New Calendars

       I have my supply of calendars for the new year.  Many charitable organizations seem to flood your mailbox each year with new calendars and pictures of puppies, kittens, exotic animals, nature scenes and items from years past.  We usually try to find somewhere to give them away.  I have the calendar that I am going to use for the next year and gives me plenty of space to write down all of my doctor's appointments.  I don't write every detail in the little box for the date, but only that which is important.  Some things are just understood, like getting up, eating meals, and whatever else happens during my day.  There are some very important items however, that are not written down.  they become those things that have first priority in my life.  At least I like to think of them as having first priority.  Matthew 6:33-34 says, " But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.   Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."  
     We should ask ourselves the question, "Just what is important in my life?"   I usually reply by saying that Scripture and prayer are the things that are the most important for me.  I sometimes attribute that thought to my age.  Is heaven the only thing that old people think about?   I used to think that youth was wasted on the young.  God, heaven and living the Christian life are not just for "seniors."  It's for everyone.  Young families need to be putting God first in their lives in all areas.  The Biblical standards for men, women, boys and girls, husbands, wives, employers and employees should be the most important thing in all of their lives.  Is an appointment with God any less important than an appointment with your cardiologist?  Is time spent with God any less important than time at a bank to remortgage your house?  At first, we would reply, "Sure, time with God is extremely important to all of us."  Then, why don't we spend more time with Him?  Why are we not reading His Word?  Why are we not spending time in prayer?   Well, maybe it is because we think God is far away and not involved in our lives.  He is, however, very much involved in our lives.  The above passage reminds us that we should be putting God first in every detail of our lives.  So, what's important to you?  Praise God today that He is just a prayer away.

Snowstorms, Milk and God's Grace

       Everyone has their own opinion on what is enough for them.  Economically, most people want more and more which seems to be a characteristic of our society.  We don't seem to be satisfied with what we have but always desire to keep getting more and more as if we are not going to be able to get it anymore.  It was very difficult to purchase peanut butter in Spain.  Then, we came to a store that had six small jars of peanut butter.  At first, I wanted to purchase all six of them at once.  I then decided to purchase just one jar.  In the coming months, I still purchased all six jars as no one else seemed to want it.    Snowstorms in our day don't last too long.  The snow storm  tells us that we need to stock up on three things:  milk, bread and toilet paper.  They may lock some of us in for a few hours but we soon find a way to get out and then to get to the store.  However, when the warning comes of an impending storm, people will flock to the store to purchase those necessary "supplies" to last them through the storm as if it was going to last for several weeks.  When it comes to God's grace,  God doesn't stack up a supply of grace for us that is going to be over the need that we will have.  We often pray for more grace but God has already supplied what we are going to get.  Second Corinthians 12:9 says, "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."  
     This verse states that God's grace is sufficient.  It isn't too much nor is it too little.  It is sufficient.  That means that it is going to meet every need that we have.  It is going to be enough to get us through grief, pain, suffering,loneliness, worry and whatever emotion we might be having at the time.  It will always be there and we will always be able to look back and see just how God's grace met our need yesterday and all the days before that.  Therefore, will God's grace be sufficient for today's problems and for tomorrow's disasters?  Naturally, we can say, Yes, it will always be sufficient and it will always be there.   We could say that God's grace got us through yesterday and it will get us through today also.   Praise God today for His grace in your lives.

New Year's Eve Traditions

        New year's Eve probably has many different traditions for many different people.  We lived in the country about 2 1/2 miles from town.  We would stay up until midnight.  Once the final minute arrived, we would take the 12 gauge shotgun out and fire a round just to make a lot of noise.  The cornfield probably has a few pellets from the many shells that were fired over the years.  People have different traditions if you want to call them that. Jeremiah 33:3 says, "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." 
      As you can tell by the traditions of my family, we were not doing anything close to being spiritual.  There were times however in some years where we would go to church for a special New Year's Eve celebration.  The night would have a Christian film, a lot of snacks and around 11:30 PM, we would gather for prayer.  Our intentions were to be in prayer as the new year arrived.  Other times, we might even have communion.  The arrival of January 1st would begin a new year and even a new year of goals.  Jeremiah here reminds us that we do need to "call upon the LORD."  He will show us great and mighty things we don't know anything about.  Your hearing and your vision are all affected by your mortal body which the older you get, the weaker it becomes.  The Bible gives us a glimpse of future things.  It whets our appetite so to speak, of things to come.  We look up at the universe from the hills of earth and see tiny lights in the sky.  The telescopes of today that roam about in space, however, give us pictures of scenes that cannot imagine exist.  Pictures of this earth would be fantastic but just imagine the pictures of heaven!  Perhaps, as you crawl into bed after having fired the shotgun or watching the ball drop, you might also say a prayer to God and ask Him to show you some of those great and mighty things.  It would be a great way to start the new year.  I am again reminded about Scripture and Prayer to conform us to the image of God.  May we all spend more time with the Creator both through the reading of His Word and in those times of prayer.  Praise God today that He speaks to us and does show us great and mighty things.

