Joseph, the Unsung Hero - By Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org
Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. -Matthew 1:19
Joseph is the unsung hero of the Christmas story. For the most part, there are no Christmas songs about Joseph. Yet he really is a hero. The Bible tells us that Joseph was a "good man" (Matthew 1:19). Deeply in love with Mary, he was no doubt jolted by the news that she was pregnant.
Joseph and Mary were engaged, which, in their culture, was like being married. Once a couple entered into this engagement, or espousal, period, it was like being married, although they lived in separate houses. It was during this time that Mary became pregnant.
Yet Joseph loved Mary, and the Bible tells us that he "did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly" (Matthew 1:19). In other words, Joseph was thinking, I'm going to say that I can't marry her now, but I'm certainly not going to publicly shame Mary, either.
While he was pondering this, an angel appeared to Joseph and told him, "Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins" (verses 20-21).
That was all Joseph needed to hear. He could have walked away, even after he knew the truth. But he stood by Mary. And just as surely as God chose Mary to be the mother of the Messiah, he chose Joseph to be a father figure on earth for Jesus.
When God uses a person, there is a sacrifice to make. It won't be an easy path, but it will be a fruitful one-and you will look back later in life and be glad that you took it.
Christ the Lord - By Greg Laurie -
Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." -Luke 2:10-11
The angel began that wonderful announcement to the shepherds with, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy. . . ." Maybe you are suffering today. You might find yourself wondering, Where is the joy? But what is the joy about? Is it about an opportunity to go shopping? Is the message of Christmas "Let it snow?" No, it is, "Let us worship."
The angels' visit to the shepherds became the first Christmas celebration. It's as though Heaven and earth were celebrating it together, as though a portal to glory had been opened up. These shepherds saw the supernatural world, the heavenly world. On that first Christmas, there was a big celebration in Heaven and on earth over the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We have a Savior: "For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11). That is the most important thing. We have a Savior who came to save us from the power and penalty of sin. Whatever you are going through in life, remember this: you have a Savior. He has put your sins as far away from you as the east is from the west.
Christ means "anointed one." Another word for that is Messiah. Jesus was the fulfillment of God's promise to send His Son as the Messiah. This is a simple reminder that God keeps His promises. God said that He would send a Messiah, and the Messiah came.
Lord means that we have a sovereign God who is in control of our lives.
So set aside the things you have become preoccupied with and remember that you have a Savior. You have a Lord. You have a Christ. And you have His promises.
Stench in God's Nostrils - Terry James -
Christmas season is in moribund transition, if I may use the term. By that I mean the changes taking place with regard to what Christmas is all about represents much more than simply a decline of culture. The change taking place is moving culture in this nation and the world in direction that will engender deadly consequences.
This world system is dying.
The thought first pierced my thinking while listening to a news program of some sort. The story was about how the leftist, politically correct machine is attacking Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
Now, I know I'm right off the bat offending the Christmas purists who view any secular characterization in conjunction with the Christmas story as near blasphemy. But, I implore that we get past for the moment how the Advent of Christ has been paganized to whatsoever extent-thus to make the point I hope to make: that we can know how near we might be to the midnight of the age and the call of Christ to His Church.
To get back to the TV news story, the report informed how much of social media is making the story of Rudolph one of how evil American culture has stigmatized anyone who is different. The Millennial view for the most part seems to be that the story shows that group bullying is approved of, thus Christmas is just an American cultural invention to keep those not like the majority in a position of inferiority. The news program's host said that those who hold such a view obviously haven't read the whole Rudolph story. She said that it actually was a story of anti-bullying and anti-bigotry.
That, at least, was my take on the news report I heard. Many amongst the Millennial generation increasingly view many things about Christmas as a cultural/societal device to oppress the downtrodden.
Of course, the birth of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, gets totally lost in all of this politically correct machination. Satan's obvious plot therefore seems to be working effectively, as do many of the other nefarious elements of his blueprint to move mankind farther from their Creator and their only means of redemption.
Several items of news of late punctuate how the grand deceiver is working through human minions to bring about the moribund transition through subverting the true Christmas message.
