CHRISTMAS IS...

“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”  Ephesians 2:13

By Shirley Wiggins

Christmas is everything bright and beautiful.  Christmas is everything true and hopeful.  Christmas is the message of all good news!

Christmas can be disputed, but it will never be disproved.  Christmas is as real as the Savior Whose birth is celebrated on Christmas Day, year in and year out until all times and seasons will come to their completed end.

And when that end comes, the glorious Beginning will become sight for those who’ve trusted in the Creator of Time.  There is a God.  He is real, though He cannot be seen.  He cannot be proven to the satisfaction of people in general; though His Presence is felt and confirmed by those in particular who have had His reality proven to our satisfaction.

Christmas is Christ Himself revealed in Scripture to teach mankind about salvation.

Christmas is the Secret.  Christmas is.  It really is a fact of life; it happened and it can never be undone, or outdone.  Christmas is simple; and simply profound.

Christmas is Salvation, the revealing of the Message  - the Mysterious Message:  the heretofore hidden. 

“This mystery has been kept in the dark for a long time, but now it’s out in the open.  God wanted everyone, not just Jews, to know this rich and glorious secret inside and out, regardless of their background, regardless of their religious standing. 

The mystery is this:  Christ is in you, therefore you look forward to sharing in God’s glory.  It’s that simple.  That is the substance of our message.  We preach Christ, warning people not to add to the Message.  We teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity.  To be mature is to be basic.  Christ!  No more, no less.  That’s what *I’m working so hard at day after day, year after year, doing my best with the energy God so generously gives me.”  See Colossians 1:15-27 The Message Translation.

*These are the words of the apostle Paul, formerly known as Saul until He met Jesus.  (See The Message Bible translation.)

“I,* Paul, am a messenger of this Message.”

Saul, as a young man, was devoutly devoted to his beliefs about God, steadfastly resisting the message** of Jesus Christ and those who had accepted His life, death, and resurrection as Messiah Jesus. 

 “But Saul began to destroy the church.  Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.”  … “Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples.  He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way**, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.  As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.  He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?’   “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.    “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,”  He replied. ‘ Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.’”  (See Acts 8:3; 9:1-31.) 

Saul was blind and had to be led by the hand into the town where “for three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything. “  He was praying however, for Acts 9:11 says that the Lord called to a disciple there in the town of Damascus named Ananias, and said to him: 

“Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying.  In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hand on him to restore his sight. … Go!  This man is My chosen instrument to proclaim My name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel.  I will show him how much he must suffer for My name.” 

“Then Ananias went to the house and entered it.  Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord – Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here--- has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”  Immediately something like scales fell from  Saul’s eyes, and he could see again.  He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength.”  See Acts 9:10-19.

The self-proclaimed Sinner Number One became the one known as the apostle Paul, the one who for the rest of his life proclaimed the Message of Christmas! 

Paul said:  “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, Who has given me strength, that He considered me trustworthy, appointing me to His service.  Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief.  The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. ….Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners---of whom I am the worst.  But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His immense patience as an example to those  who would believe in Him and receive eternal life.”  (1 Timothy 1:12-16 NIV.)

Christmas is Jesus Christ, Son of God, the Light of truth:

“We look at this Son and see the God Who cannot be seen.  We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created.  For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels –---everything got started in Him and finds its purpose in Him.  He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment.  And when it comes to the church, He organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body.

He was supreme in the beginning and—leading the resurrection parade—He is supreme in the end.  From beginning to end He’s there, towering far above everything, everyone.  So spacious is He, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in Him without crowding.  Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of His death, His blood that poured down from the Cross.

You yourselves are a case study of what He does.  At one time you all had your backs turned to God, thinking rebellious thoughts of Him, giving Him trouble every chance you got.  But now, by giving Himself completely at the Cross, actually dying for you, Christ brought you over to God’s side and put your lives together, whole and holy in His presence.  You don’t walk away from a gift like that!  You stay grounded and steady in that bond of trust, constantly tuned in to the Message, careful not to be distracted or diverted.  There is no other Message—just this One.  Every creature under heaven gets this same Message.  I, Paul, am a messenger of this Message.”   Colossians 1:15-23 (The Message – Navpress.)

As Christmas Day is celebrated this year, where are you in this journey called Life?  Where are your beliefs taking you?  With what are you busily occupied  as the year --- another year--- comes to a close? 

Are you on the road, the pathway of peace, to your prepared place in heaven where you will spend eternity with the Christ of Christmas?

Or, do your years lead you farther and farther away from the Truth of Christmas, the true Light that came into the world, full of grace and truth, the Savior sent from God for your rescue from the deeds of darkness and deception?

