CHANGING LIVES

Matt. 3:8  “Prove by the way you live that you have really turned from your sins and turned to God.”   NLT

      Repentance without a change of life is merely words spoken.  Actions do indeed speak louder than words.  Christ in us changes us.  He changes our desires from a wanting to sin to a not wanting to sin.  He changes our attitudes.  He changes our thought lives.  He changes our priorities in life.  He changes our goals for living.  There is nothing about us that is not affected by Christ in us.

      We all grow in faith at different paces.  Some are dramatically made new at the moment of salvation.  Others see a far more gradual change in their lives.  Still others the process of changing is very slow, but it is steady.  No matter how long it takes to change us, progress is made in a true believer’s heart.  I Cor. 1:30 tells us that Christ is our wisdom from God, our righteousness, and our holiness.  Therefore, we must be changing if we are living in Him.  We take on His nature of righteousness and holiness.  We put off the old self and take on Christ’s nature.  The old passes away and all things become new.

       Change should be evident to those who know us.  Christ makes a noticeable difference in us.  If others have to ask us if we are children of God, then something is wrong.  We cannot live in the presence of God without God being seen in us. 

      We never stop changing and becoming as long as we live.  There is a lot of work the Lord needs to do in all of us to make us holy.  No one will ever achieve perfect holiness on earth.  Sometimes the work He does in us is very deep and cannot be readily seen.  If nothing is happening in us then we need to let the Lord re-examine our hearts and let the Lord have His way in us.

       It is impossible to live in Christ without being constantly changed to become more like Christ.

LIVE WHAT YOU PROFESS

Matt. 3:8 “Prove by the way you live that you have really turned from your sins and turned to God.”  NLT

     Many people claim to be right with God.  It is not uncommon for people to identify themselves as being a Christian.  There are still churches being built and filled with people who identify themselves with Christ.

     Yet, evil continues to flourish.  Things are getting worse, not better.  It is not uncommon for all kinds of evil to be exposed.  Morality is scorned by a large part of society.  Theft is common and on the rise.  Daily murders make the headlines.  Divorce is on the rise both in and outside the Church.  Internal squabbles plague the Church.  Society is in a real mess, in spite of the claims of so many to be Christians.

      It’s not what we claim to be that matters; it’s who we really are that counts.  Our actions speak louder than our words.  If how we live doesn’t match with what we profess, we are not what we claim to be. 

      Living in Christ means that we have turned away from our sinful practices and are now living rightly with God.  We no longer act and react like we used to.  We no longer say things we used to say and in the way we used to say them.  We no longer think like we used to think.  We no longer are driven by the passions that used to drive us.  We no longer live for the things we used to live for.

      A true believer in Christ is changed by Christ to be a reflection of Christ in the world.  Prove that you are indeed a child of God by the way you live.

GOOD FROM BAD

Matt. 1:6 Jesse was the father of King David.  David was the father of Solomon (his mother was Bathsheba, the widow of Uriah). NLT

       I am so thankful today that God does not give up on us and that He brings good out of lives that are not so good. David messed up royal. He got caught up in his lust and it led to adultery and murder. He had it all, the blessings of God and the favor of man, yet it was not enough to keep him from sinning. He took his eyes off of God and let them fall on Bathsheba. What a mess he made of his life for a few fleeting moments of pleasure!

      Yet, God is merciful and patient. He did not give up on David. He spoke to his heart and convicted David of his sin. David confessed his sin before God and sincerely sought God's forgiveness. It was granted to him and God brought good out of the bad mess David had made of his life. David married Bathsheba and out of a relationship that began in adultery, a line of descendants came in which Jesus was born.

      No matter what you may have done, or perhaps are now doing, God can clean up your mess and bring good out of it. He loves you and wants to bless you. Blessings flow from confession. God will not bless you as long as you harbor sin in your life. Read David's prayer of confession in Psalm 51 and make it your own. You will be glad you did.

      God specializes in making good from the bad things we do when we confess our sins to Him with sincere hearts and let Him have control of us. 

CHEATING GOD

Mal. 3:8-10  “Should people cheat God?  Yet you have cheated me!”  But you ask, “What do you mean?  When did we cheat you?”  “You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me.  You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me.  Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple.  If you do,” says the LORD Almighty, “I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in!  Try it!  Let me prove it to you!”  NLT

       “Should people cheat God?”  Let us pause and reflect on this question.  How might we cheat God?  Malachi addresses the issue of tithes and offerings.  God, through Malachi, challenged His people to be faithful givers to Him.  He equated their disobedience in giving to their difficulties in life.   God promised to bless His children if they brought to Him their tithes and offerings.  There are other ways that we cheat God as well.

