Category: Food For Growth

¹⁶ For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. ~ John 3:16

Every year, my family and I pack shoeboxes that go all over the world. And every year, I ask my family back home if they’d like to do shoebox as well. Many say yes, but some say no. I’ve noticed over the years that the ones that say no are always the ones that have the most wealth to share. Christmas is a time of giving and receiving, but as Scripture says:

It is more blessed to give than to receive.

Acts 20:35

It’s much easier to receive than it is to give. Giving means putting another above ourselves, which is against our very nature, but that’s what we’re called to do. We’re called to give to the poor, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and take care of those who cannot take care of themselves. We don’t withhold love or help from others, especially when they are in great need of it.

This Christmas, give to those who are in need. Share the love of Christ with others. Remember the less fortunate. Give as God first gave to us.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Give To Others.

Back to Growth?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

³⁰ And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹ And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus.” ~ Luke 1:30-31

Mary and Joseph were engaged, but before they were actually married, and before they had any sexual contact to consummate the marriage, Mary was found to be with child from, not by, but from the Holy Spirit.

This is really important to fully understand. Mary was a virgin, and that’s why she wasn’t sure how it would all happen. So, the angel Gabriel described something to her that she, I’m pretty sure, did not fully comprehend, as many of us do today. In fact, we read right over that without noticing the profoundness of what the angel said to Mary. He said:

… you will conceive in your womb and bear a son …

To us, that’s no big deal because we just take it for granted, but it’s a big deal. You see, Gabriel was explaining to Mary that she would become pregnant with a child but not in the ordinary, natural way, but she would conceive in her womb in a miraculous way.

Please understand that women, according to medical science, do not conceive in their wombs but conceive in their fallopian tubes and then move down to the womb, which wasn’t discovered until the 1500s by an Italian physician by the name of Gabriel Fallopius.

And just for the record, isn’t it strange that the angel’s name that first announced it was named Gabriel, and the physician who discovered it was also named Gabriel?

Just an interesting thought.

So, Mary wouldn’t be impregnated the natural way because the baby was not to be conceived the natural way, but supernatural. Therefore, baby Jesus was conceived in the womb because a man was not needed, but it was the seed of the womb who was to make restitution for the whole world.

Therefore, His name shall be called Jesus. Old Testament Joshua or Yeshu’ah. New Testament Jesus or Iēsous. These names mean Salvation or Savior. That in itself means hope. Jesus, or Yeshu’ah, is our Christmas Hope. It’s only that name that gives us hope. Hope of life eternal. Hope of peace that passes all understanding. Hope of joy, unspeakable joy, and full of glory. Hope that the world certainly cannot give, and neither does it try to give.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Enjoy The Hope of Jesus.

Back to Growth?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

¹⁷ And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. ¹⁸ And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. ²⁰ And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. ~ Luke 2:17-20

An angel came to the shepherds while they were watching their sheep to give them the news of the birth of Jesus the Christ. Then there was with that one angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God. When the angel and the heavenly host vanished, what did the shepherds do? They went to see what they had just been told.

Many of us hear of great things happening around us, revivals breaking out, healings and miracles taking place, but very few of us get up and go see if what we’ve heard is true or not. We don’t go for ourselves. We don’t have the same desires and drives as the shepherds did 2,000 years ago, and I believe it’s because we no longer have the same focus.

The shepherds were watching their flock by night. They were performing their God-given call. Many, if not the majority, of us don’t even know what our call is. And many of us don’t have a desire to find out what that call or will God has for our life is. Why? Because we’re not Christ-centered. Those shepherds weren’t just chosen at random; they were doing their jobs waiting for the long-awaited Messiah. They were Christ-centered. If we want God to move in our lives, we have to be Christ-centered and willing to go wherever He leads us. We have to be willing to do anything just to get a glimpse of the King of kings and LORD of lords, a glimpse of Jesus, the Messiah.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be Christ-Centered.

Back to Growth?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

² But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. ~ Micah 5:2^NIV

Without Christ, there is no Christ-mas. Without the Son, willingly coming to the earth to die for our sins, there would be no salvation, no Christmas, and no presents because we would have nothing to celebrate, and the old devil would have no need to tempt us into sin because we would all be headed straight for the Lake of Fire.

But one glorious day, in the fullness of time, the King of Glory stepped out of eternity and into time, splitting time in two, dividing time by His miraculous birth into B.C. and A.D.

