The One

Who is this child whose star was seen by wise men

Who is the one who made the blind to see

Who is the man who walked upon the water

The one that evil nailed upon a tree

He is God

He is King

He is Wonderful

And we sing

Jesus Bless His Holy name

He will never change

And His word proclaims 

That He loves us

He is the One Who brought to me salvation

He saved me from my sin and misery

He led me to the well of living water

He broke my bonds forever I am free

He is God

He is King

He is Wonderful

And we sing

Jesus Bless His Holy name

He will never change

And His word proclaims 

That He loves us now

Do You

And Zacharias said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years." Luke 1:18

Zacharias was a priest of the Lord and was shocked when the angel Gabriel was waiting to speak to him when he entered into the Holy Place of the temple to offer incense to the Lord. I think I would be shocked to see an angel and then to have him speak to me and tell me that astounding things were going to happen in my life.

Think though of Zacharias' words, "How shall I know this?" he asked. I don't think this question all by itself is wrong, what I believe is that Zacharias, a priest of the Lord, doubted when the very God he served sent his messenger to tell him that his prayers had been answered. He was not a bad man, but this priest no longer expected new things from the Lord. "I am old, having a child is not God's will for me" he could have thought.

James says in James 3:17 that "the wisdom that is from above is first pure." You wonder why Zacharias was not thinking of the God above and all the miracles He had done in previous generations. Maybe as an old man he had seen too much pain, too much disappointment, sickness and death, so much so that he had stopped expecting great things from the God of the supernatural.

"Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her." (Luke 1:38) Mary had a different response. She also was fearful at first of the angel but responded in faith. Though she could not explain these pronouncements with earthly wisdom she was humble and believed.

Oh that we would be like Mary, believing though we are not seeing. Jesus said to Thomas in John 20:29, "Blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed."
The God we worship calls us to believe. Jesus was born of a virgin. Do you believe? He lived a perfect life without sin. Do you believe? He came to the world to show us how much He loves us. Do you believe? He was crucified, buried, raised and ascended to heaven with his blood to cleanse all who would believe. Do you?

Though Zacharias was a good and righteous man he had become familiar with the power of God. Mary had not. She was young and had the faith of a child. Because of this fact, she was able to accept that God would use her in His plan to save sinners.

Does God want to use you in His plan? I believe He does. Do you?

Enjoy Your Meal

Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?" John 6:5

What an interesting scene. Jesus, the Man of miracles is seated with His disciples, and He asks them where to buy bread. Philip says that the money they have will not even buy a little for each one. Then Andrew announces that a young boy has five barley loaves and two small fish. It seems that the disciples give up rather quickly knowing that they will not of themselves be able to satisfy the hunger of the crowd. Andrew even asks about the fish and bread, "What are they among so many?"

At that point Jesus told the disciples to have everybody sit down. When I read this I sense anticipation in the words of the disciples. They knew Jesus was going to do something special. They just didn't know what.

And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. (John 6:11)

As believers in Christ, we too can look with anticipation to the Lord as we desire to see Him meet the needs of many. The disciples knew they could not meet the needs of these people, and that is a good thing. We can only look to Jesus to see the needs of others met. We can love people, but our love will eventually run out. We can pray and give and help, but we have only so many words and only limited resources and only little bits of time to spare. We can meet peoples needs with our own strength, but what we have to give won't last.

When the five thousand men were full, Jesus told the disciples to ""Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost." (John 6:12) Jesus' men got to see that when He meets a need he meets it in abundance with no effort. Oh that we could trust in Jesus for our needs, physical, familial, financial and otherwise. His baskets remain full, he could have fed fifty thousand and still had bread left over for the size of the need is irrelevant to an Almighty God.

If any one of the disciples doubted Jesus, all they had to do was pick up a basket of faith and start eating.
"The just shall live by faith." (Romans 1:17)

Tell Him What You Want

And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Mark 10:47

Bartimaeus was a blind beggar sitting by the road hoping that someone with compassion would come by and put a little money in his hand so that he could buy the things he needed. He was at the mercy of the passer-by, as he could do nothing as a blind man in the first century to support himself. His poverty must have been intense, for most had their own needs and those of their family’s to worry about. The hope was that a wealthy person might take notice of him and care enough or want to make a show of his kindness in sharing a few coins with him.

