Thursday, December 30, 2010

Live To Please God

It's time for real change to happen.


1 Thessalonians 4:1-12  Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You live this way already, and we encourage you to do so even more. 2 For you remember what we taught you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

3 God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. 4 Then each of you will control his own body and live in holiness and honor—5 not in lustful passion like the pagans who do not know God and his ways. 6 Never harm or cheat a Christian brother in this matter by violating his wife, for the Lord avenges all such sins, as we have solemnly warned you before. 7 God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives. 8 Therefore, anyone who refuses to live by these rules is not disobeying human teaching but is rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

9 But we don’t need to write to you about the importance of loving each other, for God himself has taught you to love one another. 10 Indeed, you already show your love for all the believers throughout Macedonia. Even so, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you to love them even more.

11 Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before. 12 Then people who are not Christians will respect the way you live, and you will not need to depend on others.

It is the end of another year, the time when we start looking around and evaluating our lives, we usually look in two directions, back at what we did last year and we also look ahead on the coming year. First we judge our performance for the past year and then we recall the things that we could have done better and we determine to do better in the new year.

Here is a huge goal for 2011 "live to please god." Paul encourages us to live with a new goal in mind, he challenges us to please God. Living to please God isn't a task that you can complete and scratch off of your to-do list, this is something that we will always be working on, after all it is God's will for me to be holy and that is a pretty big goal. We can follow the advice from Paul and determine to:
  • Stay away from sexual sin
  • Love one another
  • Live a quiet life 
It is my goal to please God (2 Corinthians 5:9) and making the new year the best year ever. I want to please him in every area of my life as I seek to become more like his son. With his help we can be more forgiving, compassionate and selfless as the word of God penetrates our thinking and makes real change happen in our lives.

Help me to become more like you Lord in 2011.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Journey To Bethlehem - The Light Of The World

God stepped into the dark world that we live in and made us an offer.


John 1:1–14  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. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

6 There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.

10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God; 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

This broken, sin filled world was full of darkness when the light of the world arrived. You would think that the bright light would be welcome by everybody but stumbling in the darkness is preferred by a lot of people.

This passage of scripture tells us a lot about who Jesus is and what he has been doing. First of all we see that Jesus is God, he isn't a separate individual, he is a part of the trinity. We also learn that Jesus was a significant part of creation, it was created through Jesus and for Jesus, he was with God the father from the beginning.

Colossians 1:15-16  Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,  16  for through Him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can't see--such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through Him and for Him.

Jesus stepped into our dark world, he spoke about being the light and he proved it in the things that he did, you would think that the light would be very welcome but instead he was rejected as if he were the sinner.

John 9:5-7 " But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world." 6 Then He spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man's eyes. 7 He told him, "Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam" (Siloam means "sent"). So the man went and washed and came back seeing!

It is amazing that so few recognize him and care about their situation but to the ones that do Jesus makes an incredible offer. The Bible has a coupon in it, the coupon reads "to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God" how can you pass up such an offer?

Isaiah 9:2 The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.

Thank you Lord for stepping into history to give me what I could never do for myself, you have made an offer that I cannot pass up.

Friday, December 24, 2010

Twas The Night Before Jesus Came

A Christmas poem



‘Twas the night before Jesus came and all through the house
Not a creature was praying, not one in the house.
Their Bibles were lain on the shelf without care
in hopes that Jesus would not come there.
The children were dressing to crawl into bed,
Not once ever kneeling or bowing a head.
And Mom in her rocker with baby on her lap
Was watching the Late Show while I took a nap.
When out of the East there arose such a clatter,
I sprang to my feet to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash!
When what to my wondering eyes should appear
But angels proclaiming that Jesus was here.
With a light like the sun sending forth a bright ray
I knew in a moment this must be The Day!
The light of His face made me cover my head
It was Jesus! returning just like He had said.
And though I possessed worldly wisdom and wealth,
I cried when I saw Him in spite of myself.
In the Book of Life which He held in His hand
Was written the name of every saved man.
He spoke not a word as He searched for my name;
When He said “It’s not here” my head hung in shame.
The people whose names had been written with love
He gathered to take to His Father above.
With those who were ready He rose without a sound
While all the rest were left standing around.
I fell to my knees, but it was too late;
I had waited too long and thus sealed my fate.
I stood and I cried as they rose out of sight;
Oh, if only I had been ready tonight.
In the word of this poem the meaning is clear;
The coming of Jesus is drawing near.
There’s only one life and when comes the last call
We’ll find that the Bible was true after all!

