Hello Everyone,
A woman walked into her bathroom at home. As she did, she saw her husband weighing himself on the bathroom scales, sucking in his stomach. The woman thought to herself, "He thinks that he will weigh less by sucking in his stomach." So, the woman rather sarcastically said to her husband, "That’s not going to help." Her husband said, "Sure it will. It’s the only way I can see the numbers."
Read Psalms 92:13-15 with me again:
13 Those who are planted in the house of the LORD Shall flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing,
15 To declare that the LORD is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. NKJV
Read verse 14with me again: They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing,
Fresh means full of oil or sap it literally means FAT.
Flourishing means green.
Listen carefully to the voice of God this year and receive from Him HE will intervene in a moment’s time.
I believe God is saying to His Church:
“I will pour out my Spirit without measure when I have a people without mixture”.
When we as a people decide to be in this world but not of it, when we truly decide to be a peculiar people I believe God will pour out His Spirit without measure!
Read verse 14 with me one more time: They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing,
If your memories are bigger than your dreams you are in TROUBLE!
They shall still bear fruit in old age;
Paul told us to “forget those things that are behind and press on”
They shall be fresh and flourishing,
Have you ever notice that the person who has never done anything is just sure it can’t be done.
They never make statues of failures.
They shall be fresh and flourishing,
When you are doing all that you can where you have been planted pain is inevitable but misery is optional.
All for Jesus
Phil
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
The year of FAVOR
Hello Everyone,
I saw a recent article that listed the five most popular resolutions made most every year. The 5th was to take up a new hobby, the 4th was to make more money, the 3rd most popular resolution was to improve relationships, the 2nd was to stop smoking and the most popular New Years resolution, was you guessed it, losing weight.
I am not necessarily fond of New Years resolutions but I do believe in commitments and covenants. So our challenge this week and the coming New Year is to be the planting of the Lord.
Read with me:
Ps 92:13-15
13 Those who are planted in the house of the LORD Shall flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing,
15 To declare that the LORD is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. NKJV
Read verse 13 with me again: Those who are planted in the house of the LORD Shall flourish in the courts of our God.
The year of FAVOR FOR THE FAITHFUL!
Listen: A MOMENT of FAVOR is worth more than a year of labor and toil in the field.
Ø God in one moment can drop something into your spirit.
Ø God in one moment can drop something into you dreams.
Ø In one moment you can respond to God and your whole life can be changed.
Ø In one moment your decisions, your words, can open ways that have never been open.
“It is not by might nor by Power but by my Spirit says the Lord”
By one moment of Devine Favor God can open doors that have been closed.
How do we flourish in the courts of our Lord? We flourish by being planted in the house of the Lord.
All for Jesus
Phil
I saw a recent article that listed the five most popular resolutions made most every year. The 5th was to take up a new hobby, the 4th was to make more money, the 3rd most popular resolution was to improve relationships, the 2nd was to stop smoking and the most popular New Years resolution, was you guessed it, losing weight.
I am not necessarily fond of New Years resolutions but I do believe in commitments and covenants. So our challenge this week and the coming New Year is to be the planting of the Lord.
Read with me:
Ps 92:13-15
13 Those who are planted in the house of the LORD Shall flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing,
15 To declare that the LORD is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. NKJV
Read verse 13 with me again: Those who are planted in the house of the LORD Shall flourish in the courts of our God.
The year of FAVOR FOR THE FAITHFUL!
Listen: A MOMENT of FAVOR is worth more than a year of labor and toil in the field.
Ø God in one moment can drop something into your spirit.
Ø God in one moment can drop something into you dreams.
Ø In one moment you can respond to God and your whole life can be changed.
Ø In one moment your decisions, your words, can open ways that have never been open.
“It is not by might nor by Power but by my Spirit says the Lord”
By one moment of Devine Favor God can open doors that have been closed.
How do we flourish in the courts of our Lord? We flourish by being planted in the house of the Lord.
All for Jesus
Phil
Monday, December 29, 2008
The Planting of the Lord
Hello Everyone,
I heard about a man who moved into a retirement community to spend the rest of his life there. It wasn’t long until he had made a number of friends among the other residents. There was one lady he was especially attracted to, & she was attracted to him, also. So they spent a lot of time together. Finally one evening he proposed, asking her to marry him.The next morning he woke up remembering his proposal, but he couldn’t remember her answer. So he went to her & said, "I’m really embarrassed. I proposed to you last night but I can’t remember if you said `Yes’ or `No."’ "Oh, thank goodness!" she replied. "I remembered saying `Yes’ but I couldn’t remember who asked me."
Ps 92:13-15
13 Those who are planted in the house of the LORD Shall flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing,
15 To declare that the LORD is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. NKJV
I believe with all that is within me that the year 2009 is going to be the year of FAVOR for the FAITHFUL.
Why has God planted you where you are at this time and season?
There is something about being planted there is something about knowing that you know that you know this is where you belong.
13 Those who are planted in the house of the LORD Shall flourish in the courts of our God.
Heb 11:1
11:1 Now faith is! NKJV
Faith is a now thing “Now faith is” but faith also shapes the future.
For those who have been faithful in your giving, God will open TRESURES to you so your giving can increase.
Ø This is a season that the mountains are breaking!
Ø This is a season that the circumstances are changing!
Ø This is a season that gates are unlocking, the hinges are breaking, the Heavens are opening and the treasures of darkness are being released.
What are the treasures of darkness?
We have some that are treasures of darkness sitting on our pews every Sunday morning.