One such story involves a city ordinance of municipal government in Austin, Texas, that might force churches to hire LGBT people, including pastors. Gay and transsexual employees, including members of the clergy, will almost certainly soon be part of Austin churches if things proceed as they look now.
A second news story reports that Facebook censored a photo of Santa kneeling before a manger scene. The photo was covered up by the Facebook thought police.
Facebook censored an image of Santa Claus kneeling before the baby Jesus, deeming it "violent" or too "graphic." There was never a reason I could find why they found the scene violent or too graphic. But there was answer to the effect that the scene might offend, although there was no explanation as to how it might offend.
Again, I don't want to give the impression that I condone mixing Santa Claus with the manger scene-the secular with the truly important truth about the reason for the season. I can see where that might "offend" some in some way. I simply want to make the point of how the moribund transition is taking place incrementally. The Christmas story-that Jesus came to save the lost-is being used as a political tool and a psychological tool to move culture and society ever farther from man's only hope of redemption. It is a deadly track down which the world is going.
And, it is a worldwide war, not just one confined to America, that is taking place in this regard.
Another report from Italy told of a ten-year-old school girl who fought to have the name of Jesus reinserted into a song that was part of her school's Christmas celebration. The Lord's name had been removed from the song because it would "offend."
The charge in taking the name of Jesus out of the song was that it might offend non-Catholics. The real reason, according to the report, was that the name was taken out because they feared it would offend Muslims and cause violent reaction from that quarter.
These reports , I am aware, are not earth-shattering in comparison to many, much more profound, things being reported around the world. But in God's Holy Eyes, such treatment of His Son, who died for the sins of a world full of lost and eternally dying people, no doubt is among the most serious offenses.
Bible history is replete with God dealing with generations of people who deliberately flaunt their rebellion in His face. The book of Job reports the Lord's displeasure and reaction to such rebellion: "Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same. By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed" (Job 4:8-9).
A Divine Birth Announcement - By Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org
Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. . . . Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people." -Luke 2:8, 10
If you are a parent, then you can remember the first people you called after you became one. You gave them the weight and length of the baby and the actual time when he or she was born. You shared the news with those who were closest to you.
When God announced the birth of His Son, whom did He tell first? It seems likely that He would have started with Caesar Augustus. He could have sent the angel Gabriel to appear in Caesar's court and announce, "Check this out, buddy. You are not God! The Savior of the world has arrived!"
Or He might have had Gabriel appear to the religious leaders and say, "Wake up! The Messiah has been born! The One you talk about, the One you pray for-He is here!"
But that didn't happen. Instead, God first announced the birth of Jesus to shepherds. We tend to romanticize the shepherds along with everyone else in the Christmas story, but we don't understand who they were. In this culture, shepherds lived at the bottom of the social ladder.
Shepherds were so despised that their testimonies were not even allowed in a court of law. Shepherds did the work that no one else wanted to do. They worked hard, but they were perceived as unclean because they could not observe the ceremonial hand washings. They were the outcasts, the nobodies.
The only people less-regarded than shepherds were those who were suffering from leprosy. Yet God decided to announce His news to some shepherds in the fields as they kept watch over their flocks at night. This was the modus operandi of Jesus, from birth to death. He always appealed to the outcast, to the common, to the ordinary. And that should give hope to ordinary people like us.
Just Another Night in Bethlehem - By Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org
Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for the Lord has done marvelous things! -Joel 2:21
On the first Christmas Eve, there were no brightly colored lights on anyone's homes. There were no stockings that had been hung with care or any visions of sugarplums dancing in children's heads. It was just another night in Bethlehem. The census had gone out-that command by Caesar that everyone was to be taxed. But history was about to change in Bethlehem.
All of Israel was living in a very frightening time historically. They lived under the tyrant King Herod who would execute people at will. In addition, the Jews were living in occupied territory. The Romans had taken control of their country. They were no longer free to do what they wanted and live as they wanted. They wondered if Rome would ever leave. Would the violent rule ever cease? Would their world ever change?