      When we fail to acknowledge God before man, we cheat Him.  When we fail to be a witness for the Lord we are depriving others of the opportunity to perhaps come to Him.  We are cheating the Lord of the opportunity to speak to a person’s needs.

      When we fail to give thanks and praise to the Lord, we are cheating Him of the glory He so richly deserves.  Others need to hear what God has done in our lives and our gratitude to Him for doing it. 

      When we fail to serve the Lord, we are cheating Him.  God gives us gifts and talents to use to reach others with the Gospel message.  He graciously blesses us to use us and when we don’t let Him use us, we are cheating Him of the glory He deserves.

      When we fail to spend time alone with Him, we are cheating Him of our fellowship.  The Lord longs for us to spend time alone with Him in His Word.  It is there that He speaks most often to us.  It is there that we learn how to live holy lives that please Him.  The Lord longs for us to spend time alone waiting before Him.  Prayer is a vital part of our fellowship with God and when we don’t pray, we are cheating Him of our fellowship.

       Can God accuse us of cheating Him?  Ask Him in what ways you have cheated Him.  Wait quietly for Him to answer.  Listen to what He is telling you and start now doing something about it.  Perhaps you are cheating God in other ways.  Let Him guide you.  God wants to bless you, but when you cheat Him, you are keeping Him from doing it.  Let Him have His way with you.

OUR UNCHANGING GOD

Mal. 3:6-7  “I am the LORD, and I do not change.  That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already completely destroyed.  Ever since the days of your ancestors, you have scorned my laws and failed to obey them.  Now return to me, and I will return to you,” says the LORD Almighty.  NLT

       “I am the Lord, and I do not change.”  God is the same as He always has been and always will be.  But, do we really believe it?  Think about it for a few moments.  There is so much confusion about God floating around in the church.  Many have come to the conclusion that what we once believed to be true no longer is.  Many have taken the liberty to redefine God’s words and given meaning to them that are totally different than what has been understood in the church for many centuries. 

       Many have taken the liberty to rewrite the Scriptures to suit their own agendas and opinions.  There is great effort put into changing things around so that what was once known to be sin is no longer sin.  Words and thoughts are put into God that were never revealed by God to be there.

        God has not changed His mind or His Word!  God has not rewritten His Word or given man permission to do so.  God has declared once and for all what is sin and what isn’t.  We have no right to question or try to change what is clearly declared to be sin in God’s Word.  Just because we may find it hard to conform to its teachings does not mean that we have permission to dismiss it and try something else.  The Word of God is absolute truth for all people for all time. 

        You will never find anything in the Word of God that is not true and applicable to life.  God’s standards for holy living, His warnings against sinning, and His promises are irrevocable and unchanging.  We will stand before Him and be judged on how we have lived according to His Word.  God will not be mocked by those who now seek to alter or disregard the Word.  We all will reap what we sow.  We choose daily whether or not we will go to heaven or hell by the way we live according to God’s Word.

       God is now as He has always been and always will be.  If He were not, we could not trust Him or His Word to be relevant to our living.  We must accept what He says about himself and His ways. 

        God is absolute perfection in all that is good.  He is sovereign over all life and we are held accountable to Him.  Like it or not, we will stand before Him and be held responsible for how we have lived.  By our living we determine whether we will spend eternity in heaven or hell.  We dare not take this sobering truth lightly.  Is your heart right with God today?

HATED DIVORCE

Malachi 2:15,16  Didn’t the LORD make you one with your wife?  In body and spirit you are his.  And what does he want?  Godly children from your union.  So guard yourself; remain loyal to the wife of your youth.  “For I hate divorce!” says the LORD, the God of Israel.  “It is as cruel as putting on a victim’s bloodstained coat,” says the LORD Almighty.  “So guard yourself; always remain loyal to your wife.”  NLT

       I do not claim to have perfect understanding on the issue of divorce.  I know what God says about it; He hates it.  Jesus declared that divorce exists because of the hardness of the soul towards God.  He gave very limited permissible causes for divorce.  The Apostle Paul also makes it clear that divorce is not God’s desired outcome for marriage.  Knowing how strong God speaks out against it ought to cause us to take note and consider our stand on it.

