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The Spirit of Christmas Revealed

                I used to be ignorant of God’s love for me. I celebrated Christmas with songs, lights, a tree, and a nativity. Gifts were given and received as a token of the season and December 26^th was just another day. One year I found that this babe in a manger gave his life, taking the judgment I deserved upon himself, so that I might be set free from the penalty of my sins. This tender child grew to be a man who lived a sinless life and taught those who followed him to love deeply and sacrificially. Before his death he told his disciples, “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.”  My life changed when I read this. I realized that the very Bible I was reading was an expression of love for me. God desires to make himself known to us so that we might turn to him in faith and live.

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For nothing will be impossible with God

From before the ancient days before time and space,

in eternal past you beheld your Father’s face.

Infinity was your garment, your glory filled its place

with holiness, purity, the life, the light that darkness cannot trace.

Creator of all in righteousness all was made

from nothing you formed what God your Father bade.

Your ministering spirits rejoiced while in your power stayed

though a darkening appeared when some from your dominion strayed.

Man fails, the image of your glory shamefully marredPublish Post

moved by a slanderous blasphemer a hateful murderous bard.

A heart made for communion now empty and scarred

enslaved, darkened, dead, cold, and hard.

But you foreknew this wretched fallen state

moved by pure love to change man’s hopeless tortured fate.

Child born of woman who did not know her mate

to free those bound in dismal darkness hewn by heinous hate.

Infinity traded for a lowly human birth

a precious promised redeemer of priceless worth.

From darkness and hatred, light, love, and mirth

Saving those believing who humble themselves on earth.

by Javier Caballero

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If you are not firm in FAITH, you will not be firm at all.

                Two armies surrounded the city. The king surveyed the situation. His heart sank. He didn’t have the resources to sustain or protect the people. It would only be a matter of time before they met starvation or the edge of a sword. There are moments in our lives that seem just as hopeless. Formidable circumstances present themselves and we find our resources inadequate to meet the need of the hour. How do we respond to these situations? Very often we do whatever we can just to get by. Sometimes we are tempted to do things we would otherwise think inappropriate. People depend on themselves to provide solutions to their problems. What happens when we can’t find a natural solution to the difficulties in life?

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And the Lord God Will Give to Him the Throne of His Father David

                When we consider thrones and kingdoms today we tend to think of the European royalty or of fairytales we heard as children now made popular through Disney movies.  These figureheads and fantasies have very little to do with the concept that the Bible teaches about the conquering king and absolute and sovereign ruler over all creation.  The hopes and dreams of a nation used to rise and fall with the coronation of a new king. Those who ruled with justice were loved by the multitudes and mourned after their death. King David loved God. God recognized his genuine love and declared that his family would rule forever over Israel (2Samuel 7:16). A problem seems to arise when we consider the division of the kingdom two generations later and the occupation of Assyria and Babylon. How then could this divine promise be true?

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--It is to Him You Shall Listen—

                There was a consensus among the experts. Catastrophic events were at hand. The world as we knew it would come to an end unless we revamped the existing infrastructure. Y2K would shut America down. There were some thought things would not be so bad. They were looked at as irresponsible. Generators, canned food items, survival gear, and ammunition flew off the shelves. People were preparing for complete social disintegration. I sat in my family room dressed in my PJ’s with bare cupboards as the ball dropped waiting for whatever would come.

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In You Shall All the Nations Be Blessed.

                Abraham is revered in several major religions around the world. The divinely inspired word of God tells us that God planned to bring joy to the entire human race through an offspring of Abraham (Galatians 3:16; Genesis 22:18). God prepared a people to deliver a divinely inspired, inerrant, and preserved written account of God’s faithfulness to his promise of redemption but also his love expressed through the gift of his Son (John 3:16). The mention of Christ as a descendant of Abraham helps us understand more about the meaning of Christmas.

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For to us a child is born, to us a son is given . . .

                When I was a young child my parents made it clear that they did not want anyone inside our home after we arrived home from school nor were we allowed to play outside until they were present. It didn’t take long before we broke these rules. Our next door neighbor made the suggestion that we play after school. We decided it would be best if he came inside the house to play out door games. Needless to say, a few short moments of boyhood fun resulted in the complete destruction of a light fixture. Our neighbor laughed and went home. My brother and I cleaned up the mess the best we could and waited to meet death.

Enduring Joy

These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.  (John 15:11)

       There is an old adage that says, “Tell me who you run with and I will tell you who you are.” Relationships influence who we are in very intimate ways. Many choose who they connect with carefully because they recognize this fact.  John chapter 15 begins with an image of a vine, a vine dresser, and the branches that depend on both.  Every branch is evaluated on the evidence of its fruit.  The only way any branch can bear fruit is by maintaining a healthy connection to the vine. The vine dresser prunes the branches that have a healthy connection to the vine so they may bear more fruit. The implication is that the more fruit the healthier connection the branch has to the vine.  The essential message of this illustration is that your character is directly affected by the relationship you have with Jesus Christ. Those who have a strong relationship with Jesus have the kind of character that gives evidence of God’s goodness and greatness.

                These things that Jesus speaks of in John 15:1-10 are essential to living the life all people were meant to live because they are essential to being associated with him. I remember hearing a college student athlete explain that there were things he was not allowed to do if he wanted to be associated with his team. Expectations were set by the leadership of the team. Anyone who did not meet those expectations was denied the privilege of being a member of that team. The same is true with every company I have ever been employed with. 

                John 15:11 tells us that the commandments given by God were intended to produce complete enduring joy because they are an expression of God’s love for you. He desires to have a relationship with you!  Refusing to submit to God's authority will result in being denied the privileges of human existence. I hope that meditating on God’s eternal love for you will compel you to know him more and to live by his commandments. However, you must establish a relationship with God before you can commit yourself to living by his commandment to love others in a pure and selfless way. This is necessary because it is impossible to bear the fruit of Christian character without being connected to Jesus Christ. Walk with Jesus. Give him your life and he will satisfy.



A Measure of Grace

Matthew 7:1-2 is misunderstood by many people in our culture. Today’s mantra of tolerance misuses this proverbial passage in an attempt to turn the Bible against those who speak out against sin. Nevertheless, God’s Word is clear that this is not the true teaching of Christ. Instead, Matthew 7:1-6 teaches us discernment to properly address spiritual needs in the lives of others.