A New Beginning

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - His good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)

The beginning of a new year is a good time for a new beginning within your life. A change in you to go along with the change in time. There are things, habits, and people in all of our lives that we should let go of. We need to live our lives to please God. We need to stop acting like the unsaved people in the world. We need to change our way of thinking, transform and renew our mind, in order to be more consistent with the will of God.

With the beginning of the new year, let us renew our minds and begin a new beginning, a life dedicated to being more Christ -like.

When You Know Better, You Ought To Do Better

There are sins of omission as well as sins of commission.

"Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't dot it, sins." James 4:17 (NIV)

Not only is it a sin to do wrong when you know it is wrong, but it is also a sin to do nothing when you know what good you ought to do. These sins are commonly called "sins of omission".

"When you know better, you ought to do better." Unknown author, but maybe this is where that old saying comes from.

So, not only can we sin by things that we do, say, and think, we can also sin by doing nothing when we should be doing good. We need to pray for forgiveness and for God's help to do better when we know better.

Think Before You Speak

"Do you see a man who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for him." Proverbs 29:20 (NIV)

Some of us say whatever comes to mind. "Whatever come up, comes out." As our thoughts occur they are uttered, without the benefit of being processed or filtered. Speaking without thinking is not a good idea, especially when we are angry.

"He who restrains his lips is wise." Proverbs 10:19 (NKJ) or "... He who holds his tongue is wise." (NIV) Some things are better off if they are left unspoken. If what we were going to say is not going to help someone, then we should probably keep that thought to ourselves.

Think before you speak.

Be Very Careful Where You Lead People

"Whosoever causeth the righteous to go astray in an evil way, shall fall himself into his own pit; but the upright shall have good things in possessions." Proverbs 28:10 (KJV)

"He who leads the upright along an evil path will fall into his own trap, but the blameless will receive a good inheritance." Proverbs 28:10 (NIV)

It is not good to intentionally lead good people down the wrong path. Those who do that will pay for it. The attempted corruption of the righteous is a wicked sin according to John Mac Arthur. The doom of seducers, who attempt to draw good people into sin are enemies of the righteous, and their condemnation will be so much greater according to Matthew Henry.

When people are following you, or following your advice, be very careful where you lead them.

Don't Brag Or Boast About Yourself

"Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips." Proverbs 27:2 (NIV)

Do not brag or boast about who you are or what you have. Jesus told the parable about the certain rich man who said to himself "... you have plenty of good things laid up for many years ..." and told him "You fool, this very night your life will be demanded from you." Luke 12:16-21 (NIV) Brag about what you have and you may not get to enjoy it.

"As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil." James 4:16 (NIV) Arrogant boasting about your accomplishments leaves God out. You are taking credit for what He allowed and caused to happen.

"It is not good to eat too much honey, nor is it honorable to to seek one's own honor." Proverbs 25:27 (NIV) Self-seeking and pride can lead to one's downfall.

"We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise." 2 Corinthians 10:12 (NIV) "For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom The Lord commends." 2 Corinthians 10:18 (NIV)

Be humble and lift The Lord up, and He will lift you up.

Praise The Lord

"Shout for joy to The Lord, all the earth. Worship The Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs ... Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; For The Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations." Psalms 100:1 & 4-5 (NIV)

"Praise The Lord. Praise The Lord, O my soul. I will praise The Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live." Psalms 146:1-2 (NIV)

"Praise The Lord. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise Him!" Psalms 147:1 (NIV)

"Young men and maidens, old men and children. Let them praise the name of The Lord, for His name alone is exalted; His splendor is above the earth and the heavens." Psalms 148:12-13 (NIV)

"Let the saints rejoice in this honor and sing for joy..." Psalms 149:5 (NIV)

"Let everything that has breath praise The Lord. Praise The Lord." Psalms 150:6 (NIV)

Celebrating The Birth Of Christ # 3

"So Joseph ... went ... to Bethlehem ... with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a Child. While they were there ... she gave birth to her firstborn, a Son. She wrapped Him in cloths and placed Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn ... An angel of The Lord appeared ... said ... 'Today ... a Savior has been born ... He is Christ The Lord' ... Suddenly a great company of heavenly hosts appeared with the angel, praising God saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests." Luke 2:1-14

This is a brief summary of one of the Biblical accounts of the birth of Jesus The Christ, Immanuel. You should read the whole story for yourself as part of your celebration of the birth of Christ today. Then you too can praise God saying, "All hail King Jesus; All hail Immanuel!!!

May you have a blessed celebration of the birth of Christ today.

Celebrating The Birth Of Christ # 2

"... An angel of The Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from The Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins'. All this took place to fulfill what The Lord had said through the prophet: 'The virgin will be with Child and will give birth to a Son, and they will call Him Immanuel' which means 'God with us'." Matthew 1:20-23 (NIV)

This is what we celebrate when we celebrate the birth of Christ. Christmas means much more to us than what most of the world sees. Let's celebrate the real reason for Christmas and let's share the real story behind the celebration. God was and is with us. All hail Immanuel!!!

