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Sometimes, in all of the preparation of Christmas, people push Christ aside. Interesting enough all this preparation consumes more time than the holiday itself.

Due economic issues, people seem to make preparation in a scaled-down fashion. Because of all we hear about the financial state of our nation, the banks and the housing industry, people don’t know where they stand with their jobs, incomes and insurance coverage.

Some questions come to the forefront of my mind:

1. Are we preparing for Christ at all? …  ( Click for more )

As I watched the TV newscast this past week, I noticed something that bothered me. All these organizations and adults showered children with Christmas gifts and all the trappings that go with the festivities. One of the newscasters interviewed a woman who said, “We want to give these kids hope.” That is commendable but my question is this: “What message do these children receive? Where do they think they can place their hope?”

A Different Perspective

Early in my marriage, I taught a junior high Sunday school class that had a few children from…  ( Click for more )

“As you come to him, the living stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him-you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe ‘The stone the builders rejected/ has become the capstone.’” 1 Peter 2:4,7 (NIV)

“Peter is writing at a time when Christians are increasingly viewed with suspicion.…  ( Click for more )

Son of Man

“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming out of the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations, and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed” Daniel 7:13 (NIV)

Daniel, the prophet to the exiles, had this vision. He saw the Son of…  ( Click for more )

Today, we look at an Old Testament prophecy about the Messiah and a New Testament visit of an angel of God to a very confused Joseph. The angel directs Joseph in what he must do to aid his intended in her circumstance. God’s angel tells Joseph the impending child’s name and its meaning.

Old Testament

‘Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14 (NIV)

The prophet Isaiah speaks these words to Ahaz, the grandson of Uzziah. Ahaz…  ( Click for more )

As we enter into the season of Advent, let us look to Jesus Christ, the Messiah. God sent an angel by the name of Gabriel to a small village called Nazareth. He entered into a simple home and spoke to the young girl who lived there.

He told her that God had chosen her to bear His son. At first, she was confused. The news caused concern for Mary. She had just become engaged to Joseph, the village carpenter. She would be treated differently by her neighbors and her friends. Her family would also receive this treatment and in turn show their disappointment.…  ( Click for more )

November- The Month of Thankfulness and Praise.

Duty

“But we all ought to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.” 2 Thessalonians 2:13

Paul, Silas, and Timothy had ministered to the believers in Thessalonica. Paul felt it was their duty to lift them up to God in prayer and thank God for the work He had done beforehand in the hearts of the people. We should follow this pattern and pray for those whom God has given…  ( Click for more )

This is the month we observe the holiday known as Thanksgiving. The pilgrims decided to give thanks to God for bringing them to the New World. But the Bible has numerous passages that speak of His people giving thanks to God.

As I searched through the Psalms for a comforting scripture, my eyes scanned Psalm 34.

Ï will extol the LORD at all times, his praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the LORD; Let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together.” Psalm 34:1-3 …  ( Click for more )

Those of us in our town who believe in Jesus Christ may learn a great lesson about our faith. A group of refugees recently inaugurated a temple in our city. A newspaper article covering the event also listed the beliefs of this group. One of those tenets of their faith caused me to think about how precious Jesus Christ can be to those who follow Him. This group, with a new presence in our town, believes in Salvation without a Savior, (i.e. each person is can save himself.)

Jesus, our Savior

Jesus Christ came to earth to teach us how God desires us to live.…  ( Click for more )

“People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive. . . .”

2 Timothy 3:2

Every day, we see people who have no shame. They participate in certain worldly activities because “no one is going to know.” They have a demeanor they use when they are not in their usual setting; then they also have a behavior that they wear when they are around ‘church people.’ These two behaviors are extreme polar opposites.

When we who believe act like the world, we…  ( Click for more )

“I call to the Lord who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.”

2 Samuel 22:4

The Value of Things

What do we think of when we consider the worth of an item? If it is a tool, my husband used to recall how often he used it. If it is his fishing tackle, he could tell the number and the size of the fish he caught. We sometimes judge our need on how much we make use of an item.

This summer, we made some purchases and oversaw some projects that have been beneficial to us. One of the good results of our one project is a sitting…  ( Click for more )

A Light for the World

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. “ (Isaiah 9:2,6 NIV)

The world was full of sin. People chose to go their own way, the kings chose to do what they felt was right to them. They erected altars and shrines to pagan gods.

…  ( Click for more )

“I call to the Lord who is worthy of praise,

and I am saved from my enemies.”