       I understand that there are situations in which divorce is the only solution to a marriage that has gone horribly bad.  Sometimes it is essential for the safety of a victimized spouse.  Sometimes one is left with absolutely no other option.  What concerns me is all the other reasons why people divorce one another.  It is so prevalent in the church today that you would be hard pressed to find a church fellowship where it has not happened.

       Divorce should only happen when it is obvious there are absolutely no other options for a couple.  It should never be seen as a way out of a marriage that one does not want to work on anymore.  Just to give up on a spouse because you have drifted apart from a lack of working together to make the marriage work, is not a justifiable reason to divorce one’s spouse.  Most issues in marriage can be worked out if a couple sincerely tries to work them out.  For most couples today, divorce is nothing more than a testimony to their failure to even try to make their marriage work. 

       Divorce in the church is not a good thing.  We ought to cringe and be ashamed by how readily we give up on our marriages.  Instead, we accept it as normal and often condone it.  We do not think much about not installing divorced people in positions of leadership in the church.  It scarcely has a stigma anymore.  But, if God hates it, shouldn’t we take it a lot more seriously than we do?  How can we be a godly example to others when we fall flat on our faces so miserably in this area?  It is time we take seriously the vows we make to each other in the presence of God and man and try much harder to make our marriages work, either that or change our vows.  It is a very serious matter to make a vow before God and not keep it.

THE REST OF THE STORY

 

John 1:1, 14  In the beginning the Word already existed.  He was with God, and he was God.  So the Word became human and lived here on earth among us.  He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness.  And we have seen his glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father.

     Jesus is eternally God.  He existed before anything came into being.  Scripture goes on to tell us that He is the creator of all things.  He not only is eternal, He is God.  Jesus came to earth as a man, yet He was God.  Why would He do such a thing?  Love.  In spite of how far away from God man had drifted, God still loved us and longed for fellowship with us.  The only way that it could happen was for there to be a way for sin to be forgiven and removed from the soul of man. 

      God created all living creatures with blood and blood was the life was in the blood.  Without blood there could be no life.  God instructed His people on how to temporarily rid themselves of their guilt and shame from their sins, blood sacrifices had to be made.  The life of animals was given so that man could find a way to have their sins covered and be spared the wrath of God.  The sacrifices were temporary fixes to an eternal problem. 

       God instituted the sacrificial system until the fullness of time had come, until Jesus would enter the human race.  The only way that Jesus could possibly die was as a human and the only way man could grasp God’s plan of salvation was for Him to become man.  Jesus, the Word, became man.  He came and showed us in a way we could understand, who God is and what He is really like.

      When we focus on Jesus, we see God our Father.  Jesus is God in the flesh.  He came so that we can have eternal life, eternal fellowship with God.  He came to make it possible for our sins to not be covered up by His shed blood, but to be washed away from God’s sight forever.  He came to be our righteousness, our holiness from God.  He came to prepare us for heaven.  He came and He is coming again, not to be our Savior, but to be our eternal Lord.  He is coming again to take all of His children home to heaven to be with Him.  Are you ready for His coming?

       The rest of the story is this:  Jesus came to be our way, truth and life.  He came to bring us together with God who loves us so much that He did what only He could do—provide a way for our salvation.  He came to give us life, and to give it more abundantly.  “Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace and goodwill to man.”

THE STORY OF CHRISTMAS

John 3:16  For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
     The story of Christmas is the story of God’s love.  It is God loving us so much that He willing gave of himself to be our Savior.  It is God saying yes to us and no to himself.  If God had wanted to, He could have stayed in heaven and kept us in bondage to His law.  He could have made it virtually impossible for us to be saved.  But, He did not choose to act that way towards us.  God gave us His Son to be our Savior.
     God knew what Jesus would face on earth.  He knew the heartaches and sufferings He would go through.  He knew that most would reject Him while He was on earth and even do so to this day.  He knew that the world has no place for Him in their hearts.  Just as there was no room for Him in Bethlehem’s inn, there is scarcely any room found for Him in the human soul.  Yet, because He loves us He came anyhow.  He came to give life to all who would receive Him.  He came to give mankind a way to get to heaven when they die.
     There is no greater gift to give than one’s self to another, and that is exactly what God did.  He gave us His all that whosoever will may come and find forgiveness for their sins.  Christmas is God coming down from heaven to be with us and to save us from our sins.  Christmas is HIStory.  It is the story of God’s love and it is the grandest story ever told.
On this Christmas Day, let our hearts not be on what’s under our trees or on our dinner tables.  Let our hearts be on Jesus, the Word of God in the flesh, our Savior and Lord.