Some that Satan thought he had in his grip but GRACE came into the picture, but MERCY came into the picture.
The challenge for this year and this season is to be planted in the house of the LORD so you can flourish in the courts of our God.
All for Jesus
Phil
I heard about a man who moved into a retirement community to spend the rest of his life there. It wasn’t long until he had made a number of friends among the other residents. There was one lady he was especially attracted to, & she was attracted to him, also. So they spent a lot of time together. Finally one evening he proposed, asking her to marry him.The next morning he woke up remembering his proposal, but he couldn’t remember her answer. So he went to her & said, "I’m really embarrassed. I proposed to you last night but I can’t remember if you said `Yes’ or `No."’ "Oh, thank goodness!" she replied. "I remembered saying `Yes’ but I couldn’t remember who asked me."
Ps 92:13-15
13 Those who are planted in the house of the LORD Shall flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing,
15 To declare that the LORD is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. NKJV
I believe with all that is within me that the year 2009 is going to be the year of FAVOR for the FAITHFUL.
Why has God planted you where you are at this time and season?
There is something about being planted there is something about knowing that you know that you know this is where you belong.
13 Those who are planted in the house of the LORD Shall flourish in the courts of our God.
Heb 11:1
11:1 Now faith is! NKJV
Faith is a now thing “Now faith is” but faith also shapes the future.
For those who have been faithful in your giving, God will open TRESURES to you so your giving can increase.
Ø This is a season that the mountains are breaking!
Ø This is a season that the circumstances are changing!
Ø This is a season that gates are unlocking, the hinges are breaking, the Heavens are opening and the treasures of darkness are being released.
What are the treasures of darkness?
We have some that are treasures of darkness sitting on our pews every Sunday morning.
Some that Satan thought he had in his grip but GRACE came into the picture, but MERCY came into the picture.
The challenge for this year and this season is to be planted in the house of the LORD so you can flourish in the courts of our God.
All for Jesus
Phil
Friday, December 19, 2008
What is it that we really need?
Hello Everyone,
Let me ask you a question: What does man really need?
If our greatest need is money, God may have sent us a banker.
If our greatest need is knowledge, God may have sent us a teacher.
If our greatest need is wisdom, God may have sent us a philosopher.
If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer.
But our greatest need was forgiveness - so God sent us a Redeemer who would buy us back! "... you are to give him the name JESUS, because he will save his people from their sins." (Matt 1:21)
And so Jesus put on human skin and everything that comes with it. The Son of God sacrificed Himself so that we can become sons and daughters of God.
John 1:12-13 "Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God - children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God."
We can now go HOME to where He is, because we are His children. Jesus made all this possible because He fulfilled the righteous demand of the Father that sin be paid for in full. If God did all He can to meet us at the point of our need, and save us from our sin and death... then today, we can rest assured He can.
He has not changed. He WILL meet you at the point of your need today. If He made such a great sacrifice to save your soul, is there any greater need than that that He cannot meet, or is not willing to do?
Rom 8:32 "He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?"
Only God Himself can thoroughly express who He is to us. Only God could make Himself fully known.
If our Creator chose to hide Himself, we would never know Him. But He came... in the person of Jesus Christ. And we saw His heart...
All for Jesus
Phil
Let me ask you a question: What does man really need?
If our greatest need is money, God may have sent us a banker.
If our greatest need is knowledge, God may have sent us a teacher.
If our greatest need is wisdom, God may have sent us a philosopher.
If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer.
But our greatest need was forgiveness - so God sent us a Redeemer who would buy us back! "... you are to give him the name JESUS, because he will save his people from their sins." (Matt 1:21)
And so Jesus put on human skin and everything that comes with it. The Son of God sacrificed Himself so that we can become sons and daughters of God.
John 1:12-13 "Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God - children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God."
We can now go HOME to where He is, because we are His children. Jesus made all this possible because He fulfilled the righteous demand of the Father that sin be paid for in full. If God did all He can to meet us at the point of our need, and save us from our sin and death... then today, we can rest assured He can.
He has not changed. He WILL meet you at the point of your need today. If He made such a great sacrifice to save your soul, is there any greater need than that that He cannot meet, or is not willing to do?
Rom 8:32 "He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?"
Only God Himself can thoroughly express who He is to us. Only God could make Himself fully known.
If our Creator chose to hide Himself, we would never know Him. But He came... in the person of Jesus Christ. And we saw His heart...
All for Jesus
Phil
Thursday, December 18, 2008
The One and Only
Hello Everyone,
God desires to communicate with you today. We are made to have a relationship with God and He wants that! He wants you to spend time with Him, to listen to His Word and share your life events with Him.
Do that everyday... God treasures your time with Him. Whether in devotion or prayer, spend time with Him. He delights in that!
When we see Jesus we have seen God. God himself is incomprehensible, but in Jesus Christ we get a glimpse of His glory, His grace and truth.
John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
In Jesus Christ we see God’s great love... that God, who created the stars and the universe, is willing to go all of the way, even to a cross, so that a single person may be redeemed.
That is what God is like that we came to know because of Jesus Christ.God meets us where we are at the point of our need.
We were lost - in darkness, we needed light and God gave us the Light.
We needed life - for we are condemned to die in our sin - and "in Him was life" (John 1:4).
Jesus was God’s way of meeting us where we were to take us where we could never go.
All for Jesus
Phil
God desires to communicate with you today. We are made to have a relationship with God and He wants that! He wants you to spend time with Him, to listen to His Word and share your life events with Him.
Do that everyday... God treasures your time with Him. Whether in devotion or prayer, spend time with Him. He delights in that!