Chipping Away

     Do you have any unfinished projects around your house?  My wife and I have moved a lot.  Every now and then I meet people who have lived in a certain city or town all of their lives.  That was not the case in our lives.  When you think of the Navy, A. T. and T and finally, the ministry, we moved a lot of times.  I painted a lot of houses on the inside.  Sometimes, I just plain got tired of painting room after room, house after house.  The house in Mineral Wells, West Virginia never got painted on the inside.  To me, it looked good enough.  I may have had intentions of painting it but just gave up on it.  You could say that it was an unfinished item in my life.  I have a few here and there.  Philippians 1:6 says, "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:"
     The Christian life is often compared to a construction project.  God is actively chipping away everything in our life that does not look like Christ.  The above verse of Scripture is one that tells us that God won't give up on the project, no matter how hard or impossible it seems to be.  Our Christian life begins when we receive Christ as our Savior and Lord but we have a long way to go.  That then, is the building process that is taking place each day of our lives.  Oh, we will never arrive at perfection, but we are headed in that direction.  God just keeps working on us and some of the chipping in our lives doesn't feel too good, but it is necessary.   God never comes to a point in our lives and declare us to be impossible.   He is not finished with the project.  You could say that He has put some orange barrels around your life and that you have been declared to be a construction zone.   The exciting thing for me in this passage is the place where it says that He will complete the work.  Of course, when that happens, you will be in glory.  So, be patient today and in the days to come as God continues to chip away at your life.  You might say, He chips away because big chunks would be too painful for you to bear.  I am reminded about a phrase that was the purpose statement of a church which simply said, "Scripture and Prayer to conform us to the image of Christ.  Praise God that He is not finished with us yet.

Providence

        Some things in life just seem hard to understand or even hard to explain.  We might say that things happen or that there are coincidences that take place and we often are at a loss as to how to explain them.  In 1959, my course was set with the United States Navy and I was headed to Guided Missile School in Norman, Oklahoma.  My counselor at the recruiting office said I could go there or anywhere else I wanted almost because I knew which end of the hammer to use to drive a nail into a piece of wood.  So, I set out with that objective.  I would be changing from a music career to a career in guided missiles for the Navy.  Well, things changed.  The band marched by one day and i auditioned for the band thinking to just play in the boot camp band.  The audition was successful but the result was more than the boot camp band.  I was now headed for Washington, D.C. and the School of Music.  For some unknown reason to me, I was now headed in the opposite direction.  I have been reminded most recently of the affects of that decision.  My life would have been quite different had I gone to Norman, Oklahoma.   Proverbs 3:5-6 says, " Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." 
      At the time of my decision, I was not the person to whom could be said, he or she was following the LORD's direction.  Nevertheless, God was already working in my life just as He is or has been working in your lives.  Looking back, I can say that I did not understand God's leading nor direction so many years ago.  I was almost just "going with the flow."  Once you get into God's flow, you better just hang on because He is going to lead you in ways you didn't think possible.  I like especially the last part of the passage where God says, "...He shall direct thy paths."  He does that in a great and mighty way and the things that take place are amazing to think about.  In fact, it makes you realize that there is more to come.  He is not finished with us yet.  The pages of all of our lives are still being written and none of them are the same.  We are all different, going in different ways, having different friends, having more or less tears or laughter.  God simply reminds us to Trust Him with all of our hearts and forget about your own ideas or understanding because He is going to lead you into great and mighty things.  Praise God today for His working in your life.

Where Are The Wise Men?

