To Us A Child of Hope is Born

A child being born in our world today and in the past has always had a parent or parents dream about their child's future.  There is a word involved called hope.  They hope their child is this or hope their child is healthy or hope their child becomes President one day.  A lot times the parents hope for their child doesn't come true. The child usually fills their own hopes with their desired dreams.

Yet only one child fulfilled their Father's hope.  He knew the path he must travel and lead his people back to the love of his father.  He was a king born in a stable.  A child of great hope that led a normal childhood and became a leader of the lost. 

He knew all that would happen in his short glorious life.  He knew who would betray him. He knew who touched the hem of his garment to be healed he also knew of his painful death at the end.  God became a man and would come to save the lost. 

Jesus came to turn the world upside down with his radical teachings.  He would stun the world with his miracles of healing and most of all with his love.  No child has ever come into this world with so much hope to fulfill than Jesus did.  He did it exactly the way his father planned it. He was born humble and he died humble. To Us a child of Hope is Born! Amazing!

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He never complained about the manger!

When we look around today at our surroundings we should have no reason to complain.  Our world is so much easier than it was for those who lived in the past.  We were driving to Branson, Missouri this weekend and I looked at the road and the the things surrounding it.  I thought about the man power it took years ago to clear the path for this highway.  All the dangerous blasting it took to get through the hills and mountains to lay a piece of road to make life more convenient for us.

There are jobs out there still that require a lot of labor but machines help also to take away that intensity.  Our lives are so much easier than in the past.  Years ago I would have had to write this blog with a typewriter and then give it to people to read but now it's one click and it can be all over the world in two seconds.

There are times I wished lived in the past for other reasons, yet I like living in a more simple world.  Jesus' world wasn't simple then. When you read the Bible stories and see they are in one city and then the next chapter they're somewhere else.  It took days for them to get to different cities, miles of walking and the heat is bad in that neck of the woods.  I like our world a lot better.

So I often think of how humble the birth of Jesus was.  God knew he could create a sanitary hospital in two seconds to allow his child to born in. Somehow that wasn't in his plans, he wanted his son to come with no pomp and circumstance.  God is not an invader in our lives, he comes only when we finally surrender our heart to him.  When I think of his birth I often feel sad because only to shepherd s came to see him. No one else came to see the savior of the world.  Jesus fulfilled the scripture in Mark 9:35 "Anyone who wants to be first must be last, and the servant of all." Jesus proved to live this verse throughout his short life here on Earth.

He came in a humble way and left in a humble way. Jesus is an amazing person, we never heard him once complain about anything. Not even being born in an uncomfortable wooden manger. His cross was more uncomfortable than his crib, yet he never voiced any negativity about it either.

Be proud you know Jesus and be his example every day, and don't complain  about anything. He never did so why should we.

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One Cold Christmas Morning.

When I was 12 years old I had a paper route, and I hated it.  I had to walk up steep hills and throw the paper as far as I could to hit the right spot by the door.  My Dad helped me deliver Saturday and Sundays papers every weekend. It became a nuisance after a year, so I held onto it for a total of two years and then passed it on to someone else.

The worst part  about the paper route was delivering the morning Christmas paper.  I just didn't what to get up at the crack of dawn to deliver a piece of paper that no one would read until after all the presents were unwrapped. It was just pointless!

My last year of my route I remember that freezing Christmas morning for some odd reason.  I was actually enjoying that peaceful Christmas morning.  A thought ran through my mind about the birth of Christ. Something I'll never forget.  I listened to the peace around me and thought is it possible that this date might actually be the day of his birth?  That's really the only thing I thought about, it's not a deep one but it actually brought peace to my heart to think about it.

We have no idea of the actual date of his birth but ever since that cold Christmas morning I think about Jesus and his birth every year.  I'm past the point in my life where presents are the only thing that matters, I think of Jesus and how blessed I am to always be surrounded by family that love him as much as I do on Christmas morning.

As you get up Christmas morning stop for a little bit and think of the most humble birth in the history of the human race. Don't let anyone stop you from remembering your saviors birth because of legalistic reasons.  Your heart in Christ is more important to God than anything else. Remember the reason for the season. Bring joy to your heart by giving to others and remembering your own personal relationship with Jesus.

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Wise Men Still Seek Him.

In our world you're considered wise if you get a degree of some kind. You're really cherished if you capture a Masters degree or a PhD.  Your pay will increase as you graduate with such things and you will be esteemed by your family and colleagues. 

Life seems to be somewhat satisfying and you feel you have accomplished something, yet if your spiritual life is not right then these things will make you feel empty.

I love this phrase in the photo above. "Wise men still seek him." God cares about things you accomplish in this life but nothing is more wiser to him than seeking his Son. 