Celebrating The Birth Of Christ

"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)

"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 9:6 (NIV)

The birth of Christ was predicted by the prophet Isaiah more than 400 years before it happened. Isaiah also went on to elaborate on Immanuel by describing Him. It is because of the fulfillment of this prophecy that we celebrate the birth of Christ.

A study of the celebration of "Christmas" reveals that the pagans had celebrations during the same time of the year with decorated trees, and lights, and feasts, hundreds of years before the birth of Christ. Their celebration then had nothing to do with Christ just as today the commercialization of Christmas is not about Christ.

Know what you are celebrating and why. Learn about the conception and birth of Christ (Matthew 1:18-2:23 and Luke 1:26-2:21) and tell someone about it. As Christians, we celebrate the birth of Christ because of who He is. Let's keep Christ in "CHRISTmas" and show the world
the Christ that is within us.

The Birth of Jesus And Prophecy

The conception, birth, and early life of Jesus The Christ is presented in Matthew 1:18-2:23 and in Luke 1:26-2:21. Reading both accounts will provide a more complete perspective on the events that transpired.

However, the conception and birth of Jesus was predicted by the prophets more than 400 years beforehand, Isaiah 7:14 and 9:6-7.

"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

We celebrate the birth of Christ because of how special He was and is. God put on flesh and dwelt among us to save us from our sins. (John 1:1 & 1:14) Let us not get so caught up in the commercialization of Christmas that we forget what we are really celebrating and why. Let's keep Christ in Christmas.

Be Careful Who You Listen To

Are you listening to God? Is the voice that you hear in your head the voice of God or of Satan? Is the voice you hear from the pulpit from a Man of God or from a false prophet?

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." 2 Timothy 3:16 (KJV)

In other words, per a different Bible translation:

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (NIV)

Test all that you hear by comparison with the Bible. Don't believe everything that you hear. Just because it sounds good does not mean that it is Biblically correct or from God.

God Is Always With Us

"The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them. The Lord watches over all who love Him, but the wicked He will destroy." Psalms 145:18-20 (NIV)

We are never alone, God is always with us and He watches over us. To those of us who love Him, He fulfills our desires, hears our cry, and He saves us. He keeps us from all hurt and harm; and protects us from dangers seen and unseen.

We ought to thank God for all that He has done for us, is doing for us, and what He will do for us.

Pray For Guidance And Direction

"Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You. Show me the way I should go, for to You I lift up my soul ... Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; may Your Good Spirit lead me on level ground. For Your name's sake, O Lord, preserve my life; in Your righteousness, bring me out of trouble." Psalms 143:8-11 (NIV)

This was David's passionate plea when he was caught up in one of his many predicaments, and it should very well be our personal plea. "... Show me the way ... teach me to do Your will ... lead me ... preserve my life ... bring me out of trouble." We all need God's help, direction, instruction, and protection to get us out of trouble. Thank God for His "unfailing love".

God Knows What We Do Say And Think

"O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue, You know it completely, O Lord." Psalms 139:1-4 (NIV)

God knows all that we do, all that we think, and all that we say. Nothing is hidden from Him. God is omniscient (knows all - 139:1-6), omnipresent (everywhere - 139:7-12), and omnipotent (all powerful - 139:13-18). He is worthy of our praise and our obedience. We should do more things that give God glory.

Look To The Lord For Help

"I lift up my eyes to You, to You whose throne is in heaven ... Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us, for we have endured much contempt." Psalms 123:1-3 (NIV)

We should look to The Lord to mercifully meet our needs. Only He can bring us through all that we endure. We must pray and petition Him to get us out of whatever distressing situation we find ourselves in.

We must continue to exalt Him, and trust in Him, and know that He can help us with every one of our problems.

Blessed Because Of Your Haters

Those who hate you and talk about you because of your belief in God, can actually cause you to be blessed.

"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven..." Matthew 5:11-12 (NIV)

We are blessed because we believe (John 20:29), and we are blessed even more when we are hated because we believe (Matthew 5:11). So, don't hate your haters, they can cause you to be blessed.

Condemned And Exposed Can Be Forgiven

"For God did not sent His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of Light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates The Light, and will not come into The Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed." John 3:17-20 (NIV)

God does not condemn us, we condemn ourselves by what we do, what we say, and what we believe. Most of us who sin and do wrong or evil, do not want our deeds made public knowledge. Jesus, The Light of the world (John 8:12 & 9:5), just exposes us for who we really are. We need to repent and turn from our wicked ways.

"If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14

The Gospel, The Good News

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 (NIV)

This is the gospel, the good news of the Bible, summed up in one verse.

Share this good news with someone today and you will be blessed.

Changed - Born Again

"In reply Jesus declared, 'I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again ... unless he is born of water and The Spirit.'" John 3:1-6 (NIV)

All Christians have two birthdays, the date of their physical birth and the date of their spiritual birth. With our physical birth, we were born into sin when we entered this world. With our spiritual birth, we are released from the penalty of sin when we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

When we are born again, we undergo a spiritual transformation. We are a "changed" group of people who act, talk, and think differently because of the effect of The Holy Spirit upon our lives. We are not perfect, we make mistakes, and we still sin, but we are not as bad as we used to be. Hopefully, we are getting better, more Christ-like, each day because we have been born again.

