Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Ephesians 6:11 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/eph.6.11.KJV
Each day of your life in Christ, Satan tries to cause you to slip and fall so that your witness will be marred in the eyes of those watching you. That’s why we need the armor of God, so we won’t fall. God bless all who read this.
The Birth of Jesus (Luke 2:1-19)
(Isaiah 7:10-16; Micah 5:1-6; Matthew 1:18-25)
1And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. 2(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 4And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 6And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
The Shepherds and Angels
8And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
15And 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. 16And they came with haste and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. 18And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. Luke 2:1-19
May everyone who reads this be blessed and have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!
In the world religion arena there are many religions which vie for our attention. Many of them seem to have more clout than others yet with so many choices out there how do people choose which one to follow? Some follow the religion that their parents and grandparents followed just because it’s the way they have always followed so why change now? Some people choose to look at all avenues and try to pick the one that fits them instead of fitting into a religious system that demands more than they want to give. It seems that many people fit into that last category more than any other because they want a belief system that is comfortable for them and for their lifestyle.
The problem with how people pick and choose their particular “religion” lies in the picking and choosing. Religion was never supposed to be a custom fit but with all of the choices out there today, like it has been for thousands of years, confusion causes more problems in people’s lives more often than not. Also, the only way to gain entry into heaven is not a religion in reality, it is a lifestyle. Living your life as a Christian is a daily walk that you wake up with every day and as Jesus said “…you must take up your cross and follow Me”.
Taking up your cross doesn’t mean what many think it means. Because some see this as choosing to be on the firing line of persecution and ridicule from the first day until you die and that isn’t what it means at all. We must bear our cross as Jesus did, willingly laying down our old lives and habits and follow Him into a new life of being or straining toward the goal of being more like Him every day. For some it is more of a strain than it is for others because of what they are giving up to be like Him. For others it is a choice that makes the life they live more bearable and sometimes joyful.
Jesus told His disciples that “the way is broad which leads to destruction but the way that leads to eternal life is narrow”. I paraphrased His words but you get the idea.
Finding the way to a place of joy and peace is much like this. There are pathways that are easy to walk and comfortable to stay on but the end or the destination is not the one that most people were looking for. The path which leads to eternal life and peace is the pathway that is not very wide and it has a few briers and brambles and rocks strewn all in it but the destination is far better than anything we could possibly imagine. The destination is to be in heaven with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Heaven is a place that few who were allowed to see even a little of it could describe it in ways that we can understand. Some say that the colors are “just more than the colors on Earth”, “deeper blues and more spectacular greens”. Why can’t we describe heaven? Because it is the real place that Earth is only a reflection of, that’s why. The beauty that we see all around the world is a dim reflection of the beauty in heaven.
Strive to be more like Jesus Christ. Seek Him out as your Savior and Lord while there is time to do so. Life here is short but once you have given your heart to Him, eternity awaits you without boundaries or limits.
When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. Matthew 2:10-11 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/mat.2.10-11.KJV
Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem a little more than two thousand years ago. His message to all of those who will believe in Him is “I’m with you all until the end of the age”. Merry Christmas to all who read this and especially those who have given their hearts to Jesus!
The Child of Bethlehem was Jesus Christ. He came because God decreed it to be. In order for mankind to be forgiven for our sins, Jesus had to pay the price for all of mankind and He did. So why are there so many people who still insist that He didn’t come or rather that they don’t believe in Him at all? The reason for this is simple…humanity has been convinced over the years that the Bible is false and that it contains errors. Some even believe that the entire Bible is a lie.
So why do I believe that God’s Word is the Truth and that it is trustworthy? Well, consider the authorship of the Bible. It was written over thousands of years by over forty different authors when you include the New Testament writers too. Yet, the message of the Bible is pointing toward a Savior from Genesis to Micah, then from Matthew to the Revelation the New Testament shows the fulfilled prophecies of the Old Testament in Jesus Christ and His birth, His life, His teachings, His miracles and His death on the cross and His resurrection.
Forty authors could not put together a lie that would be convincing enough for people to die for their faith in Jesus. The disciples of Jesus wouldn’t have been so adamant about His miracles and His teachings if they hadn’t witnessed them firsthand. They all died by horrible torture except for the apostle John who died of old age.
The Child born in Bethlehem of a virgin, foretold hundreds of years before, laid in a manger, worshipped by the magi who came to give Him gold, frankincense and myrrh. Gold to show their knowledge that He was a King. Frankincense to show that He was to be our Priest, and myrrh which would be one of the spices to be placed on Him at His burial. Our Lord and Savior fulfilled all of the prophecies which were written by the prophets many years before His birth.
So to answer the question in the title: the Child was God’s only Son. Given to redeem mankind from their sins and their sinful nature so that we could be adopted into God’s family. Read God’s Word with a prayerful heart and an open mind so that His Holy Spirit can touch your heart and Spirit and bring you into His family. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
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. John 1:14 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/jhn.1.14.KJV
For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him. Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved. But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities. But now, O Lord , thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand. Isaiah 64:4-8 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/isa.64.4-8.KJV
Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/1th.5.16-18.KJV
There are many things in our lives that we believe without question. The sun will rise in the Eastern sky tomorrow morning and set in the West tomorrow evening and nobody disputes that. But do you believe God’s Word is true? I know that the physics of our planet and the solar system determine the rising and setting of stars and the moon and our Sun itself but God designed all of this Himself. He determined the size and shape of every planet and rock in our solar system. He also designed the universe itself to be exactly the way He wanted it to be.
We tend to believe many things that are just theories in science because they can’t be proven by repetition. Evolution can’t be repeated by our scientists to produce the same results, but nobody has ever found an actual fossil of an animal in the process of changing from one form to another. God designed each animal they way that they were supposed to be and He didn’t have to begin with an early version of it and mold it to be like its final form. He created them in their final form period.
God’s home in eternity is outside of time and physical limitations of our universe so He can see our world the way it will be in a thousand years or He can look back to the beginning and follow history along if He chose to do so. I saw something today that expressed an idea or a counter-idea saying that there will be no rapture. The word “rapture” is not in God’s Word but Jesus did tell His disciples that He would come back one day and take us to the homes that He has prepared for us in heaven. So you can look at some scripture and say that it doesn’t mean rapture but I don’t care what it means. If He said that He was coming to take us home to be with Him, so you can call it “the great disappearing act” for all I care. I will be happy and humbled to be included in the number of saints who are taken home to be with Jesus!
I pray that everyone who reads this blog will be part of the group that is taken to be with Him. If you aren’t sure about your salvation, read a couple of books in the Bible and then ask God to show you how to become saved, sanctified and free to be called a born again Christian. The books I am referring to are the book of John in the New Testament and the book of Romans. John has about 22 or 23 chapters in it and Romans has 16. They are not hard to read but they do explain a lot. Then read the book of Acts where Saul meets Jesus on the road to Damascus and his life is changed dramatically. I pray that yours will be too.
The Lord calls us to be His people and our response should be to obey Him.
Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the Lord thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord , and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord . For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. Isaiah 55:5-11 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/isa.55.5-11.KJV
I pray that you will seek Him for your salvation because not one of us is guaranteed to be here tomorrow. Your life or mine may end before this day is over so make sure of your eternal home now while you can.
