Tag: Devotional

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Keep Christ In Christmas

7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. ~ Luke 2:7

I remember watching a TV show that had a Christmas episode. It was your normal Christmas special until they handed each other Christmas presents on Christmas morning but refused to say Merry Christmas. No. Instead, they said “Happy Holidays” to each other. I was baffled.

They’re celebrating Christmas on Christmas morning but say Happy Holidays to each other so that they can be politically correct and not offend anyone. It doesn’t even make sense. Even if they said Happy Holidays to the audience after the episode was finished, as I’ve seen other shows do, no. They had to make sure they didn’t mention ‘Merry Christmas’ because it’s politically incorrect.

Religion is under attack, especially Christianity. Why? Because Christ changes you. They know that Christmas is the celebration and remembrance of the birth of Christ, so they have to change the name as to not draw any positive attention to Him. They have to completely remove the true love of Christ from society in order to remove the Light and spread the darkness.

This Christmas, stand up for your religious freedoms promised to us by our founding fathers. They risked, and many gave it all up in order to ensure a better future for the generations to come. Religious freedom is currently at risk. Therefore, this Christmas pray for our nation, pray for our leaders, pray for those who write and pass laws in this nation, so that we might reach the throne room of God with our prayers and He might move on our behalf.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Keep Christ In Christmas.

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Micah’s Christmas Prophecy

2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for Me One who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. ~ Micah 5:2

Micah prophesied that a ruler so great that there will be no end to His rule, nor a transfer of His power will come from this place, Bethlehem Ephrathah. This is Micah’s Christmas prophecy of the coming Messiah that was fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth. The Savior of the whole world. This Messiah, Jesus Christ, will inherit an everlasting kingdom, and an everlasting throne.

How is this possible, when kingdoms rise and fall all of the time? There has never been an everlasting kingdom. It will happen because His coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. In other words, His origin is from eternity. Jesus did not begin to exist at the time of His birth. Jesus existed even before time began. For John 1:1-5 declares that it was through the Word, Jesus, that all things was made and without Him, not one single thing was created that was created. Jesus is not only the author and finisher of our faith, but He is the creator and upholder of all that exist in heaven and on earth and in the seas and oceans.

Not only is Jesus the ruler of an everlasting kingdom, but there will be no usurpers in His kingdom. No wars, nor lawlessness. No lack, nor want. No fear, nor dread. Only love, joy, peace, and the fulfillment of a true utopia. The sun will not even burn down on the heads of the citizens of that kingdom, because Jesus will be our light, and the Father will be our supplier.

Let us, therefore, live to this end. Let us purposefully live so that we will be chosen to enter into that kingdom when Jesus comes back to make up His jewels. We are His jewels. We who love Him and keep His commandments, and who look forward with a strong, burning desire to His return.

Father, thank You for choosing me. Thank You that You gave me the opportunity to live for You. Now strength me this Christmas so that I might make my election and calling sure. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Accept Your Purpose

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus. ~ Matthew 1:18-25

One of my favorite movies is Rise of the Guardians. In the movie, Jack Frost is lost, trying his best to be visible to others. He tries and tries again but fails each time, so one night, he helplessly looks to the moon and asks what he’s doing wrong and what his purpose is. The very next day, he gets his answer, but he doesn’t want it to be true; he doesn’t want to accept it, and he blatantly denies it. This is how we all are today.

God created mankind to have a purpose, not to live life hopeless and without value. God wasn’t just talking to the people of Israel when He said, “For I know the plans I have for you” (Jeremiah 29:11). We know this because Paul writes that God is the God of both the Jews and the Gentiles, therefore, if He has plans for the Jews, He has plans for the Gentiles as well (Romans 3:29-30).

Therefore, when the LORD shows you the plans He has for you, don’t fight it. His plans are for our good and for our welfare. The plans we have for ourselves may seem good, but they can’t compare to the plans God has for us. Therefore, this Christmas, let go of your prejudices and preconceived ideas and cling to the good plans the LORD has for us.

Before the end of the movie, Jack Frost accepted and embraced his purpose, and in doing so, he was seen by someone for the first time. When you accept the plans the LORD has for you, the good things that you desire will be given to you. Joseph could have left Mary. He could have quietly divorced her as he had planned to do all along, and in doing so, he would’ve missed out on being the father of the Messiah. But Joseph trusted God and followed His every command, and in doing so, he was not only able to meet the Messiah, but he raised the Messiah.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Accept Your Purpose.

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Christmas Ambassador

3 A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. 5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” ~ Isaiah 40:3-5

I remember when I first got saved in the early 90’s, the Reverent Billy Graham was preparing for a worldwide crusade. Churches all over the world, including the islands of the Caribbean, from every denomination were preparing for the crusade. We had training classes for the altar call, in anticipation for vast amount of people who would respond to the Gospel.

He never actually physically came to a lot of the places, like the little islands of the sea, but places of worship were prepared, and big screens were setup that those in attendance could see and hear the Reverent Billy Graham preach the plain and honest word of God’s truth.