THE SHEPHERDS' WITNESS

Luke 2:17,18a  Then the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child.  All who heard their story were astonished…

     The shepherds had just been a part of the greatest event in all of history—the Messiah had come to earth!  They had seen angels in the sky announcing it and had gone to the manger and seen it.  The long, awaited event had finally happened and God allowed them to be eyewitnesses of it.  As you might imagine, their lives were forever changed. 

      What did they do?  They went out and told whoever would listen what they had heard and seen.  They could not be silent.  God had intervened in their lives in such a profound way that they just had to share the good news with everyone.  There was no lack of people to share their story with.  Bethlehem was full to overflowing with people who had come to be registered for the census, a people who desperately needed the Lord.

      Have you ever told anyone about what the Lord has done for you?  If not, why not?  How can you not want to share your story of God’s touch with others?  Don’t you see the masses around you?  Don’t you know that they desperately need the Lord? 

       Those who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished by what they heard.  It was the most amazing news they had ever heard.  There are people everywhere around you who will be likewise astonished if you were to tell them.  There are people who are ready to hear what the Lord has done for you, a people who just like you, will never be the same once they hear the good news of what the Lord has done for you.

        The shepherds were forever changed, yet much remained the same.  They returned to their flocks and resumed what they had always done, shepherded their sheep.  God uses us where we are at if we will but let Him use our mouths and lives to witness for Him.

THE SHEPHERDS' VISIT

Luke 2:15-16  When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Come on, let’s go to Bethlehem!  Let’s see this wonderful thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.  They ran to the village and found Mary and Joseph.  And there was the baby, lying in a manger. 

      Have you ever had a visit from God?  Have you spoken to His angels or have they spoken to you?  The Scriptures tell us of different times when God sent an angel to people to tell them of something that was about to happen through them or someone else.  I have not had such an experience personally, but I can only imagine how much a life-changing event that would be.

      The shepherds did not dismiss the angels’ visit with them as being a dream or something they had imagined, even though that would seem to be the logical reaction to what they had just witnessed and heard.  After all, heaven had been silent for over 400 years.  They were shepherds, not someone important like maybe a priest would be.  They did not doubt this was a message from God himself, that the Christ child had just been born. 

      They wasted no time and went into the village in search of this special child, the promised Messiah, Savior of the world.  They had to see firsthand this baby boy.  We are not told, but I don’t think it took them long to find the Lord and his parents.  They came to pay Christ respect and worship Him.

      Jesus is not hard to find.  Anyone who is sincerely looking for Him will find Him.  He had never, and never will, hide from anyone. 

      Are you looking for Jesus in the midst of your busyness?  Are you more focused on your preparations for Christmas than you are the Christ of Christmas?  Are you taking time out of your hectic life to enter into His presence and worship Him?  Is Jesus your main focus for Christmas or is He low on your priority list?

THE SHEPHERDS' VISION

Luke 2:8-15  That night some shepherds were in the fields outside the village, guarding their flocks of sheep.  Suddenly, and angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them.  They were terribly frightened, but the angel reassured them, “Don’t be afraid!”  he said.  “I bring you good news of great joy for everyone!  The Savior---yes, the Messiah, the Lord---has been born tonight in Bethlehem, the city of David!  And this is how you will recognize him:  You will find a baby lying in a manger, wrapped snugly in strips of cloth!”  Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others---the armies of heaven---praising God: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to all whom God favors.”  When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Come on, let’s go to Bethlehem!  Let's see this wonderful thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
     There are a lot of things we can observe from this miraculous night of our Savior’s birth.  The night started out like any other night; the shepherds were watching over their sheep, protecting them from any potential predators and from wandering away.  They were not expecting anything unusual in the night; they were simply occupying.  The Lord often shows up in our lives when we are just doing what we normally do, living out our lives humbly before Him.
     When the angel from heaven appeared in the night sky, the shepherds were terrified.  Who can blame them?  Many times when the Lord speaks, we become frightened.  We don’t know what is coming next.
     The message that the angel brought to the shepherds was good news, great news, generous news and grand news.  Jesus, the promised Messiah, had come!  It was news of great joy for everyone.  It was the best news that man had ever heard.  It was news for all the ages; Christ the Savior was born!  They were told where to find Him and how they would find Him.
     It that was not enough to forever change the shepherds’ lives, the angel was joined by the angelic choir singing the praises of our Immanuel, Jesus our Lord.  The shepherds were left speechless.  Who could blame them?  They hurriedly left and went into town to find the Christ child.  When they found Him, they went and told everybody they could what had happened and who they found.  I wonder, how often we get so excited by what the Lord says to us that we just are compelled to go and tell others about it?
     I am intrigued by this part of the Christmas story.  Were the shepherds the only ones who say the angel, the angelic host, or heard their message?  Scripture says that the glory of God filled the sky.  I would think that everyone for miles around would have seen the sight, but we are not told that they did.  And if they did, why aren’t we told that a great crowd of people filled the streets of Bethlehem in search of the Christ child?  You would think that this was an event that would have forever changed all who were in town that night.
Yet, we are told that later on Herod and the religious leaders in the land did not know Jesus had been born.  When the magi showed up two years later, they were caught off guard and had to inquire about it.
     Let us be very careful that we don’t miss the wondrous signs the Lord gives us.  Just like signs preceded His first coming, there are many signs given that are preceding His second coming.  God is giving us plenty of signs to prepare us for His coming.  Are you paying attention?  Are you ready?  Jesus will come again like a thief in the night; no one knows when, but I believe it will be very soon.  Don’t be like those in Jesus’ day who missed the signs announcing His birth.  Live each day in readiness and you won’t be left behind.

GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST

Luke 2:14  Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to all whom God favors.”
     Glory to God in the highest—for the fullness of time had come.  It was the perfect time, God’s time, for Jesus to come.  God had prepared all history for this moment.  Everything on earth was ready for a Savior.  Those born under the Law were ready to be set free.  Publically God’s children were anxiously waiting for the promised Messiah.
     Glory to God in the highest—for the favor of God rests with men.  Think about it.  God has favored man with His presence!  We are not alone in our spiritual battles.  We no longer have to wonder where God is.  God favors those who are His.  He favors us with His Spirit.  He favors us with spiritually-minded hearts that enable us to understand the Word and gives us a desire for Him.  He favors us with the church, where we can grow and become a holy people unto the Lord.  He favors us with all we need to withstand the stormy times of life.  He favors us with life that is worth living and dying for.
     Glory to God in the highest—for the future of man is with God.  God gives us a reason to live and a reason to die.  He gives us a life worth living for, a life filled with God’s peace, joy, contentment, love, and power.  He gives us a life that satisfies the soul, both now and forever.  He gives us eternal life, a life where there is no more sorrow, pain, confusion, doubts, fears, or death.
     Glory to God in the highest—there is now peace in the heart of man of all those who will receive Him as their Savior.  This is a peace that holds the soul steady through all the storms of life.  It is a peace rooted in God’s grace.  It is a peace knowing our sins are forgiven and there is now no more condemnation for our sins.  It is a peace that causes the soul to sing, “It is well, it is well, with my soul.”
     Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to all whom God favors.”

JOSEPH'S DECISION

Matthew 1:24-25 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord commanded.  He brought Mary home to be his wife, but she remained a virgin until her son was born.  And Joseph named him Jesus.

      Joseph had a choice, he could either do what the angel had commanded for him to do, or he could have gone through with his initial plans to divorce Mary quietly.  He could either obey God, or take the easy road and do what was expected of him. We always have a choice to either obey God or take the easy way out and do what seems right in our own eyes or what others think is right.

      Remember; this was a decision that would not be popular.  People who knew them would not know what they knew.  The perceived thing to do was to either stone Mary to death or to somehow make her go away.  People would talk and they would come down hard on Joseph, and especially Mary.  Neither one would find being in public a good experience.

     Joseph obeyed God and took Mary home to be his wife.  Here was a very young, pregnant woman.  She would require a lot of understanding, patience, and loving care.  She would need a lot of support and attention.  She would need Joseph to stand by her side every day and help her through this pregnancy.  Joseph was up to the task because of His love for her and his love for God.

     We aren’t told, but I would imagine that Joseph and Mary spent a lot of hours talking about this very special son she was carrying in her womb.  Joseph was supposed to be the spiritual go to person for Mary and yet, he didn’t know any more about what was going to happen for them than she did.  They had to totally trust the Lord and not lean on their own understanding.  They had to live submissively to Him and let His will be done through them.

      We too, need to totally trust the Lord in all things and lean not on our own understanding.  We need to live submissively to Him and let His will be done in and through our lives.  When we do, things always work out for our good and His glory.

