Category: Food For Growth

¹⁷ Cry out again, Thus says the Lord of hosts: My cities shall again overflow with prosperity, and the Lord will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem. ~ Zechariah 1:17

The LORD promises that if we cry out to Him, He will hear us, and He will pour His blessing out on us. We almost take for granted what God is actually saying, though. God isn’t just saying to call on His name but to fully and completely humble ourselves before Him. Often times we think that we can live our lives however we want, ask God for something, and then continue living our lives as if He doesn’t exist. But that isn’t at all how it works.

God desires a relationship with you. He isn’t a genie, and neither does He want to be treated as one. God desires for you to want to spend time with Him and get to know Him. That’s when He will bless you when you’re dwelling in His presence. So, when God tells us to cry out. He’s saying to come before Him. Pour out everything we have at His feet. He wants us to say, “Here I am, God. I’ve tried to do this on my own, and I can’t. I need You. You’re the missing piece to make me whole. Please, God, help me.” That’s what God’s looking for. He doesn’t just want us to call on His name to get stuff. He wants us to call on His so that He can come down to us and dwell in our midst.

LORD God, please help me not to take Your mercy and grace for granted. Teach me to empty myself out before You so that You can fill me. Teach me to seek Your presence, Your Spirit, and Your love above all else. Teach me to seek You first. Help me to not see You as just a genie or a get-out-of-jail-free card. Help me to love You the way You deserve to be loved. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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¹ In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. ² The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. ~ Genesis 1:1–2

In the beginning, there was God. There was no earth, no skies, no heaven, no hell. There was nothing except God. God was from the very beginning, and from the very beginning, the concept of a triune God was introduced. In the beginning God…And the Spirit of God was hovering…

We do not serve three different Gods, but there is only one God, one LORD, and one Holy Spirit. As the Scriptures declare, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4).

We are to worship God as one God because, after all, that is who He is, One. Yet we give honor and acknowledgment to each member for who they are as individuals. It’s a concept that is not easily explained, nor is it easily understood.

But in this New Year, let’s make an effort to understand who God is, and the base to start is “The LORD our God is One.” Get to know each member of the Trinity and accept what each member has to offer in terms of support and growth. Remember, we serve One God, three individuals, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, yet one.

Father, give us the understanding to comprehend that You are a Triune God, yet You are One. Just because our minds are finite helps us not to discard the truth of our foundational beliefs. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scripture Reading

John 1:1–18

¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made. ⁴ In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

⁶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. ⁸ He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

⁹ The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, yet the world did not know Him. ¹¹ He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him. ¹² But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, ¹³ who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. ¹⁵ (John bore witness about Him, and cried out, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because He was before me.’ ”) ¹⁶ For from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. ¹⁷ For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, He has made Him known.

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^2b …Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. ³ In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, ⁴ and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, ^5a but for Cain and his offering He had no regard… ~ Genesis 4:2b-5a

Cain and Abel both brought offerings to God, but only Abel’s offering was accepted by the LORD. At first glance, it could appear that Cain’s offering was missing blood, but if we keep digging, we’ll see there’s more to the story. If we look a little deeper, the Scripture says that in the course of time, Cain brought an offering of fruit from the ground, but Abel brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions.

The truth is Cain only brought an offering. It was not the firstfruits, nor was it of the best. He had done the same thing the priests were doing that upset God in Malachi chapter 1. God wasn’t upset that they did not bring a blood offer but that they did not bring the first and the best. They merely did what Cain did; they brought any old offering. Just because you bring an offering to God does not mean it’s an acceptable offering. God doesn’t accept any old thing. God expects us to bring our best before Him because He is worthy of more than we could ever imagine.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Bring Your Best Before God.

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^6a For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; ~ Isaiah 9:6a

When Isaiah prophesied that a child would be born, but a son is given, he was actually describing the Messiah. When he said a child is born, he was speaking about Jesus’ natural birth. He was describing His human nature that He inherited through His earthly mother, Mary.

Jesus could not come as God and die as God to save mankind. Jesus had to set off His Godliness so that He could come as a man and die as a man. Why? Because He was taking the place of mankind. Jesus took our sin upon Himself and died so that we didn’t have to. So that anyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.

Unto us a son is given, speaks about His divinity. Jesus was the second member of the Godhead before His incarnation and remained the second member of the Godhead after His death and resurrection. When Paul wrote, “did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,” he was saying that Jesus did not count, think, or consider being equal to God, something that was obtainable by mere human beings. We do not and cannot obtain Godhood.

Then the Word emptied Himself is the Greek word kenosis meaning to empty. So, what Paul was explaining is that Jesus, although He was God and is still God, did not take advantage of being God, but rather, He emptied Himself of it, or in other words, put it to one side so that He could operate as a mere man, but still retain His Godhood. And that is the reason the prophet said, unto us a child is born, and unto us a son is given. Because Jesus Christ, our LORD and Savior, is both God and man.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Accept His Free Gift of Salvation.

