GOOD NEWS - GREAT JOY - TO ALL PEOPLE

“I bring you good news

that will bring great joy to all people.

The Savior—

yes, the Messiah, the Lord—

has been born!”
Luke 2:10-11 NLT

~~~~~~~~

Prophets had predicted that some time in the future a Savior would be born. People were waiting and wondering for hundreds of years, “when would it ever happen?” I suppose some had lost hope and no longer expected it to literally come to pass. Most likely those who were still holding on to the promise assumed when the Messiah would be born, it would be announced to some one “important” like a prophet, priest or king.

Among the lowliest people of that time were shepherds, sheep herders, who lived with the sheep day and night. Not in their wildest dreams, would it ever have occurred to them that they would be the first to hear of the Savior’s birth.

In 1 Corinthians 1 Paul tells us why God does things like that, “Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.” 26-27 NLT. God is not prejudiced against the worldly wise and powerful, He just knows they seldom put their trust in Him. He also knows the people the world calls foolish, weak and unimportant are the very ones more apt to trust Him, so He chooses to work through them.

It’s to the lowly in heart that God reveals His greatest truths - truths of “good news,” which bring “great joy.” What could be better news for us who have broken God’s law and stand guilty before Him, than to learn that a Savior has come to erase our guilt and set us free?
“It is joy unspeakable and full of glory!” May this Advent Season find us joining the “heavenly host” singing with greater joy than ever.

“Joy to the world! The Savior reigns: Let men their songs employ; While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.”

Let’s Pray-
Heavenly Father, we have taken Christmas for granted for so long it has lost its’ meaning. Please forgive us, and restore to us again the joy of our Savior’s birth!
Amen

If today’s promise and comments have been meaningful to you – don’t hesitate to leave a comment. (Single space gives best appearance.)

You can e-mail this page by clicking on the envelope at the bottom of this page.

HAVING OUR NEEDS MET

“Don’t worry about these things,

saying, ‘What will we eat?

What will we drink? What will we wear?’

These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers,

but your heavenly Father

already knows all your needs.

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else,

and live righteously,

and he will give you everything you need.
Matthew 6:31-33 NLT

~~~~~~~~

In the early 1930’s the north central part of SD, where I grew up, was experiencing the “Dust Bowl.” On some of the plowed fields all the top soil blew off and piled up in drifts like snow (click on picture). Crops failed year after year. My Dad bought bailed hay from MN to feed the workhorses. All that the milk cows got were tumbleweeds. One summer two of my older brothers went to the Brownsville, TX area to shock grain. For their pay they came back with a pickup load of oats for the next spring’s planting. Those were difficult days. People thought this might be the end of the world and were talking about Jesus coming back soon.

My mother made clothes for me from other peoples worn out things. I clearly remember as a child of 4 or 5, sitting on the kitchen table watching her sew together a little jacket by hand for me to wear to church. I said to her “Mama, why are you making me this jacket – Jesus is coming back soon.” As a young child, on a simplistic level, I seemed to believe that would solve all our problems.

How is it, that the more material things we amass, the more we are inclined to put our trust in them? And when they are threatened, like now, we begin to worry and ask questions. What if we lose our health insurance? How are we going to pay the bills? ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’

Today, like in the 30’s, I am hearing people talk about the Lord’s return as the solution to the problems we are facing. That could be, but even if He doesn’t come back now, He has us covered! Jesus talking about us worrying about financial needs says, These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Worrying is out of place for us believers, because our heavenly Father has made provisions to meet all our needs.

However, these provisions are conditional. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. We don’t earn God’s provisions by working at fulfilling these conditions, we are simply opening ourselves up to Him so we can receive them.

Let’s Pray-
Thank you Father that you have our needs covered. This world has blurred our values. We often see wants as needs. Help us to seek your Kingdom above all else, live righteously, and let you determine what our needs are.
Amen

If today’s promise and comments have been meaningful to you – don’t hesitate to leave a comment. (Single space gives best appearance.)

You can e-mail this page by clicking on the envelope at the bottom of this page.