To be a beggar indeed is a difficult occupation. Relying on the consideration of strangers, and taxing the patience of family and friends causes a person to have a very low view of themselves. To be helpless in any situation is an intense burden on the mind, but to be in that position almost every waking moment must have been unbearable to Bartimaeus.

I Imagine as Bartimaeus sat by the road at Jericho some stopped to talk to him, especially children. They must have told him the stories of Jesus healing people all over Galilee and Judea. He must have been excited to hear how he turned over the tables in the temple and healed the lame man that was lowered through a roof into the room where Jesus was speaking. How his heart must have imagined that if he ever had a chance to meet Jesus just maybe he would gain his sight. “I would be a complete person. I would no longer be a burden and shame to my family.”

Is it any wonder then that when he heard the noise of a crowd and found out that Jesus was about that he began to call His name? “And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"” (Mark 10:47)

An interesting thing happens next. The people around Jesus try to discourage the man. “Be quiet” they say. “Don’t bother the Master. He has more important things to do and people to see than you.” How many of us when we are in need hear the voice of negativity and doubt and stop believing that God cares about us? We look around at the suffering of others and conclude, “There’s no hope for me. I’m a nobody? I’m worthless.”

When CT Studd, the 19th century English missionary to China, India and Central Africa decided to leave for his last mission to Africa as an old man, friends, family, his doctors and even mission agencies told him that he was crazy and that he would not succeed. He didn’t listen. He, as Bartimaeus had, cried out more in faith to Jesus.

Don’t listen to the naysayers who have no idea about your needs. Remember, there is a reward for those who trust in the Lord. There is a future that’s unseen, yet lies just beyond the curtain of doubt asking, “Do you believe?”

No one was going to keep Bartimaeus quiet. Jesus was close. This might be his only chance to meet the master and ask him for his sight, so the more they told him to be quiet, the louder he shouted. Unashamed, bold, and confident, he got the Savior’s attention. When Jesus asked him what he wanted he didn’t hesitate in his response. “So Jesus answered and said to him, "What do you want Me to do for you?" The blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, that I may receive my sight."” (Mark 10:51)

One might say about Bartimaeus, “Of course he would do anything to get what he wanted, he was a hopeless wretch.” That is the point. He was a wretch who would take anything he was offered, be it a piece of bread or a small coin, and he knew it. Do we see ourselves as Bartimaeus saw himself? Are we wretches or can we get along just fine without Jesus? If he does pass by in a sermon, while reading the Bible, praying, or in a moment when we are contemplating life, will we cry out? Will we see Him in our children’s funny questions? Will we notice His work in the lives of those around us? Are we needy enough to make fools of ourselves in the eyes of people we know because we want our hopeless lives to change?

Jesus is here and He is asking, “What do you want me to do for you?”
Tell Him what you want.

Overcoming the Impossible

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“Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings”

David knew where to go when he was in trouble. He went to pray to the One who had always saved him from past predicaments, the Lord his God. No matter where he was on the earth, the psalmist knew that he could cry out and that God would hear him. He then admits something that I think many of us don’t have the courage to do at times. David admits that he gets overwhelmed, like we get overwhelmed. That’s an admission that we can learn from. The answers to life’s difficulties are not always evident from our view point, nor are those struggles easy to overcome. The foundation that we have built our lives upon can be shifting and weak and not able to endure the stress that accompanies it. It presses down on us. Sometimes these things are like hurricane winds. We would like to think we were Atlas, able to hold the world on our shoulders, and sometimes we are. But inevitably as the weight gets heavier, our knees buckle and we need additional support to carry the load. David asks God for two things, a solid foundation and a different vantage point from where he can see more clearly the scope of the battle. How difficult it is to see clearly what to do when you are surrounded by problems with no way to see beyond them. I can resemble driving in heavy fog. This is spoken of by the writer of the book of Hebrews in the New Testament, where he writes, “ For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Why? How? Who? These are three one-word questions that come into our minds when we are being crunched by circumstances. Those are questions that can be asked, but not in the midst of the battle when flaming arrows are coming over the walls of your castle and setting everything around you on fire. This conflict is the time when you need vision, a vantage point that allows a view of the war from above. Looking down may not show us the way to victory, or even an escape route, rather it may reveal that the situation is hopeless and the forces of the enemy surround us. We are not Superman, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. When the evil villain has us trapped we can’t always find a way to defeat him. We don't need to. As the apostle Paul said, "And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." What we can do is take shelter in Jesus. We can draw near to God and His people to find protection in the midst of the struggle, trusting that the wings of grace are wide enough and strong enough to protect us from anything.