JOSEPH'S DREAM

Matthew 1:20-23 And as he considered this, he fell asleep and an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream.  “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to go ahead with your marriage to Mary.  For the child within her has been conceived by the Holy Spirit.  And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”  All of this happened to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and he will be called Immanuel (meaning, God is with us.)”

     Joseph was deeply troubled over what to do with Mary, his fiancé.  He loved her dearly and did not want any harm to come to her because of her pregnancy.  He didn’t understand how she could do such a thing, but that really didn’t matter.  While weighing things out in his mind, he fell asleep.  Maybe you can identify.  Maybe you have fallen asleep trying to figure things out.  If you have, chances are that you did not sleep too well.

     God send an angel to Joseph while he was dreaming with a life-changing message.  Mary was pregnant alright, there was no mistaking it.  But, she was not pregnant because she had been unfaithful to Joseph, she was pregnant because the Holy Spirit had made it happen!  Now, trying to figure out the details would have to come later, but for now, the only message he had to hear was that God was at work in Mary’s life and it was good for him to go ahead and marry her.  Mary was bearing in her womb a son, but not just any son, He was the Jesus, the promised Messiah, our Immanuel! 

      I would suspect that when he woke up Joseph had a lot more questions than he had answers for.  Was it really an angel that spoke to him or was he just imaging it in a dream?  After all, we all dream about many things that make no sense at all when we wake up.  Who was the Holy Spirit?  Was he really going to have a son?  What did the angel mean when he said He would be the promised Messiah, our Immanuel?  Why would God enter into the world through Mary instead of someone else?  Why would God chose him and Mary to be the parents of the Christ-child? 

     Just like Joseph, we often have a lot of questions that we don’t have answers for.  Sometimes we never do find answers that we think we need.  We often do not know why does what He does.  We don’t know why the Lord chooses us for a particular task.  We don’t know why things happen the way they do in our lives.  Yet, we are reminded of Isaiah’s declaration that God’s ways are different than our ways, His thoughts are higher than our thoughts.  Instead of always having to figure things out, we need to trust the Lord.  We need to by faith go along with God’s plans.  We need to not question the Lord, instead we need to trust Him and let Him has His way with us.  We may not be a part of God’s plan to change the world, but perhaps we are a part of His plan to change a life for Him for all of eternity.  Let the Lord have His way with you.

JOSEPH'S DILEMNA

Matt. 1:18-19 Now this is how Jesus the Messiah was born.  His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph.  But while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Joseph, being a just man, decided to break the engagement quietly, so as not to disgrace her publicly.

     In the Jewish culture being pregnant out of wedlock was a very grave matter, worthy of being stoned to death.  There was no mercy shown to those who would commit such moral sin.  It was written in God’s law that such people would be unfit to live since they had blatantly disobeyed God’s law and shamed their parents.

     Mary was a young teen-ager around thirteen or fourteen years old.  Joseph was probably a young man in his twenties.  It was normal for girls to get engaged young at that time.  An engagement was a legal binding agreement to marry; it was deemed to be a lifetime commitment to one’s finance’.  An engagement, though legal, did not allow the couple to consummate their relationship until after their wedding ceremony.  The only way to break an engagement was through a divorce, or in the worst case scenario, a stoning due to immoral behavior.

     Joseph was a man of integrity.  He loved Mary and did not want to see her stoned to death.  He was just and could have demanded it, but his love would not let him.  He did not know at this time how she could have done such a thing to him, but he wanted to treat her with love and grace.  He could not continue on with the engagement so he sought a way to divorce her without having her stoned to death. 

       We can learn a lot from Joseph.  He was quick to offer grace instead of judgment.  He loved Mary and wanted to spare her life and even public disgrace if he could.  How often do we think before we act?  How often do we ponder how to act graciously towards those who wrong us?  How often do we try not to publicly shame those who do us wrong?  Think about it, shouldn’t we all be more like Joseph?  Shouldn’t we all be quick to offer grace instead of condemnation?  How can we claim to love the Lord and act like we don’t? 

     Let us strive to a people of integrity and be gracious to those who may wrong us.  Our acts of kindness may very well make the difference between them embracing our Lord or turning away from Him.

FOLLOWING THE STAR

Matt. 2:9-10  After this interview the wise men went their way.  Once again the star appeared to them, guiding them to Bethlehem.  It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was.

     The magi, or wise men, were from an eastern land, probably Persia.  Scripture leads us to believe they were probably astrologers.  They were knowledgeable men who studied the stars and were able to recognize the various things they saw.  In verses one and two we are told that they had seen an unusual star in the sky that they knew was from God to lead them to the King of the Jews, the promised Messiah. 

