The Heart Of Christmas
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Posted:Dec 19, 2014 3:30 am
Last Updated:Dec 22, 2014 2:35 am 16671 Views
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Read: 1 Timothy 1.12-17
The grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.
1 Timothy 1.14
Bible in a Year:
Jonah 1-4; Revelation 10
Charles Dickens novel A Christmas Carol was released on December 19, 1843, and has never been out of print. It tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a wealthy, sour, stingy man who says, Every idiot who goes about with Merry Christmas, on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding! Yet, one Christmas Eve, Scrooge is radically changed into a generous and happy man. With great humor and insight, Dickens book captures the universal longing for inner peace.
As a young man, the apostle Paul opposed Jesus and His followers with a vengeful spirit. He made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison Acts 8.3. But one day he encountered the risen Christ, and his life became a different story 9:1-16.
In a letter to Timothy, his in the faith, Paul described that life-changing event by saying, even though he was a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man . . . the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus
1 Tim. 1.13-14.
Jesus was born into our world and gave His life so that we can be forgiven and transformed through faith in Him. This is the heart of Christmas!
Then let us all with one accord
Sing praises to our heavenly Lord,
That hath made heaven and earth of naught,
And with His blood mankind hath bought. English carol
A change in behavior begins with Jesus changing our heart.
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My Friends And I
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Posted:Dec 18, 2014 2:33 am
Last Updated:Dec 19, 2014 3:32 am 16288 Views
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Read: 1 Samuel 18:1-4; 23:15-18
Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. 1 Samuel 18.3
Bible in a Year:
Obadiah; Revelation 9
John Chrysostom (347 407), archbishop of Constantinople, said this about friendship: Such is friendship, that through it we love places and seasons; for as . . . flowers drop their sweet leaves on the ground around them, so friends impart favor even to the places where they dwell.
Jonathan and David illustrate the sweetness of a true friendship. The Bible records an intimate and immediate bond between them
1 Sam. 18.1. They kept their friendship alive by demonstrating their loyalty to each other 18.3; 20:16, 42; 23.18, as well as nurturing it by expressions of concern. Jonathan gave gifts to David (18:4) and watched out for him through many difficulties 19:1-2; 20:12-13.
In 1 Samuel 23:16, we see the highest moment of their friendship. When David was a fugitive on the run from Jonathan´s father, Jonathan, Saul´s , arose and went to David in the woods and strengthened his hand in God. Friends help you find strength in God during the low points of life.
In a world where most relationships are about what we can get, let us be the type of friends who focus on what we can give. Jesus, our perfect Friend, demonstrated for us that greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one´s life for his friends John 15.13.
Thank You, Lord, for the friends Youâve given me to
love me in spite of my failures and weaknesses. Let
me treat them as You treated Your friends. Bind us
together in You and enable us to help one another.
The glory of life is to love, not to be loved; to give, not to get; to serve, not to be served.
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A Work In Progress
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Posted:Dec 17, 2014 12:20 am
Last Updated:Dec 18, 2014 2:33 am 16090 Views
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Read: John 15:9-17
Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 3:18
Bible in a Year:
Amos 7-9; Revelation 8
Pablo Casals was considered to be the preeminent cellist of the first half of the 20th century. When he was still playing his cello in the middle of his tenth decade of life, a young reporter asked, Mr. Casals, you are 95 years old and the greatest cellist that ever lived. Why do you still practice 6 hours a day?
Mr. Casals answered, Because I think I'm making progress.
What a great attitude! As believers in Christ, we should never be satisfied to think we have reached some self-proclaimed pinnacle of spiritual success, but rather continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ 2 Peter 3.18. Jesus reminds us in
John 15.16 that He chose us to go and bear fruit. The result of healthy growth is continuing to bear spiritual fruit throughout our lives. Our Lord promises: I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit v.5.
In a steady and faithful progression to become more and more like the One we love and serve, we can be confident that He who began a good work in us will continue it until it is finally finished on the day when He returns Phil. 1.6.
Closer yet I'd cling, my Savior,
You're the all-sufficient Vine;
You alone can make me fruitful,
Blessed source of strength divine.
God's unseen work in our hearts produces fruit in our lives.
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A Ukrainian Christmas
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Posted:Dec 16, 2014 3:16 am
Last Updated:Dec 16, 2014 3:19 am 15950 Views
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Read: Luke 2:6-14
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men! Luke 2.14
Bible in a Year:
Amos 4-6; Revelation 7
The people of Ukraine include many wonderful elements in their observance of Christmas. Sometimes wisps of hay are placed on the dinner table as a reminder of the Bethlehem manger. Another portion of their celebration echoes the events of the night when the Savior entered the world. A Christmas prayer is offered and then the father in the household offers the greeting, âChrist is born!â The family then responds, Let us glorify Him!