A.D. stands for Anno Domini, which is Latin for “In the Year of Our LORD.”

B.C. means Before Christ or a better understanding is Before the Birth of Jesus Christ. Because, really, there was not a time before Jesus. Jesus did not come into being at His birth. Christmas time is not the celebration of Jesus coming into being. Jesus was from eternity.

We don’t just serve a good prophet who did good things and was a good man. No. We serve the God who was, is, and is to come—the one who was from before the beginning of time. Jesus’ origins did not begin in a manger in Bethlehem Ephrathah; He was from eternity and will be to eternity. He has no beginning and will have no end. This is who we serve, and this is who came to us as the first and ultimate Christmas present.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Recognize The Ultimate Christmas Present.

Back to Growth?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

⁸ And you, O tower of the flock, hill of the daughter of Zion, to you shall it come, the former dominion shall come, kingship for the daughter of Jerusalem. ~ Micah 4:8

One of the biggest questions that I’ve never seen anyone answer is, “How did the shepherds know where to look for the baby Jesus?” Now, I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that there were many, many stables in Bethlehem at the time. But what if Jesus was not born in a nasty, stinky stable full of animals, as the Christmas tradition indicates? What I mean is this, Micah prophecies that the Messiah would be in the Tower of the Flock, which in Hebrew is miḡ·dǎl-·ʿē·ḏěr.

Now, apparently, Migal Eder, the Tower of the Flock, was in Bethlehem or just outside the city limits. It was the place where these same shepherds, the Levitical Shepherds, would take their ewes (female sheep) who were about to give birth, and there they would deliver the sacrificial lambs. They would wrap the little lambs in swaddling clothes so that they would not hurt themselves and lay them in a manager until they had stopped thrashing around.

The swaddling clothes were to ensure that the newborn lambs would not hurt themselves in any way, or that they would not break any bones, or cause anything to happen that would make them an unacceptable temple offering. That is why they knew where to go.

Migdal Eder, apparently, was a 2-story building where the shepherd could look out over the lambs that would be used in the Temple sacrifice, and downstairs was where the ewes gave birth to their young. The manager was sterile and clean. Not some stinky stable with animals all around, but, nevertheless, I still love that Christmas Carole Away In A Manager a verse says, the cattle are lowing the poor baby awakes. Still love it. After all, it’s tradition.

So, the manger there was very familiar to these shepherds. They didn’t have to wonder where to look. They didn’t have to knock on doors; they remembered the Scriptures. So many of us are searching for the Truth and knocking on every door, but never searching the Scriptures that show us the exact location of the Truth and what that Truth is.

Dear LORD, please help me to know Your Truth. Help me to have a desire to learn only Your Truth and to seek only Your Truth. Fill me with the spirit of discernment that I might recognize the sign of Truth and the sign of Error. Please direct my path and help me not to stray from all of the good plans that You have for my life. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

Back to Growth?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

¹ And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. ~ Luke 2:1

Jesus coming into all the world is the true and real Christmas story, yet there are those unbelieving critics who attack Christianity and the Bible by claiming that there is no proof that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus. Therefore, the Bible is in error and cannot be trusted. I mean, these people try so hard to disprove and discredit a God that they claim they do not believe in and that does not exist, yet they hate Him with a passion.

Remember, both God and His word are dependable and full of truth. I can assure you that God is not a man that He should lie. So, don’t let doubters, scoffers, or liars lead you astray; God is real, and His word is truth. Luke himself is considered a reliable historian, and his Gospel was written before the Book of Acts. Luke was also a companion and fellow worker with the great apostle Paul.

It’s generally accepted that Paul began his ministry around AD 49. So, the book of Luke would have been written close to around that time, probably in the AD 50’s. That would suggest that many people and many historians were still alive who would have witnessed the census, but there is nothing written that disproves Luke’s claims of a census or even challenges him.

If Luke was in error, he would have been called out by historians of his day. But as it is, nothing to the contrary has ever been found, and neither will there ever be. The people alive back then knew these facts to be true, so they did not dispute them. They couldn’t.

What I’m saying here is that we believe a true and real Gospel. It’s a true and accurate statement. Jesus is alive. Yes, He was dead, but now He is alive and well. He is seated at the right hand of the Father. And He’s coming back to get us real soon.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Look Forward To His Return.