When we see Jesus we have seen God. God himself is incomprehensible, but in Jesus Christ we get a glimpse of His glory, His grace and truth.
John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
In Jesus Christ we see God’s great love... that God, who created the stars and the universe, is willing to go all of the way, even to a cross, so that a single person may be redeemed.
That is what God is like that we came to know because of Jesus Christ.God meets us where we are at the point of our need.
We were lost - in darkness, we needed light and God gave us the Light.
We needed life - for we are condemned to die in our sin - and "in Him was life" (John 1:4).
Jesus was God’s way of meeting us where we were to take us where we could never go.
All for Jesus
Phil
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
He Came to me
Hello Everyone,
Think about this:
· Jesus who owns the universe, came into this world, and had to find a place to be born.
· Jesus who is Almighty, came into this world, and needed to be carried by human hands.
· Jesus who has everything in His control came into this world and was despised by man.
This CONDESCENSION is a big thing. Martin Luther said: "The mystery of the humanity of Christ, that he sunk himself into our flesh, is beyond all human understanding."
Why? Why did God do such a thing? John uses these words: "He came to His own..." (1:11); He wants us to be "children of God" (1:12). God desires a relationship with us.
This desire, or love to have fellowship with us is so great that He is willing to do whatever He can to make this possible, even if it means the sacrifice of Jesus.
- God came and lived among us. He has to reveal Himself to us in an understandable way, and this is precisely what Jesus did - became flesh just like you and me. He made Himself understandable.
Phil 2:6-9 "Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross!"
I am glad that this happened, because it shows beyond a shadow of a doubt that God desires to reach down to me... God is beyond my reach, but I’m not beyond His reach.
He lowered Himself so that I can reach Him. Christ’s birth brought the infinite God within reach of finite man.
And I come to understand His heart to me - He loves me and longs to communicate His love to me. He wants to bless me and save me!
He loves you and longs to have a relationship with you, He wants to bless you and save you. Receive Him today right where you are.
All for Jesus
Phil
Think about this:
· Jesus who owns the universe, came into this world, and had to find a place to be born.
· Jesus who is Almighty, came into this world, and needed to be carried by human hands.
· Jesus who has everything in His control came into this world and was despised by man.
This CONDESCENSION is a big thing. Martin Luther said: "The mystery of the humanity of Christ, that he sunk himself into our flesh, is beyond all human understanding."
Why? Why did God do such a thing? John uses these words: "He came to His own..." (1:11); He wants us to be "children of God" (1:12). God desires a relationship with us.
This desire, or love to have fellowship with us is so great that He is willing to do whatever He can to make this possible, even if it means the sacrifice of Jesus.
- God came and lived among us. He has to reveal Himself to us in an understandable way, and this is precisely what Jesus did - became flesh just like you and me. He made Himself understandable.
Phil 2:6-9 "Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross!"
I am glad that this happened, because it shows beyond a shadow of a doubt that God desires to reach down to me... God is beyond my reach, but I’m not beyond His reach.
He lowered Himself so that I can reach Him. Christ’s birth brought the infinite God within reach of finite man.
And I come to understand His heart to me - He loves me and longs to communicate His love to me. He wants to bless me and save me!
He loves you and longs to have a relationship with you, He wants to bless you and save you. Receive Him today right where you are.
All for Jesus
Phil
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Hello Everyone,
As I said yesterday John spent the first 14 verses of his book to paint us the entire picture of God’s salvation plan for mankind.
Today the first thing that we see is:
GOD’S STRONG DESIRE TO COMMUNICATE WITH MAN
We see a movement in this passage - John tells us in (John 1:1-3):
"1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning. 3Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made."
God and His Word - Jesus - they are eternal. They’ve been there from the beginning. John takes us further back than the book of Genesis - Genesis tells us what God did in the beginning, John gave us a snapshot of God before He created anything.The first picture we see of Jesus Christ is this - He is God. He is Eternal, infinite, and uncreated. He is the Creator, for "through Him all things were created".
Genesis tells us God spoke and the world was created... All things were created through the Word. In Him was life - in other words, all living things - including you and me - exist today because of Him.
He sustains life in this universe, therefore without Him nothing exists.And then as you read on, John painted a movement...
v.5 "the light shines in the darkness...."
v.9 "the true light... was coming into the world." And then...
v.10 "He was in the world..."
v.11 "He came to that which was His own..."
v.14 "The Word became flesh..."
The Creator came into His creation - the world He made. The Creator became flesh and made His dwelling among His creatures.
And the Word is none other than Jesus the Son of God!
All for Jesus
Phil
As I said yesterday John spent the first 14 verses of his book to paint us the entire picture of God’s salvation plan for mankind.
Today the first thing that we see is:
GOD’S STRONG DESIRE TO COMMUNICATE WITH MAN
We see a movement in this passage - John tells us in (John 1:1-3):
"1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning. 3Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made."
God and His Word - Jesus - they are eternal. They’ve been there from the beginning. John takes us further back than the book of Genesis - Genesis tells us what God did in the beginning, John gave us a snapshot of God before He created anything.The first picture we see of Jesus Christ is this - He is God. He is Eternal, infinite, and uncreated. He is the Creator, for "through Him all things were created".
Genesis tells us God spoke and the world was created... All things were created through the Word. In Him was life - in other words, all living things - including you and me - exist today because of Him.
He sustains life in this universe, therefore without Him nothing exists.And then as you read on, John painted a movement...
v.5 "the light shines in the darkness...."
v.9 "the true light... was coming into the world." And then...
v.10 "He was in the world..."
v.11 "He came to that which was His own..."
v.14 "The Word became flesh..."