These words draw my mind to the appearance of the angels in the sky over Bethlehem on the night Christ was born. The angel of the Lord declared, For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:11). The heavenly host responded,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men! v.14.
Those twin messages give such depth of meaning to this wonderful time of year. The Savior has come bringing forgiveness and hope and He is deserving of all the worship we can give Him.
May all who know the wonder of His gift of eternal life join with the voices of that angelic host declaring, Glory to God in the highest!
With the angelic hosts proclaim,
Christ is born in Bethlehem!
Hark! the herald angels sing,
Glory to the newborn King!
The spectacular glory of God´s love for us was revealed in the coming of Jesus.
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Story Stewards
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Posted:Dec 15, 2014 5:17 am
Last Updated:Dec 17, 2014 12:24 am 15820 Views
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Read: Deuteronomy 4:1-9
Take heed . . . lest you forget the things your eyes have seen . . . . And teach them to your and your grandchildren. âDeuteronomy 4.9
Bible in a Year:
Amos 1-3; Revelation 6
Many people take great care to make sure their resources are used well after they die. They set up trusts, write wills, and establish foundations to guarantee that their assets will continue to be used for a good purpose after their life on earth is done. We call this good stewardship.
Equally important, however, is being good stewards of our life story. God commanded the Israelites not only to teach their His laws but also to make sure they knew their family history. It was the responsibility of parents and grandparents to make sure their knew the stories of how God had worked in their behalf (Deut. 4:1-14.
God has given each of us a unique story. His plan for our lives is individualized. Do others know what you believe and why? Do they know the story of how you came to faith and how God has worked in your life to strengthen your faith? Do they know how God has shown Himself faithful and has helped you through doubts and disappointments?
The faithfulness of God is a story that we have the privilege to pass on. Record it in some way and share it. Be a good steward of the story that God is telling through you.
How great, O God, Your acts of love!
Your saving deeds would now proclaim
That generations yet to come
May set their hope in Your great name.
A life lived for God leaves a lasting legacy.
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Snug As A Bug In A Rug!
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Posted:Dec 12, 2014 5:18 am
Last Updated:Dec 15, 2014 5:18 am 15948 Views
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Read: Psalm 91:9-16
I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. Psalm 4:8
Bible in a Year:
Hosea 9-11; Revelation 3
When I was a , my family lived in a house my father built in the cedar breaks west of Duncanville, Texas. Our house had a small kitchen-dinette area, two bedrooms, and a great room with a large stone fireplace in which we burned 2-foot-long cedar logs. That fireplace was the center of warmth in our home.
There were five people in our family: my father and mother, my sister, my cousin, and me. Since we had only two bedrooms, I slept year-round on a porch with canvas screens that rolled down to the floor. Summers were delightful; winters were cold.
I remember dashing from the warmth of the living room onto the porch, tiptoeing across the frost-covered plank floor in my bare feet, leaping into bed and burrowing under a great mountain of blankets. Then, when hail, sleet, or snow lashed our house and the wind howled through the eaves like a pack of wolves, I snuggled down in sheltered rest. Snug as a bug in a rug, my mother used to say. I doubt that any ever felt so warm and secure.
Now I know the greatest security of all: God Himself. I can lie down in peace, and sleep Ps. 4.8, knowing that He is my shelter from the stinging storms of life. Enveloped in the warmth of His love, I'm snug as a bug in a rug.
Leaning, leaning,
Safe and secure from all alarms;
Leaning, leaning,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
No one is more secure than those who are in God's hands.
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Snake In A Box
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Posted:Dec 11, 2014 5:31 am
Last Updated:Dec 11, 2014 5:35 am 15857 Views
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Read: Isaiah 11:1-9
The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord. Isaiah 11:9
Bible in a Year:
Hosea 5-8; Revelation 2
At a nature center, I watched my friends rosy-cheeked pat the side of a large glass box. Inside the box, a bull snake named Billy slithered slowly, eyeing the little girl. Billyâs body was as thick as my forearm and he sported brown and yellow markings. Although I knew Billy could not escape from his container, seeing a menacing-looking creature so close to a small made me shudder.
The Bible speaks of a time in the future when fierce animals will fail to threaten each other or human beings. The wolf . . . shall dwell with the lamb and the nursing shall play by the cobraâs hole Isa. 11:6,8. All the inhabitants of the world will experience total harmony and peace.