God prophesied the same thing through Isaiah. He said He would send a forerunner, the voice of one crying in the wilderness, “Prepare the way of the LORD.” That was fulfilled in Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist. John was the voice preparing the people to receive their Messiah. He came preaching, and baptizing, and pointing people to the truth. Many came out to him and were baptized by him. Many asked, what must we do…? And he pointed them in the right direction.

Today, God is not looking for forerunners, He has already come in the form and fashion of the LORD Jesus. He lived and died, and was dead and buried for three days and three nights, but on the third day, He rose again and is now seated at the right hand of the Father, and He is coming back to get all those who are waiting for His return. But you know what He is looking for? He is looking for Christmas Ambassadors, those who will spread the Good News of the Hope that we have in His death and resurrection. He is looking for those who will tell of all the good things He has done for them, and point the loss in the direction of the cross.

There are many people who are still asking, “What must we do…?” They need one of God’s Ambassadors to point them in the right direction. Yes, there are those who do not want to hear, but I believe God is doing something great. He did not give us one more opportunity for no reason. Let us, therefore, strive to please Him and Him alone. Let us not live to our own selves, but let us live to please our LORD and our Savior, Jesus Christ.

This is your opportunity to partner with Jesus to be a Christmas Ambassador and to tell others about Him and what He has done for us and for our family.

Dear Heavenly Father, if you can use anything, please use me to be a Christmas Ambassador so that I can point others to You so that they may live and not die. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Christmas Intolerance

19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. ~ John 3:19

I remember being a kid enjoying the reading of the true Christmas Story at Epcot. Not only did they read the true Christmas Story found in Luke 2, but they also sang Christmas carols like Silent Night, O Holy Night, Angels We Have Heard On High, etc. One of the last years we enjoyed this event, I overheard a lady standing nearby complaining about the reading of Christmas Story. She explained that she enjoyed the songs but not the reading of the Christmas Story out of the Bible.

Being me, I had to fight every ounce of my being not to ask her what the difference was because her complaint made no sense. Think about it, all of those Christmas carols are saying the same exact thing that’s in the Christmas Story she was complaining about them reading. The other thing was, why go if you’re just gonna complain about the very purpose of the event? That’s crazy. But that’s the way the world is.

It wants you to accept and support everything they love to indulge in, but they want to silence Christianity. There isn’t another religion that is hated the way that Christianity is. They don’t even have a reason for the hatred. They’re okay with the mentioning of God, even the mentioning of Jesus; just don’t live for Him or read His Word. Why? Because those two things bring change. The Word of God sparks a fire within the hearts of those who hear it. It’s living, active, and can change the life of anyone who allows it to.

This Christmas, let the Word of God change you so that you may be a Light in this world as you live for Christ. Don’t let others silence the Truth with the false perspective of tolerance. Those shouting tolerance are always the most intolerant.

Dear LORD, please use me. Help me to be a Light for You. Please write Your Word on my heart that I might not sin against You, but instead that I might share Your Word and love with all I meet. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Look For His Prophecies

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

2,000 years ago, God set off His Godliness, took the form of man, and came to earth as a baby to save the world. This wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision. This was a well-planned rescue mission prophesied from the Garden of Eden. See, God created Adam in His own Image and then created woman because man could not be alone. His creation was perfect, and He would come, walk, and talk with His creation daily. Then suddenly, in an instant, His creation was completely corrupted.

So, what does God do? In the punishment of the tempter and deceiver, God prophesies the hope of all of humanity. See, the Serpent was the root of the fall of mankind, so not only was the Serpent punished, but the eventual undoing of all that he had done was prophesied. Let that sink in. The Serpent intended for the downfall of all humanity, but the LORD not only punished him but also told him how He (God) would undo his evil actions.

Let this be a reminder this Christmas season that even when the Devil tempts you successfully, God will be there to show all involved His plan of redemption. Be encouraged by this and let not your hearts be discouraged by the temptations of this world, for the LORD will also come to redeem those who love Him and whom He loves.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Look For His Prophecies.

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Live For Today And Look For Eternity

13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words. ~ 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

When you lose people you love, the holidays become bittersweet. It’s almost as if you can’t wait to enjoy the holidays, but as you do, you just want it to end. Almost like it’s too painful or wrong to enjoy the holidays without them. All of those emotions and feelings you’ve been bottling up all year long seem to come crashing down during the holidays, and it’s easy to feel crushed underneath it all. But even in a dark place, there’s still a light at the end of the tunnel.

I’ve noticed a trend in movies and TV shows that when someone dies, those mourning that person will end their conversation with them with, “wherever you are.” What could be a sadder statement? I miss my loved ones dearly. It’s been almost a decade, and there are still those moments when, just for a second, I go to pick up my phone to call them and tell them what just happened, and then it hits me, they’re no longer there.

A lot of pain fills our hearts in the holiday season, but one thing that we have as an ease of the heart is this: we don’t mourn like those without hope because we know that this time without them is just a short time compared to the eternity we will share with them one day. It can be difficult sometimes, but when we focus on today and look to eternity instead of focusing on the past and what could be, we’ll be able to cherish every moment we have with the loved ones we still have with us.