     We often want to be a part of some big event.  I had my spot in many a cordon where the military would stand at attention waiting for the passing of some high ranking foreign dignitary.  We were to keep looking straight ahead as the motorcade would pass by.  During my first assignments, I would want to just get a glimpse of that dignitary.  Soon, the motorcade would come into view and we would all be standing in a row as he or she would pass by.  Matthew 2:1 says, "Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,"  
      The Wise Men of old had another purpose in mind as they had set out to see what had taken place.   We think we know why they had the information that the did about the birth of a king and we think we know where they came from due to their connection with the prophet Daniel years before.  Matthew records the event which probably took a couple of years to come about.  The young Jesus was not in a manger when they arrived.  After questioning where this event was taking place the finally come to the right spot and pay homage to the Lord Jesus Christ with three gifts, gold, frankincense and myrrh.  The words used indicate that they were "magi" or "wise men"  We, in our period of time, have latched on the word "wise" and made it a part of our culture.  We sometimes say that "Wise men still seek Him."  We use the phrase indicating that if a person has wisdom, then he or she is going to be looking for the Lord Jesus Christ.  Most unbelievers are  not looking for anything remotely resembling  anything that is spiritual.  Oh, we might stand in line to see a rock star, a person from Hollywood or a famous football player, but we wouldn't stand in line to see anyone religious.  We wouldn't stand in line to see them because we have no idea about the importance of the event that took place some 2,000 years ago.  Wisdom is that which come from God, so people who are not believers in the first place have no idea what or whom to look for.  The reality is that Jesus did come and was born of a virgin as the Scripture says.  The whole package reminds us that He not only came at that first advent, but that He was destined to live, minister, die and then be raised again from the dead.  So, the Perfect Gift that was given to us is far greater than we can ever imagine.  Those that are believers today can celebrate the season because they know Who it was that was laid in a manger.  Praise God today that He sent His Son in order that we might have eternal life.

The War on Christmas

       There is nothing new under the sun.  We were told that many years ago by King Solomon.  It hasn't lost any ground in the present time.  There is still a war on Christmas.  This was brought to my attention this morning as I went to Yahoo's web site to write the devotion for tomorrow.  The headline was that the young leader of North Korea had upped his war on Christmas banning singing and drinking during this time of the year.  He doesn't want any Christmas parties to be taking place in his country or if truth be told, probably in the rest of the world.  The war on Christmas is not just in North Korea, it's also here in America as various groups try to ban anything that might offend someone else so the ban on Christmas trees and nativity scenes continues to increase throughout the nation.  you can however, probably trace the war on Christmas even back to King Herod in the days of our Savior's birth.   Matthew 2:16 says, " Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men." 
      Herod was looking for where Jesus was born and it wasn't to come and worship Him.  The wise men were told this and so they skipped going back to Herod to tell him where the spot was.  Herod, then upped his war on Christmas, bay killing all the children that were two years and under in the city of Bethlehem.  Could anything be worse than that?  We know, however, that God had other ideas and that the Holy Family goes down into Egypt until Herod is gone.  There actually was no action that anyone could take to deter the First Advent of the Lord Jesus Christ.  We can attest to the fact of the first advent by noticing the date on the calendar.  The year, 2017, refers to the year of our Lord.  So, we or at least many people in the world, try to ignore that.  Our war on Christmas has come to a transfer of our activities from worship to partying, drinking, malls, buying, and a lot of fictitious characters such as Frosty, Rudolph, Santa, elves and mother nature.  So the war on Christmas continues from North Korea to the USA.  No one, however, can tell you Whom to worship during this time of year.  Since God has given to us His Word, we know the rest of the story and in the end, Jesus wins the war on Christmas.  Praise God today that Our Savior is greater than all.

Keep The Faith

      It seems as if everyone wants to know how they are doing.  There are a number of organizations who are always putting out surveys to their customers asking how they are going.  Most restaurants have a "comment card" placed on or near your table.  You just fill it out and drop it off in the box as you leave the restaurant.  I have also attended a number of conferences where you have to fill out an evaluation sheet before you leave the conference.  This gives the leaders the opportunity to read suggestions and criticisms which may improve future conferences.  While in school, you receive grades which also are an indication of how well you are doing in each of your courses of study.  When the Apostle Paul was writing his second letter to young Timothy, he concluded with an evaluation of his own life.  Second Timothy 4:7 says, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:"   
     Paul would get an A+ for his Christian life.  You notice that there are three areas that Paul mentioned.  He had fought a good fight, he had finished his course and he had kept the faith.  When you think about it, this is all there is.  This includes everything that you could think of.  If you are able to say this at the end of your life, then you have done what you were supposed to do.  Fighting the fight is a life long project.  We are always involved in spiritual warfare and we need to maintain a constant vigil against the enemy as we go through this life.  Then, Paul said that he had finished his course.  He had done what God had called him to do.  He had finished it.  Finishing something is a big responsibility and often quite hard to do.  Some projects get bogged down and are often neglected and even dropped completely.  It seems as if they just involve too much effort and time.  Paul knew what he had to do and when he got near to the end of his life, he could say that he had finished his course.  Then, finally, he says that he had kept the faith.  There was no one who could call the Apostle Paul an apostate.  He kept the faith and he did not waver at any point.  He never questioned God nor did he doubt the doctrine that he taught.  He stood firm on the Word of God and he stood firm on his steadfastness.  He didn't waver.  So, when you think about it, this is all you have to do.  Be involved in a life long commitment to be faithful to God always, to finish what God gives you to do and be ready to stand up for truth while you battle that which is false.  That will keep us all busy.  Praise God for His faithfulness to us.  Are you standing firm in the Word of God today?