God in Christ Jesus knows each of us individually and He knows all that we are concerned with and perhaps burdened by this year.  He knows our needs and our wants.  He desires to be in communion with each soul in a personal way.  Let us be aware, alert and available to watch for Him, listen to Him, and share the greatest news of the greatest Gift ever given.

Christmas is reality. Christmas is a Gift you don’t want to walk away from!

Merry Christmas, world!  The Good News is still meant for every one!

 

CHRISTMAS?

By Shirley Wiggins

This is how God showed His love among us:  He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him.  This is love:  not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”  1 John 4:9-10.

What is Christmas? 

 Christ Himself Revealed In Scripture Teaches Mankind About Salvation.

Christmas – perhaps one of the most misunderstood yearly holidays, and the one which seems to meet with more and more contentious attitudes.
Christmas is Love, yet seems to inspire hate in many who oppose it and seek to oppress those who love its significance in their lives.

Christmas is, for me, that yearly reminder that on one special day in history, a very special baby was born.  A baby long promised and prophesied in the Bible for generations before He finally made His appearance on earth. 

The first Christmas Day came:  “”But when the set time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.”   Galatians 4:4.

An amazing Baby; an amazing birth:  an earthly mother in physical flesh, spiritually born with an earthly form in a body prepared for Him. (Hebrews 10:5-10.)

Christ Jesus, the One whose birth is celebrated on the 25^th day of December, and whose life, death, and resurrection  resulted in the most dramatic life-changing event in the lives of millions of people. 

Christmas is the celebration of the birth of God’s Son, the Son sent to offer salvation to all people, full of grace and truth.

“For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.  It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope – the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do  what is good.” Titus 2:11-14.

Christmas is the Grace of God. Christmas is Christ. 

Christmas is God coming to earth and giving the greatest Gift the world will ever see – the Gift of life and love – the Gift to meet the greatest need of all mankind:  Salvation from our sins.

A three-fold Gift prepared for the “world” so loved by God, its Maker and Christ its Savior, through the Holy Spirit of truth.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.  For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him.  He who believes in Him (Jesus) is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”  John 3:16-18.

God sent very good news, and intended it for ALL people!

 “And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.  And the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news which shall be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be a sign for you:  you will find a baby wrapped in cloths, and lying in a manger.’

And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is well pleased.’”  Luke 2:9-14.

It pleased God to send His greatest Gift to earth for it pleases God to save people.  The written Word of God, the Holy Bible reveals in intimate and intricate detail that God is salvation, Jesus is Redemption, and the Holy Spirit of Truth is sanctification.

This Baby came to become a Man – a unique Man, fully human yet fully divine, the Truth of God Himself encased in human flesh who would spend three years of His approximately 33 years of dwelling among people, actively preaching and teaching, pointing the way to God Himself.  Christ Jesus came to reveal the Light of truth, “to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” (Luke 1:79.)

The Path of Peace is found in the peace we have with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, for Christ Himself is our peace. See also Romans 5:1; Ephesians 2:14-17.

Jesus said:  “Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. …. I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”  John 14:1-3, 6.

Did you take notice of that?  Jesus promised to return and receive to Himself all who will believe in Him. 

Jesus will return to receive all who will “receive” Him – all who will believe in God and believe His Words.  Jesus came to earth to do God’s will and to speak God’s words, conveying God’s message, to complete the work that God gave Him to do:  provide God’s salvation through Christ’s redeeming work on the Cross.  He finished His work: 

“Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, ‘I am thirsty.’ …. When He had received the drink, Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’  With that, He bowed His head and gave up his spirit.”  John 19:28,30.

“Receive” is a transitive verb which means “to come into possession of:  acquire <receive a gift>; ... to accept as authoritative, true, or accurate:  believe...”

To receive something involves a transaction that requires an action - an act of the will -  on the part of the one who would receive anything.

The Bible tells us concerning Jesus:  “The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.  He was in the world, and though the world was  made through Him, the world did not recognize Him.  He came to His own, but His own did not receive Him.  Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.  The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.  We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, full of grace and truth.”  John 1:9-14.

Have you recognized the Gift of Christmas?  Have you received the Gift of God:  your Redeemer who desires to impart God’s salvation to you that God’s Holy Spirit may perform that sanctifying work in your life?

The Gift is free:

“But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved.  And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.  For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--- not by works, so that no one can boast.  For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  Ephesians 2:4-10.

If you haven't yet, I pray that you will receive the Gift sent on Christmas Day with much love to you all the way from Heaven!

