Sunday’s Blessing – 12/22/2024 – Forth Sunday of Advent – Love

Sunday’s Blessing – 12/22/2024 – Forth Sunday of Advent – Love

May the Love of the Father, embodied in the only begotten Son

Show you how to live, by giving you capacity to love others

Giving you something to give away as you encounter those in your world

In order to bring them back to the Father

May this Love, born of a virgin, sent from the Father, rebirth your spirit

To make you alive by the Spirit of God Who empowers you

Enabling you to love others beyond your ability to do so

By showing them the Father’s love in you

May the culmination of HOPE, PEACE, and JOY be realized in LOVE

Just as the prophets of old gave you HOPE of a coming Messiah

It manifested in PEACE through the Babe in Bethlehem

Bringing JOY to your world, making room to receive LOVE

God's Names at Christmastime - Mighty God

The following is from my book, The Names of God.

Luke 1:49 (ESV) for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

This is an amazing verse. He who is Mighty, holy is His name. There are many people in our world that could be considered mighty. However, when you consider the circumstances in which this statement is made you realize there can only be one conclusion.

Mary, a teenage girl in Israel, a virgin, was just asked to become the mother of God’s Son, Jesus. Can you imagine what must have been going through this young lady’s mind? Based on what we know about her background, Mary most likely understood The Law. She had heard that a Messiah was coming to redeem Israel – through a virgin. She also understood the penalty for pregnancy outside of marriage – death by stoning.

When the angel appeared Mary was surprised by the words spoken to her, yet she was willing to be obedient to God’s will for her life. “Let it be according to your word.” This one moment was both a pinnacle of excitement beyond her wildest dreams – to be the mother of God’s Son – and the deepest pit of dread – dying as an unwed mother.

She had to ask some questions: What would Joseph think? What would her parents think? What would the priest do to her? In the end her answer was, “Yes!” Once the decision was made and sealed by her confession to the angel, Mary began to see the gravity of her agreement. She just said yes to God. That is when she began her “song” as theologians call it - The Magnificat.

The verse cited above is part of Mary’s Song. He who is Mighty has done great things FOR ME. Unlike others that were encountered by God that could not find it within them to say, “Yes,” because of what it would cost them, Mary said, “Great things were done for me!” Mary realized that Mighty God had just entered her through the Holy Spirit. As far as we know from scripture, Mary became the first person filled with the Holy Spirit.

It resulted in her conceiving Jesus in her womb; God now becoming flesh. Jack Hayford, in his book “The Mary Miracle” describes this event as the “fountainhead of all miracles.” Because Mary recognized God as Mighty, and allowed Him to perform His plan through her, she became blessed among women.

Each of us has a choice today. Do we say, “Yes,” to God and His plan by allowing Mighty to do great things FOR US, or do we rebuff the One who loves us most?

God's Names at Christmastime - Prince of Peace

The following is from my book, The Names of God.

Isaiah 9:6 (ESV) For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah prophesied that there was One coming that would be The Prince of Peace. This phrase is made up of two Hebrew words: “sar”, which means “a head person (of any rank or class)”, and “shalom”, which means “safe.”

When Jesus came as Messiah, He also came to demonstrate to us how to be safe, how to live at peace with everyone. Our mission is to bring as many into this “peace” as possible, by introducing them to The Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ.

There is much confusion (I choose to say that, even though it may be blatant ignorance) among many politicians and members of the media regarding the religion of the Muslims. They speak of Islam as a “peaceful religion.” They arrive at this notion by asking imams and other Islamic leaders questions like, “Is this a peaceful religion?” To which, they always reply, “Yes, we strive for peace with all people.”

Here’s the truth. In Islam there is only one goal: for Allah to rule the world. Within that premise, there are only two states of being for a region. If Allah rules it is considered a “house of peace”, but where Allah is not acknowledged as god, it is a “house of war.” The “war” is aimed at ANYONE that does not bow to Allah. The notions of "houses" or "divisions" of the world in Islam such as Dar al-Islam and Dar al-Harb does not appear in the Quran or the Hadith. Early Islamic jurists devised these terms to denote legal rulings for ongoing Muslim conquests almost a century after Muhammad. (http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/daralislam.html)

You cannot come to any other conclusion when looking at the barebones truth of Christianity and Islam. They cannot coexist. We cannot be “tolerant” of Islam. What is our recourse as Christians? Evangelize!! It is not our purpose to oppose them with force. That is the role of governments and the military. (I do not support the notion that Christians should not be involved in politics or the military.) Our job as the Church is to win them for Christ. We must tell them of The Prince of Peace, because that is the reality for which their hearts are searching.

God's Names at Christmastime - Counselor

The following is from my book, The Names of God.

Isaiah 28:29 (ESV) This also comes from the LORD of hosts; he is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom.

I know one of the most amazing counselors. She can listen for hours on end to others as they share their problems or concerns. She has such compassion that it motivates her to work with others to find the root of the issue, bring the truth of God concerning the situation, and see them totally delivered and set free from the bondage caused by the lies the enemy has introduced into their life.