The Creator came into His creation - the world He made. The Creator became flesh and made His dwelling among His creatures.
And the Word is none other than Jesus the Son of God!
All for Jesus
Phil
Monday, December 15, 2008
Hello Everyone,
John began his Gospel a little different than the rest of the Gospel writers. The rest started with the historical accounts of the events that took place.
· Matthew and Luke talked about circumstances leading to Jesus’ birth.
· Mark started off with Jesus entering into ministry, writing about a prophet John the Baptist who was preaching a message of repentance, preparing the people’s heart for the arrival of Jesus.
· JOHN talked about John the Baptist too, and the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. But before he launched into this, he took the first 14 verses to lay down clearly the theme of his book – Which is the Gospel message - that Jesus is the Son of God who came to save all man.At the end of his book, John said that he has seen all that Jesus has said and done.
He said, John 20:30 Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book."
John 21:25 Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.
John 20:31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
In other words, I have written all that you need to know in order to be saved.John spent the first 14 verses of his book to paint us the entire picture of God’s salvation plan for mankind. Take time this Christmas Season to read and meditate on these first 14 verses of John 1.
All for Jesus
Phil
John began his Gospel a little different than the rest of the Gospel writers. The rest started with the historical accounts of the events that took place.
· Matthew and Luke talked about circumstances leading to Jesus’ birth.
· Mark started off with Jesus entering into ministry, writing about a prophet John the Baptist who was preaching a message of repentance, preparing the people’s heart for the arrival of Jesus.
· JOHN talked about John the Baptist too, and the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. But before he launched into this, he took the first 14 verses to lay down clearly the theme of his book – Which is the Gospel message - that Jesus is the Son of God who came to save all man.At the end of his book, John said that he has seen all that Jesus has said and done.
He said, John 20:30 Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book."
John 21:25 Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.
John 20:31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
In other words, I have written all that you need to know in order to be saved.John spent the first 14 verses of his book to paint us the entire picture of God’s salvation plan for mankind. Take time this Christmas Season to read and meditate on these first 14 verses of John 1.
All for Jesus
Phil
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Don't Miss The Baby
Hello Everyone,
The last group of people who missed Jesus was the religious leaders of the day – they were the ministers and pastors – people who should have been able to recognize when God was doing something.
When Herod was trying to track down this baby, he went to the religious leaders to see if they knew anything about this promised king.
They did – they knew all about Him from prophecies in the Bible and knew He would be born in Bethlehem. Do you know the funny thing – even though they were deeply religious, they didn’t even bother to go and check out Bethlehem to see whether this special baby, God’s Son, had been born that first Christmas!
They missed the baby because of their indifference.
They had all the facts about the baby.
They knew how special He would be.
They knew he was God’s Son who would save them, yet they didn’t really care.
They didn’t think they needed a Savior – they thought they were good enough and because of their indifference, they missed the baby.
Many people today think similarly to the religious leaders. They think that they are good people and will be good enough to impress God without the Baby – but they won’t and they can’t.
We need the baby if we are going to be right with God – He came to die so we could be forgiven. Without Him, we have no chance of pleasing God.
Are you indifferent because you don’t know why you need saving or because you think you are good enough on your own?
Don’t make this mistake this Christmas; don’t miss the baby because of your indifference. - Some miss the baby because they are too distracted by all the world offers now. - Some miss the baby because they are too busy and don’t have time to find out about him.- Some miss the baby because they are too scared to let him take control of their lives.- Some miss the baby because they are indifferent or ignorant of their need for a Savior.This Christmas, I want to offer you the greatest gift of all – a baby who was born in a manger in the city of Bethlehem.
His name was Jesus Christ and is the Savior of the world.
All for Jesus
Phil
The last group of people who missed Jesus was the religious leaders of the day – they were the ministers and pastors – people who should have been able to recognize when God was doing something.
When Herod was trying to track down this baby, he went to the religious leaders to see if they knew anything about this promised king.
They did – they knew all about Him from prophecies in the Bible and knew He would be born in Bethlehem. Do you know the funny thing – even though they were deeply religious, they didn’t even bother to go and check out Bethlehem to see whether this special baby, God’s Son, had been born that first Christmas!
They missed the baby because of their indifference.
They had all the facts about the baby.
They knew how special He would be.
They knew he was God’s Son who would save them, yet they didn’t really care.
They didn’t think they needed a Savior – they thought they were good enough and because of their indifference, they missed the baby.
Many people today think similarly to the religious leaders. They think that they are good people and will be good enough to impress God without the Baby – but they won’t and they can’t.
We need the baby if we are going to be right with God – He came to die so we could be forgiven. Without Him, we have no chance of pleasing God.
Are you indifferent because you don’t know why you need saving or because you think you are good enough on your own?
Don’t make this mistake this Christmas; don’t miss the baby because of your indifference. - Some miss the baby because they are too distracted by all the world offers now. - Some miss the baby because they are too busy and don’t have time to find out about him.- Some miss the baby because they are too scared to let him take control of their lives.- Some miss the baby because they are indifferent or ignorant of their need for a Savior.This Christmas, I want to offer you the greatest gift of all – a baby who was born in a manger in the city of Bethlehem.
His name was Jesus Christ and is the Savior of the world.
