DON’T MISS CHRISTMASBob Gas |
‘Where is He who has been born…?‘ MATTHEW 2:2 |
Matthew records: ‘Now after Jesus was born…wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him…when…they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, [they] fell down and worshipped Him’ (vv. 1,2,11). Because of the International Date Line you can fly from America on December 24th and arrive in Australia on December 26th, missing Christmas Day altogether. But you can also stay home and miss it, end up exhausted, broke, glad it’s over, and not experience the joy it brings. Don’t let that happen to you. Try something different. Before you dive into gift giving, partying or watching parades and ball games on television, gather your loved ones around and read them the Christmas story. Your children will never forget it. They might even make it a tradition they carry on with their children too: 1) Tell them that whether you are rich like the wise men or poor like the shepherds, Jesus loves you. Your social status makes no difference; He values you as you are. 2) Tell them that when Jesus came, He never left. His Word says, ‘…I will never leave you nor forsake you. So we may boldly say: The Lord is my helper…’ (Hebrews 13:5-6 NKJV). 3) Tell them every prophecy concerning Christ’s first coming came to pass, and that the prophecies in the Bible concerning His second coming are being fulfilled right now. So if they’re wise they’ll seek Him, surrender to Him, serve Him and be ready when He comes. |
Daily Archives: December 27, 2012
Good News at Christmas: You Matter to God
Good News at Christmas: You Matter to God
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“But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.’” (Luke 2:10 NIV)Knowing that Christmastime is God’s chosen time teaches us that Christmas is the time for us to renew our faith.We need not fear God because of the Good News of Christ’s arrival; it is a Good News meant to “bring great joy to all people” (Luke 2:10 NLT).What is the Good News?You matter to God. God knows everything about you — the good, the bad, and the ugly — and he still loves you. He cares about you. He loves you more than you could ever know. God is for you, not against you.You are not an accident. Regardless of the circumstances of your birth, you were not the result of an accident. God has a plan and a purpose for your life. The only way you will find meaning and satisfaction is to discover God’s purpose for your life and then to get right into the center of his will.God sent Jesus so you could know what he’s like. If God wanted to communicate to birds, he would have become a bird. If God had wanted to communicate to cows, he would have become a cow. If he wanted to communicate to dogs, he would have become a dog. But God wanted to relate to you and to me, so he became like us — a human being.The thing is this: I don’t have the foggiest idea of what it means to relate to something like “‘The Force” — some impersonal power in the sky. But when I see Jesus in human form, I can say, “That’s what God’s like. I can understand that.”This is why Christmas is not about a religion. You may be Catholic; you may be Jewish; you may be Presbyterian, Buddhist, Baptist, or Lutheran. I don’t care what your religious background is; Jesus didn’t come to give you religion. He came to give you a relationship.Christmas is God saying, “I want to relate to you. I want you to know me as much as I know you.” That’s joyful news. It’s Good News!Talk About It
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Come Home to God’s Hope and Joy This Christmas
Come Home to God’s Hope and Joy This Christmasby Rick Warren
| Rick Warren |
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him.” (Romans 15:13 NIV)I don’t know what you’ve gone through this past year. It may have been a very tough year for you personally. But I do know this: God is not finished with you. If your heart is still beating, if you’re still taking a breath, it means God has a plan for the rest of your life.“Stop your crying and wipe away your tears …. There is hope for your future” (Jeremiah 31:16-17 TEV). God has a plan for each day of your life. And God wants the rest of your life to be the best of your life. Then, one day, he wants to take you to his home — a perfect and permanent home called Heaven.The sad thing is that a lot of people don’t want to come home for Christmas because home for them is hell on Earth. Home might be a place of anger, frustration, violence, abuse, shame, guilt, resentment, pressure, or manipulation.If that is how you view home, then understand this: The Bible says, “Even if my father and mother abandon me, the LORD will take care of me” (Psalm 27:10 GW).Why did Jesus Christ come at Christmas? Because he didn’t want to love you from a distance. He wanted to love you up close. God came to Earth and became one of us so we could know what he was like.God is inviting you to come home to a person who made you, who loves you, who sent his Son to die for you. It’s not real hard to understand. The bottom line is this: Are you going to take a small step of faith this Christmas and come home to God? Or are you going to let it bypass you another year and continue to celebrate the birth of somebody you have no connection to at all?Right now God is ready to welcome you — no matter who you are or what you’ve done. I don’t care if you’re a religious person or a non-religious person. I don’t care if you’re Catholic or Protestant or Jewish or Buddhist or no religion at all. This isn’t about religion; it’s about having a relationship with God. You can come to God and say, “God I want to come home to you, and I want you to make your home in my heart.”Talk About It
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Friends to be Cherished (by Fenny West)
They came and never left your side
They remained regardless of the tide
Through thick and thin they were there
Your joys and sorrows they shared.
