"But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen." 1 Peter 3:18
The grace of God is potent, and a gift that we should never take for granted. It is by His grace that we are saved (Ephesians 2:8-9), and it is God's grace that is sufficient to meet all the challenges that may come our way (2 Corinthians 12:9). We don't deserve God's grace, yet out of His great love for us He extends it. Knowing this should prompt us to praise and worship Him, and to purposely live in a way that honors Him. In other words, to live in obedience to our God.
"Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, 'Till now the Lord has helped us.'" 1 Samuel 7:12
Under Samuel's leadership, Israel experienced a great revival. Sins were confessed, idols destroyed, and the people began to serve the Lord. In 1 Samuel 7:10-11 we read:
"As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. But the Lord thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel. And the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them, as far as below Beth-car."
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!” Luke 2:14
On December 25, 1863 Henry Wadsworth Longfellow penned the words to the poem "Christmas Bells," which many years later would be set to music and become the familiar Christmas carol "I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day." The story behind the poem is Longfellow's own battle to believe peace on earth is possible. Allow me to set the stage for you.
"All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 'Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel' (which means, God with us)." Matthew 1:22-23
God's master plan of salvation is beyond anything a human could conceive. To think that He would condescend to take the form of a helpless baby, born of a common virgin teen-ager in a stable, is amazing. That He would come to earth to fulfill the Father's will, to give His life as a ransom for the sinful lost is a lot to comprehend. Surely there is no greater love than this. That God Himself would come to earth to live among humans, and that He would sacrifice everything to save us.
The wonder of the incarnation of Jesus Christ is "God with us". God with us to reveal His holiness and our sinfulness. God with us to show His mercy and grace, and not to leave us hopeless in our sinfulness. God with us to save us through His death, burial and resurrection. God with us to cover us with His righteousness when we receive Him as Savior. God with us when we confess our sins and ask for His forgiveness. God with us to change us and make us more like Him. God with us in good times and bad times. God with us in the morning and late at night. God with us, never to leave us. This is Immanuel. This is God with us. This is prophecy fulfilled (Isaiah 7:14).
Rejoice in the knowledge that Jesus is Immanuel! God with us!
Today's music video O Come, O Come Immanuel by Chris Tomlin.
I love you, I'm thinking of you, and I'm praying for you.
"As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for You, O God." (Psalm 42:1 ESV)
(I'm feeling a bit under the weather today, so I'm sharing a repeat of a devotional originally posted on December 4, 2023. I think it's a good reminder for us. God bless!)
For most people, celebrating Christmas includes time spent with family and friends. Meals are shared, gifts are exchanged, and once more lasting memories are made. It's a time of celebration, and for Christians it's especially meaningful as we acknowledge and honor our Savior's birth.
"But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty." 2 Timothy 3:1
Are we in the last days? Many Bible scholars and teachers think so. Certainly we're closer now than we were a decade ago. Reading Paul's description of the last days in 2 Timothy 3:2-4 does seem to describe the world we're now living in: "For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,". Such are the signs of the end times, as are the Lord's warning In Luke 21:11: " And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven."
God wants us to be aware of these things, but He doesn't want us to live in fear. He has given us the tools we need to live triumphantly in Christ and have victory over fear, no matter what is going on around us. We have Jesus' abiding presence. He has promised never to leave us or forsake us. If we have trusted in Him as our Savior, than we have no reason to fear. In Revelation 1:17-18 Jesus told John: "Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades." Jesus has all authority, and He holds the keys! Not Satan, nor anyone or anything on earth. One day every knee will bow to Jesus (Philippians 2:10). We need to remember this and remain obedient to His word. When we give Him first place in our lives His presence becomes more apparent, and our faith is strengthened.
Every day we need to welcome the Holy Spirit into our day, and allow Him to control our thoughts and actions. We need to become more sensitive to Him and to His promptings. He will never lead us into darkness, but will always shed light on our path. We need to be daily readers of the word so that we will grow more and more into the image of Christ. The Holy Spirit illuminates scripture and teaches us. So important!
Finally, we need to be in community with other believers. Be in a Bible believing and teaching church where Christ is preeminent. Where worship is Christ centered.
God has chosen us to live in these times. He has a purpose for us, and we can choose to serve Him daily with our whole hearts. Trusting Him to give us the courageous faith we need at all times.
Today's music video Hearts Courageous by Marantha Singers is a beautiful anthem of faith. and dedication to the Lord. Enjoy and be encouraged!
I love you, I'm thinking of you, and I'm praying for you.
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." Proverbs 9:10
In this modern age we have a plethora of ways to obtain knowledge. If you own a computer or a smart phone, knowledge is only a few finger presses away. How often do we hear "Google It"? So, it's fairly easy to obtain knowledge. And although we may have a lot of knowledge, unless it is applied properly it does not equate with wisdom. For example, we may know that a red light means stop, but neglecting to apply the brakes when we see a red light indicates a lack of wisdom.
"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" John 14:6
This week I watched a clip from an interview with Keith Green, a Christian recording artist from the 1970's, in which he gave his testimony on how he came to know and accept Jesus Christ as his Savior. He recounted his search for God and how he investigated many religions in his quest. Green says, "In all the eastern religions, and all the cults, and all the world religions, they always gave some credit to Jesus Christ."
"As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received." Ephesians 4:1
When we receive Christ as our Savior, placing our faith in Him for salvation, we are justified by God. No longer are we under the penalty of death for our sins. We are accepted by God, not because of anything we have done, but rather because of what Christ has done for us. As 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, "For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God."
"Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen these.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are these all the children?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and behold, he is tending the sheep.” Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.” (1 Samuel 16:10-11)
When reading the biblical account of God sending Samuel to Bethlehem to anoint a king to replace Saul, I'm fascinated by the fact that Samuel is ready to anoint the first of Jesse's sons based on his appearance. After all, Saul was tall and handsome and look how that turned out.
"By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days." Hebrews 11:30
Last week I read again the Book of Joshua, and once more was struck by Joshua's devotion to God and his total commitment of obedience to God's instructions. Nowhere is it more evident than in the fall of Jericho.
