THE BIRTH OF JESUS

”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.”
Luke 2:7 KJV
~~~~

God has a unique way of doing things!

To begin with, he allowed unkind rumors to spread around Nazareth concerning Mary and Joseph – Mary had become pregnant during their engagement. People rolled their eyes when she told them, that it was “of the Holy Spirit.”

And just when Mary was getting close to delivery time, they had to go to Bethlehem like many other people, for the census, because that’s where their relatives lived. By the time Joseph’s donkey got them there, the homes of relatives were filled, and Mary was going into labor – there was no time to lose. They needed a place to stay!

Hospitality in that society was taken very seriously. They did everything possible to accommodate visitors, especially relatives in need. Many homes were two story structures. The upper part was where people lived and entertained guests. The lower room often was for livestock. (KJV translates "kataluma" in Luke 2:7 as “inn.” The same word is translated “guestchamber” in Mark 14:15 and Luke 22:12 so it’s very possible that the best lodging Joseph’s relatives could provide at the time was the stable below the “guestchamber.”)

Joseph and Mary made the best of it. There was no time to waste. The baby was coming! We don’t know if there was anyone to assist Mary aside from Joseph. Even if the stable had just been cleaned, it still was a dirty, smelly place. The baby came - they cleaned him up the best they could – and Mary “wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger.”

The creator of heaven and earth, in the most humble and lowly of circumstances had become one of us – so he could die - that we might live!!

"Oh love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall for-ever-more endure
The saints’ and angels’ song.”
F.M.L.

May you and yours HAVE A MOST BLESSED CHRISTMAS!!!

THE PROMISED SAVIOR

“The passionate commitment
of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies
will make this happen!”
Isaiah 9:7 NLT
~~~~~

The love of God goes beyond all human comprehension!! He created people in his own image to have fellowship with them. When they yielded to the serpent’s temptation and disobeyed God - even before they knew that they needed forgiveness, God promised a Savior who would make forgiveness possible. To the serpent he said: “I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” Genesis 3:15 This is a prophesy of Satan’s final destruction and Christ’s sacrifice for our sins.

Another reference to the promised Savior is made to Abraham in Genesis 22:18 “Through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed.”

900 years later God promised David: “I will raise up one of your descendants, your own offspring, and I will make his kingdom strong…..Your house and your kingdom will continue before me for all time, and your throne will be secure forever.” 2 Samuel 7:12, 16.

Isaiah 9:6,7 sees the promised Savior as clearly as if it had already happened. “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. 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!”

The promise of our Savior was not an afterthought – it was in the Father’s loving heart from all eternity and he made it happen!

During these days before Christmas, may we KEEP LOOKING UP beyond the tinsel and decorations to the true meaning of the season.

A GOD-PLEASING MINDSET

“Always be joyful.
Never stop praying.
Be thankful in all circumstances,

for this is God’s will for you
who belong to Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NLT
~~~~~~~~~~~

Our mindset is our habitual mental attitude that determines how we will interpret and respond to situations. Our basic mindset is initially shaped by our family, friends, and the culture we grow up in. However, our mindset can be changed for the better or worse by what we focus our thoughts on.

As born again believers we always have reason to rejoice, no matter how many disappointments we may face. The fact that our sins are forgiven through Christ overshadows every negative thing we may be facing. So there is always reason to rejoice.

Our Father’s door is always open, and we can talk with him about whatever is on our heart, whether praise or a call for help. We can have a continuing mental or verbal conversation with him day and night no matter what we are doing.

All of us have things happen to us and we get into situations for which we are NOT thankful! But even in the midst of such painful and disturbing circumstances there are always reasons to be thankful because of the hope we have in Christ!!

God’s will for us is to make a habit of focusing on doing what pleases him in every situation. That will bring him glory, and a deep lasting peace to us.

WORK HARD AT DEVELOPING A GOD-PLEASING MINDSET and keep looking up!!

NOT WASTING LEFTOVERS

After everyone was full,
Jesus told his disciples,
“Now gather the leftovers,
so that nothing is wasted.”

John 6:12 NLT
~~~~~

Are you still eating Thanksgiving Leftovers? So are we, and enjoying them! Timothy Jones of the University of Arizona studies food loss; he told CBS radio that, “Americans waste 14 percent of their food purchases, including leftovers and stale dated products. Jones estimates that the average family of four tosses out close to $ 600 per year in fruit, meat, vegetables, and other unidentifiable substances at the bottom of the crisper drawer.”

Jesus instructed his disciples to gather the pieces of barley loaves and fish that hadn’t been eaten. Though he had provided more food than the five thousand needed, he didn’t want the leftovers to be wasted. That’s a principle that can be, and needs to be, applied to every area of life. The less we have, the greater the necessity to be saving. The more we have, the easier it becomes to be wasteful, but wastefulness is never pleasing to the Lord.

Are you pleased with how you are controlling waste around you?

MAKE GOOD USE OF WHAT THE LORD HAS GIVEN YOU, and keep looking up!

