The Christmas Story

Luke 1:26-38

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”

But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was.

Luke 2:4-7

Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Transformed into a makeshift cradle by some hay, the manger was the first bed for the baby Jesus, wearing basically what we would call rags.  Can you imagine the scene?  Joseph and Mary are only semi-indoors with their newborn baby wrapped in rags, lying in a feed trough surrounded by the foul stench of barnyard animals.  In this manner the Kings of Kings and Lord of Lords was born into the world.

Luke 2:25-35

And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:

“Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word;
For my eyes have seen Your salvation
Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.”

And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

Step Out in Faith

It may be that for a long time you have had upon your mind some strong impression of duty; but you have held back, because you could not see what the next step would be.  Hesitate no longer.  Step out upon what seems to be the impalpable mist: you will find a solid rock beneath your feet; and every time you put your foot forward, you will find that God has prepared a stepping-stone, and the next, and the next- each as you come to it.  The bread is by the day.  The manna is new every morning.  He does not give us all the directions at once lest we should get  

F. B. Meyer

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

  We have to pray for discernment on when to fight the compulsion to act when we are supposed to let go and let God, and we have to pray for the courage to step out on faith knowing that God will carry us two more steps

I Want Some of What You Have

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet...Matthew 5:13

This verse has always left me wondering its meaning and I found the commentary by Dr Grant Richison  an easy to understand directive about reaching out to others.  

“Salt” creates thirst when it comes to eating. 

Its saline quality seasons and makes food tasty.

There is nothing in this passage that says a person cannot restore their saltiness. The point is that as long as we lose that saltiness we are good for nothing spiritually. don't over think it.  Jesus is making a very simple statement or analogy here.

"You are the light of the world (earth). A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden . . . Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:14,16)

Jesus tells those wishing to follow him that they must make a difference in the world. The difference made is "the flavor" or the good works believers are to do that are to shine like a light on a lampstand and offer a witness for Christ.

PRINCIPLE: Christians have a duty to the world.

APPLICATION: No believer can live in separation from the world. We are not of the world, but we are in it. The purpose of a salty Christian is to make an effect on others. Many individuals and churches have lost their appeal to non-Christians. The church has lost its pungency to the non-Christian world, for God designed them to touch society. Christians cannot live in isolation, cocooned from society. God designed them to reach out and touch

Dear Lord Thank you, 

Thank you for reminding me that your word is intended to be spread, spread like soft butter on lefsa, smooth and easy, not complicated at all. Show the World what it is like to have God at the center of your life, so others will want some of what I have. 

In your precious name..Amen

Patience in the Waiting

I am re-posting a blog regarding Patience, as this season has tried the patience of many!

..... True patience finds its strength in an unflinching focus on God......

Joseph Stowell

Be thankful...Be Thankful...BE THANKFUL.....
Patience is not just waiting but how you are waiting..and what you accomplish why you are waiting...use that time to focus on the wonderful blessings around because they ARE there..choose to look for what you have..

Dear Lord...thank you for giving me a heart of thankfulness for the many blessings I enjoy while I am waiting for your moment of glory to come down around me.  Let me be a blessing to others while I wait.  In your precious name I pray...Amen

April showers really do bring May flowers. This quote, verse, or whatever you want to call it,  reminds us all about the virtue of patience...Many of life’s greatest things come only to those who wait, and by patiently and happily enduring the clouds and damp of April you can find yourself more easily able to take in the sights and smells of May.....

"Nothing gives one person so much advantage over another as to remain always cool and unruffled under all circumstances." Thomas Jefferson

Luke 21:19..... In your patience possess ye your souls

Almost everything in life requires patience, buying groceries and standing in line or the traffic jam on the way home. The meaning of the word patience is a willingness to suppress annoyance and a quiet steady perserverance, and doing this with an fortitude and remaining calm.

.......When you come to the Lord, there is no waiting line-His ears are always open to your cry..... taken from Our Daily Bread

Romans 8:25...But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with Patience.

