Christmas Joy for All

On December 23, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Matthew 2: 10

And when they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

The second chapter of Luke also tells the Christmas story. In the tenth verse the angel said, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people.” Hallelujah! The good news of Jesus’ birth is a message of great joy for all people.

Sometimes we think and act like our fellowship with the Lord is a private club only for those with special membership. We begin to divide the world into we, the saved, and they, the unsaved. There is something very interesting revealed in today’s passage, though. The first worshipers of Jesus were heathen. However, they received the good news of Jesus and rejoiced exceedingly.

The Magi were from the east, perhaps Babylon. They were star worshipers, probably worshiping the sun and moon. However, when they saw the Christmas star, they abandoned their home land and journeyed to Jerusalem. There they found the baby Jesus. Matthew 2: 11 says that when they saw the child, “they fell down and worshiped Him.” As we tell the Christmas story we should remember that Jesus belongs to people from every land. His birth was for all people. Every nation will bow down to him and we can also expect them to receive this good news with great joy. He is not just our savior; he is the savior of the world.

Jesus went to his own people but the Jews didn’t receive him. Fortunately for most of us, we gentiles were invited to the wedding feast. We need to keep that in mind as we encounter people who are not yet Christians and as we consider the blessing of Jesus’ coming this Christmas. He came to and for all people. We need not divide ourselves into the “us” and “them” category because it was “they” who traveled many miles, perhaps over 100 in order to worship the newly born King of the Jews when the Jews didn’t go across town to take him expensive gifts. The heathen magi received the new king with great joy and bestowed honor on him.

So remember, the first worshipers of Jesus were Gentiles. There are many people who are not Christians right now who will receive the good news with great joy. Jesus’ birth is such good news for all people. There is no separation. We are all the beloved of God. The only difference in us versus them is time. We received our salvation yesterday while they will receive theirs tomorrow. The important thing is for us all to receive this gift of the child king with rejoicing. Let us not lose our joy over what Jesus has done for us. Let us all worship him with great joy.

Read the whole story at Matthew 2: 1- 11

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Here I Am

On December 22, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Isaiah 58: 9

Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry, and He will say, “Here I am.”

There are no ands, ifs or buts about today’s verse. It is very plain. When you call, God will answer.

Don’t you get the notion from reading this verse that God is standing on GO just waiting for someone to call. The question I have for you is, “Is this an absolute promise from God?” We need to have a definitive answer for that question. For many years I cried out to God wanting more of Him and yet I felt like I was in the middle of a vast desert with no one hearing my calls. Once I learned that He was awaiting me, I have never been back to the desert. When I learned about this verse, I came to expect Him to answer and He always has. If you are not expecting an answer your tuner will always be on the wrong frequency and that is all there is to it. God’s answer is, “Here I am.” He is ready to show you right where He is so that you can always connect with Him. If you ask, “God, where are you,” the answer is, “Here I am.” Now, don’t you consider that good news?

Every single time you call, the Lord answers so my advice is call Him today.

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Knowledge, Wisdom & Understanding

On December 21, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Proverb 1: 7, 22

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. How long, O naïve ones, will you love simplicity? And scoffers delight themselves in scoffing. And fools hate knowledge.

Proverb 9: 10 reads, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Interesting. So, knowledge and wisdom come from a relationship with the Lord. Further, knowing the “Holy One” brings understanding. We, therefore, have access to wisdom, knowledge and understanding through our relationship with the Holy Trinity. Would you think it fair to say that the closer we are in our relationship with the Father, Son and Spirit, the more easier it will be for us to tap into their knowledge and wisdom? Will it be easier for us to gain understanding? I think that is a reasonable conclusion.

Jesus’ brother, James wrote an encouraging passage in his letter. It reads, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (James 1: 5). James points out that God is the source of wisdom. That is not difficult to believe. He also reveals us, though, that God gives us His wisdom and that He does so freely.

Today’s verse also points out that fools hate knowledge. Well, it is no surprise that anyone who hates knowledge is deemed a fool by God but what is perplexing is why anyone would hate knowledge. Why would anyone revel in scoffing rather than gaining knowledge, wisdom and understanding? The answer seems to be in the word “scoff”. Synonyms for scoffing are: jeering, sneering, ridiculing, and deriding. It seems that some folks would rather sneer at others rather than invest the time and energy in seeking God and His wisdom. Let’s be frank. It takes time and energy to get to know God. It takes effort to open your heart and mind to His guidance. It takes faith to believe what you hear. All of this is so worth the small amount of effort but fools scoff at the idea instead of trusting that God will really meet them in the solitude of quiet time.

The really good news is that God honestly does give out knowledge. He really does dole out wisdom and He really does bestow understanding. The bad news is that these priceless gifts rarely come from the prayer, “God give me wisdom.” As soon as you pray that prayer He will try to lead you into time with Him where He can reveal His fullness to you. The reverence of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. The respect, admiration and veneration of the beloved is the beginning of wisdom. Wisdom, knowledge and understanding are the by-products of a life lived with God. As we open our hearts to Him and pour our lives into Him, we find all good things. Holding God in high esteem is the path. Time spent with Him yields all.

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Poured Out

On December 20, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Proverb 1: 23

Turn to my reproof. Behold I will pour out my spirit on you. I will make my words known to you.

God had this plan from long, long ago to pour out His Spirit upon us. God promised the Holy Spirit to His people. In fact, the Holy Spirit is even called “the promise.” It took a long time for God to be able to pour out the Spirit as He promised but glory to God, we are now living in the time of fulfillment.