Bethany Farms, Carrollton, IL

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Journey To Bethlehem - Wise Men Worship Him

Will your Christmas celebration include time for worshiping our Savior?


Matthew 2:7–12  Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8  He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."

9  After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10  When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.

11  On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. 12  And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

The first Christmas didn't resemble the Christmas that we have these days. Very few people celebrated the birth of our Savior and those that did were not concerned with Santa or a Christmas tree or what gift to give to everybody.

At the first Christmas the religious leaders were not the "wise men." Even as Herod asked the religious experts, the chief priests and scribes about the information that he received from the "real wise men" they still miss the most important event that every Jew is looking forward to seeing.

At the first Christmas the earthly king was anxious to get Jesus out of the way. There was a threat to the throne in Herod's world and this threat must be dealt with at any cost, it sounds like us today, we want to be in charge and reign on the throne of our life so we don't have to give up control to Jesus.

Psalms 2:10-12 Now then, you kings, act wisely! Be warned, you rulers of the earth! 11 Serve the LORD with reverent fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12 Submit to God's royal son, or He will become angry, and you will be destroyed in the midst of all your activities--for His anger flares up in an instant. But what joy for all who take refuge in him!

It used to be that Christmas only consisted of praise and worship and gifts for one person. These days there are so many things that are a distraction to us and we have lost the real meaning for this season of celebration. We need to be careful that we don't get rid of Jesus or become spiritually complacent and miss the reason for the season.

Jesus deserves our adoration and praise and we will do good to remember that he gave up the riches of heaven to give us the greatest gift of all.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Journey To Bethlehem - Wise Men Seek Him

Be a wise man, follow the light.


Matthew 2:1–6 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."

3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5 "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written:

6 " 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.' "

Our God chose the visitors of the child from the most unlikely places. The shepherds were Jews but you would expect that the religious leaders would be the ones to invite, now we have  leaders coming to see him but it isn't Jewish leaders, there isn't any room for prejudice in God's story.

We are all seekers, looking something. Whether it is for purpose and meaning, looking for wealth or happiness or for fame. The Magi were very well educated men, devoted to astronomy, to religion, and to medicine. Judging by the gifts that they brought to Jesus, they had money, to be called Magi meant that they had fame and respect and yet they were still seeking. Isn't it cool that God who rules the heavens chose to reveal himself where the pagans were looking?

Matthew 6:33 "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

Jesus told us what we need to seek for. The world is a slave to the pursuit of money, knowledge and fame but the wise man is in the pursuit of God's kingdom and seeking to become righteous because he knows that God will take care of his every need and fulfill his desire for for purpose and meaning.

I thank you God that you have not hidden yourself from us but rather you have made yourself available to us so that we can have a relationship with you. Help me to always seek you and your purpose for my life.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Journey To Bethlehem - The Shepherds Find Him

God reaches out in the darkness to meet you.


Luke 2:15–20 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

16  So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17  When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18  and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19  But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

20  The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

The  announcement of Jesus birth was not the proper notification that we would expect for the arrival of such a distinguished individual. The shepherds wouldn't be at the top of the list of people to make such an important announcement to, but that is the way that our God does business, he uses the most unlikely cast of characters.

God reached out in the darkness that night to meet the lowly shepherds, the dirty social outcast received an announcement fit for a king. God is still reaching out to meet us in the dark, the dark days of depression, disappointment and doubt don't have to be long days when you have the light of the world to help you.

John 1:9 The One who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

The shepherds receive the good news and right away they go with haste to find the child. They didn't say to each other "I wonder if this is really true, lets go and find out." They already believed and couldn't wait to get there, they went without delay to find their Savior and upon finding him they went out and told the good news, they became the first preachers of the gospel, they began spreading the good news by just sharing their experience with those that they met.

The great shepherd of Israel reached out to the shepherds, these were not the guys that received training in the Bible, they didn't get any classroom time at the prophets school and the Pharisees wouldn't waste their time teaching theology to dirty shepherds. They were just ordinary guys sharing about what they knew to be true. We can make being a missionary or a preacher such a difficult task that requires so much training but God chooses to work with the simple to share his simple message.

Luke 18:42-43 And Jesus said, "All right, receive your sight! Your faith has healed you." 43 Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus, praising God. And all who saw it praised God, too.

Just like a blind man that has received his sight, the Lord has brought light to our dark world, we should praise God for allowing his light to shine on all men without ant respect for certain people. We should be careful to be the light to everyone without any consideration for who the light will shine on.

Lord Jesus, you are amazing! Thank you for using stinky little people like me to do your work. Help me never to take you and your love for me for granted.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Journey To Bethlehem - Good News!