Then suddenly angels appeared to the shepherds and told them not to be afraid; the Messiah had been born.
There is a lot to be afraid of in our unstable, volatile world today. It seems that at every turn, we hear about another horrific tragedy happening in our world. It can cause us to be terrified.
Then there are the personal fears: What if I lose my health? What if I lose a member of my family? What if this happens? What if that happens? A lot of things run through our minds.
Here is the message of the first Christmas-and the message for us this Christmas: Don't be afraid. . . . I bring you good tidings of great joy.
Ray Stedman wrote, "The chief mark of the Christian ought to be the absence of fear and the presence of joy."
Does that describe you? Fear is what Christmas came to remove-and now we can have joy in its place.
I wanted to start the Christmas Season off as a reminder on why we celebrate Christmas. I get a lot of reasons why we shouldn't celebrate Christmas more then why we should. I am not going to bore you with all the reasons why we shouldn't celebrate Christmas because there is plenty of room for there to be a Christmas. You can find alot of information on the web that shows that Christmas was spawned from pagan beliefs. Just about everything Christmas, is absolutely against the teachings in the Bible, the Tora, and Islam. All three of these Monotheistic religions reject the idea that Christ was born on this day. The reason that December 25th was accepted was to avoid celebrating on pagan holidays that was going on at the time. The real date (as estimated) was around the month of Tishri (September). The article from Bibleinfo says.....
< quote>
The date of Jesus' birth?
Therefore, according to the texts above we can approximate the month of Jesus� birth to be around the time of Tishri (mid to late September). To arrive at this date, start at the conception of John the Baptist, Sivan (June), count forward six months to arrive at Gabriel�s announcement of the conception of Jesus, Kislev (December), then count forward nine more months, the time it takes for human gestation, to reach Tishri (September), when Jesus was born.
Christmas Time has many pro's and Con's. While everyone of us has a different way of celebrating this time of year, it is by far the most stressful time of the year. Let's take a look at just a few of the pro's and con's.....
CON'S:
. Exhausting buy buy buy commercials that gets your head spinning. (lets not forget, that this starts in august)
. Traffic jams.
. Black Friday
. Suicide rates increase
. Often times, bad news rears it's ugly head by way of past due bills, garnishments, etc. I have experienced this myself. Collectors
want their money before this Holiday gets into full swing before you spend what they believe to be theirs.
. Chistmas time brings out more thieves then anyother time of the year.
I could go on and on, but let's not make this a complete downer.
PRO'S:
. The most beautiful time of the year. Winter begins to take shape. The snow and leaves on the ground begins to kick off that
wonderful feeling that Christmas is just around the corner. The lights, smells, beauty, accompanied with that over all warm
feeling that seems to take forever to to come back around. I have noticed in my life that people during this great Holiday Season
tend to be more happy and inviting whether pretensious or not, it still feels better then January thru September.
. Families become closer and tend to spend more time during this season.
. Christmas can also bring past memories back into focus on those who are with us, and those who have gone on to be with the
Lord. Who amongst you cannot bring up a great memory of a Christmas in times past. I can think of many memories myself.
. The food.....mmmmm.... Can't say anymore on this now. (Might gain weight if I do, since I still have last years candy).
. GIVING.... People tend to be more giving. A shirt for a homeless person, money, food, hug, etc. Sadly, most do not do this the rest
of the year.
. The Christmas music.....OH YEAH!!! Here are my most favorite songs that hits me to the core.... if there be no Christ or Christmas,
these songs would never have been born.... Here is a small sampling:
. Mary did you know - by: kenny rogers and Wynonna Rider / youtube / most beautiful....listen to the words
. O'Holy night - by: Celtic Woman/Chloe Agnew / youtube/ ..... really listen to words
. Best EVER - CHILLS.....BRRRRR.... youtube these words.
(The best Christmas Song I've ever heard. It will give you chills /youtube/ by Famifi
I could go on and on. For time and space concideration, I think you got my point.