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¹⁰ And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” ~ Luke 2:10-12

One of the most important questions we can ask is, what is the real meaning of Christmas? We’ve all seen the sign or the memes that say, “Jesus is the reason for the season.” And yes, Jesus is the reason for the season, but what is the real meaning of Christmas? Why do we have Christmas at all?

The answer is the Word of God, Jesus Himself, because it was Him that got off His throne, put aside His Godhood, put on flesh, and became a human by entering this world as a helpless tiny baby born of a virgin. Thus, ushering in peace on earth and goodwill toward men on whom His favor rests by reconciling man back to God. That is the real meaning of Christmas is that God became a man in order to give the gift of life.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Remember The True Reason For The Season.

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¹ Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, ² saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw His star when it rose and have come to worship Him.” ~ Matthew 2:1-2

These wise men, or astrologers, packed up and made over a 1600-mile trip following a star. A trip this distance would take the travel somewhere around eight months or more one way. And that is, if they were coming from the Babylon area, it would be even longer if it was from Susa.

Now, they just didn’t jump in the car or call a transport service and drive to the airport, they had to walk or ride some type of animal, and usually, it was camels for such long distances. Camels were preferred because they didn’t need watering as often as horses.

So, these men as soon as they saw the star and began packing and preparing for a year-and-a-half round trip journey, it would take them a while to organize all of that. They would have probably taken their meat on the hoof. Their milk on the hoof, whether it was cow milk or goat’s milk. Then they had to make sure they had enough water and enough food to sustain all of those animals and themselves. They probably had to bring workers to care for the animals and to pack and unpack. And they probably had some type of bodyguard with them as well. I mean, they were carrying gold, frankincense, and myrrh. This was a huge entourage. This wasn’t just some weekend getaway.

There was a lot of pre-trip planning and preparation that went into preparing for this journey. Today, people have no plans for eternity. Christmas has come and gone. Jesus has been born in Bethlehem. He was crucified, He has risen from the dead, and He has ascended into Heaven.

In other words, His star has risen; are you now seeking “Him who is born the King of the Jews?” Don’t let the pressures of life distract you. Don’t let the lure of wealth divert your attention. Don’t let the length of the journey intimidate you. Don’t let the treacherous and perilous road keep you from starting.

I admit serving Jesus is not always fun and games. It isn’t always blessings and mountain tops, sunshine, and cool breezes. It will have ups and downs, valleys and rain, dark clouds, and persecution. God didn’t promise us a happy-go-lucky life. We are called to do His will, whatever that will is, because His will for us is good and perfect. Then if we endure to the end, He has promised us a perfect eternity, which is by far, much, much better than anything we could ever imagine or think.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Plan For Eternity.

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¹⁵ 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. ~ Genesis 3:15

Isaiah prophesied about the coming Messiah 7 centuries before His birth, that’s some 700 years. He saw with clarity where He would be born and when He would be born. And how He would be born. Isaiah was only echoing the prophecy first announced by God Himself to the serpent in the Garden of Eden.

God said the woman’s offspring, and not the man’s offspring; therefore, it had to be a virgin birth. And let me just throw this in real quick. The reason it had to be a virgin birth is because sin is passed down from generation to generation through the man. Therefore, our sacrifice had to be a sinless one; thus, a virgin birth was necessary.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given. A child is born, but the son is given. 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). From the very beginning, God knew that the only way to save His creation was to give us His only Son as our perfect, sinless sacrifice, and He was willing to do so.

God gave us His only Son, but we struggle to give Him a moment of our time. From the moment that His creation sinned and chose to leave Him, God could’ve written us off and told us to fend for ourselves, but He didn’t. He gave us a prophecy. He gave us a promise. That at the perfect time, He would send His only Son to take our place on the cross and bear our punishment for our sins. This is the definition of perfect love. This is the kind of love that we should strive to have for God. A selfless love that’s willing to give up everything to be with Him because we love Him. We love because He first loved us.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Love With Perfect Love.

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⁶ The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, ⁷ keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.” ~ Exodus 34:6–7

The LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. Aren’t we so glad that the LORD is a God merciful and gracious and slow to anger? Aren’t we so glad that His steadfast love and His faithfulness are constantly surrounding us? And protecting us?

What would we do if God was to one day wake up on the wrong side of the bed, so to speak? We would all be in trouble, but as it is, God is patient with the righteous as well as the wicked, but He will by no means acquit the guilty. Did you notice that as well?

Even though God is merciful and gracious and slow to anger, and abounding in love and faithfulness, still He punishes the guilty and does not just let them go free. So, don’t let anyone tell you that you can live and do whatever you want because their god will never send anyone to hell.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Learn The Heart of God.

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