 "Patience is tied very closely to faith in our Heavenly Father. Actually, when we are unduly impatient, we are suggesting that we know what is best—better than does God. Or, at least, we are asserting that our timetable is better than His. We can grow in faith only if we are willing to wait patiently for God's purposes and patterns to unfold in our lives, on His timetable." ...Neal A. Maxwell

Patience is endurance, steadfastness, long-suffering, and forbearance.

Job 2:10...He replied, "You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?"

 Remember Herbert the Snail said it best in "The Music Machine"

Have patience, Have Patience
Don't be in such a hurry
When you get impatient
You only start to worry
Remember, remember that God is patient, too
Just think of all the times when others
Have to wait for you...written by Bill and Gloria Gaither

How Can I Love You More

If your heart is full of Love for the Lord, the rest of your life will fall into place. 

 “Lord, how can I love you more”? Instantly the Lord responded “be thankful”. 

 Love always brings revelation, allowing you to see things and people in God’s light. When you decide to be thankful to God, even for the suffering, then the love in your heart for God will increase and so will your revelation of knowing Him, When you thank and praise God in your suffering your love for God allows Him to make the situation work together for good, for you and for other people also. 

You only need to read the prologue in the book of Job to see thankfulness and gratitude in the face of trial, a difficult example to follow. If we witness love for God in the presence of blessing it is easy to see why that love is strong but when that Love for God is evident in the face of tragedy and loss, we understand what God's unconditional love can do for us when we need Him the most.  

Just "keep Trusting the Lord" he will never fail.




Dear Lord...How can I love you more?  help me to put you first in my life and be thankful every moment of every day that I have found your promise to be true...I can not love you more than you love me. In your precious name I pray....Amen.

Are You Where You Thought You'd Be?

Am I where I thought I was going 46 years ago? Were my feet set on the path that leads to my life today?

If truthfully thought through, the answer is,"No".  My goals were smaller if I had any at all. There was no bigger picture out there somewhere with dreams to be conquered, they just seemed to drop in my path to be dealt with. Some of the obstacles I encountered on my path made me stumble, fall and lose my way for awhile, others blocked the direct route and I had to change direction and follow a side road.

from the song "Something Beautiful" by Bill and Gloria Gaither

"if there ever were dreams that were lofty and noble

they were my dreams from the start.  And the hopes for life's best

were the hopes that I harbored, down deep in my heart..."

I was young, married right out of high school and it seemed that must be my dream, everybody did it. Our first child was born,  so mothering, cleaning and cooking became the dreams of my future or was it?  The call to "serve his country" took my husband away for a time, and I was left to make it on my own, and I found that I could. That call also led to traveling across a big wide country, living without family and old friends where together we learned to lean on each other for what we needed, in sickness and in health. A second child was born and coping with sickness made us stronger.

This initial big change to our pattern for life led to more choices and decisions throughout the years.
And as I live forward and look back, I know that it wasn't by chance or coincidence it was God! and I understand.

The road of our life remained crooked and strewn with obstacles but I eventually found the map of God's Word to guide me through the potholes and perils along the way,

and I wouldn't change a thing.
Thank you Lord, for guiding and directing me, you are the God of the Mountain and the God in the valley, we only have to acknowledge you, and you will make our paths straight.

Proverbs 3: 5&6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Use What You've Been Given

Romans 12:4-8

*  4Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function,5so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.

6In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

We can't be all things to all people...and it was meant to be that way so we lean on each other, borrow from others what we do not posses and lend to them that need what you have been given. The Spiritual Gifts that God has given us need to be cultivated, not hidden, but used to the best of your ability,

 "Hide it under a bushel No! I'm gonna let it shine"

 Be proud of your gifts and spread them around for all to benefit. Use your Spiritual Gifts to help one another. What have we done with the Grace assigned to us by God? Have we obeyed and followed through with responsibility and pressed on even when trials made it difficult? 

 2 Timothy 4:7 7 

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

His master said to him, "Well done, good and faithful slave; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things, enter into the joy of your master." (NASB) Matthew 25:21 and 23

Thank you Lord, for the gifts I have been given, help me to use them according to your purpose, and join in with others to make us one body through you, in Christ Jesus I ask. Amen