You Love Me, Jesus

By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us.  

A while ago during the congregational singing in a worship service, the worship leader exhorted everyone, “Tell Jesus you love Him.” This was a perfectly good thing to encourage people to do in a service where Jesus was the focus of our praise. For me though, it was one of those times where I just didn’t feel like participating. I don’t think I really wanted to be there. I had had a rough day, and I didn’t want to tell anyone I loved them, including Jesus

As the singing progressed I began to ponder the promises in the Bible about the love of God for me. I thought about the verse that says, “I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore with loving kindness I have drawn thee.” Wow, I thought, “He loves me.”

The next thing that rocked me was where the Apostle Paul writes, “God demonstrates His love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Then bam! “We love Him, because He first loved us.” This was confirmation to my spirit.

At that point the thought was complete. Though I couldn't say to Jesus right then that I loved Him, I gladly began proclaiming out loud, “Jesus, You love me!” I repeated this many times that evening during the service. Over the next few weeks I began to understand in a fresh way that my feelings did not change God’s divine love and care for me. He is love, and that love is centered, and always will be, on me.

Now when I don’t feel like loving Him, I am comforted by the knowledge that no matter how hard my day may have been, or how inadequate I might feel in the face of the challenges that confront me, or how horribly I may have failed, He still loves me. That’s my comfort. That’s my assurance That’s my peace.

Scripture References 1 John 3:16, Jeremiah 31:3, Romans 5:8, John 4:19

Fill // Draw // Take

Jesus said to them, "Fill the water-pots with water." And they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, "Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast." And they took it. 

The servants at the wedding in Cana where Jesus was were told to do three things. They were
to fill the water pots, then draw it, and take it to the master of the wedding feast. These were
simple tasks of obedience, and they were done as Jesus commanded. The result of what the
servants did was both pleasure and surprise. They participated in a miracle! The master of the
feast had no idea that it was Jesus who had turned water into wine instantly by His Word with
seemingly no effort, but the two servants knew it was God’s work and they were honored to be
part of it.

The servants’ task was not a hard one. It only required ears to hear, hands to draw, and feet to
go. Though life can be difficult, responding to Jesus is not. He says “Put some water in the
pot.” That’s easy. I can do that. Paul says, we are vessels “for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.” We are the water pots. This pot needs to be filled with the life of Christ.

When we are being filled with His life through meditation on the Word and communion with
God then there is life inside of us to draw out. We can then use what God has given us: His
abundant life, and take it to others who are in need. They in turn are blessed in ways that only
heaven can measure and it is all because we were filled, we drew that life out, and we took it to
others.

Bible study is one of the most important things in the life of a Christian because it keeps us
filled with God’s thoughts. The world around us is constantly attempting to drain us and keep
us from being refilled by presenting us with options to fill our time. Television, sports, yard
work, chatting on the phone, etc. are all very innocent and normal activities. But if we are not
careful to place priority on the things of God, then these things can deplete our reservoir of life
and drag us down to a place where we feel empty and have nothing to draw and nothing to
take.

Our task, as the servants’ was, is not a difficult one, but one that requires only being willing to
serve the Lord in filling, drawing, and taking His life to ourselves and others. In this way we
remain vessels of honor, serving not from what we ca produce, but from the abundant life
given to us by God.

No Condemnation

God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it. 

This sentence, written by Jesus's disciple John, speaks of two things: death and life.

Condemnation came about very early in the history of mankind. Adam and Eve, who were given free choice, decided to disobey God This resulted in their spiritual, and ultimately physical deaths. God said to Adam, “but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."  Adam died that day spiritually in that his fellowship with God was broken. He would have experienced separation from the Almighty forever, had he not accepted His offer of salvation.

This is the condemnation that humans find themselves under. The Bible says, “All have sinned.” No one is spared.

Sin keeps us from a relationship with God, and keeps us from abiding with God for eternity. None of us are immune from its effects. It not only causes physical death but it also affects our relationships. To deny it would be to ignore history. Condemnation is not widespread, it is TOTAL! God did not have to send Jesus into the world to condemn it. It was already condemned.