The Lord will establish this safe environment when He restores the world with His wisdom, might, and knowledge. At that time, He will judge the world with righteousness and justice (11:4). And everyone will acknowledge His greatness: The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord 11.9.
We live in a broken world. Unfairness and discord, fear and pain are a very real part of our daily lives. But one day God will change everything, and the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings
(Mal. 4:2). Then Jesus will rule the world in righteousness.
Be still, my soul: the hour is hastning on
When we shall be forever with the Lord.
When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love´s purest joys restored.
Leave final justice in the hands of a just God
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Wonders Of The Heart
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Posted:Dec 10, 2014 3:09 am
Last Updated:Dec 11, 2014 8:32 am 14653 Views
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Read: Job 38:1-11
By You I have been upheld from birth. Psalm 71:6
Bible in a Year:
Hosea 1-4; Revelation 1
Our heart beats about 100,000 times every day, pumping blood to every cell in our bodies. This adds up to about 35 million beats a year and 2.5 billion beats in an average lifetime. Medical science tells us that every contraction is similar to the effort it would take for us to hold a tennis ball in our palm and give it a good hard squeeze.
Yet as amazing as our heart is, it is only one example of a natural world that is designed to tell us something about our Creator. This is the idea behind the story of a man named Job.
Broken by a series of mounting troubles, Job felt abandoned. When God finally spoke, He didn't tell Job why he was suffering. Nor did the Creator tell him that someday He would suffer for Job. Instead, He drew Job's attention to a series of natural wonders that are always whispering to usâand sometimes shouting about a wisdom and power far greater than our own (Job 38:1-11).
So what can we learn from the complexity of this hardworking muscle, the heart? The message may be similar to the sound of waves coming to shore and stars quietly shining in the night sky. The power and wisdom of our Creator give us reason to trust Him.
Lord, we are Yours, You are our God;
We have been made so wondrously;
This human frame in every part
Your wisdom, power, and love we see.
When we reflect on the power of Godâs creation, we see the power of His care for us.
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Our Life Is A Primer
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Posted:Dec 9, 2014 3:35 am
Last Updated:Dec 10, 2014 3:09 am 11324 Views
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Read: Deuteronomy 6:4-9
You shall teach them diligently to your . . . when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. Deuteronomy 6.7
Bible in a Year:
Daniel 11-12; Jude
The New England Primer was published in the late 1600s. Throughout the colonies that would later become the United States, the book became a widely used resource.
This early American textbook was based largely on the Bible, and it used pictures and rhymes based on Scripture to help learn to read. It also included prayers like this one: Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord, my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.
In Colonial America, this became a way that one generation was able to pass along their faith to the next generation. It fit well with what God wanted of His people, the ancient Israelites, as recorded in Deuteronomy 6:6-7, These words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach [God´s commandments] diligently to your , and shall talk of them . . . when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
As we talk about who God is, what He has done for us, and how He desires our love and obedience, our lives can become primers to the next generation. We can be teaching tools that God will use to help people in their walk with Him.
Lord, we love You. We want to learn to love
You with all our heart, soul, and strength.
Use our lives and our words to point others to You,
who first loved us.
When we teach others, we´re not just spending time, weâre investing it.
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Stones Cry Out
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Posted:Dec 8, 2014 5:17 am
Last Updated:Dec 9, 2014 3:35 am 10237 Views
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Read: Luke 19:28-40
I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out. Luke 19:40
Bible in a Year:
Daniel 8-10; 3 John
Every year it seems that Christmas becomes more and more commercialized. Even in nations where the majority of people call themselves Christian, the season has become more about shopping than worshiping. The pressure to buy gifts and plan elaborate parties makes it increasingly difficult to stay focused on the real meaning of the holidayâthe birth of Jesus, God´s only , the Savior of the world.
But every holiday I also hear the gospel coming from surprising places the very places that so commercialize Christmas shopping malls. When I hear Joy to the World! The Lord is come; let earth receive her King ringing from public address systems, I think of the words Jesus said to the Pharisees who told Him to silence the crowds who were praising Him. if they keep quiet, Jesus said, the stones will cry out
(Luke 19:40 niv).
At Christmas we hear stones cry out. Even people spiritually dead sing carols written by Christians long dead, reminding us that no matter how hard people try to squelch the real message of Christmas, they will never succeed.
Despite the commercialism that threatens to muddle the message of Christ´s birth, God will make His good news known as far as the curse is found.
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found.
Keeping Christ out of Christmas is as futile as holding back the oceans tide.
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