In God's eyes you are wise when you give your heart to his loving son Jesus. I often wonder why our world puts more pride in worthless things than in eternal things. 

A lot of people have trouble with the story of Jesus. It's hard to believe in a Virgin that had a heavenly seed placed in her. It's something most people can't grasp. In the times before Jesus arrived it was foretold that a king or savior would be born in Bethlehem. They thought he would arrive in a majestic way, but he came in a humble way that no one ever expected. 

I'm humbled by the way Jesus came into this world. Arriving in an animal stable is probably not the most sanitary of situations, but that is how God planned it.  Our God is humble in every way, he accepts all who come to him by accepting his  son. Our God promises us eternal life if you accept Jesus and live by faith throughout your life. If you just do this you'll be considered wise in the eyes of our creator forever.  Only wise men seek him. Be wise!

Reaching For The Savior!

I like December for many reasons, but we've taken the reason of the season to more greedy level.  I was raised for some odd reason to not remember Jesus during Christmas, I was told it was not biblical to do so.  Somehow that got misconstrued by Satan.  If December 25th is not mentioned in the Bible then we don't celebrate it as Christ's birthday.  Well we don't know if it's his real birth date or not, but it's a day we make special mention of him.  It's the Christians day to stop and think about Christ's humble entry into our world physically.

It's a day to stop and see the beginning of the greatest story ever told in our world. We all know Jesus didn't come to get the lowest or best price on a flat screen television at Wal-Mart.  He came not to make sure Billy got the new Xbox one either.  He came because he loved us and he saw the world couldn't take away our own sin.  He came not decked out in the glorious robes of kings, but he was birthed in a humble way.

The next 25 days I want you and I to discover the true love of Jesus Christ through this blog.  I want Jesus to be praised through our learning about him. Follow me as I try to learn about Jesus intimately through seeing through his eyes. Let's reach out for the savior.

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No Pain In Heaven!

This week I approached the 40 mark. So far the last  few days have been good to me. Physically I'm 40, mentally I'm 20. 

As each day starts and ends I feel old physically.  My knees hurt, my feet hurt because of heel spurs and my mind is becoming a little forgetful. 

I see these hurts and weariness in my body as reminders of what the future holds for me and all of us who have accepted Christ as our Savior. 

These pains one day will he gone. I will one day in eternity jump higher than Michael Jordan. I will run faster than Walter Payton and feel the joys of complete love in an eternal bliss.

When you come to a point in your life where earthly things stink and heavenly things matter more, then we can all say we have matured in our Christianity.

When we see the signs God gives us and we use them to see his glory, we have the love of Christ in us. When my heels scream in agony for the first few minutes of hitting the floor I think of heaven. When my mind forgets something I think of an eternal mind that will remember everything.

Give God the praise for the good and the bad things and use it for his glory! Amen !

Give God the Glory!

To God be the glory! 

We have heard this said a thousand times and we know what it means. But are we doing it? Am I doing it? Probably not as much as I should. 

So what does it mean?  Is this just something we do only on Sundays? No it should be done with every word that comes from our mouths.  But it doesn't. Now there are some people I've met in my life that have mastered this statement. It just doesn't come from their mouths but its also revealed in their actions.  These are the people who are willing to drop everything and help somebody no matter what. They're giving God the glory! I love these examples. 

Am I a person that drops everything to help a person out?  I'm hoping one day I will be. But I do give God glory by being thankful to him for everything. By blaming all good things on him. I sing hymns under my breath and pray as much as I can during the day and try to not include all my requests in my prayers, but leave room for others who need prayer. 

There are many ways we can give God the glory, we just all do it our own special  way.  Our problem is we leave our praise and worship to God at the doors of the church building. We don't take it with us.

I know it's hard to be spiritually correct in the world. It's one of the hardest things in life.  Our flame burns like a blow torch during worship and then by mid week the flame is gone. We're puttered out because Satan and the world around us are good at what they do. 

If your church has a mid week service then go to it. It'll help in more ways than you know.  Read your bible everyday and your spirit will be refreshed. 

If life is throwing you curveballs give God the glory that you are standing tall through these trials. He is right there guiding you to the light at the end of the tunnel. 

If you have a job, a roof over your head, and food on your table give God the praise for it all. 

God is wanting praise from his children. He is not a being with an ego problem he's a God with a love problem. He wants to give you all things if you just have a relationship with him.  We're still going to face bad days and we're not going to get everything and every problem solved. But he is always for us, he has our lives planned out. We just need to give him the praise he deserves.  

I often listen to people gripe about their issues in life. They whine and cry about everything, if only they gave it all to God. If they would trust him and give him the praise things might  be a lot better. God is the only being that keeps this world together. 

He does so much for us every day and A lot of things he does we don't ever see. We need to praise him all day every day. 