The understanding of condemnation is what gives real meaning to salvation. Good news! You must be a sinner to be saved, and it just so happens that you, along with every other member of the human race, are just that, a sinner. Though you can’t save yourself through good deeds and apologies, you can be saved through believing,. The Word of God teaches, “For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him would not perish but have everlasting life” 

Though we are condemned by sin, we are saved by God’s grace. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” This has been termed “Unconditional love.” He said whoever would believe would receive eternal life. So though it is unconditional on God’s end, it is conditional upon us believing, and thereby removing the curse that came upon us through Adam’s disobedience.

It is God’s intention to save. He risked everything to rescue us from sin and eternal death by sending Jesus to die in our place. Though salvation is provided for all, not all believe. That is terribly sad. Jesus died not just for our sins, (those who believe), but for the sins of the whole world. Condemnation is removed for all who believe in Jesus.

Perpetually Burning

And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of the bush. So he looked, and behold the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. 

Moses was an 80-year-old shepherd working for his father-in-law in the wilderness of Midian. Though he had been raised as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, those days were long gone. The memories of his youth in Egypt were distant to Moses. He may have had dreams of going back to Egypt and helping his people, but now he was old. In some ways his life must have been hard, and repetitive, and tedious and stressful. It was the life of a shepherd, surrounded by animals that needed food.

Now Moses is confronted by a new challenge, a perpetually burning bush. When he stops to take notice a voice from the bush speaks.. It is God calling him to something new. He has been leading sheep to good land, but now the Lord wants him to lead His people to the Promised Land. The book of Exodus then describes how God uses Moses to deliver Israel out of slavery in Egypt.

What would have happened if Moses had not stopped and looked? What if fear drove him away from the burning bush? This possibility is not described in the passage but we can imagine what would have taken place. Moses would have returned to his life unchanged or worse, wary of God because he didn’t stop to understand what the Lord was trying to communicate to him. Moses would have never received his calling, nor been the great prophet that freed an enslaved people and humbled a mighty nation.

Is there a burning bush in your life? Has God called you to something greater than you could imagine but you whizzed by without stopping because you weren’t comfortable with the possibility of having to change your priorities?  Do you think that opportunity has passed you by and you've missed your chance to make a mark in God's Kingdom?

The bible says, He who has called you is faithful, who also will do it. Remember one thing; God is in that burning bush. Don’t worry that you have ignored it in the past. It burns perpetually. There is always a place to serve in your church. Attend faithfully and draw near to the Word preached. His voice will speak and show you what to do. As it says in the Proverbs,In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.

Scripture references:

Exodus 3:2

1 Thessalonians 5:24

Proverbs 3:5

Why Is God Great?

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 

  The first sentence of the Bible demonstrates how great God is. There is no introduction to God’s character, or explanation of how molecules were fused together, just a statement of fact; God created the heavens and the earth in the beginning.” So the reader has to stop and think about that. All that I see on the earth was created by God. All that I see when I look up to the sky in the day or night time was created by God.

  Not only does the Bible attribute all of creation to an almighty God, but also says that Jesus is upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His mighty word of power. It’s understood, through study, that moment by moment control of everything belongs to God. You may ask yourself, “Considering how busy God is, how can He be concerned about me?” Peter, the Apostle, says we need to cast all our cares upon Jesus because He cares for us. God’s care and interest has always been His people. He loves us, the Bible says, with an everlasting love, and He will never leave you or forsake you.

The heaven and earth we know now will pass away and be no more. God’s original work of creation, the beauty that makes us marvel at God’s greatness and majesty will be gone in an instant, but redeemed men and women will be there in the new heaven and earth because we are the objects of His love. Christ didn’t come to buy back heaven and earth with His blood. He came to buy us back. Heaven and earth, though first in creation, were made to serve us, not the other way around.

  Look at your surroundings today and see all the marvelous things that God has made. After doing that, think of the one thing in the world you consider to be the most important in creation. At this moment and forever, The Everlasting God considers you to be of much greater importance than that one thing. He is great because of His unfailing love for us.

Scripture references

Genesis 1:1

Jeremiah 31:3

Hebrews 13:5

Revelation 21

He Is What We Need

So the people of Israel went out and gathered this food, some getting more, and some getting less. By gathering two quarts for each person, everyone had just enough. Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered only a little had enough. Each family had just what it needed.

After the nation of Israel had crossed the Red Sea into the wilderness they didn't have the same conveniences they were used to. They were confronted with the fact that they would not have all their physical needs met as they had in Egypt. In Egypt they had everything in the way of food and housing, they had no freedom. According to many of the Hebrews, food in the land of slavery was not an issue. Still, the king wanted to control how many sons you had, how much you worked and what you did for work, along with other worse things. It seemed that some saw the kings rules as a small sacrifice for eating onions and cucumbers.