     These men were not ignorant of the Scriptures.  We can only speculate, but probably their knowledge of the Scriptures goes back to the time of Daniel, who was an exiled Israelite relocated in Babylon.  Daniel rose to a position of great prominence in Babylon and had a great influence in the land for the Lord.  He lived and taught the Scriptures all throughout his life in captivity.  In all likelihood, Daniel’s teachings were passed down from generation to generation.  We never know what kind of an impact we will have on future generations.  If we are faithful to live godly lives, we can influence many, many people we will never know for Christ.

     There are a couple of interesting questions that jump out at me.  Did anyone else besides the magi see the star?  If so, did anyone else in Persia understand what they were seeing?  Did Herod, the reigning emperor, see the star?  If he did, Scripture seems to lead us to believe he had no idea what he was seeing?  Did anyone else in the region see the star?  Why didn’t others follow the star?  You would think that a star that stopped over a particular house would have grabbed a lot of people’s attention.

     This amazing event happened at least two years after Jesus had been born.  Mary and Joseph had settled into a home.  By then, they had adjusted to the life of early parenthood.  They had had time to deal with the uniqueness of their situation, being the parents of the Christ child.  I kind of wonder as well whether or not Joseph or Mary had gone outside and seen the star hovering over their home.  All kind of things were going on in their lives that simply are not recorded in the Scriptures.

     It took the magi at least two years to make the journey to Bethlehem, two years of crossing the desert to think about what they were going to see.  I am sure that it was a journey filled with much discussion and contemplation.  Although they did not know where the star would end up leading them, they followed the star, knowing that it was from God.  They did not let circumstances keep them from their determination to follow where the Lord was leading them.  I wonder how many of us are just as determined to follow the Lord wherever He leads us.

     The magi followed the star and God did not disappoint them.  They found Christ and worshiped Him.  All who seek Christ will find Him. 

JESUS OUR PRINCE OF PEACE

Is. 9:6-7  For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. And the government will rest on his shoulders. These will be his royal titles: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

     Jesus is our Prince of Peace.  A prince is someone in a position of authority and responsibility.  He has certain rights that no one else has.  He takes his responsibility as representative of the people he represents seriously.  A prince endeavors to be a person of good character so that those he represents will trust and follow him.  Jesus is the ultimate prince of life.  There is no flaw in His character, ability to lead, motives for leading, or ability to do good for others.

     Jesus is our Prince of Peace amidst the stormy times of life.  There is no storm that He cannot calm.  There is no obstacle too big for Him to overcome.  He calmly faces the angry storms of life and says, “Peace be still.”  No storm can continue to rage when He takes control of it.  In Christ we discover that no matter what the stormy season of our lives may be like, we can overcome them through Him.  His presence reassures us that our storms do not determine or define our lives.  We can face positively our storms knowing we do not face them alone.  He is our Immanuel and does for us what we cannot do on our own.  Things may continue to be stormy for a season, but we know that the storms do pass and on the other side of every storm there is calm, sunshine, and peace.  We praise Him in the midst of the storm because we know that the victory is ours in Christ Jesus.  No storm can take us away from our Lord when we let Him hold our hand in the storm.

      Jesus gives to us a peace that the world can never give.  In the world there is turmoil everywhere.  No matter what others may promise us, there can be no peace in the world.  The world is governed by evil and will be until Jesus comes.  Looking into the world for peace is utter foolishness and forever futile.  The only peace that steadies the soul and enables us to handle life victoriously is the peace that Jesus gives when our sins are forgiven.  If there is no peace in the soul, there can be no peace in the world.  The promise of our Lord is His peace, a peace that no one can understand except those whose sins have been forgiven. 

     Jesus leads His children into the green pastures and sets them down by the still waters where they are safe and secure and can feast on the riches of His grace.  Only in Jesus will you ever find peace.  Only in Jesus can you truly say, “It is well; it is well with my soul.” 

     “Thank you, Jesus, for giving us a peace that the world cannot take away, a peace that passes all human understanding.  Thank you, God, for your indescribable gift of love, Jesus, our Prince of Peace.”

JESUS OUR EVERLASTING FATHER

Is. 9:6-7  For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. And the government will rest on his shoulders. These will be his royal titles: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

     Jesus is our Everlasting Father.  He has always been, is now, and forever shall be.  He is one with God, our Heavenly Father.  He is one with God in life.  He is one with God in His eternal plan of redemption.  He is one with God in judgment of sin.  There is nothing that Jesus and God are not the same on.  He is God.

