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“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.

Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,

Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” – Matthew 1:21-23

During this Christmas season, take some time to reflect on God’s great gift to you.

Christ came for a purpose. His purpose was to save us from out sins.

The salvation He provides is total. It’s radical. It’s complete. Noting else is needed. He is the only way.

Leaving the infinite riches of heaven, born in flesh, in the lowest place. Some compare the stable to a sewer. A lowly nasty place.

God works in the low nasty places. The places where there is no hope. The places where is despair, sadness, grief. The places with no light. He doesn’t avoid them. He doesn’t look the other way. He doesn’t wait to see if they will get better. He doesn’t pretend it’s not there. He doesn’t excuse it. He steps into the filth where we are.

Christ stepped right in to this evil world. Taking upon Himself all the sin, all the filth, all the nastiness. All our sin. To set up free and present us spotless before God.

That’s God’s gift to us this season.

Merry Christmas!

 

 

 

 

One of the best things that can happen to you is a spirit of Thanksgiving.

It may be that at times we give thanks, but don’t think about it very much. It may be that we give thanks because we feel it’s something we “should” do.

Real thanksgiving is to pause and recognize how good the bless is that we have been given.

Sometimes we complain about our job. Yet if we didn’t have a job we would be desperately seeking a job, any job, so that we can earn a living and have money coming in.

The same with the house we have, the car we have, the clothing we have the food we eat. When we truly appreciate it, we realize that God has been good to us.

In this season of thanksgiving, challenge yourself to not just go through the motions, but to be truly, with sincerity of heart, thankful for the blessing you have been giving.

O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. – Psalms 136:1

Everyone has an idea of what success looks like. For some, it may mean good relationships, wealth, expensive things like houses and cars. We all want success, there’s nothing wrong with success or wanting success.

The most important success is in our relationship with God. How successful do you think your relationship with God is? How could you improve your relationship with God?

Faithfulness to God’s calling for your life is great success. If we are faithful to God and obedient to Him, we are successful in His sight.

Each person has a different calling, different talents, different weaknesses. Success can’t be determined by compare ourselves to others. The Bible teaches that is not wise.

2 Corinthians 10:12
12 For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

Matthew 6:33
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Joshua 1:8
8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

What kind of success are you looking for? Seek God and He will bring you success.

Enough.

You are enough.

You are enough for God.

Right now. Right here.

Yes! He created you. He knows you. He is not disappointed with you.

Perhaps you have thought – or have been told – or both – that you are not enough. Not good enough; not strong enough; not good looking enough; not rich enough; not smart enough; not outgoing enough; not….enough. There may be people that you are not enough for, and maybe will never be enough for. That’s their issue. But you are enough for God.

Unconsciously or subconsciously, maybe we feel like our worth to God is based on our success. Maybe we sometimes wonder, are we enough? Have we had enough success that God is pleased with us? Have we done enough? Have we achieved enough?

God counts you enough. Not because of some merit you have. God loves you because of who He is. God is love.

“The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” – Jeremiah 31:3

 

“For my strength is made perfect in weakness”

We like strength, we like to feel we are strong. That’s a good thing, a lot of good comes from strength.

Sometimes, in some situations, we don’t have strength. We have weakness.

God can use our weakness for his glory. When we are strong, we may be tempted to take credit for great things. When we are weak, however, may just be an opportunity for God to get credit, to show His great power.

In the Bible, Paul had a weakness. He asked God to remove it. Instead, God told Paul that His grace would be enough to sustain him. Then the astonishing verse “my strength is made perfect in weakness”.

”And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

¹⁰ Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9 -10

Some may think this only applies to spiritual things. It does not. The infirmity referred to is a physical infirmity. But it could be anything – a skill you don’t have, a trait that you wish you had, e.g. the looks, the talent, the skills, the physical strength, the connections, the wealth.

Rather than complain about not having these things, let us “most gladly” “glory in my infirmities”. Why should we do that? “that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” What! Do you want the power of Christ to rest upon you? Then glory in your infirmities. Accept that God will work His glory with you with those infirmities. Surrender to God where you are, as you are, believing God’s great and might power to perform His work and His will.

In the aspects of our lives where we are most frail, or where we have the most suffering, we bring great glory to God when we trust Him.

“for when I am weak, then am I strong”.

 

 

 

There are times / seasons of life when you will experience discouragement. Sometimes well-meaning Christians (or other people) will say there must be something wrong with you, mentally, physically or spiritually. Most often that is not the case. We know it’s a condition of human life, a part of the human nature we have. Maybe it’s our metabolism, our physical make up, our hormones. Often times, we may not understand why we are discouraged.