They were friends in need and indeed
When you were weak they sowed good seeds
They told you the truth in love
You know they were sent from above.
Such friends need to be cherished
Such pals need to be nourished
They are a gift from the Lord
They are surely a great reward.
©Fenny West2012
School of Development (by Fenny West)
As negatives are developed
In the darkroom
So will you too will be developed
In your night seasons.
So do not despair
But look to God
Who turns negatives
Into positives
And minuses into plus.
As He turned the minuses
of the cross
into our positive.
He gives songs in the night
So do not waste your sorrows
The darker the night
The nearer the dawn.
You affliction will work for you
Your distress will trigger your blessing
Your persecutors will bring your promotion
Your detractors will usher your introduction
Into your destiny and your Promised Land.
©Fenny West2012
Developed from Negatives ( by Fenny West)
Life is like photography,
You develop from negatives.
So endure your difficulties,
Or stones thrown by enemies.
They will make you robust and tough;
Make you bold and strong;
Make you rugged and rough;
And eventually give you a song.
As negatives are developed
from the chemical treatment,
so you too will develop
from the negative treatments.
©Fenny West2012
This is Jesus
This is Jesus
In PHYLOSOPHY He is the Way the truth and the Life
In Theology He is God- the Son, the Son of God, Emmanuel- God with us.
In Astronomy, He is the Bright Morning Star
In History, He was, He is and He is to come
In the reference of time, Reference is made in relation to His Birth (BC) or After His Death (AD)
In education, He is the Master Teacher, Master Story-Teller
In Nursing, He is the truly Compassionate-the God of all comfort
In medicine, He is the Great Physician.
He brought soundness to the insane and healed the sick by the word of His mouth
In the supernatural , He is the Miracle-worker.
In Horticulture, He is the Sweet Rose of Sharon, the Lilly of the Valley.
In Physics He defied the law of gravity by walking on water, rising from the dead and ascending into heaven.
In Geography, whilst things and people can only be in one location at a given time, He is everywhere every time by His Spirit and in Him all things hold together.
In Mathematics, He is incalculable, limitless and has no beginning or end, rather, He is the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last and measures the earth with the span of His Hands.
In Literature He has a book which is the Book of books- a best seller of all-time- and He spurns His scarlet thread in that book from Genesis to Revelation.
In law, His statutes are settled forever in Heaven and not subject to repeal or amendment according to changing seasons or lifestyles or the whims and caprices of man.
In Justice, He is the Judge of the judge.
In monarchy, He is the King of kings and Lord of Lords.
In Government, whilst every government is tenuous, His Government will have no end.
In authority and Sovereignty, He is Preeminent, unquestionable and surpasses all. He is the head of principalities and powers.
In integrity, He is impeccable and trustworthy.
In power, He is exceedingly abundantly able and all-powerful.
In knowledge, He is omniscient.
So let us worship Him and give Him His rightful place. He deserves our praise and adoration. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
©Fenny West2012
inspiration4generations 