THE EYES OF THE LORD

“The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth

in order to strengthen those

whose hearts are fully committed to him.”
2 Chronicles 16:9 NLT

~~~~~~~~

The eyes of the Lord see all that is going on throughout all of creation, they miss nothing. Not only do they see what is visible outwardly, but they also see what is invisible. They see the thoughts, motives, and intensions of all created beings both human and spiritual. There is no place possible where anything can be hidden from those supernatural holy eyes.

That is a terrifying realization for people who thought they were getting away with “secret” activities. We may be able to deceive people for a while, but not God, not for a split second. In fact He already saw the whole thing before it happened, when it was just a desire in our heart.

While the all-seeing eyes of the Lord are unsettling to people who are trying to hide something from Him, they are a wonderful comfort and encouragement to the people “whose hearts are fully committed to him.” Not only does He see what is going on in the lives of the “fully committed,” His eyes “search the whole earth in order to strengthen” them. Can you imagine, with the billions of people in this world, He specifically looks for us! Not to judge us, but to graciously help us with the strength we need. He never forgets about us. He’s never tired, never asleep, always checking on us so He can strengthen us in our weakness. None of us have a heart that is perfectly committed to him. We need his strengthening every day. May we make good use of the strength He so lovingly offers.

If you are one of those who are uneasy with the thought of an all-seeing God, there is good news for you as well. Instead of trying to hide what you feel guilty about, (which is impossible), admit it to God, ask Him to forgive you, and He will forgive!! Once forgiven, you will no longer fear His eyes. Now you welcome them because they have searched you out to give you strength to quit doing what you had been ashamed of. Good news, right?!! Take advantage of it!

Let’s Pray-
Father, your search for us finds us in our weakness, but we are so thankful you have come to strengthen us! We continually need your help with fully committing our hearts to you.
Amen


If today’s promise and comments have been meaningful to you – don’t hesitate to leave a comment. (Single space gives best appearance.)

You can e-mail this page by clicking on the envelope at the bottom of this page.

IT IS A GOOD THING TO GIVE THANKS

It is good to give thanks to the Lord,

to sing praises to the Most High.

It is good to proclaim

your unfailing love in the morning,

your faithfulness in the evening.
Psalm 92:1,2 NLT
~~~~~~

When a young child receives something and fails to express gratitude, a parent most likely will quickly encourage him with, “say thank you.” Expressing gratitude is a basic courtesy in cultures around the world.

As you are well aware, next Thursday is Thanksgiving day. Most families will get together on or near that date to have turkey and all the trimmings. While some may talk about what they are thankful for, most everyone will end up eating too much. Even if we spent the entire day sharing what we are thankful for, it would not measure up to what the Psalmist has in mind when he says, “It is good to give thanks.” He is referring to a practice that goes on day after day – as a way of life.

Relationships are strengthened where mutual gratitude is shown. When people express thanks to others, it lifts their spirits and the spirits of those whom they thank. “It is good to give thanks.”

Studies at the U of California at Davis as well as other studies find overwhelming evidence that gratitude has a profound positive effect on peoples’ lives. “Gratitude journals” – in which people write down each day a short list of things they are thankful for – have become a popular practice and have proven even helpful for people to come out of depression. “It is good to give thanks.”

Now if it is a good thing to thank each other and to think about things we are grateful for - how much better and how much greater the benefits if our thanks are also directed to the LORD. . . Most High! Thanking and praising God throughout the day for His unfailing love and faithfulness needs to be our goal. He wants us to continually PRACTICE AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE. Paul would add Even In Times Like These, “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT It is good to give thanks to the Lord!

Let’s Pray-
Heavenly Father, forgive us for grumbling about the glass being half empty when we should be thanking you that it is half full. Your blessings are endless! Grant us eyes to see them, and a heart that expresses gratitude for them!
Amen

If today’s promise and comments have been meaningful to you – don’t hesitate to leave a comment. (Single space gives best appearance.)

You can e-mail this page by clicking on the envelope at the bottom of this page.

IF MY PEOPLE WILL HUMBLE THEMSELVES

If my people who are called by my name

will humble themselves and pray and seek my face

and turn from their wicked ways,

I will hear from heaven

and will forgive their sins and restore their land.

2 Chronicles 7:14 NLT

~~~~~~~

Our nation is facing huge, serious economic and moral challenges at this time. We need help. Help that goes beyond anything a political administration can provide. We need divine help!

Today’s scripture promise gives us instruction as to how we can obtain the help we so desperately need. The promise starts out with “If” which makes it a conditional promise. Some conditions must first be met before it can be fulfilled. These conditions are not directed to the general public but specifically to believers, God’s people; “my people who are called by my name.”

The first condition God’s people are called upon to meet is to “humble themselves and pray.” The clear implication is, their pride and self-sufficiency stands in the way of God restoring their land. We need to admit that our need is beyond human help and start crying out to God in prayer - telling Him what our needs are and asking Him for help.

But God requires more of us than just making requests of Him. He says “seek my face;” by which I believe He is calling us into an intimate relationship with Him where we become aware of His purity and holiness. In such intimacy, we also become painfully aware of impurities in our lives. Sins we have ignored or even made excuses for in the past, but now we see them in all their wickedness.

This brings us to the final condition in today’s promise which is God’s call to His people to “turn from their wicked ways.” This is a call to repentance – a 180° turn from our sin. We see the moral decay throughout our land and we grumble and complain – “Isn’t this awful! What is this world coming to? These people need to repent!” But God says: “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.”

Let’s Pray-
Dear Father, please help us as your Church to repent. As you promise, in your mercy, hear from heaven and forgive our sins and restore our land.”
In Jesus name,
Amen

If today’s promise and comments have been meaningful to you – don’t hesitate to leave a comment. (Single space gives best appearance.)

You can e-mail this page by clicking on the envelope at the bottom of this page.

NOTHING CAN SEPARATE US FROM CHRIST’S LOVE!!

“Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love?

Does it mean he no longer loves us

if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted,

or hungry, or destitute,

or in danger, or threatened with death? . . .

No, despite all these things,

overwhelming victory is ours

through Christ, who loved us."

Romans 8:35,37 NLT