Our Savior brings peace to everybody.


Luke 2:8–14  And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

Our God is an awesome God, so much bigger and more powerful that we can imagine, and yet despite how huge he is and how small we are, he still chose to reach out to us. You would think that somebody so powerful and important would not come to earth and visit anybody as low in the pecking order as a bunch of dirty, smelly shepherds. After all, when the rulers of this world go on a trip it is seldom to visit with somebody that isn't just as rich or powerful as they are.

1 Chronicles 29:11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is Yours, O LORD, and this is Your kingdom. We adore You as the One who is over all things.

The best that humanity has to offer is still so far away from God's standard but our creator loves each and every one of us and he shares his message of salvation with everybody, he brings the opportunity of peace with him to the lowest of humanity as well as the greatest.

Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

My God has come to change my standing with him, now I am clean before him, just as if I had never done anything wrong. All that I had to do is accept God's invitation through faith so that I can have peace in my heart, peace that satisfies and carries me through the chaos of this world.

Thank you Mighty God for looking at mankind without any respect for position or fame. Thank you for fixing our broken relationship and bringing peace into my life.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Journey To Bethlehem - Our Savior Is Born!

God's timing is perfect.


Luke 2:1–7  In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And everyone went to his own town to register.

4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.

6  While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Thousands of years since the moment that sin entered the world and now the time is right for our Savior to be born. God's timing for our Savior's birth was perfect, the fulfillment of every prophecy about Jesus birth was about to happen.

Did you notice that the Roman government was just doing it's job governing the empire, they had no idea that they were being used by God to fulfill prophecy, it was just another day at the office for them.

The prophets had told us that the child would be born in Bethlehem, the city of Christ ancestor king David, but Mary and Joseph lived in Nazareth. The Lord used the Roman census to put Mary and Joseph in the right place at precisely the right time. If they had stayed a little longer at Nazareth then the prophecy would have been wrong!

Psalms 33:11 But the Lord's plans stand firm forever; His intentions can never be shaken.

God is always at work, even in the small things that we don't suspect, things that don't seem significant to the people involved. Mary and Joseph probably didn't realize why they were being forced to go to Bethlehem, they probably just blamed the Roman's for the inconvenience. They probably didn't go to Bethlehem smiling and thanking God for what was about to happen.

Thank you Lord for your perfect timing and how you use the everyday things to accomplish your will. Help me to trust you for the bigger picture during those times when the circumstances of my life don't make sense.

Monday, December 13, 2010

Journey To Bethlehem - With Great Rejoicing

The greatest gift has been offered to us.


Luke 1:39–45  At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40  where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth.

41  When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

42  In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43  But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44  As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!"

Christmas should be an exciting time, actually it should be the most exciting time of the year, think about it,my creator did for me what I could never do on my own. He gave up everything for me!

Heaven did without Jesus for thirty-three years while he was here with us, taking part in our world, becoming fully aware of what it is like to be human so that he could sympathize with our sorrow and our struggles and he made a way for us to be made right with our creator and enabled us to have a relationship with him.

Could this be any more exciting? Could there be any better reason to be full of joy? We received the greatest gift that was far better than anything we deserved. Jesus Christ brings joy to his people who are looking for the coming Savior and all of the benefits which he brings to them.

John 15:10-11 When you obey My commandments, you remain in My love, just as I obey My Father's commandments and remain in His love. 11 I have told you these things so that you will be filled with My joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!

I am so thankful Lord that you adopted me into your family through the awesome sacrifice of Jesus. Help me to always be full of joy about what you did for me.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Journey To Bethlehem - Announced By The Angel

Obedience can be frightening.


Luke 1:26–38  In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."

29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.

30 But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

34 "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"

35 The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God."

38 "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.

Wait a minute Lord! You want me to do what? And you think that would be a blessing for me to do that!

Those are normal reactions that any of us could have when we find ourselves being sent down a path that the Lord has chosen for us. Sometimes the road that the Lord sends you down is a scary place, it is a narrow road that isn't free of potholes and it doesn't seem like a safe place to be.

Just as the prophet predicted (Isaiah 7:14) our Savior was to be born of a virgin and now the Lords plan has been revealed to the virgin that it was going to happen to. She had to be concerned about her welfare and her safety in a culture that could have killed her for adultery, she must have wondered if her parents would throw her out of the house, and what would her fiance think about her situation.

Hebrews 13:6 So we can say with confidence, "The LORD is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?"

When the road that I am called to travel seems scary and unsafe, I need to remember that the Lord has called me down this road and he will protect me and he will bless my efforts to be faithful to the calling that he has asked me to pursue.