The Pegboard

      You never know when you are going to get that perfect Christmas gift that really captures your attention.  Maybe it doesn't take too much to capture the attention of a youngster, but I remember one Christmas when one of my gifts was a simple peg poard with a hammer and a bag of different colored pegs.  I recall getting up after the lights went out in the rest of the house.  It was around 2:00 in the morning.  I turned on my light, got my hammer and pegs and began pounding them into the pegboard.  It was all I wanted to do.  My parents didn't let it go on for too long a time.  Soon, I was back in bed, the lights out and the hammer and pegs were gone for the night.  But, I still thought about them.    Philippians 4:4 says, "Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice."
      When something grabs your mind and it's all you want to do, that is the center of your life.  It could be pegboards, cars, some new tool, a new musical instrument or something else.  Just think however, how it was the first time you met the Savior.  Paul reminds the people to "Rejoice."  It's something that you just have to do because of what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for all of us.  You can know about Christ and still not possess the joy that Paul speaks about in this passage.  What makes the difference is that personal relationship that comes about when we receive His payment for our sins and experience the hope and peace that only He can provide.  Christ begins to occupy all of your mind and all of your desires.  It is all that you want to do.  The perfect Christmas gift will only last for a short time and when the newness wears off, it gets put away and almost forgotten.  The Perfect Gift of the Lord Jesus Christ, however, grows sweeter  and sweeter every day.  When the Apostle Paul penned those words, "Rejoice in the Lord alway..."  it reminds us that we should be praising God day in and day out, in other words, continually.  This is the One Gift that never grows old, never fades nor never gets stale.  So, I have come to the conclusion, that the Lord Jesus Christ, is indeed, much better than a new pegboard.  Praise God for the First Advent of Christ.

Fixing Mondays

      There was a time when we were preparing to enter the mission field and we attended five weeks of classes on various subjects at the headquarters.  During on of the sessions, we were instructed on how to make statements that would not offend someone.  One thing that was mentioned was that we should not ask "why" to anyone.  To say, "Why do you do what you do that way?" implies that you have a better way.  You could ask the same question and be less threatening by saying it in a different way and by leaving the word "why" out of the sentence.  When you ask "why" you are implying that your way or idea is better than the other person's idea.  Sometimes I think that I will spend my last days just trying not to offend someone by doing or saying what I do.  Hebrews 12:1-2 says, "            
        Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,   Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."  The news that Mary had given to Joseph really impacted him.  He was ready to get rid of her and he would have done so if it had not been for the intervention of the angel.  Mary pondered many things in her head during the following months and there were probably a lot of raised eyebrows in connection with the event that was going to unfold.  It is fortunate for us that we are looking back and that we can affix out attention upon the author and finisher of our faith, the Lord Jesus Christ.  God fixes Mondays.  He fixes Mondays when you may have said the wrong thing, irritated some person or another or not lived up to the expectations of those around you.  The above verse says that we can indeed look to Jesus and that He fixes things and lets us focus our attention on Him.  His work on the cross made it all possible.  Mary and Joseph may have been perplexed at what was taking place in their lives at the time, but just think of what took place at the empty tomb.  Jesus is indeed the Author and Finisher of our faith.  Praise God today that we can always look to Him when things get messed up.

What Are You Waiting For?