Let us never stop praying for each other, “continuing to ask God to fill (us) with the knowledge of His will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that (we) may live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way:   bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to  His glorious might so that (we) may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified (us) to share in the inheritance of His holy people in the kingdom of light.  For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”  (See Colossians 1:9-14.)

MERRY CHRISTMAS, WORLD, BELOVED OF GOD!

 

JUST JESUS

By Shirley Wiggins

“But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid.’”  Matthew 14:27 NKJV.

When it seems that you’ve been asked to carry a heavier burden longer than many others, that is only Jesus building you a bigger blessing through a specific challenge in life.

When the path you’ve planned for your life takes a turn, Jesus just wants to show you an adventurous, more scenic route.  Relax and look for Him every day.  Watch for the curves and lean into Him, letting Him thrill your soul with His surprises along the way. 

 You will never regret following Him to the place He will lead you, nor the route He chooses for you.

When we are young, life is easy to plan, but grows harder to live it out day by day.  Life is filled with disappointments and broken expectations, ranging from the small and petty to sudden crises and terrible tragedies.

When the life we planned is not the life we are living, we may have the assurance that God is aware of our dismay, our dread, and even on occasion our outright fear.

And, yet down through the ages of time, God’s instructions for His people remains constant and unchanged:

Do not be afraid, neither let your heart be troubled---you believe in God, believe also in Jesus and let His Holy Spirit guide you through every temporary dark place as you journey through life with Jesus by your side all the way! 

God is faithful and He is trustworthy.  He works in multiple and magnificent ways to reassure His people that He is committed to our care and provision for every need that will ever arise in life.

Sin caused the fall of God’s perfectly created world and how and why and precisely when, no human can explain.  But life goes on, and people are born and people die every single day since the beginning of time, which began when God determined that it would.

God is unexplainable, but not unapproachable.  However, He is only approachable in the way He determines.  No one comes to the Father (God) except through Jesus Christ. 

God is the one critical element in everything imaginable.  He must be since He has no beginning and no end.  He is the Beginning and the Ending – “Alpha and Omega.”

His existence is not affected by whether you believe in His existence or not; He is not threatened by unbelief or disbelief.  He is.  He was. He is to come.

And, yet, He has gone to great lengths to reveal Himself to humans.  That is His history, which has been meticulously recorded in the Book named The Holy Bible.  Generations of people have come and gone from the face of the Earth, many of whom have believed in Him, and some have even known Him personally.  Others  have chosen not to believe in Him, refusing to know Him, rejecting even the idea of His existence.

Still others choose even today to deny Him, actively working to discourage others from coming to know Him, resorting to the twisting and denying of His Truth, and persecuting those who do know Him.

None of this changes the Truth of Who God is, nor does it interrupt His ongoing purpose-filled plan for revealing Himself to His created beings.  Those who believe in Him, and believe His Word choose to know Him and receive His active presence in our lives.

Believers embrace His Word and draw strength from Him through His written Word and His Holy Spirit who resides inside our bodies, which His Word calls His (God’s) “temple.”

Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”  (John 14:6.)

Matthew 14:27, Amplified Bible:  “But instantly He* (Jesus) spoke to them*, saying*, ‘Take courage!  I AM!  Stop being afraid!’  [Exodus 3:14.]”

*Jesus:  God, the Great I AM:  Authority of the Supreme Sovereign God.

*Them:  His Disciples, the followers, believers in God through faith in Jesus Christ.

*Saying:  Jesus’ command:  TRUST ME:  I have the power, the Authority, the Commitment to care for you, because I care about you.  (See 1 Peter 5:6-7,Amp.)

Are you a disciple of Jesus?  A follower of His way, a believer in His authority to do all that He has promised?

If so, having not seen Him in the flesh, yet you love Him now.  You have already tasted His goodness, His kindness, His mercy toward you in the grace through which He saved you and set you on the pathway of His kingdom.  You have entered into personal relationship with Him through your faith in Him and the truth of His Word.

If you do not have this personal relationship yet, what more from Jesus are you waiting for before you commit your life to Him in utter trust?

He died for you.  He was resurrected from the dead to die no more in order that you might experience the opportunity to choose to live because he lives. 

He enters into a binding covenant with all who will come to Him.  He revealed Himself to the world.  He continues to reveal Himself to people, to countries, to nations – to the waiting, watching world.

He speaks today, as He spoke yesterday, as He will speak tomorrow, because He was sent from God to say all that God declares and reveals – see John 17:1-26.

Those who are listening will hear Him.  Those who are watching will see Him.

Those who are waiting for Him will abide forever with Him in eternal glory.