Now, here comes the hard part. Christmas was born at a time when Paganism was pretty much the religion. You can find a lot of negativity online when it comes to Christianity and Christmas. We teach our children to never lie, and yet we teach them about Santa Clause. (I am guilty as well, but not anymore). We teach them that Santa will not bring them anything if they are bad. The problem is this.
1. WE ARE LYING... when we say no to lying re: santa clause in this case.
2. It can be harmful to children if they got nothing for Christmas and yet their friends are boasting what they recieved. The child
could have been good, but finances was not there for gifts. Now the child thinks that Santa hates him/her and could result in
further behavior problems and or confusion.
3. I get told all the time that we follow a pagan holiday. You can find this information at www.humanreligions.info
however, that may have been so in the early centuries, but I believe that Christianity showed the world that we celebrate it
in it's truest form today. so, what does the Bible say about christmas?
< quote>
www.gotquestions.org
Answer: The debate about whether or not Christians should celebrate Christmas has been raging for centuries. There are equally sincere and committed Christians on both sides of the issue, each with multiple reasons why or why not Christmas should be celebrated in Christian homes. But what does the Bible say? Does the Bible give clear direction as to whether Christmas is a holiday to be celebrated by Christians?
First, let�s look at the reasons why some Christians do not celebrate Christmas. One argument against Christmas is that the traditions surrounding the holiday have origins in paganism. Searching for reliable information on this topic is difficult because the origins of many of our traditions are so obscure that sources often contradict one another. Bells, candles, holly, and yuletide/yule decorations are mentioned in the history of pagan worship, but the use of such in one�s home certainly does not indicate a return to paganism. While there are definitely pagan roots to some traditions, there are many more traditions associated with the true meaning of Christmas�the birth of the Savior of the world in Bethlehem. Bells are played to ring out the joyous news, candles are lit to remind us that Christ is the Light of the world (John 1:4-9), a star is placed on the top of a Christmas tree to remember the Star of Bethlehem, and gifts are exchanged to remind us of the gifts of the Magi to Jesus, the greatest gift of God to mankind.
Another argument against Christmas, especially having a Christmas tree, is that the Bible forbids bringing trees into our homes and decorating them. The passage often cited is Jeremiah 10:1-16, but this passage refers to cutting down trees, chiseling the wood to make an idol, and then decorating the idol with silver and gold for the purpose of bowing down before it to worship it (see also Isaiah 44:9-18). The passage in Jeremiah cannot be taken out of its context and used to make a legitimate argument against Christmas trees.
Christians who choose to ignore Christmas point to the fact that the Bible doesn�t give us the date of Christ�s birth, which is certainly true. December 25 may not be even close to the time Jesus was born, and arguments on both sides are legion, some relating to climate in Israel, the practices of shepherds in winter, and the dates of Roman census-taking. None of these points are without a certain amount of conjecture, which brings us back to the fact that the Bible doesn�t tell us when Jesus was born. Some see this as proof positive that God didn�t want us to celebrate the birth, while others see the Bible�s silence on the issue as tacit approval.
Some Christians say that since the world celebrates Christmas�although it is becoming more and more politically correct to refer to it as �the holidays��Christians should avoid it. But that is the same argument made by false religions that deny Christ altogether, as well as cults such as the Jehovah�s Witnesses who deny His deity. Those Christians who do celebrate Christmas often see the occasion as an opportunity to proclaim Christ as �the reason for the season� among the nations and to those trapped in false religions.
As we have seen, there is no legitimate scriptural reason not to celebrate Christmas. At the same time, there is no biblical mandate to celebrate it, either. In the end, of course, whether or not to celebrate Christmas is a personal decision. Whatever Christians decide to do regarding Christmas, their views should not be used as a club with which to beat down or denigrate those with opposing views, nor should either view be used as a badge of honor inducing pride over celebrating or not celebrating. As in all things, we seek wisdom from Him who gives it liberally to all who ask (James 1:5) and accept one another in Christian love and grace, regardless of our views on Christmas.
Recommended Resource: The Case for Christmas by Lee Strobel
final thought......
Christmas is the reason for the season...... KEEP IT HOLY !!!!
NOW....... Go and ENJOY Christmas.....