         Do you ever have to wait for something?  I may have mentioned before that I was one of the people who had requested a Lone Ranger Decoder ring many years ago.  It seemed as if it would never come.  I had saved up the required box tops which meant that I had to eat all of the cereal.  Then, I filled out the required information and sent it it.  I waited, and waited, and waited until the day that it finally came.  I knew it was coming but just didn't know when.  There is a hymn that has the title, "Come Thou Long Expected Jesus."  It has been around for a long time. God had promised to send a Messiah and the promise can be traced through the Bible. Genesis 3:15 says, "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." 
     This is what started it all off.  From this point on, you can trace the prophecies that promise that a Messiah would come.  They were mounting up as time went on.  The manner of His birth was a prophecy as well as where it was going to take place.  Finally, we have the account of the announcement of His birth in the Gospel of Luke.  A Savior had been born.  Now, what does this do to your life?  God meticulously worked things out for over 4,000 years and brought it all to reality one dark night around 2,000 years ago.  God does that because He is God and is capable of doing it.  That does something to me and my life.  God works out the impossible or at least, what seems to be impossible in my life.  Quite often, many things seem impossible.  I don't know how things are going to work out but they do.  You often hear people say, "Well isn't that a coincidence?"  Well, not really.  You see, with God there are no such thing as a coincidence.  It is all in His plan.  As a kid, I had faith in the mail man and the Lone Ranger to send me my ring.  Today, my faith has been put in God and in His Son the Lord Jesus Christ because the Bible is filled with promises that He made and kept.  In Whom do you put your faith?  Praise God that He promised the sending of a Messiah and that He did it so many years ago.

Emmanuel

         Maybe i didn't come from a "religious" household, but there are some things I never questioned.  I wasn't about to say anything against the Bible or question why it was the way it was.  I never questioned the fact that there four gospels.  I didn't know why there were four of them and I never thought much more about it until years later when I found out the differences between the four of them and that meant.  Two of them, Matthew and Luke have genealogies and mark has no genealogy at all.  Of course, neither does the Gospel of John.  The Gospel of John had a specific purpose and was written to a certain group of people.  The gospel of John shows that Jesus is the Son of God.  The Christmas story is perhaps summed up in one verse.   John 1:14 says, "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." 
      The first thirteen verses bring you up to the present time in a hurry.  It goes from "in the beginning" to "and the Word was made flesh..."  And that is, perhaps, the "First Advent" in the Gospel of John.  We look at the differences in the Gospels now and see that John's Gospel is telling the world that Jesus is the Son of God.  He is deity.  He is eternal.  Wow!  what else can you say about that!  The world, on the other hand, is quite accustomed to challenging every aspect of the First Advent of the Lord Jesus Christ.  They doubt His ancestry.  They doubt His virgin birth.  They doubt that He is God.  They doubt His name.  So, then, what is Christmas to the world.  Well, it has been relegated the title of "happy holidays," Santa Claus, Papa Noel, and a host of other characters in red suits and beards.  It is trees, lights, snowmen, winter wonderland and a lot of gifts.  The more gifts the better.  So, we advertise and sell.   In the meantime, the simple sentence from John 1:14 goes unnoticed.  "And the Word was made flesh."    Does Jesus have first place in your heart today and especially in this Christmas season?  We would like to think, that as Christians, certainly He has first place, but maybe not.  Perhaps we are being caught up in the world's Christmas which is far from John 1:14.  Take a deep breath and hum "Silent Night" and think on the night so many years ago when the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, heading for the cross of Calvary.  Praise God that He sent us His Son.

Shocking Headlines

       What excites you when you read the morning newspaper?  When there were really important things happening, the newspaper would use a very large type for the headline.   Headlines in the newspaper often include that which is sensational.  The more sensational it is the better according to most people.  It is true even in Christian circles.  The supernatural seems to take all of our attention.  At the same time, the simple truth of people becoming born again seems to make no affect on people.  It was true in the days when Jesus was instructing His disciples.  Luke 10:19-20 says, "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.  Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven." 
       The disciples were more excited over the supernatural ability that they had over evil spirits than they were over the fact that their names were written in the Lamb's book of Life.  It may have seemed as if the Lamb's Book of Life was far down the road for them and what they were doing in the present world for them was more important.  The same is true for us.  We can't see the affects of a person being born again as well as we can when God performs a miracle.  We look at "everyday miracles" and don't see the hand of God working in them as much as we do when God heals or causes things to take place that seemed to be impossible.  Jesus had a visitor one evening by the name of Nicodemus.  Nicodemus questioned Jesus and couldn't get the grasp of the new birth.  Jesus was explaining it to him and that it had to be "from above."  There are many people who don't have a clue, just as did Nicodemus so many years ago, about the new birth.  It has not happened to them.  To those that have been born again, the thought of the new birth often begins to fade as our attention is drawn to the more sensational things of the Christian life.  Simplicity sometimes makes things seem too easy.  But, that isone of the problems.  The greatest miracle of all has taken place in that your name has been written down in the Lamb's Book of Life.  It has been written down in heaven.  You have experienced the new birth.  The new birth itself is even more profound than the miracle of the physical birth.  As a believer, you certainly many things about which you can rejoice.  One of the most profound is that your name is written down in heaven.  Praise God for that today for the gift that He has given to you.

