Nehemiah 8:10b

 

 

2 Corinthians 5:19

 

Matthew 16:2-3

 

Psalm 66:1

 

 

Joshua 1:9

  

Merry Christmas 2024 (tap to view)

 

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas this year.  So thankful that several years ago, the Lord gave me the best gift I could have asked for, the salvation of my soul.  Such an underserved gift, but one given to me by God because of His great love.  Not because of what I was, but in spite of what I was.  The only thing that I had to do to receive it was to admit I was a sinner (not hard to prove) , and that Jesus (God in the flesh) came to live a sinless life and to die on the Cross for my sin and the sin of all the world.  So grateful  to be one of the “whosoever” will.  Thank you Father God, for the gift of your son, and for your Mercy and Grace!

If you want to know Jesus as your savior, all you have to do is ask!  Most things in life are dependent on who you are, or who you know.  How much money or education you have?  Where you are from, or what color you are?  What you have done, or what you can do?  Whether you are docile, or aggressive?  How tall you are, or what sex you are?  Salvation is needed by ALL, and is truly something which can be obtained by anyone!  In fact, it is those who can humble themselves who have the opportunity to be saved, so in the complete opposite of how most things on Earth work, it is those who are least advantaged and the ‘weakest’ who are able to respond to the calling of God.  The meek, and not the mighty, are the inheritors of the earth, and will see God.  The humble and not the proud, because only the meek and humble will lower themselves enough to ask what seems to be foolish to all the rest of the world, to be forgiven by a being whose existence must be taken on faith.  “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭1‬:‭18‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Won’t you join those of us who reached the end of ourselves, and in realization of our utter hopelessness to save ourselves, called up Jesus to save us.  When we call upon him for salvation, he only checks for one qualification, are we sinners (we all have that one nailed) and do we confess that guilt, and do we believe that He is Lord and can save us.  Whosoever Calls upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved.  We can pass from judgement into justification, and from strangers and enemies of God, to becoming His children.   I pray today that is you. 

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭13‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Cæsar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judæa, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, good will toward men. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭4‬, ‭6‬-‭20‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭1‬:‭21‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“as it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭3‬:‭10‬, ‭23‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭8‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭6‬:‭23‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭8‬-‭11‬ ‭KJV‬‬

This Christmas, if you haven’t already, won’t you ask for and receive the best gift of all?

Salvation!

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭8‬-‭10‬ ‭KJV‬‬

                   MERRY CHRISTMAS

Revelation 4:8b

 

 

Psalm 107:21

 

Like 2:10-14

 

Luke 1:31

 

Matthew 1:21

 

Revelation 4:11

 

Luke 1:37

 

 

1 John 3:16

 

 

John 8:58

 

Job 1:21b

 

Like Fireflies - (tap to view)

Observations from a time of intense suffering and grief.  

 Let me begin this by saying, God is faithful.  If you haven't noticed, contrary to media reports, the world is growing darker by the day. For those of us who are believers, the contrast is growing sharper.  Blending in with the world is no longer possible as the world has grown more dark.  Lines have finally been drawn that God's people can no longer in good conscience still step over.  As the world slides further and further into demonic worship and the false Jesus of compromise,  the differences grow more stark.  Even some professing Christians believe that their 'Jesus' is just fine with sin, and in fact, he admits he may have been wrong about all of that.  If you'll read the first four books of the New Testament, you'll discover that The real Jesus is God, is sinless perfection, is WISDOM itself, and His mortal body was killed BECAUSE He pointed out peoples sins and they were uncomfortable with that. The world hated what He said,  and hated Him because of it.  The worlds ‘Jesus’ is the spirit of antichrist, and their 'Jesus' teaches doctrines of demons. 

      As more stands are taken for Jesus, (or really just as soon as you decide to take them) Satan begins to unleash his attacks on God's people, and then not only is it the world we live in that is dark, but the very space around us feels as if it has been shrouded by darkness, squelching all visible light out, like when an angry looking storm system comes in during the day and blocks out the sun and unleashes its wrath.  As surely as Satan is attacking God's chosen people through terrorism and antisemitism, he is also attacking the followers of Christ who dare to stand up for God and against Satan.  The onslaught of health concerns and many other difficulties that I won't outline at the moment, all attack, sometimes simultaneously, in the attempt to extinguish FAITH and HOPE.   I was just thinking recently, that sometimes all of the light we have in this world is kind of like fireflies in the summer night.  A blink here, and a blink there, fleeting and faint, but still a reminder there is light yet.  Thankfully, we often have much brighter and more constant sources of light, Praise God, some are candles; but even in the darkest times there are faint flickers that remind you He still cares and has you.  My family has witnessed this several times these last few years, and especially so in the last few months.  Remember too, that God is refining us, heating and using the on-slot to remove dross and create a reflection of Himself..  In my analogy of the firefly and the candle, there is a difference between those items in this world, and the light of God.  The light those items show, are light that they create themselves.  The spiritual light that I am really talking about comes from God and is seen in His people when they reflect His light.  Sometimes that light is brighter, just because it is no longer under a bushel, or because the world has grown darker around it, but it can also become lighter because it has been refined and polished through suffering to create a more reflective surface for God’s light to shine from. 

Recently, one of God's constant ‘candles' winked out, when my wife of 32 years passed away.  The world is a little bit darker today.  Her love, kindness, and joy was a reflection of Jesus, polished by suffering, prayer, and reading Gods word.  I can’t tell you the number of folks I’ve seen, including folks who had just briefly known her, who said they could see Jesus in her.  If you knew her, as I and her children did, you’d know she was the real deal. You’d also know that she came to say, “Jesus sure makes us look good.” If you are His,  won't you take that candle out from under the bushel and put it on a candlestick.  If He’s polishing you, by allowing adversity in your life, try allowing it to clean you up instead of looking for a way out, or for better wording for your complaints.  If you allow it, that light will draw others to Christ, so that they can be saved.  At the same time, that light will also be an encouragement to other believers when they enter their darkened period, that God is real, that He is in control, and that He still cares.

If more of us would shine brighter and more consistently, instead of hiding under a bushel or smudging ourselves, it might be less like a firefly and more torch like.  He has called us to be candles and to put ourselves in a candlestick, which I believe is a Church, where we can get involved and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  😊  

1John 1:9

Thanks to my daughter Beth for the photo 

Hosea 2:16 (tap to view)

 

 The Lord promised that one day He will fix the heart of His people . They will no longer call him master or other words of fear. They had become associated with Baal worship and thus were no longer fit to be used in the worship of Yahweh. They will finally,  truly love Him and call Him, my man or my husband, and serve Him out of  love.  The word Ishi also carries a meaning of ‘my salvation’.  What a wonderful thing to be in Love with our Lord!  What a wonderful thing for Israel to finally be totally devoted to her God! What a wonderful time when we too will be fully devoted to Him!  We can , along with them at that time, truly say for the first time honestly and with no reservations  that we love Him and will keep ourselves ONLY unto HIM.

Only then will we truly, fully keep the first commandment.

“and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭12‬:‭30‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Jeremiah 33:3

 

Proverbs 16:28

  

Proverbs 16:32