      He is always dependable to be who He is.  He is the same eternally.  Before anything other than God existed, He was.  It is impossible for Jesus to fail to be who He is.  It is impossible for Him to not do what He promises to do.  He forgives all who come to Him humbly and sincerely for the forgiveness of their sins.  Everyone.  He forgives all the sins we give to Him.  He wraps all His children up in His righteousness so that they are acceptable to God.  He keeps all of His children securely in His righteousness who stay yielded and obedient to Him.  He is the Alpha and Omega of our salvation.  Praise His holy name!

      He is unfailing and forever faithful, watching over us to protect us and help us.  Because He is God we never have to worry about His dependability.  We never have to worry about His availability.  We never have to worry about His love for us or His desires for us.  His heart for us is always for our good.  No matter what we go through in life, Jesus wants us to learn and grow through it for our good.  His desire for us is always for our holiness of heart, for without holiness no one shall see God.  What He does within us to change us is always for our good.  Praise His holy name!

      Jesus is our Everlasting Father.  Some day we shall see Him on His throne in heaven and bow before Him in worship if we remain faithful to Him.  Some day He will place a crown of righteousness on our heads and declare us good and faithful servants who are worthy to be with Him for all of eternity.  Some day we will behold Him in all His splendor and glory and join in the heavenly choir singing forth His praises.  Praise His holy name!  Jesus, our Everlasting Father!

JESUS OUR MIGHTY GOD

Is. 9:6-7  For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. And the government will rest on his shoulders. These will be his royal titles: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

 

     Jesus is our Mighty God.  So much has been written and said about our Lord’s might.  The Scriptures are very clear as to how great our God is.  He has created all things by the mere utterance of His word.  He holds it all together by the same power of His word.  He holds the keys to heaven and hell.  He has the power to forgive all of our sins or condemn us to hell.  He has the power to create a new heaven and earth and He will do that someday.  There is no limit to His power.

 

     He has the power to heal all of our diseases.  He has the power to forgive all our sins and not only to forgive, but to forget that we had ever sinned.  He has the power to change who we are into a holy people, a people after His own heart.  He has the power to keep us safe from the worst of whatever Satan can throw at us.  He has the power to bring all the redeemed together to be with Him for all of eternity. 

 

     He is our Mighty God.  Don’t shortchange the power of God in you.  He is able to do immeasurably more than whatever you can ever imagine.  He can help you with whatever you are facing in life.  He can save you, keep you, and enable you to make it home to heaven.  There is nothing that God cannot do for you if you will but let Him.  You don’t have to live life in defeat.  Jesus came to give us life and to give it more abundantly.  Are you living life to the fullest?  Are you living connected to our Mighty God? 

JESUS OVER ALL

Is. 9:6-7  For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. And the government will rest on his shoulders. These will be his royal titles: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

     And the government will rest on His shoulders.  One of the things that we must know is that Christ rules.  He rules over all of creation and holds it all together (Col. 1:15-23).  John tells us in his Gospel account that all things were made by Him and for Him (John 1:3).  God has placed Jesus in a position of authority over all things.  It is He alone who governs creation.

     We know it to be true, but I suspect in practice we scarcely know it is true.  We live like we are in charge.  We do what we do with little regard for how it fits into God’s plans for us.  We live barely taking time to acknowledge that Jesus is Lord over all.  We don’t give Him much of our time or attention most of the time.  Be honest.  Isn’t it true?  Think about how often you really do act like Jesus is Lord over all.

     If Jesus is Lord, then He should be calling the shots in our lives.  He should be consulted in our decisions.  He should be influencing what we say and do.  He should be the focus of our lives.  We should do what we do to honor Him.  He should be the center of our lives, not ourselves or anyone else. 

     If Jesus is Lord, then He should be calling the shots in the church.  He should be consulted in whatever the church does.  Programs and activities of the church should be done with Jesus in mind.  All teachings and preaching should be Christ-focused and centered.  All fellowships should be to strengthen the mutual bond of the church in Christ.  The mandate of the church should be to honor Christ by making disciples and sending them out to reach the lost.  Doing church should be from the heart of love, not duty.  All worship should direct the soul to Christ.  Submission to the authority of God’s Word should be the heart of the church.

     God has placed all authority over creation and the church upon Christ.  We bow down before Him like the wise men of old because He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  The government of all things is upon Him.  O come, let us adore and worship our Lord today.