Where are you?  For what are you waiting?  For whom are you looking?  To whom are you listening?

In the face of the difficult challenges of life, we must come to the place where we have learned to move beyond believing in Him to knowing Him by trusting Him.

To know Him is to love Him.  To love Him is to obey Him.  To obey Him is to TRUST Him.

We practice trusting Him every time we come face-to-face with the difficulties of this life:

“I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation.  But take heart; I have overcome the world.”  John 16:33.

Jesus talked constantly with His disciples while He lived briefly and temporarily upon the earth.  He left them with many things unsaid because He knew they could not bear to take them all in at that time, and so He promised them that another would come to remain forever with His people who reside on the earth who would tell them everything they needed to know. 

Jesus said many things, and all with purpose.  Everything He said to them was for a reason:  to help them know and believe in God and also in Him, that they might continue to hold to their faith without falling away when He had been resurrected from the dead and returned to heaven.

Jesus was sent to say, the Holy Spirit was sent to stay! 

   “But when He, the Spirit of Truth (the Truth-giving Spirit) comes, He will guide you into all the Truth (the whole, full Truth).  For He will not speak His own message [on His own authority];  but He will tell whatever He hears [from the Father; He will give the message that has been given to Him], and He will announce and declare to you the things that are to come [that will happen in the future].”  John 16:13 Amplified Bible.

For eternal life to begin, there must be an earthly ending; there will be one day (the timing of which is known only to God, the Father), when a door of departure will be opened.  He will usher each believer into His beautiful home in heaven where He has prepared a place for each one to come at the appointed time to the place He has prepared for His people. (See John 14:1.)

My prayer is that all will come to Him before it is too late to be gathered safely and securely into the covenant of His making to provide Eternal Life with Him.

“And this is eternal life:  It means to know – to perceive, recognize, become acquainted with, and understand You, the only true and real God, and likewise to know Him, Jesus as the Christ – the Annointed One, the Messiah, - Whom You have sent.”  John 17:3, Amplified Bible.

When it looks like something in your life isn’t turning out well, that’s just Jesus showing you what a greater thing He is doing for you!  He will always see to it that all things work out for your good, your very best, if you love Him.  He loved you first. See Romans 8:28.

Open God’s Word, The Holy Bible, and begin to prayerfully read His open letter to one and all.   The Holy Spirit will be required to open our understanding to hear and to  know…  He will draw us to the Father.

 “But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid.’”  Matthew 14:27 NKJV.

 

 

A Charge, A Challenge, and A Reminder

by Hallie Gipson

Before Joshua’s death, he brings the elders and leaders of Israel together and gives them a ‘charge’ –- an instruction, an exhortation with authority -- that is found in Joshua chapters 23 and 24.  In doing so, he reminds them of all that God is and what He has done for them.

God, the covenant-keeping One, has:

• kept His promises – Joshua 23:14
• fought their battles – Joshua 23:9-10
• given them land, cities, and fruit to eat –- none of which they had worked for. Joshua 24:13 tells us they had not labored, built, or planted.

In his charge to the leaders, Joshua also challenges them to:

• “ . . . cling to the Lord your God.” (Joshua 23:8)
• “Be very careful, therefore, to love the Lord your God.”         (Joshua 23:11)

And to remember:

• “ . . . that not one word has failed of all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you. (Joshua 23:14b)

Finally, Joshua reminds them that following God is a choice they have to willingly make.  In Egypt, their fathers had served other gods (Joshua 24:14), but they must decide for themselves whom they would follow and serve – “choose this day whom you will serve . . .” (Joshua 24:15)

The words of Joshua ring true for us today. God is a covenant-keeper, promise-keeper, defender, and blesser of those who choose to follow Him.

Who will you follow today?

John 3:16 says that “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” If you have never made a commitment to follow Christ, I pray that today would be the day. The choice is yours! Will you confess Him as your Savior and follow Him as your Master and Lord? He’s waiting with open arms!

Father, thank You for always keeping your promises, for fighting our battles, and for blessing us even when we’ve done nothing to deserve it. Most of all, thank You for granting us salvation through your Son, Jesus Christ.

DAISY CHAINS

“Then the Lord replied: ‘Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.  For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false.  Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and not delay’...”  Habakkuk 2:1-3

By Shirley Wiggins

 If you’re given a vision, you will be given words with which to verbalize it.

Your words will sometimes be misunderstood, under -appreciated, and perhaps angrily rejected.

Use them anyway.  What you see today may be for tomorrow’s world. See it, say it, share it:  write it, record it.