Here are some tips for times of discouragement.

Trust God.

First and foremost, know that God is working even in discouraging situations. He is in control, and He has not abandoned you.

 ⁵ Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

⁶ In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. – Proverbs 3:5-6

Pour out your heart to God.

Even when you don’t know how to pray, what to say, pour our your heart to God, and the Spirit will make your request to God.

²⁶ Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

²⁷ And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. – Romans 8:26 & 27

Exercise

Physical activity will help you to re-focus. Go for a walk or run. If nothing else, you can do some pushups, or squats, or jumping jacks. Get your blood flowing and your mind focused on the physical activity.

Go somewhere.

A change of scenery helps to restore your mood, and can get you out of your own thoughts. Go somewhere, try to get away from your routine environment. Maybe go for a walk, if possible get outside, go to a park, go to a mall, or to a store, just outside, even to a drive in restaurant or just go for a drive.

Talk to an upbeat friend / relative.

Don’t talk about problems. Just talk, listen, share, laugh.

²² A merry heart doeth good like a medicine – Proverbs 17: 22

This will pass. Focus on the eternal.

¹⁶ For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

¹⁷ For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;

¹⁸ While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

 

Life is uncertain and we don’t know the future. Sometimes the plans we have for our lives fall apart. Sudden illness, disability, death of someone we love, a marriage fails, a child dies, a career is destroyed, a friend betrays you.

At these times, look to God to help adjust your life to discover a wonderful “Plan B”. You can find fulfilment, peace, and unexpected blessings in a new normal.

God is unchanging. God is still on the throne. His care and lovingkindness for you has not changed. Even your behavior does not change God’s love for you. He created you and He understands your weaknesses, your frailty, your anger, your uncertainty, your brokenness. God has said “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Hebrews 13:5)

“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)

Use this season of your life to find new possibilities, new opportunities, new dreams, new ways to serve.

Like the Apostle Paul, find the courage to say: “forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14)

God still loves you.

 

 

There are different ways to spend time with God. Praying is spending time talking to God, giving Him praise, asking questions, petitioning for requests for ourself and others. Meditation is thinking on God, or about God, maybe His glory, His power, His great love and goodness.

Time with God that I have in mind is a little different. It’s just you and God, sensing His presence, feeling His presence in your heart, maybe listening for His voice. Not talking to Him, not mediating on who He is, but just being with Him. Just you and God. You, God and nothing else. Not thinking about situations, about other people, or about what you should be thinking about with God. Just you with God. His character will become clear. His righteous will be clear. His strong love for you will be clear.

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. – James 4:8

 

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.” – Jesus Christ in John 14:6 NASB.

There’s a lot noise in the world. A lot of confusion. A lot of religions. A lot of denominations in Christianity. Even a lot of difference believe among any group of believers. A lot of expectations. A lot of man-made commandments – you should be doing this, you should be doing that, you should do more, you must do this, you must do that.

Jesus the Christ cut through all of that confusion, all of those man-made requirements, all the smoke and mirror. He is the way, truth, and life.

We come to Christ, trusting him completely to save us from sin, redeem us and bring us to right relationship to God. Surrendering our lives to him completely, knowing that he has the best plan for our lives, and deciding to follow him.

⁵ Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

⁶ Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;

⁷ That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Tutus 3:5 – 7

 

 

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. – Matthew 6:33

In the verse above, Jesus had talked about how God knows that we need things here on this earth – food, clothing, shelter. While we need and seek these things, it’s important to put God above all other things we seek. The promise is that when we make the kingdom of God and his righteousness the first priority in our life, God will provide all the other  things.

Take a minute and reflect. What are you priorities? God knows our heart, and He knows what are priorities are.

When we determine to seek God first, it will transform our lives in many ways.

Let’s mention three of those ways.

First, it will transform our attitude toward the things we need or desire. When God is most important in our life, then we can begin to put other things into proper perspective. We will, of course, still want and need other things. Out attitude will change when we truly in our heart come to realize that we have what is most important, and nothing can take that away. While

Second, it will transform our lives in regard to the setbacks and disappointments we experience. We will surely suffer setbacks and disappointments in this life, because we live in a fallen world. This is not heaven, we are seeking heaven. When seeking God is our priority, we will realize that even the worst setbacks and disappointments will not destroy us.

Third, it will transform our reactions to other people. When we sincerely believe that God is our exceeding great reward, then we know that we do not have promote ourselves or defend ourselves. God will take care of us, and there is none greater.

Focus on seeking the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and everything else will fall into place.