was one thing which stood out to me, unbelief. When those who had seen the resurrected Christ, they told the disciples, yet none believed.

Mary Magdalene Sees the Risen Lord

⁹ Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. ¹⁰ She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. ¹¹ And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.

Jesus Appears to Two Disciples

 ¹² After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country. ¹³ And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either. (Mark 16:9-13 NKJV)

My initial thought, “how could they not believe? How many times had Jesus told them this would happen? How is it that they did not believe?” The more I thought about this the more I realized we today are no different and I am no exception. Most people in the world have heard of the return of Christ, yet many do not think it will happen or at least they be judged. God has made this quite clear in Scripture; there will be a day of judgment. I think most Christians believe in the second coming, but do we live like it? Are we concerned for the lost? Just think; any day could be our last. The moment we step into eternity, we will never have the opportunity to tell a lost person of salvation through Jesus.

What about God promises has made us in His word?

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
⁵ Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
⁶ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-7 NKJV)

If I live by this passage of scripture, do I really believe God's peace will guard my heart and mind? 

God has made many promises through His Word, yet do I really believe? If I really believe His promises, why do I worry so much?

Is there any areas of unbelief in your walk with the Lord? We can always trust God's Word to be true, but in our fallen sinful state, trusting can be easier said than done. 

Praise God, Even When It Hurts

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My tears have been my food day and night,

         While they continually say to me,
         “Where is your God?” 

        (Psalm 42:3)

I remember a time before I was saved thinking, concerning a Christian man who lost his job. “Where is your God now? He sure helped you, didn’t He?” During trying times, one may ask, “Where is God?” Maybe a job loss during these difficult economic times or the loss of a loved one leaves a person in doubt and intense sorrow.  They keep calling out to God, yet their suffering continues. It is easy to say "God has forgotten me."

         I will say to God my Rock,
         “Why have You forgotten me?
         Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?” 

         (Psalm 42:9)

Life sure can throw some difficult things at us at times. I know in the past I have felt like God has forgotten me, or why would He help me? However, we must always remember when the storms of life come our way; there is always an open door. Are we going to walk through the door drawing closer to God remembering all the good He has done? Are we still going to lift up our praises trusting He is with us?  Or are we going to close the door?

        Why are you cast down, O my soul?
         And why are you disquieted within me?
         Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him
         For the help of His countenance. 

            (Psalm 42:5)

No matter how terrible things may become, we always have a reason to praise God. He sent His son to die for us. God gave us eternal life, those who believe upon His Son, Jesus Christ. Is that not enough reason to continue praising Him? Yet He has done so much more. Maybe take some time right now to remember the good He has done in your life and never let it depart from your heart and mind. If you are struggling with something right now, Psalm 42 and 43 are awesome Psalms to dive into.

And always, always remember:

⁵ Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 

⁶ So we may boldly say:

      “ The LORD is my helper;
      I will not fear.
      What can man do to me?”  

      (Hebrews 13:5-6)

All scripture from the NKJV

Pleasures

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“…lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, ⁵ having a form of godliness but denying its power…” (2 Timothy 3:4b-5a)

In my last week’s blog posting I wrote about battling with pride. This week I would like to write about another battle I believe we all have to deal with to one degree or another. I most certainly know I do. That is keeping our entertainment/pleasure in its proper place.

Some time ago I was listening to a Christian radio program where they spoke of a Christian man from a third world country who visited the USA. I cannot remember which radio program or country he was from, but they asked him a question to which, at the time I was surprised with his answer.

The question:

“Would you like to come live here in America?”

The reply:

“No I would not, here in America your God is your multimillion dollar sports stadiums, your fancy churches and all your entertainment.”

I do not believe God wants us to avoid all pleasures and entertainment, after all there is “To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven…And a time to laugh…And a time to dance…” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4) But, the question is “where does God come in?” “Where does He rank in our priorities?” There is nothing wrong with enjoying a good clean movie or a football game, but to pursue entertainment more than God will have its costs.

Is my pursuit for pleasure greater than my pursuit for God? If so, what is it costing me?

Remember, we reap what we sow…

⁷ Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. ⁸ For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. (Galatians 6:7-8)