God basically said, “Return to me and I will pour out my Spirit on you.” At some level we had to be willing to receive God’s promise. God had a gift in His hand ready to give to any who would turn to Him. This is the same situation we have today. Father has loads of gifts for us if we will embrace His ways. We cannot receive what we do not believe. So, when your heart begins to believe, you can receive. If you believe in healing, you can have it. If you believe in your heart that our Father will prosper you, then you can be prosperous. If you believe He is with you every day, speaking with you, then you will have a best friend who is closer than your shadow. As we turn our hearts to God in any given area and embrace His thoughts, His ways and his words, it prepares our hearts to receive the good gifts of God in that area.

God gave us Jesus and he is a free gift for all who will receive him. Likewise, God has sent His Spirit to the earth as another free gift. Prepare your heart to embrace the words of God relating to the Holy Spirit and He will fill you to overflowing with this third part of Himself. It is God’s plan and His desire for you.

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Say It

On December 19, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Luke 4: 3

“If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”

The devil told Jesus to “tell” this stone to become bread. He didn’t say, “Wave your hands over it and make it bread.” He didn’t even say “turn this stone into bread.” He knew that the power to change the circumstances was in the words Jesus would speak. Satan was an angel of God before he committed treason. He knows how the power of God works. He knows well that God created everything through the spoken word. Therefore, when he tempted Jesus, he tried to get Jesus to “say” something.

The devil does the same thing to you today. He tries to get you upset so that you will “say” something that is out of line with the word of God. The devil knows that the whole battle is won or lost in what you say. You can say, “I am sick” or you can say “By His stripes I am healed.” You can complain about your economic condition or you can say, “He meets all of my needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” If the devil can get you into unforgiveness and speaking that language instead of love, he can bind you. What you say is what you get so what are you saying? Don’t let the devil trick you into saying all sorts of unbiblical things. Get your words in line with the Word of God and defeat that old boy every time.

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Toil

On December 16, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Ecclesiastes 2: 26

For to a person who is good in His sight He has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, while to the sinner He has given the task of gathering and collecting so that he may give to one who is good in God’s sight.

We were never meant to live off of the sweat of our brow. We are supposed to live through the gifts of wisdom, knowledge and joy from the Lord, our God. Toil is for the sinner. Wow! That is an amazing and powerful statement. He, the sinner, labors in order to give to the one “who is good in God’s sight.”

None of us were good in God’s sight but now, because of Jesus, when God looks at us, He sees the beautiful visage of Jesus. Because Jesus has clothed us with his glory we are “good” in God’s sight. In Jesus we have access to all that God is including His wisdom and knowledge. You are meant to live on the daily influx of God’s wisdom, joy and knowledge. Does this challenge your thinking a little? Our occupations ought to be what we do in order to make the world a better place. Our living, our sustenance is supposed to come from God.

Sinners are supposed to pour into our bosom. We shouldn’t work for a living. We should give for a living. We are not supposed to be so busy that we cannot even call a sick friend or take time with our kids. We are to use our time to commune with God and receive His wisdom, knowledge and joy. Then we can take all that God teaches and shows us to the sinner and help them to be beautiful in God’s eyes. It is hard to accomplish the big tasks of the world, the global issues of humanity when we have to work ten hours a day just to make ends meet. Who shall go to the lost and hurting? We haven’t the time to slow down and hear the voice of God. He is speaking to us today. What is He saying? What does He want us to do with our time? The answer is not that He wants us to work ourselves to death. He wants us to position ourselves to receive His wisdom, His knowledge and His joy. Then we take what He gives us and give it away to those who are toiling, to all who are lost. The sinner lays up treasure for us but we receive treasure from heaven and dispense it to them so that they can rise up from drudgery and despair.

Our God is our provider. He didn’t call us to “make a living.” He called us to Himself. He means to provide and He is, but we have to get a big enough revelation of these important verses if we are going to live the lifestyle God created for us. It is a challenge. We can live as God designed, but we must first allow our minds and hearts to accept His vision of life. This is pretty big, I will grant you but it is also the Word and intent of God. If we can accept it, we could actually begin to live this way. That would be amazing. We could do so much for the Kingdom of God if we were not bogged down in our labors.

Think about today’s verse. Roll it around in your mind. Is God a man that He can lie? Did He mean these words when He gave them? Why did God make sure this verse ended up in the Bible? You are meant for higher things. God is calling. Can you hear Him?

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From Christmas to the Cross

On December 15, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Romans 12: 10        (Amplified)

Love one another with brotherly affections [as members of one family], giving precedence and showing honor to one another.

This is a tall order to fill. Nonetheless, God would not have given us this directive if He had not also empowered us to do it. This, being the season of ultimate love, it is worthwhile to look at love from the author of love, our own dear Father. Even as we celebrate the birth of Christ, our sight drifts forward to the sure knowledge of Calvary. While the angels sang and the shepherds rejoiced in pure delight for the arrival of the Messiah, God in heaven knew the destiny of the babe, though men did not know. They did not realize that the Messiah would save all by sacrificing himself. Men thought of a conquering Lord of war. Little did they know that Jesus would overcome by his stripes and it was his deep and abiding love for you and me that gave him the strength to receive those stripes. It was love that brought him into the earth and it was love that put him on that cross. And it is love that will carry us all home.

He now lives inside of us. Because of that, his love also lives inside of us. We are able to love in a holy, self-sacrificial way because love has come and made its abode with us. Because He first loved, we love. And not because anyone deserves our love. Many do not deserve yours or God’s love, but He showed us how to love even when we were undeserving and unworthy. Now by his grace and because of His love and mercy, we love others, even the unlovely; those who are difficult to love. He loves them so we allow His love to work through us. Because He first loved a people; a person, who was unworthy of love and even unwilling to be loved, we allow him to express himself through us. During this season, His love is more touchable than ever. Let your heart be soft allowing him to fill you to overflowing with His goodness and love. Then pass it on. In his name.

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