All for Jesus
Phil
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Give the King His throne
Hello Everyone,
Two men went to the train station with a friend. The train was late so they sat down for a cup of coffee. They talked and drank and forgot about the train. Suddenly they heard the last announcement about the departing train. They all got up and started running. They ran down the tracks as the train was pulling out of the station. Two of the men made it to the last car and the third man was just not fast enough. The third man slowed to a stop and started laughing. An onlooker went up to the laughing man and said, "What are you laughing for? You just missed your train." "You’re right," "I did miss my train. What’s funny is those two guys came to see me off."
I think we are just like this guy who missed the train.
A lot of us miss Christmas.
Some of the other characters in the Christmas story were the Wise Men. They knew a new king had been born because a special star appeared in the sky. They followed this star to Jerusalem and they went to the palace of Herod, the king to enquire who this new king was.
Now Herod was very different to the innkeeper and most of the other travelers, he was powerful, educated and influential – but also scared.
He wasn’t excited to hear about a competitor being born.
In fact he was so upset that he ordered the murder of all baby boys 2 and under.
Herod was scared of this new king because he thought that he would lose his throne and all that he enjoyed in life. He missed the baby because he was scared of what he might lose.
There are many people who live today who are like Herod. They are scared that this baby will take away their freedom, their careers, their lifestyles, their ambitions.
They are not willing for Jesus to be crowned a King in their lives and so they miss the baby and the chance to live the perfect life that God created them for.
Do you need to allow the king to take the throne of your life this Christmas?
All for Jesus
Phil
Two men went to the train station with a friend. The train was late so they sat down for a cup of coffee. They talked and drank and forgot about the train. Suddenly they heard the last announcement about the departing train. They all got up and started running. They ran down the tracks as the train was pulling out of the station. Two of the men made it to the last car and the third man was just not fast enough. The third man slowed to a stop and started laughing. An onlooker went up to the laughing man and said, "What are you laughing for? You just missed your train." "You’re right," "I did miss my train. What’s funny is those two guys came to see me off."
I think we are just like this guy who missed the train.
A lot of us miss Christmas.
Some of the other characters in the Christmas story were the Wise Men. They knew a new king had been born because a special star appeared in the sky. They followed this star to Jerusalem and they went to the palace of Herod, the king to enquire who this new king was.
Now Herod was very different to the innkeeper and most of the other travelers, he was powerful, educated and influential – but also scared.
He wasn’t excited to hear about a competitor being born.
In fact he was so upset that he ordered the murder of all baby boys 2 and under.
Herod was scared of this new king because he thought that he would lose his throne and all that he enjoyed in life. He missed the baby because he was scared of what he might lose.
There are many people who live today who are like Herod. They are scared that this baby will take away their freedom, their careers, their lifestyles, their ambitions.
They are not willing for Jesus to be crowned a King in their lives and so they miss the baby and the chance to live the perfect life that God created them for.
Do you need to allow the king to take the throne of your life this Christmas?
All for Jesus
Phil
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
To Busy?
Hello Everyone,
Dear Santa, (From a 4-year-old) I’ll take anything because I haven’t been that good.
Dear Santa, I’m not going to ask for a lot. Here’s my list: The Etch-A-Sketch animator, 2 packs of #2 pencils, Crayola fat markers and the big gift...my own color TV! Well, maybe you could drop the pencils; I don’t want to be really selfish.
Not only did the innkeeper miss the baby, but the other travelers and the people of Bethlehem missed the Baby.
HE was right under their noses, but they missed Him.
What would you do if you knew the Queen of England was coming to your city, your suburb, your street? What if there was no room at the local hotel for her. Would you think of offering up your bed to her? No-one thought to do that for Mary and the baby to be born. They had their own concerns.
Most of the fellow travelers were also on the road for the census. They were in a hurry to get places and were just too worn out from a long day’s travel to have time to visit a baby. The townsfolk were overrun with visitors to their city. There were the party’s, the relatives, dinner with aunt Bob and uncle Sue.
Their calendar was too full and they were just too busy to squeeze in a visit to a tiny baby.
Our programs can be so hectic that we are just too tired to think about another thing. We are so busy trying to get somewhere in life or so busy doing things that we can’t stop to give any time to the Baby and so we miss Him.
Is this you? Do you need to cancel some of your engagements this Christmas so you can find yourself in Church, so you can visit this baby and find out what he can do for you? Don’t miss the baby by being too busy.
All for Jesus
Phil
Dear Santa, (From a 4-year-old) I’ll take anything because I haven’t been that good.
Dear Santa, I’m not going to ask for a lot. Here’s my list: The Etch-A-Sketch animator, 2 packs of #2 pencils, Crayola fat markers and the big gift...my own color TV! Well, maybe you could drop the pencils; I don’t want to be really selfish.
Not only did the innkeeper miss the baby, but the other travelers and the people of Bethlehem missed the Baby.
HE was right under their noses, but they missed Him.
What would you do if you knew the Queen of England was coming to your city, your suburb, your street? What if there was no room at the local hotel for her. Would you think of offering up your bed to her? No-one thought to do that for Mary and the baby to be born. They had their own concerns.
Most of the fellow travelers were also on the road for the census. They were in a hurry to get places and were just too worn out from a long day’s travel to have time to visit a baby. The townsfolk were overrun with visitors to their city. There were the party’s, the relatives, dinner with aunt Bob and uncle Sue.
Their calendar was too full and they were just too busy to squeeze in a visit to a tiny baby.
Our programs can be so hectic that we are just too tired to think about another thing. We are so busy trying to get somewhere in life or so busy doing things that we can’t stop to give any time to the Baby and so we miss Him.
Is this you? Do you need to cancel some of your engagements this Christmas so you can find yourself in Church, so you can visit this baby and find out what he can do for you? Don’t miss the baby by being too busy.