~~~~~~~

Our President Elect will face difficult challenges when he takes office in January! Financial trouble is effecting families, communities, states, and nations around the world. Alan Greenspan is calling our present financial problem a 100 year “Credit Tsunami.” Other economists are predicting a “Great depression” like that of the 1930’s when some people ended up hungry and destitute. As a young boy I remember my father going to the county court house to pick up boxes of food - “Government Relief.” It is possible that some of us, or people we know, could end up looking for help at a “food pantry.” Financial uncertainties can threaten our peace of mind, but no amount of financial trouble can ever separate us from Christ’s love!

Natural Calamity can strike in all sorts of ways – hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, earthquakes, etc. Man-made calamities are becoming increasingly possible. Terrorists are committed to doing us harm. 9/11 may have been just a hint of what they have in mind. Dirty bombs, poisoning food and water supplies and spreading disease are possibilities. Even the most unimaginable calamity could never separate us from Christ’s love!

Christians around the world are being persecuted in greater numbers today than ever before. Even in the US conservative Christians are made fun of and are treated disrespectfully by the liberal media. Some politicians as well, are openly anti-Christian, like New York Senator Charles Schumer who stated "Candidates with deeply held Christian beliefs are unfit and disqualified from serving as a Federal Judge." That kind of prejudice and contempt is on the increase. If some day it would come to the point (God forbid) that we were in danger of imprisonment and torture and even threatened with death for our faith; would that mean God no longer loves us? “No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.” NOTHING CAN SEPARATE US FROM CHRIST’S LOVE!! HALLELUJAH!!!

Let’s Pray-
Father, thank you for the security you provide for us in Christ’s love.
Today we choose not to give in to worry or fear, instead we choose to wholeheartedly place our trust in the promises of your Word.
Amen

If today’s promise and comments have been meaningful to you – don’t hesitate to leave a comment. (Single space gives best appearance.)

You can e-mail this page by clicking on the envelope at the bottom of this page.

GOD IS ULTIMATLEY IN CONTROL

“Praise the name of God forever and ever,

for he has all wisdom and power.

He controls the course of world events;

he removes kings and sets up other kings.”

Daniel 2:20,21 NLT

~~~~~

My name is Iver Walker, and I approve this message.

Our National elections are finally coming up next Tuesday. As citizens of a democracy, we get to vote for the candidates of our choice, which is an awesome privilege and responsibility. How can we be sure we are choosing to support the right person or issue? Our personal desires are probably not a flawless guide.

In our scripture today Daniel is praising God, because “God has all wisdom and power.” He doesn't have blind spots as we do. He knows what will best serve His ultimate purpose for us. It’s important to seek God’s wisdom, which goes beyond the wisdom of this world, because choices have consequences! While we have the freedom to choose, God is the one who is ultimately in control and determines what the consequences will be. Take for example Proverbs 14:34 “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.” If people choose to do what is right according to God’s Word, God will in time exalt that nation. However, if people choose to make choices contrary to His Word, it will, sooner or later, bring disgrace upon them. Choices can bring blessing or judgment, depending on how they line up with God’s standards.

For years people in the US and abroad chose to live by the mind set “I want it all, and I want it now!” The consequences came crashing in upon us recently reminding us that, “God controls the course of world events” as Daniel tells us. Just because God is in control doesn’t mean everything will be hunky-dory. It depends on the choices we make.

As we cast our vote on Tuesday, God will see that vote, to be sure, whether we are with the majority or minority. In this we can be confident; ultimately our sovereign God is in control, “He removes kings and sets up other kings.” He decides whether a nation will be exalted or experience disgrace.

Let’s Pray-
Father, as a nation we are at major crossroads. Please don’t give us what we deserve, rather by your grace grant us your mercy! May your people, and others along with them, cast votes that will lead toward righteousness and away from disgrace. Hear us oh Lord, we need you!! Amen

“HOW OFTEN DO YOU PRAY FOR OUR NATION?” Click the response which best fits you. The POLL appears at the upper right side of this Blog, - Please cast your vote.
If today’s promise and comments have been meaningful to you – don’t hesitate to leave a comment. (Single space gives best appearance.)

You can e-mail this page by clicking on the envelope at the bottom of this page.