Lord, give me the faith and trust to follow you wherever you lead me to go and to do what You ask of me.

Friday, December 10, 2010

Journey To Bethlehem - Conceived By The Holy Spirit

God uses simple people to do the incredible.


Matthew 1:18–24 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about:

His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.

19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:  23 "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us."

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.

God loves simple people! He loves to take the ordinary everyday person and make them a part of his incredible plans. Over and over again in the Bible we see that God uses the unlearned, the humble and the weak.

God's plan to save the world is being put into motion through Mary and Joseph, two people that are about as simple as you can get. Their ability had nothing to do with being a part of God's incredible plan, they just had to be willing to trust God and be willing to be a part of what God was getting ready to do.

Acts 4:13 The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.

God has incredible plans, things bigger than I can imagine and yet these things will be accomplished through ordinary people, people just like you and I have been the instruments that God has used through out the ages. The wisdom of God in bringing forth his will looks like foolishness from mans point of view but who are we to say that there is a better way? (1 Corinthians 1:18-31)

Lord Jesus, build in me a strong and trusting spirit so that I’ll be willing to do whatever you may call me to do.

Thursday, December 09, 2010

Journey To Bethlehem - At The Right Time

Jesus always was, but at the right time he left heaven for me.


Galatians 4:4-7  But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.

Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.

The time for Jesus to come to earth was finally here, it had been thousands of years since the entrance of sin into the world with all of its suffering, why were those thousands of dark and gloomy years allowed to roll on, and the world suffer deeper and deeper in ignorance and sin?

God's timing is usually not as quick as we want it to be, we will never fully understand why Jesus didn't come sooner and give us the benefit of atonement right after the fall? Why did God wait to send his son?

God probably had much higher reasons for what he did but from a human being's point of view, maybe we should consider the following logical arguments for why the time was right:
  • It was just the time when all the prophecies centered in him, and when there could be no doubt about their fulfillment. It was important that such an event should be predicted in order that there might be full evidence that he came from heaven.
  • The world had plenty of time to see its need of a Saviour, and that all of our attempts to improve our condition had failed.
  • Greek had become the common language of the world, or as least was spoken and understood, among a considerable portion of the nations of the earth. At no period before had there been so extensive use of the same language by so many people.
God's timing doesn't always satisfy my schedule, I am in a hurry, I don't see everything from the perspective of almighty God. I have to remember that even when it seems that he doesn't care about my situation, he does care and he is willing to go the extra mile to prove it.

2 Corinthians 6:2 For God says, "At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you." Indeed, the "right time" is now. Today is the day of salvation.

Lord Jesus, thank you for all you’ve done in my life, for saving me and giving me hope, help me to wait on your timing.

Tuesday, December 07, 2010

Journey To Bethlehem - Our King Is Coming

Do you know my King?



Zechariah 9: 9-10  Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the war-horses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.

God revealed to Israel that the Messiah would reign with glory and power, this will take place when Jesus Christ returns to conquer all his enemies and establish his universal rule, humbly he came the first time but that will not be true when he returns.

John 12:13-16  took palm branches and went down the road to meet Him. They shouted, "Praise God! Blessings on the One who comes in the name of the LORD! Hail to the King of Israel!"  14  Jesus found a young donkey and rode on it, fulfilling the prophecy that said:  15  "Don't be afraid, people of Jerusalem. Look, your King is coming, riding on a donkey's colt."  16  His disciples didn't understand at the time that this was a fulfillment of prophecy. But after Jesus entered into His glory, they remembered what had happened and realized that these things had been written about Him.

Do you know my king? Let me introduce you to him:


"King of Glory" song by Third Day:

Who is this King of Glory with strength and majesty And wisdom beyond measure, the gracious King of kings The Lord of Earth and Heaven, the Creator of all things He is this King of Glory, He's everything to me. His name is Jesus, precious Jesus The Lord Almighty, the King of my heart, The King of glory!

Monday, December 06, 2010

Journey To Bethlehem - His Birthplace Foretold

Prophecy helped to validate who Jesus is.


Micah 5:2-5  But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.

 3 Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor gives birth and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites.

 4 He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.  5 And he will be their peace.
The promised ruler of Israel did not come as a surprise, the prophets told about his coming and they also told us where he would be born, down to the exact little village. This wasn't a place to expect somebody special to come from but it was the place that God chose for his Son to begin his time here on planet earth.