She is an example of what the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, wants to do in our lives.

The meaning of the word used for Counselor means, “to give advice, plan, or show prudence.” It is from a root word that means, “to advise, to deliberate, or resolve.”

Part of the nature that God placed inside man is a free will. The Counselor comes to us to give information (advice) on what we should do as we face decisions in life. He has a plan for us if we will only submit our will to His. The scripture He has given is full of wisdom that, when applied to our life, will result in prudent decisions.

The Counselor is a primary work of the Holy Spirit, but remember that this same Holy Spirit has gifts that He has given to the Church to empower Her to live free from the bondage that the curse of sin introduced to mankind. We need to learn to live in freedom, but know that the Counselor is ever-ready to give us advice when needed, reveal His plan for us, and resolve any issue that might present itself.

Let’s learn to hear the voice of the Counselor and follow His advise completely.

God's Names at Christmastime - Emmanuel

The following is from my book, The Names of God, that I published a few years ago. In these days leading up to Christmas I thought it would be worth taking a second look to remind us that our life is saturated by the presence of our Creator.

Isaiah 8:8 (ESV) … and it will sweep on into Judah, it will overflow and pass on, reaching even to the neck, and its outspread wings will fill the breadth of your land, O Immanuel.”

Matthew 1:23 (ESV) “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel”

The different spellings of this name come from the origin being referenced. Immanuel is from Hebrew; the Greek spelling is Emmanuel. The latter is the most common in our vernacular. Regardless of the origin the meaning is the same: God with us.

To me, this is one of the most comforting names of God in scripture. It is easy, as humans, to stare into the starlit sky, or cast your eye over the vast horizon from atop a tall mountain, or listen to the numbing roar of the ocean at the beach, and not see the awesome power of our Creator. It is nice to know we serve an all-powerful Sovereign that rules the universe.

However, when we face unbearable turmoil, or bend from the weight of cares that seem to overwhelm us, or hear bad news that shakes the very foundations of our existence, it is just as comforting, if not more so, to know that God is with us; Emmanuel! When you know God is with you it makes unbearable a bit more tolerable. The weight of cares is lighter because He cares for you; God is with us. Bad news is less destructive because you know that He already knew, and has a plan to move you beyond this moment; God is with us.

The incarnation of Christ is perhaps the most hope-filled promise ever given to mankind. When they learned that God was not just somewhere out there. He came and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, that of the only begotten Son of God – Emmanuel. He showed us that life as a human on planet earth does mean something. We can live in fellowship with our Creator to accomplish His purpose for us. God is with us.

As a matter of fact, He is with us when we are not aware of His presence. Even if we try to escape His presence we cannot, because God is with us. He will never leave us or forsake us. Allow this truth to become part of your conscious thinking. Brother Lawrence encouraged this in his book “The Practice of the Presence of God (The Best Rule of a Holy Life)”. Even in the mundane things in life we must realize that God is with us. When this becomes a way of life it makes it easier to allow God to help us through the “big” things that seem to make us shipwreck.

Emmanuel, God with us. Every day. Every moment. Right now. So regardless of what you are facing know that God is there, and He is able to get you beyond the current circumstances. He loves you … and He is here.

Sunday’s Blessing – 12/15/2024 – Third Sunday of Advent – Joy

Sunday’s Blessing – 12/15/2024 – Third Sunday of Advent – Joy

May the joy of knowing you are loved and accepted by the Father overwhelm you

So you may know the limitless joy found by abiding in the glory of God

Until you accept joy as a lifestyle, not just a feeling

So your joyful light may shine to every corner of your world

May you experience the source of joy Himself, whom is Jesus-Messiah

By being emersed into Christ by the Spirit of Joy

Washing away all the debris of this world and its kingdom

So you may experience a new citizenship in the Kingdom of God

May you hear the joyous sound as the Creator and His heaven

Sing songs of deliverance over you, and bring joy close to you

So you may join in singing with the chorus

Declaring the joy of the Lord is your strength, brought through hope and peace

Sunday’s Blessing – 12/08/2024 – Second Week of Advent – Peace

Sunday’s Blessing – 12/08/2024 – Second Week of Advent – Peace

May you discover the Prince of Peace who came to earth as a human baby

So you may understand peace comes by being vulnerable

So you may remove the walls meant to protect, but actually make you a prisoner

So you can receive the precious gift of Peace, which is Jesus, the Messiah

May you sing the songs of the shepherds visited by the angel announcing the Savior’s birth

And believe and seek out the One sent to calm your soul

So you may bow down and worship Him, the Spotless Lamb sent to redeem you

And bring you back into fellowship with the Father

May you be engulfed by the Spirit of Peace whom Jesus sent when He ascended to heaven

To remain in you until Jesus returns

To give you strength to live in peace regardless of the storm you face

To allow you to find rest, even in the storm