< quote>
The date of Jesus' birth?
Therefore, according to the texts above we can approximate the month of Jesus� birth to be around the time of Tishri (mid to late September). To arrive at this date, start at the conception of John the Baptist, Sivan (June), count forward six months to arrive at Gabriel�s announcement of the conception of Jesus, Kislev (December), then count forward nine more months, the time it takes for human gestation, to reach Tishri (September), when Jesus was born.
Christmas Time has many pro's and Con's. While everyone of us has a different way of celebrating this time of year, it is by far the most stressful time of the year. Let's take a look at just a few of the pro's and con's.....
CON'S:
. Exhausting buy buy buy commercials that gets your head spinning. (lets not forget, that this starts in august)
. Traffic jams.
. Black Friday
. Suicide rates increase
. Often times, bad news rears it's ugly head by way of past due bills, garnishments, etc. I have experienced this myself. Collectors
want their money before this Holiday gets into full swing before you spend what they believe to be theirs.
. Chistmas time brings out more thieves then anyother time of the year.
I could go on and on, but let's not make this a complete downer.
PRO'S:
. The most beautiful time of the year. Winter begins to take shape. The snow and leaves on the ground begins to kick off that
wonderful feeling that Christmas is just around the corner. The lights, smells, beauty, accompanied with that over all warm
feeling that seems to take forever to to come back around. I have noticed in my life that people during this great Holiday Season
tend to be more happy and inviting whether pretensious or not, it still feels better then January thru September.
. Families become closer and tend to spend more time during this season.
. Christmas can also bring past memories back into focus on those who are with us, and those who have gone on to be with the
Lord. Who amongst you cannot bring up a great memory of a Christmas in times past. I can think of many memories myself.
. The food.....mmmmm.... Can't say anymore on this now. (Might gain weight if I do, since I still have last years candy).
. GIVING.... People tend to be more giving. A shirt for a homeless person, money, food, hug, etc. Sadly, most do not do this the rest
of the year.
. The Christmas music.....OH YEAH!!! Here are my most favorite songs that hits me to the core.... if there be no Christ or Christmas,
these songs would never have been born.... Here is a small sampling:
. Mary did you know - by: kenny rogers and Wynonna Rider / youtube / most beautiful....listen to the words
. O'Holy night - by: Celtic Woman/Chloe Agnew / youtube/ ..... really listen to words
. Best EVER - CHILLS.....BRRRRR.... youtube these words.
(The best Christmas Song I've ever heard. It will give you chills /youtube/ by Famifi
I could go on and on. For time and space concideration, I think you got my point.
Now, here comes the hard part. Christmas was born at a time when Paganism was pretty much the religion. You can find a lot of negativity online when it comes to Christianity and Christmas. We teach our children to never lie, and yet we teach them about Santa Clause. (I am guilty as well, but not anymore). We teach them that Santa will not bring them anything if they are bad. The problem is this.
1. WE ARE LYING... when we say no to lying re: santa clause in this case.
2. It can be harmful to children if they got nothing for Christmas and yet their friends are boasting what they recieved. The child
could have been good, but finances was not there for gifts. Now the child thinks that Santa hates him/her and could result in
further behavior problems and or confusion.
3. I get told all the time that we follow a pagan holiday. You can find this information at www.humanreligions.info
however, that may have been so in the early centuries, but I believe that Christianity showed the world that we celebrate it
in it's truest form today. so, what does the Bible say about christmas?
< quote>
www.gotquestions.org
Answer: The debate about whether or not Christians should celebrate Christmas has been raging for centuries. There are equally sincere and committed Christians on both sides of the issue, each with multiple reasons why or why not Christmas should be celebrated in Christian homes. But what does the Bible say? Does the Bible give clear direction as to whether Christmas is a holiday to be celebrated by Christians?