ENTER HIS GATES WITH THANKSGIVING

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him
and praise his name.”
Psalm 100:4 NLT
~~~~~~

If we stop to consider how we pray, we may be surprised how little thanksgiving and praise our prayers contain. I have found at times my entire prayer has been basically nothing but requests. It’s helpful for me to start out with praise and thanksgiving and keep mixing it with my requests throughout my prayer. When I do that, it enables me to make my petitions with greater confidence and expectation. When I only ask, ask, ask, something vital is missing in my heart. That sort of ties in with what Paul says in Philippians 4:6, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”

What part does thanksgiving and praise play in your prayer life? This Thanksgiving Season may be an excellent time for us to start focusing on sprinkling our prayers with more thanksgiving and praise. It can make our prayer time an increasingly positive experience.

Have a HAPPY THANKSGIVING, and keep looking up!

OPEN THE FLOODGATES OF HEAVEN

“I will bless my people…
And in the proper season
I will send the showers they need.
There will be showers of blessing.”
Ezekiel 34:26 NLT
~~~~~~

By the end of October, Missouri’s statewide rainfall average was more than 10 inches, making it the wettest October in 68 years and second only to 1941 which had 10.47 inches. Here in St. Louis we had 12.38 inches, setting a new record after 137 years. Two southeast counties recorded more than 15 inches of rain during October.

On the other hand, southeastern U.S. has been suffering the worst drought in over 100 years. At the end of October, Metro-Atlanta only had 120 days of usable drinking water left.

Spiritually, our entire nation is suffering a devastating drought which seems to be getting worse by the day. Actions and attitudes which were unthinkable a few decades ago have become common place.

Current divorce rate in the U.S. is between 41 and 50%. The trend is for singles to live together without getting married. Though abortion numbers have declined somewhat in recent years – 1,200,000 babies are still being aborted every year – that is almost 453,000 every day.

Approximately 14 million people in the U.S. are addicted to, or abuse alcohol. Nearly 2.5 million Americans have been said to have substance abuse problems, which is estimated to double to approximately 5 million, by the end of 2020. Violence and sex on TV is having a destructive effect on children and the younger generation. The Evening News is a constant stream of reports of lawlessness and perversion.

While approximately 1,350 successful churches are planted each year in the USA, about 3,750 churches close each year giving us a deficit total loss of 2,400 churches per year, 200 churches per month and 6.6 churches per day. Young people in there 20’s and 30’s are leaving various churches in droves.

It is obvious that we are in need of a soaking spiritual rain; a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit; a true revival in our churches that will have a positive effect on society all around us. Do we care enough to cry out to God with all our heart for the “showers of blessing” we so desperately need?

Let’s Pray-
O God, “Open the floodgates of Heaven, let it rain, let it rain!!”
In Jesus Name.
Amen


TURN UP YOUR SOUND AND JOIN MICHAEL W. SMITH @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qttxhgc8d9E

LET IT RAIN
Let it rain, let it rain.
Open the floodgates of Heaven
Repeat
“The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad.
Let the distance shores rejoiceClouds and thick darkness surround him.
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
A fire goes before him and consumes his foes on every side.
His lightning lights up the world.
The earth sees and trembles.
The mountains melt like wax before the Lord.
Before the Lord of all the earth.
The Heavens proclaim His righteousness.
And all peoples will see His Glory” (Psalm 97:1-6 NIV)

JOY IN HEAVEN

“Count on it—
there's more joy in heaven
over one sinner's rescued life
than over ninety-nine good people

in no need of rescue.
Luke 15:7 The Message
~~~~~~~~

The religious leaders of Jesus’ day were focused on the holiness of God and the demands of his laws and regulations. In addition to these laws and regulations, they burdened the people with hundreds of their own laws. They considered themselves more righteous than everyone else and looked with distain on outcasts of society.

On the other hand, Jesus came to reveal the grace and mercy of God and freely interacted with all sorts of people including the outcasts. In order to illustrate the loving and forgiving heart of God, Jesus told three stories which are recorded in Luke 15. You will recall them as, The Lost Sheep, The Lost Coin and The Lost Son. Each story highlights the rejoicing when the lost was found.

When the man finds his lost sheep, he lets his friends know and they rejoice together. “In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!”

When the woman finds her lost coin, she shares the good news with her friends and they rejoice together. “In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.”

When the prodigal son repented, and came back home, his father was watching and waiting for him. ”Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him….. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.” What a moving insight into what happens in heaven when a sinner repents.

Heaven is a holy, sinless place. Therefore anything or anyone with the stain of sin is denied admittance. God’s throne is surrounded by worshiping and praising angels – celebrating who God is and what he has accomplished through the sacrifice of his Son – namely forgiveness for repentant sinners and consequently an open door to heaven. Every time another lost person repents, there is a new outburst of joy in heaven. Heaven is a joyous place! Hallelujah!!

Let’s Pray-
Father, we thank you that “you are not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” Help us to do our part to find the lost and add to rejoicing here on earth and in heaven.
Amen