The mind creates false memories of our past when we feel deprived of something we’re used to. I remember living in a foreign country and at times wondering if I would be better off at home with all of its comforts and conveniences. Israel’s dilemma was that the source for their sustenance had changed from the natural to the supernatural, and they refused to adjust to faith even though they had seen so many wonders that God did through Moses.

“It is hard to teach an old dog new tricks” they say, but Israel was no old dog. It was a new people with hope and a God who desired that they learn to rely on Him for their needs rather than crave the things of the past.

This transition from old to new can be hard for Christians. We come into this life with joy, being torn from the slavery that held us in chains to sin. And after the initial excitement is over we may ask, “What do I do now?” Often people do what Israel did when hard times come. Forgetting the pain of sin they look back, longing for things in their old life.  Paul says this, "but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead."

What we have to do is to be careful not to be led away with the error of the wicked, as were the children of Israel when they complained constantly to Moses about their situation. They looked back and said the slavery that they were freed from was better than their new lives. They refused to do what we must do, which is to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. That's when we begin to realize that when we find ourselves in a place of need we ask for God’s help.

Moses told Israel to go out of the camp in the morning and find food on top of the dew on the ground and to gather what was needed for yourself and your family. Later, those who gathered much had none left over, and those who gathered little had plenty.

That is how our heavenly Father takes care of us. The Bible says, My God shall supply all your need according to His riches and glory in Christ Jesus.”

Are you ready to trust Him in this new life of liberty? Don’t seek fulfillment the way you used to before you were made free men and women by the new birth. Going back to Egypt for a taste of the good life is a fool's errand. Stop fooling yourself, the onions and cucumbers were never that good! Look what your old life cost you. Remember the pain? Remember the resentment and anger and emptiness? Real contentment must come through trusting in God’s promise to lead us and feed us. "Be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you, I will never abandon you.” Hebrews 13:5

 Indeed, He is what we need.

Struck By Love

See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are!

  When I read this statement by the Apostle John, I imagine him jumping out of his seat with excitement.

  Man has always been the center piece of God’s creation, and we were made sinless. You would think that after the fall of Adam, God would place His affection elsewhere, but He didn't. Everything He did in history, He did for us. Even though we know that, we still lack the desire to do the right things and have good motivation. We tend to be selfish and unconcerned for anything outside of our sphere. It's understandable. Looking at our situation we might say, “Without me in the picture nothing else matters.” This is a true statement for the natural man. We are the center of our life. It’s hard to come to grips with how selfish we are because we tend to think and speak in euphemisms. We're trained to care for  others, even if we don’t all the time. We see images in media of children in faraway places that have needs, and to alleviate our guilt we may sign up to send monthly contributions. I don’t say it's all because of societal blame, but the message can seem to say, “You are self-indulgent and it’s your fault these kids are hungry.” We normally have no problem caring for our own families and friends. Why? Because they mean something to us personally. They are part of our self life. Again the arrow points back to the center of our concern, ourselves. It explains why God says, speaking through Jeremiah, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?"

  We also can have a hard time loving ourselves. We don’t think we deserve love because we remember the bad parts of our past. We think, "It’s only going to get worse." 
 Learning to love ourselves the way God does not only helps us, but it affects our families, our friends, and changes how we see the our neighbors in the world around us.

  John is expressing the love of God in his statement. He realizes, through divine revelation, that he has been adopted into the family of God and now is part of God’s sphere of concern. He's family. He's been struck by God's arrow of love.

  God loves people. His love, in fact, is demonstrated to us in that, while we were still sinners, God sent Jesus, His Son, to cleanse us from our sin through the shedding of his blood. The love John is experiencing is the love of a father towards his son. It's a love that wants to see us succeed. It’s a love that plans good for us while still allowing us to fall and fail and question why things don’t always go the way we hope.

  You are a child of God if you have believed in Jesus Christ as your Savior. Think of yourself that way. Your position now is that you are a son, a daughter of the Most High. Like John, get excited. Jump out of your chair. Skip down the street and shout praise to your heavenly Father. Then, love yourself just as you are, because that’s how God loves you.

"See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are!"

Scripture references

1 John 3:1

Jeremiah 17:9

Romans 5:8

1 John 3:1