The Right Time and the Right Place

        One of the Christmas Carols that is popular, at least among older folks, is the one entitled, "Come Thou Long Expected Jesus."  Our bell choir performed this song at one of our more recent musical presentations.  Most of the carol is just five notes of music.  At one point, the sixth tone is added.  The words, however, remind us of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ  and they speak somewhat in a prophetical manner.  People were ready for the coming of the Messiah.  At least, some people were ready and the rest were left scratching their heads at what had happened.  Galatians 4:4 says, "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,"  The Apostle Paul gives us a great statement, as all of his statements are great, but his one says that "at the fullness of time.."
      When things were just right, the Lord Jesus Christ came into the world and indwelt a fleshly body in order to accomplish the Plan of Salvation.  We might think that we are living in the best of times and that If Jesus had come today, He would have the benefits of technology.  He could communicate with every human being at once via satellite phone.  He could go from place to place quickly in a Boeing 747.  He would be able to have Public Relation people with Him to promote His visits and to stir up the crowds.  To God the Father, however, today is not the best of times.   When Jesus came to walk upon the face of the earth, times were right in every detail.  His coming was calculated from a certain event in the Old Testament.  The place was exactly where it was supposed to be.  The language used at that time was the one that would be able to express  His message to a lost and dying world.  After the first advent of the Lord Jesus Christ, there would come about His death on the cross at Calvary.  Prophecy after prophecy was being fulfilled even up to and including the account on the cross.  The manner in which He died would not be acceptable in the world today, but Christ, in His day was suspended between heaven and earth while paying the price for our sin.  The place, Jerusalem, was the center of the world.  It was the common point between East and West.  The news of the birth was overshadowed however in the resurrection that took place three days afterwards.  Satan had been defeated.  Truly, Christ came at the fullness of time.  God the Father had it all figured out.  Praise God today, that in this Christmas Season, we can trust Him with all of the details of our lives.

Joy

       What makes you happy?  Or, should I ask, "What is it in this life that brings you great joy?"  Webster, in his dictionary of 1825, defines "joy" as, "The passion or emotion excited by the acquisition or expectation of good; that excitement of pleasurable feelings which is caused by success, good fortune,the gratification of desire or some good possessed, or by a rational prospect of possessing what we love or desire; gladness; exultation; exhilaration of spirits."  Wow!  That pretty well sums it up.  In his definition, Webster pointed out that joy was caused by success, good fortune, the gratification of desire or some good possessed.  That type of joy doesn't last very long.  Oh, it might be there for a short time but it can pass as fast as the wind drives a wisp of smoke from our vision.  In other words, "Poof.  It's gone."  I recall a musical Xylophone that I received one Christmas that was made of glass tubes.  High "C" lasted only one day.  No more music from that one.  There is, however, another source of joy that doesn't diminish with time nor is it affected by any outside influences.  First John 1:3-4 says, "That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. [4] And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full."   
     As one of the Christmas carols says, "Joy to the world, the Lord has come.  Now, that sums it up a little bit better than what Webster did.  This is a joy that supercedes any joy that can be brought about by success, good fortune, the gratification of a desire or of some good that we possess.  All of those things can quickly pass away and in most cases, they do.  The joy that God gives us through His Son stays with us and never gets tarnished by the things of the this world or of the spiritual world.  This type of joy is always present.  Do we always share this joy in our own lives?  Not always.  You see, there are times when sin comes into our lives and our fellowship with God is temporarily broken until our sin is confessed (1 John 1:9).  This joy can be restored in our own being once we confess that sin that separated us in the first place.  The joy that God gives will always be present and it will always be full.  So, when you sing "Joy to the World" this Christmas season, remember the that this joy is because of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Praise God today for sending His Son to come into this world and to die for our sins.