Dear LORD, please ease the pain in the hearts of all who are mourning the loss of loved ones. We know that grief and pain only last for the night, for Your joy comes in the morning. LORD, please let Your sun rise in each and every heart and let Your peace and love surround them always. Please teach each of us to focus on today and to live for the hope of eternity. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Returning

14 All the officers of the priests and the people likewise were exceedingly unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations. And they polluted the House of the LORD that He had made holy in Jerusalem. 15 The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. 16 But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD rose against His people, until there was no remedy. ~ 2 Chronicles 36:14-16

According to the Scripture, it was not only the people but the officers of the priests who were unfaithful. Actually, it was the officers that were listed first, suggesting that it was them that led the people into following all the abominations of the nations around them. Meaning that they got caught up in idol worship. The worship of false gods. But not only were they unfaithful, but they were exceedingly unfaithful. Thus, they polluted the House of God with their idols.

Yet God was compassionate with them, not wanting wrath and judgment but mercy and grace. But the people would not listen. In fact, they mocked the messengers that God had sent. By scoffing at His prophets, the people despised God’s words. They did this until their time of grace ran out, and there was no more remedy for them. So, God had no choice but to pour out His wrath on them.

Now, understand this. It was not their personal failure that sent the nation into exile, but rather, it was their corporate decision to reject the LORD their God, Who had brought them up out of the land of slavery into a good and spacious land. A land flowing with milk and honey. They chose to reject the goodness and the mercy of their God for the lies and deceit of the enemy.

Therefore, God had no choice but to send them into exile as He had threatened.

How does that affect me? Well, the lesson here, I believe, is that personal failures, not even those done out of your own self-will, will separate you from God if you will do as David did, repent before the LORD, and not do it again. Always remember, we have an advocate in heaven by the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who makes intercessions for us day and night.

But what will permanently separate you from God is your open rebellion and your blatant rejection of Him by choosing other gods and despising His Word. If you have strayed away from God, repent. Ask for forgiveness and come back to Him; the Father is waiting with open arms. He loves you much more than you even know.

Father, I have sinned; please forgive me. I repent before You with a broken heart. I am so sorry for my rebellious actions. Thank You, Jesus, for Your shed blood that cleanses me from all sin and shame. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Count Your Blessings

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever. 2 Give thanks to the God of gods, for His steadfast love endures forever. 3 Give thanks to the LORD of lords, for His steadfast love endures forever. ~ Psalms 136:1-3

The Psalmist starts out shooting straight from the hip. He boldly states, give thanks to the LORD for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever. He continues the theme of God having, or possessing, and showing an everlasting, steadfast love. Then, to back up what he is saying, he reminds them of all the great things that God has done. How He created the heavens and the earth, and all of the stars that we see at night, including the sun and the moon.

Then the Psalmist makes it personal to the Israelites; he reminds them how God judged the Egyptians who had enslaved them for 430 years and how, by His great power, and because of His everlasting, steadfast love, He delivered them out of bondage. He reminds them how God was with them as He led them through the wilderness and into the Promised Land and how He gave them victory over all of their foes.

It reminds me of the hymn that we used to sing:

Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your blessings, see what God hath done;
Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your many blessings, see what God hath done

That is exactly what the Psalmist is doing here. He is counting all of their blessings, and he is naming them one by one and finds that God is the possessor of an enduring, everlasting, steadfast love. A steadfast love that remembers that we are of low estate. That we are but dust, just mere mortals.

So, this Thanksgiving, let us start a new tradition, a tradition of being thankful. Every morning, remind yourself of two or three blessings that you have enjoyed. New ones and blessings from years and years ago. In so doing, you will see that God is indeed good, and His steadfast love endures forever.

Father, thank You for being so kind to me. Thank You for blessing me even when I do not deserve it. Thank You, Jesus, for dying on the cross for me. Help me to have a thankful and grateful heart. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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The Ungrateful Heart

1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. ~ 2 Timothy 3:1-5

Paul prophesied that in the last days will come times of difficulty. That people will become arrogant, abusive, brutal, and not loving good, but right in the middle of it all is the statement that people will be ungrateful. They will be thankless. That describes this generation, and this society.

Even the older folks have hardened their hearts. You can hold a door open for them, and they walk right through, young and old, with not so much as a word of thanks. Not even a nod of acknowledgment. No matter what you do for them, it is never good enough. It just seems to all fall on a hard heart.

This is exactly what Paul prophesied 2,000 years ago. Paul compared ungratefulness to the same level of evil as lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, treacherous, and brutal. Imagine that, being ungrateful is the same as being a lover of money, which is a root of all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6:10). Why? Because having an ungrateful heart is a sign of a hardened heart, and a hardened heart is a sign of a lack of love. Without love, there is no salvation. Love is the one fruit that is mandatory to obtaining and maintaining salvation.

Dear LORD, I’m sorry for every time I have been ungrateful and/or unthankful. Please forgive me and heal my hardened heart. Please help me to love all people the same way You do. Help me to see value in others’ time, actions, and needs. Help me to treat others the way I would like to be treated. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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