All for Jesus
Phil
Monday, December 8, 2008
The Inn Keeper
Hello Everyone,
Kids have a hard time waiting for Christmas there is no way that they would miss it. Here is a couple of actual letters that were written to Santa:
Dear Santa Claus,
When you come to my house there will be cookies for you. But if you are real hungry you can use our phone and order a pizza to go.
Dear Santa, I want a Puppy. I want a playhouse. Thank you. I’ve been good most of the time. Sometimes I’m wild.
A lot of us miss Christmas. Now we don’t miss the day – but we miss the real deal– the fact that God came to this earth as a baby and his name was Jesus.
Many people miss the baby so I want to talk about some people who missed Christmas.
The first person who missed Jesus was the inn keeper.
Inns in those days were like camp grounds for all the weary travelers. People usually just spread out their mat on the floor and slept there. They weren’t really that nice a place.
Well we are told that this particular year there were a lot of travelers on account of a census.
Caesar Augustus, wanted more money so he imposed a tax. And to make sure he got what was owed to him, he wanted to count all the people, so everyone had to go and register where they were born and pay their dues.
Well this meant that Joseph and Mary had to travel to Bethlehem. Mary was very pregnant and pregnant women don’t travel fast, so when they finally arrived at Bethlehem, the inn was full. There was no room for them.If the innkeeper had known that the baby to be born that night was to be God – the creator of the world, he would have found room!!! But he missed the Baby.
He was preoccupied with the concerns of the world. He was just too busy with running a business, making a living and saving for retirement to recognize that this Baby was the promised one who would save all of mankind.
Is that you today – too concerned with what the World has to offer?
Too concerned with surviving or making a living to see the facts that this baby is special.
Don’t miss the fact that Jesus came to give us things that no amount of money can buy.
Take time this Christmas to find out who this baby really is and what He can offer. Don’t miss the baby by being distracted by what the World offers – it’s a poor substitute.
All for Jesus
Phil
Kids have a hard time waiting for Christmas there is no way that they would miss it. Here is a couple of actual letters that were written to Santa:
Dear Santa Claus,
When you come to my house there will be cookies for you. But if you are real hungry you can use our phone and order a pizza to go.
Dear Santa, I want a Puppy. I want a playhouse. Thank you. I’ve been good most of the time. Sometimes I’m wild.
A lot of us miss Christmas. Now we don’t miss the day – but we miss the real deal– the fact that God came to this earth as a baby and his name was Jesus.
Many people miss the baby so I want to talk about some people who missed Christmas.
The first person who missed Jesus was the inn keeper.
Inns in those days were like camp grounds for all the weary travelers. People usually just spread out their mat on the floor and slept there. They weren’t really that nice a place.
Well we are told that this particular year there were a lot of travelers on account of a census.
Caesar Augustus, wanted more money so he imposed a tax. And to make sure he got what was owed to him, he wanted to count all the people, so everyone had to go and register where they were born and pay their dues.
Well this meant that Joseph and Mary had to travel to Bethlehem. Mary was very pregnant and pregnant women don’t travel fast, so when they finally arrived at Bethlehem, the inn was full. There was no room for them.If the innkeeper had known that the baby to be born that night was to be God – the creator of the world, he would have found room!!! But he missed the Baby.
He was preoccupied with the concerns of the world. He was just too busy with running a business, making a living and saving for retirement to recognize that this Baby was the promised one who would save all of mankind.
Is that you today – too concerned with what the World has to offer?
Too concerned with surviving or making a living to see the facts that this baby is special.
Don’t miss the fact that Jesus came to give us things that no amount of money can buy.
Take time this Christmas to find out who this baby really is and what He can offer. Don’t miss the baby by being distracted by what the World offers – it’s a poor substitute.
All for Jesus
Phil
Friday, December 5, 2008
Gifts
Hello Everyone,
I am sure that we can all agree young and old alike that one of the most exciting times of Christmas is the receiving and giving of gifts
First there is “The receiving of gifts”.
John 1:12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
John speaks of those who received Christ. The Greek meaning of the word “receive” means “to welcome” or “to accept.”
John is making it clear that we are to welcome Christ into our lives. This receiving is not just for part or some of our life but rather it is for every area of our life.
Christ must also be believed. To believe in the name of Jesus means to put faith in Him as a person and in what He represents.
This simple act is life changing and transforming because we become children of God! God has given us an incredible gift. By faith, in Christ, we can become children of God.
When we accept Christ we are adopted into God’s family. John says that through Christ we are given the right to become children of God. Literally we are given permission to join God’s family.
By faith in Christ, we become a part of eternity.
Our citizenship is changed and we gain an inheritance in Heaven.
Our position in life is changed. We gain a dwelling place in Heaven and divine grace from God the Father.
Then there is “The giving of gifts”.
One of the greatest joys of Christmas is found in giving. It is truly better to give than to receive. I don’t always enjoy the shopping or the wrapping of gifts but I love to give the gifts.
The same may be true for you. You love to watch others tear through the wrapping. You love to watch their face light up. You love to hear the words “It’s just what I wanted!”
It might surprise you but this applies to Christ as well. There is great joy when you give a gift to Christ. What does Christ want from you?
Proverbs 23:26 My son, give me your heart and let your eyes keep to my ways,
The greatest gift you can give to Christ is yourself So, where are you with your preparations for Christmas?
Are there some areas of your heart that need to be cleaned?
Maybe you need to rearrange some things to make more room for Christ in your life?
Perhaps your heart is empty and needs some of God’s blessings for decorations.