Back to Growth?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. ~ Matthew 5:9

If you want to be called sons of God, you had better adhere to the prerequisite and be peacemakers, not dividers. It doesn’t matter how big your ministry is or how much talent you may have. It doesn’t matter how well-known your name may be. It doesn’t matter who you think you are; you are not above the law of God. God is no respecter of persons. Meaning there is but one law for all. And not one for you and one for everyone else.

We are to be peacemakers if we want to be called sons or daughters of God. We have to concentrate on what is before us and not what is behind us. We should have enough of this old world and begin to concentrate on our future, our eternity. Eternity is a long, long time, and many, many people are not preparing for it. We have to forgive and let go. We have to love and move forward.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Make Peace.

Back to Growth?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

⁸ By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. ¹⁰ If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in His love. ~ John 15:8, 10

God wants something in return from us once we accept His free gift of salvation. How does that work? God doesn’t want to just redeem us and we remain exactly the same; He wants us to change and grow. He wants us to bear fruit that not only brings glory to His Name but grows our relationship with Him and shows others the way to Him.

God is glorified when we bear fruit, and we bear fruit when we have such a close relationship with Jesus that we can ask whatever we wish, and it will be done for us. How is all of this done? We have to abide in Him. Matter of fact, I would venture to say that it is impossible to get our heart’s desire without continuously abiding in Jesus’ love.

If abiding is so important, how do we abide? Jesus told us that if we keep His commandments, we will abide in His love. Jesus was speaking from experience. He kept His Father’s commandments, and He abided in His Father’s love. So, He gave us the same commandment. Therefore, if we want the benefits, we must adhere to the requirements. We can’t expect to reap if we don’t first sow.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Sow Good Seed.

Back to Growth?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

⁴³ You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. ⁴⁶ For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? ⁴⁷ And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? ⁴⁸ You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. ~ Matthew 5:43-48

There’s a true story of five men who went into the jungle of Ecuador in order to witness to the Waodoni people, who had never heard the good news of Jesus. Each of the five men left behind wives and children. They died at the hands of those they were witnesses to. Their wives and children then came to witness to those same people who had killed them. Those men who killed those five missionaries found Jesus. The son of one of the men became like a son to the man who killed his father. He explained that his father and the other four men didn’t get to enjoy their children or grandchildren, but for the first time in Waodoni history, there are many grandfathers. Those five men willingly gave their lives so that an entire people might hear and accept the good news of Jesus Christ.

How many of us are willing to give our lives to save another? Even more so, how many of us are willing to forgive someone for a small transgression, let alone taking the life of your parent or spouse? Many of us would find this nearly impossible to do, but this is what we are all called to do. We are all called to love. We are all called to forgive. We are all called to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations. That is the universal overall call of every single believer.

How many of us miss out on sharing the gospel with someone because they’ve offended us or they’ve mistreated us or someone we love? Turning the other cheek and loving our enemies is one of, if not the hardest, commands we are given to follow. It’s through this that they will know we are followers of Christ. By our love. Our life isn’t our own. We are now a vessel for God to use to save the world. For how can they know if someone doesn’t tell them?

Dear LORD, please forgive me for not sharing Your Gospel the way I should. Soften my heart so that I might love my neighbor as myself and even my enemy. Humble me and fill me with love so that I might turn the other cheek regardless of what is done to me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

Back to Growth?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

¹³ And He said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? ¹⁴ Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” ~ Isaiah 7:13-14

It was because of Ahaz’s rebellion and blatant disbelief that he wouldn’t ask the LORD for a sign. He was putting his hope and trust in idols, not in the Living God. So, he refused to commit himself to God by asking for a sign because if he did, then he would have been obligated to trust God. So, God responded by saying that He Himself would give a sign by sending a deliverer to not only save Israel but will save everyone who will believe, whomsoever will…

Jesus came to be the way for everyone from every nation, every tribe, and every tongue. No one is left out, excluded, or disqualified from the plan of salvation. Whomsoever will, can come and receive through faith the free gift of salvation.

That prophecy came to pass over 700 years after it was made in the God-man Jesus Christ. The promise of Revelation 21 was given to us over 2,000 years ago. And not one of God’s good promises has ever failed, and this one will not either.

So, prepare yourself and your house; Jesus is coming back. Make no mistake, He will come back to get us so that where He is, there we will be also, and there we will be with Him forever and ever.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Prepare For His Return.

Back to Growth?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content