When you wake up be thankful you did. Because he allowed to happen. He is love! Follow him and give him the glory.

I love God!

I love sports! I love almost every sport except golf and soccer. ESPN is really the only channel I watch. 

I love to be at games and watch them on TV. I grew up 59 miles from Pittsburgh, so I am a fan of all three of their teams. 

I get aggravated when my teams don't win and I am in a great mood the next day after they win. I have always been obsessed with sports. 

I always hoped one day I would marry a girl who would enjoy sports as much as I do and I found that girl.  I remember talking to this girl I worked with and she said she hated sports and was thankful her husband didn't either. I felt very glad I didn't get hooked up with her. We'd been divorced in no time. Lol!

I am not as much in love with sports as I am with the one who created me. I love the story of God!  I am humbled every day cause of the blessed life he has given me. I call upon him day and night. I study his word every day. I still stand in awe that he pierced my heart back on a cold January Sunday and asked me to be his son for  all eternity.

I think about the days of early childhood when in recess or gym class we had to be picked on a team. There were times I would get picked toward the middle and sometimes last. There were times I would be devastated that I didn't get picked first. That's not the way God chooses his sons and daughters. He chooses us at the beginning but we usually pick him last.

What a day it is when we choose Christ through baptism and he gets our hearts ready and prepares us for eternity throughout our entire life. 

Many days we choose the world first and then give God our attention for a few minutes each day. I'm guilty if this. I try to put God first in every day but Satan always has his own agenda for me with his usual distractions. 

Our life needs to be focused on God every day. No ifs, ands or buts about it. We need to be God focused.  We need to make every decision through him. He will lead us but we have to allow him.

I love our creator and his son more than anything else in the world. God first, everything else last. God has never just handed me everything I've asked for, he has given way more than I have asked for. God is love, no other religion teaches love as much as God's word does. What an amazing story he has written for us. It still leaves me more excited than a touchdown would ever make me do.

The Tree Chosen for Christ's Cross.

Many pieces of wood over the years have been chosen to make a variety of crosses. One tree was marked to become the cross of Jesus. Trees are meant to make the world beautiful and protect the Earth from the sun. 

We burn wood, we use pencils to write. Building houses of wood has been man's greatest use to make shelter from the storms and other dangerous weather. 

Boats, birdhouses, housing and many other things used with wood have been a source of protection for every creature on the planet.

The cross of Jesus is an object for our protection from our sin.  Man became so entangled in our sin that God finally sent his most perfect gift to die and save us from our wrong doings. He lived among us and gave many hours of his life not for himself but for every person who has ever lived.  Many thought he would come in a great and lavish way. He chose to come in the silence of night. Few came to see him yet he still came in a silent way. 

He left in a silent manner also. He never retaliated toward those who beat him and spat upon him. He remained silent all the way to his final breath. The tree chosen also remained silent. It had a job to do and so did its victim.  Christ became its job. To hold him up between heaven and hell. The cross didn't know how awful it's job was but it also didn't know how important its duty was either. 

As it held the nails that pierced the savior of the world it would also become the most important and symbolic tree ever created by God.  Many don't  remember the tree that became the cross, but many remember the man that hung from it and took on the worlds sin. The cross is our constant reminder of Jesus Christ and God's love for all mankind.

His Depth of Mercy

My thoughts today are geared toward our sin and God's amazing mercy. Our world shows mercy in many ways but it is hidden a lot of times. The news shows no mercy when they broadcast their stories. Bosses usually show no mercy to their employees. Thieves and murderers never show any mercy. Taking the possessions of others and taking the lives of innocent people.

Where do we see complete mercy in this world? Our churches try to show mercy to our sins but it cannot compare to God's mercy.

We know a little about mercy, many in this world have been given some type of mercy. Yet, God made his plan for this life and his people to show complete mercy. No matter what we have done his love for us runs deep. His mercy and grace also run deep.

When I consider my own sins I really need mercy. I deserve for him to completely turn his back on me. Turning his back on me or you is something he will never do. Through Christ his son he redeemed us from our sin. He loves us! He doesn't hate us, he really loves us. God is not mad at us. He wants us to be near him and he is always reaching out to us.

Every good thing we do, every time we pray and repent of our sins we knock Satan down another notch of his ladder of evil.

We need to lay our burdens and our sins at the foot of Christ's cross and walk away from them. We need to leave them there and walk into the open arms of Jesus Christ. His mercy runs through us all, just as his love flows in our hearts. God's love has an eternal reserve that will never run out.

The depth of God's mercy cannot be measured. Won't we gather ourselves and those we know who need to experience the cleansing love of God and his son's love and mercy. Why pass up an opportunity that's free and reserved for all believers and all those who are lost. God is good and will be there for us to show mercy forever.