2 Samuel 22:4 (NIV)

The Value of Things

What do we think of when we consider the worth of an item? If it is was a tool, my husband used to recall how often he used it. If it is his fishing tackle, he could tell the number and the size of the fish he caught. We sometimes judge the worth of something on how much we make use of that item.

This summer, we made some purchases and oversaw some projects that have been beneficial to us. One of the good results…  ( Click for more )

When we are born, we are someone’s daughter or son. As we grow, we have playmates. We also may have cousins and /or siblings. I have heard it said that our cousins are our first friends. In school, we have friends—kids we meet in our classes. Some of these friendships may last a lifetime.

When we mature and venture out on our own, we meet new people, co-workers, and neighbors. When we attend church, we usually find friends who may become closer to us than family. If we marry, we have a spouse and relatives from our…  ( Click for more )

“To obey is better than sacrifice.”

1 Samuel 15:22 (NIV)

When my husband and I made plans to go down to visit our son. I requested to go to the bird sanctuary near the town where he lives. Our son took me over there. On the way, we passed a little church that had this message on its signboard.

“The fear of the Lord is shown by obedience.”

The message on that church’s sign made me think. How do we, as God’s children, obey Him? The Guidepost Family…  ( Click for more )

“Forgive as the Lord has forgiven you.

(Colossians 3:13b NIV.)”

From time to time, we have issues that interfere with our relations with other people. We hear in church that we are to love one another. (John 13:34, NIV) We often just let that circumstance keep us from having a relationship with those who have hurt us.

We have times when this scenario causes those involved to permanently part company. God wants us all to get along. When we cannot see our way to extend forgiveness to that other person, or maybe we are the…  ( Click for more )

“The Lord bless you

and keep you;

the Lord make his face to shine upon you;

and be gracious to you/

the Lord turn his face upon you

and give you peace.”

Numbers 6:24-26 (NIV)

As I sat on my porch, enjoying the cool breeze and the warm sunshine, my heart thought of two people who are now with Jesus.

Last Friday, our church had a memorial service for a man who brought us all closer to God when he prayed for us. A few hours before the service, a phone call went out that a woman, one of our members for whom we had prayed for…  ( Click for more )

“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.

Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans,

for they think they will be heard because of their many words.”

Matthew 6:6-7 (NIV)

Jesus told the disciples, “When you pray. . . .” He expects us to pray in order to seek guidance from God.

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary…  ( Click for more )

“During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.” Hebrews 5:7 (NIV)

Often, we have issues that plague us. They seem to get the best of us and keep us down. We find ourselves frustrated. I hear people say, “I give it to the LORD, but then, I take it back again.” Several years ago, I read that when we give a circumstance to God and that issue keeps coming back on us, we need to say each time, “I…  ( Click for more )

Suffering

“I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.” Philippians 3:10-11 (NIV)

I had a relative who had walked away from the LORD. During this spell, she developed some health issues and spoke of suffering, as one would speak of an enemy. She did not like going through it. I understood what she meant. No human likes pain. Then I heard the Apostle Paul’s thoughts he shared with believers at Philippi.

I often wonder what Paul meant.…  ( Click for more )

In our worship service recently, our pastor included a lengthy passage of scripture that ended with the following words; “Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men.” (Psalm 107:31, NIV)

The next morning, I looked that passage up in my Bible. I realized I had studied it a few years before. Here is what I discovered then.

The writer of this chapter repeats the text of this verse four times, as if it were a chorus to a hymn. In the chapter, the writer speaks of…  ( Click for more )

“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

Proverbs 19:21 (NIV)

“Did you recognize that one scripture pastor used in his sermon.” My friend asked me after the service.

I had to stop and think. “Which one do you mean?”

She looked pensive. “The one about man’s plans.” I remembered.

The next day, a blogging friend wrote about the release of her e-book six weeks later. She spoke of procrastination…  ( Click for more )

“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin[a] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:18-21 (NIV)

…  ( Click for more )

In these times of turbulence, unrest, and upheaval, we need an anchor to hold our feet on the ground. Each day seems to bring more and more senseless behavior, in my country and worldwide.

Jesus tells us to come to Him and he will give us rest. (Matthew 11:28, NIV) He invites us to share with Him the burdens of our hearts. (Matthew 29-30, NIV)

I attend two small prayer groups that meet each week. The requests of late have been for the unrest of our nation and of the world. We also have concerns about the church leaning toward a cultural Christianity…  ( Click for more )