Help The Weak And The Less Enlightened

"We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please our neighbor for his good, to build him up." Romans 15:1-2 (NIV)

The spiritually strong and enlightened among us are to tolerate and help the weaker and less enlightened until they too become strong in the faith.

We are to help our weaker brothers bear their burdens by showing loving support and practical consideration for them. We are to build them up, encourage, correct, inform, and strengthen them whenever possible.

The Christian life is centered on helping and strengthening others. We are not just to live selfishly and satisfy our own desires. Share with others what you have and what you know.

Confess Believe And Be Saved

"That if you confess with you mouth, 'Jesus is Lord', and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." Romans 10:9-10 (NIV)

Confession is more than an acknowledgement, for even the devil and his demons know this to be true. (James 2:19) Confession is a personal conviction, repenting from sin, trusting in Jesus, and submitting to Him as Lord. Justification means that the sinner is declared innocent in the sight of God by the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

If we confess and believe, we will be saved from the penalty of sin.

We Fight Within Ourselves Daily

Christians are human and as such are constantly fighting an internal war. Our spirit and our flesh are battling for control of our soul and behavior.

So like Paul we can say, "I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good , but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do, this I keep on doing." Romans 7:18-19 (NIV)

We must pray for God's help to do, to say, and to think the right things.

The Penalty Of Sin And The Gift Of God

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23

Because we all have sinned, we all deserve the penalty of death. And not just the physical death, but separation from Jesus The Christ. We cannot pay the debt that we owe for our sins. However, Jesus has already paid the debt for us and has given us the opportunity for eternal life with Him, if we believe in him.

Death is both physical and spiritual. The physical death is the separation of the body and the spirit. Spiritual death is the "second death" when the soul is cast into the "lake of fire" for eternal damnation and torment. The only way to escape the second death is acceptance of the gift of eternal life.

All Of Us Are Sinners

It does not matter how good we think that we are, we all sinners. We all need to repent and ask God for forgiveness.

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23

If you think that this does not apply to you, read Romans 1:18-3:20, which lists the sins of mankind. All of us are sinners, but some of us are just sinners who have been saved by the grace of God.

Jesus Is Coming Back

"After He said this, He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid Him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as He was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 'Men of Galilee,' they said, 'why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into the heaven.'" Acts 1:9-11 (NIV)

"... I am going to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am..." John 14:1-4 (NIV)

"For The Lord Himself will come down from heaven ... we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet The Lord in the air ..." (the rapture) 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 (NIV)

One day Jesus Christ will return to earth in the same manner as He ascended into the clouds. This is referred to as "The Second Coming of Christ". We all better get ready.

Some Blessings Are Meant To Be Shared

Some of the blessings that we receive are given to us to share with others. Jesus told His disciples, and the Pharisees who were nearby and listing, about "... a certain rich man ... and a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate ... desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table ..." Luke 16:19-31

The rich man lived well, but was tormented in death. The beggar was basically tormented in life, but received a place of honor in death.

The take home lesson is that those of us who have should share with those that have not. We will be judged and have to give an account for the way that we treat the less fortunate poor people that we encounter.

Give And Give Generously

"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Luke 6:38 (NIV)

As we give to others, that is how God will give to us. If we are generous with others, He will give to us a "good measure", not a meager amount. It will be "pressed down, shaken together", not full of air as some packages we purchase. Our blessings will be over flowing as if we do not have enough room to receive them.

If we give out in small portions, then our blessings will come to us in small portions. So, give, and give generously, and you will be abundantly blessed.

Jesus Christ Is God

"In the beginning was The Word, and The Word was with God, and The Word was God." "And The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us." John 1:1 & 1:14 (NIV)

Before there was time, space, and matter, The Word existed. The Word, the second person in The Holy Trinity, God The Son, was with God, the first person in The Holy Trinity, God The Father.

The Word, God The Son, Jesus Christ, was God. This point was made perfectly clear in verse 14. The Word put on flesh and humanity through the immaculate conception and dwelt among us as Jesus, The Christ.

Jesus, The Son of God, was God in the beginning, is God now, and always will be God forever.

Don't Do Things Just To Be Seen

"Everything they do is done for men to see ..." "For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." Matthew 23:5 & 12 (NIV)

Some people do things just for show, to be seen by others, to draw attention to themselves, to make themselves appear to be much more important, greater, or whatever than they actually are. Don't do things just to be seen by men and praised by men. Do what you do because it is the right thing to do, not to get the praise of others for doing it.

Whatever we do should not be done to glorify ourselves in the eyes of others. We should do things in such a manner as to give God the glory. (Read Matthew 5:16)

Rewards For Faithful Service

"... Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!" Matthew 25:21 (NIV)

In this parable of the servants who were given talents by their master, each man who produced results was commended for faithful service during his masters absence.

Their reward, like our will be, was based upon their faithfulness, not upon their results. The man who received the five talents and the man who received the two talents both received the same reward.

Our faithful stewardship now, will result in rewards later on.