Have you received the gift of Christ and have you given Him your heart.This year the wonder of Christmas can come alive for you in brand new ways if you will open your heart and allow God to prepare you for Christmas.
All for Jesus
Phil
I am sure that we can all agree young and old alike that one of the most exciting times of Christmas is the receiving and giving of gifts
First there is “The receiving of gifts”.
John 1:12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
John speaks of those who received Christ. The Greek meaning of the word “receive” means “to welcome” or “to accept.”
John is making it clear that we are to welcome Christ into our lives. This receiving is not just for part or some of our life but rather it is for every area of our life.
Christ must also be believed. To believe in the name of Jesus means to put faith in Him as a person and in what He represents.
This simple act is life changing and transforming because we become children of God! God has given us an incredible gift. By faith, in Christ, we can become children of God.
When we accept Christ we are adopted into God’s family. John says that through Christ we are given the right to become children of God. Literally we are given permission to join God’s family.
By faith in Christ, we become a part of eternity.
Our citizenship is changed and we gain an inheritance in Heaven.
Our position in life is changed. We gain a dwelling place in Heaven and divine grace from God the Father.
Then there is “The giving of gifts”.
One of the greatest joys of Christmas is found in giving. It is truly better to give than to receive. I don’t always enjoy the shopping or the wrapping of gifts but I love to give the gifts.
The same may be true for you. You love to watch others tear through the wrapping. You love to watch their face light up. You love to hear the words “It’s just what I wanted!”
It might surprise you but this applies to Christ as well. There is great joy when you give a gift to Christ. What does Christ want from you?
Proverbs 23:26 My son, give me your heart and let your eyes keep to my ways,
The greatest gift you can give to Christ is yourself So, where are you with your preparations for Christmas?
Are there some areas of your heart that need to be cleaned?
Maybe you need to rearrange some things to make more room for Christ in your life?
Perhaps your heart is empty and needs some of God’s blessings for decorations.
Have you received the gift of Christ and have you given Him your heart.This year the wonder of Christmas can come alive for you in brand new ways if you will open your heart and allow God to prepare you for Christmas.
All for Jesus
Phil
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Decorating the Heart
Hello Everyone,
What does God do to decorate a heart?
Ezekiel 36:26 NIV I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
God decorates a heart by removing the old and creating something new. When God decorates a heart He must have complete control over the whole life.
Too many times, we only give God partial control and we only allow Him to make the changes that we approve. God’s desire is to take your life and make it even more beautiful.
God wants to add value to your life.God wants only the very best for your life and He wants to be the influence of your life.
But, He waits for you to give Him permission to begin the work. God desires to decorate your life with His blessing and give you something completely new.
All for Jesus
Phil
What does God do to decorate a heart?
Ezekiel 36:26 NIV I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
God decorates a heart by removing the old and creating something new. When God decorates a heart He must have complete control over the whole life.
Too many times, we only give God partial control and we only allow Him to make the changes that we approve. God’s desire is to take your life and make it even more beautiful.
God wants to add value to your life.God wants only the very best for your life and He wants to be the influence of your life.
But, He waits for you to give Him permission to begin the work. God desires to decorate your life with His blessing and give you something completely new.
All for Jesus
Phil
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Priorities
Hello Everyone,
A big part of preparing for Christmas involves re-arranging. Just as we arranged our homes, schedules and other parts of our lives for Christmas God wants us to arrange our hearts for Christmas.
Matthew 6:33 KJV But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
His desire is for you to make more room for His Son in all the rooms of your heart.When we make this extra room in our heart, God fills it up to over flowing.
It is then that the blessings of God begin to rapidly flow into our lives and overflow into the lives of others.
· When we put Christ in the center of our lives, everything else comes together.
When Jesus made this statement of seeking the kingdom of God first, He was giving the antidote for worry.
Jesus makes it clear that if we are to succeed in life; our focus must be on God FIRST.
We become so busy celebrating the season that we totally miss the reason for the season!
We become centered on shopping for the right gifts and forget to tell others of God’s perfect gift.
We are not prepared for Christmas until our priorities are in line.
With God’s help we can re-arrange our priorities.
All for Jesus
Phil
A big part of preparing for Christmas involves re-arranging. Just as we arranged our homes, schedules and other parts of our lives for Christmas God wants us to arrange our hearts for Christmas.
Matthew 6:33 KJV But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
His desire is for you to make more room for His Son in all the rooms of your heart.When we make this extra room in our heart, God fills it up to over flowing.
It is then that the blessings of God begin to rapidly flow into our lives and overflow into the lives of others.
· When we put Christ in the center of our lives, everything else comes together.
When Jesus made this statement of seeking the kingdom of God first, He was giving the antidote for worry.
Jesus makes it clear that if we are to succeed in life; our focus must be on God FIRST.
We become so busy celebrating the season that we totally miss the reason for the season!
We become centered on shopping for the right gifts and forget to tell others of God’s perfect gift.
We are not prepared for Christmas until our priorities are in line.
With God’s help we can re-arrange our priorities.
All for Jesus
Phil
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
A Pure Heart
Hello everyone,
Just as we clean our house to prepare for Christmas there should also be “The cleaning of the heart”.
Matthew 5:8 NIV Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God.
The word “blessed” literally means happy in the original Greek.
From this statement of Jesus we see that the pure in heart are the happy in heart. Why?
Simply because they will one day see God. Now this sounds really simple, doesn’t it, because all that you need is a pure heart.
I don’t know about you but there are a lot of days when my heart seems more polluted than pure.
I still get angry when someone rides my bumper when I’m driving on the highway.