Hope

        Every now and then you come across a person who just can't sing.  No matter how hard you try, they can't match even one note of music.  In essence, they seem to be tone deaf.  That is, they have no hope of ever being able to sing music.  Now, to their ears, they are singing just fine but in truth it is off pitch, off key and just plain hopeless as far as producing any listenable music.  No amount of training or assistance will ever produce good music.  That is, until they get to heaven.  Once they get to heaven, they will have a perfect sense of hearing and they will be able to sing just fine.  But, on this earth, we still look at him, shake our heads and say, "He's just hopeless."  But, that doesn't really describe them.  The word "hopeless" is best used to describe those who are without Christ as their Lord and Savior.  Ephesians 2:11-13 says, "Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;  That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ."  
     The people described in these verses were absolutely hopeless because they were without Christ.  They had no hope.  Their pagan gods couldn't do a thing and could not appease any of their sins.  Hope, however, then came to them through the preaching of the Gospel and they discovered new faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Now, they have hope.  The same is true today.  The person who is without Christ is "hopeless."  When they hear the gospel message, then they move from having no hope to having hope through Christ.   We should always be reminded as to where our hope lies.  It doesn't lie in the things of the world which offer only material things in the forms of cheap therapy.  True hope only comes in the Lord Jesus Christ.  He can satisfy every longing that a person has.  So, if you are getting caught up in the affairs of the world and are beginning to feel "hopeless," just remember from where your hope really comes.  Praise God today for giving you hope in the midst of a hopeless world system.

Availabliity

       I remember I once had a neighbor who was a member of the local fire department.  He was a volunteer and had radio equipment that notified him when there was a fire.  He would turn on the red light in his truck and set off down the road heading for the fire.  You never knew when the alarm was going to sound.  One of the most important characteristics for a volunteer fireman is availability.  If you sign up to go to a fire when it starts then you best be ready when the alarm sounds.  God also looks at our availability.  Take the case of a young man who was asleep when God came to call upon him.   First Samuel 3:8-10 says, "And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.  And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth."   
     At first, young Samuel thought that it was Eli calling him.  Therefore, he would go out and ask Eli what he wanted.  After this occurring for a couple of times, Eli recognized that it was God calling and told the young Samuel what to say.  The innocent words of Samuel say it all.  "Here I am."  God had a job for young Samuel and all Samuel needed to say was, "Here I am."  When God calls, you need to be available.  You may never know when it is going to happen so you need to always be available.  It is like the volunteer fireman.  You might go on with your life as it is for a time and then God calls.  When He does, you need to respond with the same words the were uttered by young Samuel.  "Here I am."  Isaiah said the same words to God in Isaiah 6:8 when he also replied to God, "Here I am."  Then, in the New Testament, we read in Acts 16 of an evangelistic team that was inquiring of God where they should go.  The got a message from a man in Macedonia which said, "Come over and help us."  Paul and Silas headed to Macedonia.  They were available and God sent them on their way.  Are you available?  Be ready because you may have to say to God, "Here I am."  Praise God today that He still calls us.

Remember!

      There are various things in the world today that trigger a response from a person.  It might be an aroma or a sound or something that you see.  When you come across these things, they remind you of something or someone else.  I remember plowing a field on a cool fall day and the smell of the plowed ground, the exhaust from the tractor and aroma of the falling leaves mixed together to form  an aroma that reminded me of someone, if but for a moment.  As I sat down today to write the devotion for tomorrow, I typed the date and immediately there was a picture in my mind of Pearl Harbor.  At that time, I was only 3 years old but over the years I have come to meet some people who were there.  I have seen the pictures and the sounds of recordings and the words of the President of the United States as we declared war.  Some things, you just remember.   Psalm 143:5 says, " I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of thy hands."  
     The Psalmist remembers.  He remembers the works of God.  Pearl Harbor is something terrible that happened in 1941 but do we remember the things of God?  Do we remember the wonderful act of creation?  Do we remember the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ?  Do we remember the death, burial and the glorious resurrection of Christ?  You may say, "We were not there." We were not at Pearl Harbor either, but we still remember.  The Psalmist remembers the works of God.  We should do no less than to remember the works of God.  Just look around you and be amazed at the sunset, the stars the plants and animals of earth and be amazed at what God has done.  Certainly, we should also remember at Calvary.  It was there that my sin was paid in full.  It was an act that I could never even come close to fulfilling, but He Who loved me, died in my place on the cross.  I was not there, but my sin was there and Jesus paid it all.  So, as you perhaps remember Pearl Harbor, may you also remember what God has done for you.  Praise God today for His mighty acts.