First, let�s look at the reasons why some Christians do not celebrate Christmas. One argument against Christmas is that the traditions surrounding the holiday have origins in paganism. Searching for reliable information on this topic is difficult because the origins of many of our traditions are so obscure that sources often contradict one another. Bells, candles, holly, and yuletide/yule decorations are mentioned in the history of pagan worship, but the use of such in one�s home certainly does not indicate a return to paganism. While there are definitely pagan roots to some traditions, there are many more traditions associated with the true meaning of Christmas�the birth of the Savior of the world in Bethlehem. Bells are played to ring out the joyous news, candles are lit to remind us that Christ is the Light of the world (John 1:4-9), a star is placed on the top of a Christmas tree to remember the Star of Bethlehem, and gifts are exchanged to remind us of the gifts of the Magi to Jesus, the greatest gift of God to mankind.
Another argument against Christmas, especially having a Christmas tree, is that the Bible forbids bringing trees into our homes and decorating them. The passage often cited is Jeremiah 10:1-16, but this passage refers to cutting down trees, chiseling the wood to make an idol, and then decorating the idol with silver and gold for the purpose of bowing down before it to worship it (see also Isaiah 44:9-18). The passage in Jeremiah cannot be taken out of its context and used to make a legitimate argument against Christmas trees.
Christians who choose to ignore Christmas point to the fact that the Bible doesn�t give us the date of Christ�s birth, which is certainly true. December 25 may not be even close to the time Jesus was born, and arguments on both sides are legion, some relating to climate in Israel, the practices of shepherds in winter, and the dates of Roman census-taking. None of these points are without a certain amount of conjecture, which brings us back to the fact that the Bible doesn�t tell us when Jesus was born. Some see this as proof positive that God didn�t want us to celebrate the birth, while others see the Bible�s silence on the issue as tacit approval.
Some Christians say that since the world celebrates Christmas�although it is becoming more and more politically correct to refer to it as �the holidays��Christians should avoid it. But that is the same argument made by false religions that deny Christ altogether, as well as cults such as the Jehovah�s Witnesses who deny His deity. Those Christians who do celebrate Christmas often see the occasion as an opportunity to proclaim Christ as �the reason for the season� among the nations and to those trapped in false religions.
As we have seen, there is no legitimate scriptural reason not to celebrate Christmas. At the same time, there is no biblical mandate to celebrate it, either. In the end, of course, whether or not to celebrate Christmas is a personal decision. Whatever Christians decide to do regarding Christmas, their views should not be used as a club with which to beat down or denigrate those with opposing views, nor should either view be used as a badge of honor inducing pride over celebrating or not celebrating. As in all things, we seek wisdom from Him who gives it liberally to all who ask (James 1:5) and accept one another in Christian love and grace, regardless of our views on Christmas.
Recommended Resource: The Case for Christmas by Lee Strobel
final thought......
Christmas is the reason for the season...... KEEP IT HOLY !!!!
NOW....... Go and ENJOY Christmas.....
Hal Lindsey Media Ministries - Hal Lindsey -
For many of us, Christmas is our favorite time of the year. But each year it grows more difficult to navigate the suffocating commercialism and secularization of the season to arrive at the genuine reason for the celebration: the incarnation of God as a human to become the sacrifice for our sins and make possible our reconciliation to God.
I'm afraid we've lost our sense of wonderment at the unfathomable miracles that made possible the advent of our Savior.
One of those miracles was the coming of the magi to worship the child. As is our tradition on this program, I will examine the story of those mysterious 'wise men' who traveled so far to worship the new 'King of the Jews.' Who were they? How did they know to watch for a sign in the heavens? How long did they wait for that sign? Where did they come from? (Hint: It's a land where, 20 centuries later, the followers of the Christ child are suffering tremendous persecution and martyrdom.) Why did gentiles come to worship the King of the Jews? How did God use them to preserve the Messiah's life? You'll learn the answers to all of these questions and more this week when I discuss "The Mystery of the Magi."
I think it will rekindle in you an appreciation of the complexity of God's plan to redeem His creation through His own sacrifice. Christmas is a celebration of that overwhelming and unsearchable love.
Don't miss this week's Report on TBN, Daystar, CPM Network, various local stations www.hallindsey.com or www.hischannel.com . Check your local listings.