I get frustrated when my best plans come unraveled.
I still get aggravated over stupid and insignificant problems.
Maybe none of this applies to you. Maybe, you aren’t like me and you have your life completely together. Maybe you have no problem with this pure in heart issue.
But for those of you, who are like me and still struggle with being pure in heart; I have a question? How can we become pure in heart? What do we have to do?
We must come to the realization that God is the one who cleans the heart and all that you need to do is ask Him.
David asked God for this exact thing: Psalm 51:10 KJV Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
God answered David’s prayer and gave him a clean heart. He can do the same for you; all you need to do is ask Him.
All for Jesus
Phil
Just as we clean our house to prepare for Christmas there should also be “The cleaning of the heart”.
Matthew 5:8 NIV Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God.
The word “blessed” literally means happy in the original Greek.
From this statement of Jesus we see that the pure in heart are the happy in heart. Why?
Simply because they will one day see God. Now this sounds really simple, doesn’t it, because all that you need is a pure heart.
I don’t know about you but there are a lot of days when my heart seems more polluted than pure.
I still get angry when someone rides my bumper when I’m driving on the highway.
I get frustrated when my best plans come unraveled.
I still get aggravated over stupid and insignificant problems.
Maybe none of this applies to you. Maybe, you aren’t like me and you have your life completely together. Maybe you have no problem with this pure in heart issue.
But for those of you, who are like me and still struggle with being pure in heart; I have a question? How can we become pure in heart? What do we have to do?
We must come to the realization that God is the one who cleans the heart and all that you need to do is ask Him.
David asked God for this exact thing: Psalm 51:10 KJV Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
God answered David’s prayer and gave him a clean heart. He can do the same for you; all you need to do is ask Him.
All for Jesus
Phil
Monday, December 1, 2008
Getting Ready for Christmas
Hello Everyone,
This is the time of year when everyone starts getting ready for Christmas. As of “Black Friday” the stores are packed with people buying gifts. Radio stations are playing all your holiday favorites.
Those boxes packed away in your attic or building months ago (which seems like weeks) are brought out and all of that lovely Christmas stuff is put out.
The houses are decorated with lights and trimmings and yards become the showcases of Christmas splendor. What do you do to prepare for Christmas?Is the whole house cleaned from top to bottom to get everything in tiptop shape?
When the cleaning is done; then the house needs to be arranged for the decorating. The dining room or the living room gets completely changed for the Christmas tree and all of the other decorations.
Furniture is moved. Everyday decorations are put up. The whole house is given a new look in preparation for the decorations.
After all of the proper arrangements have been made, the decorations come out and everything begins to take on the look of Christmas.
The tree is set up with lights strung from top to bottom and ornaments are scattered on the branches. All types of other trimmings make their appearance around the house.
I display my Christmas Village. Teresa makes sure that there is a stocking over the fire place for all the kids. And of course while all this is going on we are listing to Alabama’s Christmas CD.
When all of this is done the work of preparing for Christmas is nearly finished.The final preparation for Christmas revolves around the gifts.
Long wish lists are written up for certain wants and very few needs and the shopping begins. Many trips are made to various stores and shopping centers.
Of course it wouldn’t be Christmas without four or five trips to the mall. The shopping is done so that we can give and receive gifts on Christmas day.I want to take this and use it for an illustration of how God wants us to prepare for Christmas. This week what should we do to truly prepare for Christmas?
When we truly prepare for Christmas, there is a personal cleansing.
When we truly prepare for Christmas, there is a new arrangement of our priorities.
When we truly prepare for Christmas, there is a decorating of the heart.
When we truly prepare for Christmas, there is a receiving and giving of gifts.
John 1:12
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—
All for Jesus
Phil
This is the time of year when everyone starts getting ready for Christmas. As of “Black Friday” the stores are packed with people buying gifts. Radio stations are playing all your holiday favorites.
Those boxes packed away in your attic or building months ago (which seems like weeks) are brought out and all of that lovely Christmas stuff is put out.
The houses are decorated with lights and trimmings and yards become the showcases of Christmas splendor. What do you do to prepare for Christmas?Is the whole house cleaned from top to bottom to get everything in tiptop shape?
When the cleaning is done; then the house needs to be arranged for the decorating. The dining room or the living room gets completely changed for the Christmas tree and all of the other decorations.
Furniture is moved. Everyday decorations are put up. The whole house is given a new look in preparation for the decorations.
After all of the proper arrangements have been made, the decorations come out and everything begins to take on the look of Christmas.
The tree is set up with lights strung from top to bottom and ornaments are scattered on the branches. All types of other trimmings make their appearance around the house.
I display my Christmas Village. Teresa makes sure that there is a stocking over the fire place for all the kids. And of course while all this is going on we are listing to Alabama’s Christmas CD.
When all of this is done the work of preparing for Christmas is nearly finished.The final preparation for Christmas revolves around the gifts.
Long wish lists are written up for certain wants and very few needs and the shopping begins. Many trips are made to various stores and shopping centers.
Of course it wouldn’t be Christmas without four or five trips to the mall. The shopping is done so that we can give and receive gifts on Christmas day.I want to take this and use it for an illustration of how God wants us to prepare for Christmas. This week what should we do to truly prepare for Christmas?
When we truly prepare for Christmas, there is a personal cleansing.
When we truly prepare for Christmas, there is a new arrangement of our priorities.
When we truly prepare for Christmas, there is a decorating of the heart.
When we truly prepare for Christmas, there is a receiving and giving of gifts.
John 1:12
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—
All for Jesus
Phil
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