Amy Carmichael envisioned, by God’s Holy Spirit, a world where blind people were falling off a cliff into a bottomless ravine to their deaths with no warning.¹ 

Unseeing mothers with babies in their arms and little children clinging to their skirts, one by one perishing as they blindly stumbled off cliffs with too few people guarding the wide gaps.

All this needless perishing of people while those who could see were busy in their little groups – making daisy chains.

Daisy Chains! 

Amy tells how some of the sighted among them in their little groups would occasionally become so upset at the piercing screams of these poor unseeing people as they fell, that they would leap to their feet desperate to warn them of the danger.

Young and old, one by one they would stand up to try to cry out a warning, but each time they stood, one of their group would place a restraining hand on their arm, urging them to sit back down offering one excuse after another for not intervening.

She particularly describes one little boy who having stumbled (along with his mother?) over the edge grabbed desperately at a tuft of grass only to have it tear from the ground by its roots while he screamed and fell, still clutching tightly to the grassy clump. 

What he held onto for dear life could not save him.

When we see the world crumbling around us, we may cry and sometimes despair because we can clearly see that many people today are clinging to things that cannot save them.

When we see danger approaching the doorway of our own homes, we begin to pray as best we know how. We may desperately wish we knew how to pray more effectively.

Better had we been prepared for the day of calamity when it struck if we had taken advantage of the days of opportunity. 

Is there the sound of the Shepherd weeping over the sins of this world, as Jesus wept over the City of Jerusalem? 

Jerusalem, who had failed to recognize her days of opportunity for deliverance.  (Luke 19:41-44.)

Do we weep over the sins of our world, our place of impact?

Are we standing in the gap to pray for those who are seemingly unaware of the danger they and their entire families may be living in today?

Or, is our place left unattended while we are distracted by the cares of the world?  Are we busy making pretty, but useless daisy chains in these days of opportunity?

The Lord gives eyes to see and ears to hear His divine truth, with mouths to warn, and tongues to tell about the way, the truth, and the life.  (John 14:6).

When once we know the Truth, we have the responsibility to share the truth.  (2 Corinthians 5:17-21.)

The Lord Jesus Christ fully equips His people to be His messengers in this world.  Let us use all that He has entrusted to us.  Let us use the gifts His Holy Spirit has distributed to each one in the service of the world that God loves.  (1 Corinthians 12:4-11; John 3:16-21). 

God loves all the people living in the world, and those living in the Land of the Un’s:  unaware, untold, unguarded, unconverted, uncontrolled, unredeemed, unrepentant, untaught, unheard, unsanctified, unsafe, and unsaved… 
 

 “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.  The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed  by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.  Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be?  You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.  That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.  But in keeping with His promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. 

So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with Him.  Bear in mind that the Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.  He writes the same way in all His letters, speaking in them of these matters.  His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

Therefore dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. 

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To Him be glory both now and forever!  Amen.” --------------------------2 Peter 3:9-18.

“Look, I am coming soon!  My reward is with Me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.”  Revelation 22:12.

 

 ¹ http://www.4himnet.com/bnyberg/carmichael.html  “Thy Brother’s Blood Crieth” – by Amy Carmichael.

 

GOD'S ATTRIBUTES AND NAMES

by Hallie Gipson

WOW -- I have hardly scratched the surface of God’s attributes and names since I first committed to do it, nor have I made much progress in working through the alphabet! However, one of God’s attributes listed below has been especially meaningful to me these past weeks –- Deliverer.

Isn’t it precious to think about how personal God is in His deliverance? Our cries to Him do not fall on deaf ears! He delivers each of us in the midst of our circumstance in exactly the way best suited to us at that time and in that place. He is never late but always on time.

So whatever circumstance you are in as you read this, know that God longs to deliver you! He longs to be your shield and stronghold and your salvation.

Deliverer

Psalm 18:2 “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

Psalm 70:5 “But I am poor and needy; hasten to help me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay!”

2 Samuel 22:1-2 “And David spoke to the Lord the words of this song on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer.”

Romans 11:26 “And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will banish ungodliness from Jacob.”

Galatians 1:3-4 “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.”

Deity

Colossians 2:9 “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.”

Dwelling

Deuteronomy 33:27 “The eternal God is a dwelling place, And underneath are the everlasting arms.”

Psalm 90:1 “Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.”

John 1:15 “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Revelation 21:3 “And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them.”

Door

John 10:7-9 “So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.   I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.”

Father, thank you that even though You are far beyond our capacity to understand, You graciously reveal Yourself to us through Your word. Thank You for sending Your Son to be the ‘Door’ through which we receive Your salvation and rest in Your pasture.

“Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart.”  Psalm 37:4