All of us at The Hal Lindsey Report and Hal Lindsey Website Ministries wish you a wonderful and blessed Christmas.
Never forget why we celebrate and Who we honor at this time of the year.
Also, remember to pray for all of the members of our armed forces who are standing guard for our nation around the world. Pray, too, for our local first-responders -- those men and women who stand ready 24 hours a day to protect and rescue us. This is a lonely time to be away from home and the ones they love. Pray that the Holy Spirit will strengthen, encourage, and protect them and make them to feel His presence in a special way during this holy season.
Merry Christmas, y'all!
God Bless,
Hal Lindsey
Once upon a Christmas - Bill Wilson -
There are a lot of terrible things going on right now in the world. But we are at the time of the year when Christians celebrate Christ. We can choose to be impacted by the world around us in its dimly lit arena, or we can choose to let our light so shine. I choose the latter. I want to tell you a little about the Christmas' that I had growing up on our family farm in Ohio. I was blessed to be born into a horse and cattle farm that has been in our family for some 200 years. And Christmas, especially Christmas Eve, was a wonderful time for our family. December 24 was my Dad's birthday. And my Dad was well loved by his neighbors and friends, so we had a lot going on Christmas Eve.
I remember one special Christmas Eve. I must have been about four years old. The night was falling and the wind and snow were whipping across the barnyard, as we often were victims of the "lake effect" from Lake Erie in the southern most tip of the snow belt. The barn was cold when we turned on the lights and started climbing into the loft and throwing bales of hay down, putting the hay in the mangers, grain in the feed boxes and water in the buckets. Then the horses and cows were gathered in the barnyard, one by one we let them through the door and they automatically went to their stalls or stanchions. The barn warmed up and the animals contently eating was a comforting sound.
We had dinner and went to church. I remember my brother Chuck carried me out of church that night. He was 14 years older than me and we were so very close. He was asking me whether I thought Santa had made it to the farm yet. And I was worried that it was so early on Christmas Eve that he had not--for we celebrated our family Christmas on Christmas Eve with my Dad's birthday. Then he looked up at the moon and said, "See there...its Santa's sleigh and his reindeer. Don't you see them?" He was so convincing that I looked and looked, but couldn't find them. But Chuck insisted that he had seen Santa Clause. We got home and sure enough there were wonderful presents under the tree.
We had a great family time that year, opening presents and enjoying one another. And afterwards, neighbors and friends started dropping by to wish my Dad happy birthday. Their kids and me were playing with my new farm set, and there was a lot of laughter and fun. Chuck was killed by a drunk driver a few years later. Dad passed in 1989. But the spirit of those two wonderful men lives on here and especially in heaven, and I am reminded of them every Christmas Eve--in the best of times or worst of times, they were the best of men. We have a Savior, Jesus Christ, who is with us in all times. And no matter the condition of the world, we can draw comfort in His promise in Matthew 28:20, "I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." God Bless you and yours during this season.
Daily Devotion: What Christmas Is About - By Greg Laurie -
Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. -Isaiah 9:7
As we look at our world today, we realize that part of the promise of Isaiah 9:6-7 has not yet been fulfilled. The Son has been given. The Child has been born. But He has not yet taken the government upon His shoulders.
We do not yet have peace with judgment and justice. But the good news is that there will come a day when Christ will return. He will establish His kingdom on this earth. And it will be the righteous rule of God Himself.
Before Jesus could take the government upon His shoulder, He had to take the cross upon His shoulder. Before He could wear the crown of glory as King of Kings, He had to wear the shameful crown of thorns and give His life as a sacrifice for the sins of the world.
The first time, a star marked His arrival. But the next time He comes, the heavens will roll back like a scroll, all of the stars will fall from the sky, and He Himself will light it.
Christ came to this earth. God came near to you so you can come near to Him-to give your life purpose and meaning, to forgive you of your sins, and to give you the hope of Heaven beyond the grave.
Christmas is not about tinsel or shopping or presents. Christmas is not about the gifts under the tree. Rather, Christmas is about the gift that was given on the tree when Christ died there for our sins and gave us the gift of eternal life.
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