God chose King David from the humble beginnings of Bethlehem and he will do the same with the future king that will sit on David's throne.
Elimelech, the husband of Naomi and father-in-law of Ruth, was from Bethlehem, as was Boaz (Ruth 1:1-2, 2:1,4). David was born in Bethlehem, and here he was anointed as future king by Samuel. *

Bethlehem means "house of bread" and Ephrathah means "fruitful."  What a beautiful picture these words give us about the coming King. It is pretty cool that the "house of bread" is where the "Bread of Life" was born. (John 6:1-35, 7:42)

John 6:31-35 After all, our ancestors ate manna while they journeyed through the wilderness! The Scriptures say, 'Moses gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"  

32 Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, Moses didn't give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now He offers you the true bread from heaven. 33 The true bread of God is the One who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."  

34 "Sir," they said, "give us that bread every day." 35 Jesus replied, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty.

God revealed his plan to Israel in great detail so that there could be no doubt that this child is our Savior, and yet so many ignore the facts and have no idea that God made his plan so clear.

I thank God for his plan, and that he made it so clear to us, his plan brought me salvation that I could never attain on my own.

Show me the plans that you have for me, Lord, give me enough detail for each moment, so that I may know your will and follow it.

Saturday, December 04, 2010

Journey To Bethlehem - The Suffering Savior

Jesus knew that he would suffer and yet he came to our world.


Isaiah 53:1-6  Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground.

He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.

Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Christmas is such a beautiful time of the year, we have decorated the season with ornaments and lights, and we have associated the best of snow covered scenery with sleigh rides and ice skating. It wasn't like that when Christmas started out, the first Christmas was not a pretty one, it took centuries for the holiday to become so pretty.

We are celebrating the birth of our Savior but we shouldn't forget that his birth was the beginning of his journey to the cruel ugly cross. Humbly taking all of the torture that the people used back in that day for the most hardened criminal without a word of protest, not a word was spoken to try to keep himself off of the cross.

John 12:27-28 "Now My soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, 'Father, save Me from this hour'? But this is the very reason I came! 28 Father, bring glory to Your name." Then a voice spoke from heaven, saying, "I have already brought glory to My name, and I will do so again."

As I celebrate Christmas it is smart to remember the reason for the season and to remember that Jesus came to earth to give us the best gift ever. (Ephesians 2:4-8)

Lord, I praise You for all You did for me on the cross and want to live each day for you.

Friday, December 03, 2010

Journey To Bethlehem - Peace And Justice

Our righteous judge is coming soon.


Isaiah 11:1–5, 10 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him, the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;  3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; 4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.

He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

5 Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious.

Our righteous judge will deliver justice to the world with "wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD."

There shall be great peace and quiet under his government, the great day that we are all looking for, no more wars and bickering over who gets things their way. The poor will receive justice instead of being exploited and the rich will not get away with murder. This ruler will be of the most impeccable integrity.

Psalms 72:11-14 All kings will bow before him, and all nations will serve him. 12 He will rescue the poor when they cry to him; he will help the oppressed, who have no one to defend them. 13 He feels pity for the weak and the needy, and he will rescue them. 14 He will redeem them from oppression and violence, for their lives are precious to him.

I should do everything that I can each day to bring peace and justice to my little corner of the world. I can choose each day to be merciful, kind and allow others to have it their way. What can you do on behalf of peace and justice in your world? Make a plan to start today.

Lord Jesus, Help me to know what I can do to bring Your peace and justice to this world and help me to follow through and do it.

Wednesday, December 01, 2010

Journey To Bethlehem - His Birth Foretold

Is Jesus a “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” to you?


Isaiah 9:6-7  For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7 His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!

God's children are in a dark time in their history. (2 Kings 15:29) God's punishment for their evil ways was not going to last forever.

A special child is on the way, a child that had some bold predictions made about him before he arrived. No other child had ever had so much anticipation or had such lofty claims made about him: 
  • What better Counselor could I ever need, he isn't God that never knew how I feel but he was also a man that experienced how it is to be human.
  • Mighty God, he is able to save and protect.
  • The Everlasting Father whose kingdom will never end.
  • The Prince of Peace will come to make things right between me and God.
The prophecy would be fulfilled in Jesus, out of the darkest times a deliverer would come, the Messiah would introduce his people to a new life full of light, joy, love and peace.

Psalms 86:10 For You are great and perform wonderful deeds. You alone are God.

Our God loves us and has taken care of my greatest need, something that I couldn't do for myself has been provided, he loves me and he wants to be there for me as my counselor and my protector.

Thank you Lord for your unchanging love and your desire to have a relationship with you. Thank you for being for me and for being my counselor and my protector.