The Savior

        During the month of December, we naturally begin to think about Christmas and everything that is connected with it.  I have mentioned before that our local newspaper in La Porte, Indiana would begin haveing the Christmas countdown.  The corner of the comics page would contain a little Christmas tree, some stocking hanging on a fireplace and the number of shopping days left before Christmas Day.  I don't know if they still do that, but it was always interesting to watch the days click down.  Oh, by the way, there wasn't any mention of Christ being born or a nativity as such.  It just reminded us about the days left in which to shop.  As you fast forward to the present day, you may ask yourself if things have changed that much since then?  Well, they seem to have gotten a little worse.  There might be those who would ask the question, "Do we really need a Savior anyway?   Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"  
     The natural answer to that question is "yes" we do need a Savior.  The problem centers around the area of sin.  Since sin cannot be allowed into heaven it has to be paid for.  The processes of redemption, justification, reconciliation, sanctification and such are indeed in motion and they all depend upon one thing and that One Thing is the Lord Jesus Christ.  He was the Perfect Sacrifice and because of Him there is a way of salvation made available to all who would believe on Him.  This little verse from the Book of Romans tells us that all are sinners and no one is exempt from the defilement of sin.  It doesn't matter if you are a pauper, the head of a large company, the president of a great country, royalty, and educator, a scientist or a lawyer.  The list can go on and on.  Simply put, it makes no difference who you are because the verse says plainly that all are sinners.  The word "all" includes you and me and everyone around us and everyone you read about in the newspaper and everyone that is in the world and everyone before us and those yet to come.  So, basically, "yes" we need a Savior and the Only One Who fit the bill was the Lord Jesus Christ.  His First Advent made it possible as did His death and burial 33 years later and it is guaranteed by the resurrection from the dead.  He paid the price.  He made the redemption.  So, you are saying a lot this year when you say, Merry Christmas.  We needed a Savior.  Praise God today that He sent His Son.

Small Town

      We are reminded at every Christmas season of the place where Jesus was born.  It was, of course, in Bethlehem.  It was foretold by the prophet Micah.  Micah 5:2 says, "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."  
     What is significant about this fact is that Bethlehem was not a very big place.  As the verse says, it was "little among the thousands of Judah."  In fact, Judah didn't even consider it worthwhile to count.  It was located some six miles from Jerusalem.  People thought that the Messiah would have been born in the capitol but that was not to be.  Instead, God chose an insignificant, little town called Bethlehem.  Even King Herod didn't realize that The King of the Jews was being born in the very shadow of one of his huge fortresses called the Herodian located just East of Bethlehem.  What is significant today for us is the reminded that God often chooses the insignificant to accomplish His purpose in this world.  He chose Bethlehem instead of Jerusalem.  God today looks for vessels that are willing to be used in His service.  Sometimes, people are fearful that God will put them into some service where they won't be able to do it or they won't be too happy doing it.  That, however, isn't the case.  When God puts you into His service you suddenly realize that it is the happiest place to be.  It's always best to be in the center of God's will for your life.  Secondly, you also find out that not only does He put you into His service, He also gives you the skills to accomplish what He has for you to do.  God, throughout history, has used people like fishermen, a tax collector, shepherds and farmers to accomplish His purposes.  They never intended to be great but God made them that way through His power and not of anything of their own making.  Has God challenged you to do something for Him?  All you really need to do is to be willing and to submit to His leadership.  So, just as the announcement was made to shepherds, the place of His birth is likewise, not what you would have expected.  That should give us hope as we see God working in the lives of people even today.  Praise Him today for what He is doing in your life and what He will do in the days to come.

Amazing Events

       We have been speaking about "advent' at church.  The pastor will be leading us in the weeks before Christmas as we explore, hope, peace, love and joy and finally the Christ candle on Christmas Eve.  The purpose is to remind us of the first advent, or the first coming, as the word implies, of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Yes, even some Baptist churches have an advent wreath with all of the appropriate candles.  I like amazing things and this is one of the most amazing ever where the shepherds hear a special announcement.  How would you hve reacted to the announcement?     Luke 2:15 says, "And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us." 
      The shepherds were going to put down what they were doing, which involved  the keeping of the sheep.  It was a special night with a special announcement.  Now, it is amazing because it all came down to Joseph and Mary, a decree from a Roman leader and an inn that was full to the brim with special travelers.  Each factor makes it more and more amazing.  You could mention all of the references from Genesis 3:15 the the singing of the angels as the shepherds stood in amazement.  God was working out a plan for our salvation and it certainly involved the sending of His beloved Son to accomplish salvation for us on the cross of Calvary.  Now, what good are amazing things?  The good in them is that because God accomplished the impossible at the Nativity, He accomplishes the impossible with us.  We may not see the plan but it is certainly developing day by day and the culmination will be just as glorious the the shepherd's experience that night in Bethlehem.  Yes, the first Advent of the Lord Jesus Christ does give us hope.  We have already begun the Christmas season with shopping, music, celebration, food and fellowship.  It is always a busy time of the year but may we be just as amazed as were the shepherds on that night so many years ago.  And may that amazement spring into hope, not only for the month of December but for all of our lives.  Praise God for the sending of His Son.  What an amazing event and an amazing gift.