Happy New Year!!   It is 2017!  Are you entering this year holding onto the failures and disappointments of 2016?  Are you entering this year with expectation and hope?  Failures, disappointments, expectations and hope are all real feelings we have to grapple with from our own perspective.  Perhaps instead of filtering them though our own system- we should filter them through God’s Word.  Since we know that God is Sovereign, we must believe that He alone has the total perspective on all that happens to us.

Lamentations 3:21-26.  “Yet this I call to mind and there fore I have hope:  Because of the LORD’S great love we are not consumed, for his compassion never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.  I say to myself, ‘The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.’   The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one  who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.”

These verses tell us that our hope is in the Lord.  His motivation for saving and treating  us  with compassion is His great LOVE.  We are assured that His mercies are new each morning and that HE alone is faithful.  Waiting patiently needs to be my resolve as I look to His plans and His solutions.  He will answer and follow through.   Resolved waiting is filled with HOPE, intense seeking, and counting upon His salvation and unending Love.   What better way to start a New Year?  I can filter all my hurts and disappointments through Him and He is faithful to answer with HOPE and LOVE!

Blessings in this New Year.  God will keep you in the palm of His hand as you are engraved there for eternity. (Isaiah 49:16)  Look to Him and draw near to  Him with resolve in 2017 and you will be rewarded.  (James 4:7-8)

Linda

Thinking about the New Year, 2017, that is before us and the old year that lies almost behind us, 2016, consider the words of David in Psalm 77:10-13.  Then I thought, “To this I will appeal: the years of the right hand of the Most High.”  I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.  I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds  Your ways O God, are holy,  What god is so great as our God?

Blogging for Advent is always a blessing as it brings the Christmas Story, all the miracles that surrounded Jesus’ birth, into sharper focus.  This year letting my focus be on the attributes of God and what they reveal to us about God within the Christmas story helped me (and I hope you) see and know God more clearly.   We saw God as Savior, filled with Grace,  as Creator, His Omnipotence,  His Sovereignty, His Faithfulness, His Holiness,  Him as Preserver, Merciful, Immutable, Long-Suffering, Omniscient, His Perfection, His Incomprehensibility,  as Wise, Provider, as Glorious, Accessible, Righteous, Just,  Infinite, Impartial, Father, Guide, Eternal and Love.    I pray that of these 25 attributes you found some that were new thoughts and many that stimulated you to expand your concept of who God is and what He has done for you.  David came to the conclusion that there is no god greater than our God.  I do pray that you arrived at the same conclusion.  See if you can discover God in a new way each time you pick up your Bible.  Look for His attributes as He reveals Himself to us in His Word.

Enjoy the rest of 2016.  See you in the New Year!

Living in amazement of our Great God!

Linda

“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.  Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end, He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.  The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.”  Isaiah 9:6-7

The words of Isaiah resound on this Christmas morning proclaiming God’s attributes to us in the birth of His Son, Jesus the Messiah, the Christ.  We see God’s wisdom, might, eternality, relationship to us as Father, peace, kingship, justice, righteousness, savior, power and glory in His birth.  Yet, over all of these we see God’s Love.  Have you ever stopped to think about God’s motive for sending Jesus to earth as our Savior to restore our relationship so we could commune with Him?  What could God possibly gain from all this?

The attribute that shines throughout the entire Christmas story is LOVE.   God has always been love.  Before He created the world the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit loved one another.  God’s love never fails and He loves the whole world.  He showed His love by sending His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, as Savior.  When we receive His Son as our Savior, we can then be in a loving relationship with God.  There are many promises we can claim that assure us of God’s love for us.  John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”  Paul describes the purpose of God’s love in Romans 5:8 “God demonstrates His own love for us in this:  While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”    Isaiah 54:10 describes the durability of God’s love for us, “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,’ says the LORD, who has compassion on you.”   Paul describes the depth and scope of God’s love in Romans 8:38-39  “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Be comforted and assured this Christmas Day of the unending Love God has for you.  You are more precious to Him that anything else in all creation. He wants you to know His Son so you can have an eternal relationship with Him. Thank and Praise Him today for sending Jesus to make that possible.  Jesus is the one who opens the door to life eternal with God.

Giving thanks for my loving God this Christmas Day,  Merry Christmas!

Linda

Tomorrow is Christmas, the day we celebrate the birth of the Christ.  His birth was foretold by the ancient prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 9:6 “For unto us a child is born…”   The place was foretold in Micah 5:3  “But you Bethlehem…”.    He came to earth that day born as a human child, yet one who would lead a sinless life and die to save us from our sins.  We are believing that only God’s Son, Jesus, could satisfy Holy God and bring us into relationship with God again.  Isaiah foretold in Isaiah 53:5 “But He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him.”   So where does that leave us?  If we believe He was born miraculously as a man and died as God’s Son to save us from our sins, what more is there for us to believe?   He is coming again.  1 Thessalonians 4:16-18  “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  After that, 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.  And so we will be with the Lord forever.  Therefore encourage each other with these words.”  As we celebrate Jesus’ birth, we need to remember the story does not end in the manger or at the cross.  The story of the redemption of mankind will end with us living with God for eternity.  Just as His first coming was hearalded by angels so will His second coming.  Just as His first coming was miraculous, awesome and breathtaking so will His second coming be worthy of King Jesus when we meet Him in the air.

What do these events say about God?  God is eternal.  God exists outside of time.  He is not measured by anything.  We measure time by the movement of the planets and stars, which God created.  God has always been and always will be.  No one is like Him.  We are not eternal because we have a beginning and an end.  Because God is eternal, He can give us eternal life.  David described God in Psalm 90:2 “Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, form everlasting to everlasting you are God.”  John wrote in Revelation 4:8 “Holy, holy, holy is he Lord God Almighty, who was, and is and is to come.”

With our finite minds, the eternality of God is difficult to grasp.  However, we can be assured that God is who He says He is and will do as He has planned for eternity. Jesus is the one who holds the key to our eternal life.  John 4:13-14  Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.  Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”   Come to Him this Christmas and be filled with His eternal blessing.  Look  past the manger, past Easter and look forward to His return!

Grateful for our eternal God,

Linda   

This poster seems to help me put things into the correct perspective.  I hope it helps you too.

After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.”  So he got up , took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel.  But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there.  Having been warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth.  So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: “He will be called a Nazarene.”  Matthew 2:19-23

This is the last portion of Jesus’ birth story recorded in the gospels.  Mary, Joseph and Jesus are now settled in Nazareth as the prophets had foretold and will remain there until He starts his ministry at about age 30.    This last account is linked to the previous parts of Jesus’ story by angelic guidance.  God sent his angel Gabriel to Mary to guide her into acceptance of her being chosen as mother of the coming Messiah.  An angel was sent to guide Joseph into keeping Mary as his future wife and knowing the future child would be the Savior, Jesus.  The angels guided the shepherds to worship the Savior.  The Magi were warned in a dream not to return to Herod.  An angelic messanger was sent to guide Mary, Jospeh to Egypt to escape murderous Herod. Finally, an angel was sent to guide them to a safe place to settle, Nazareth.

What does this story tell us about God?  God is our guide and will direct us just as He did Mary and Joseph into the right path.  God leads us in the way we should go.  Today God uses His Word and His indwelling Holy Spirit to teach us how we are to live and think. Because God gives His children the Holy Spirit, they recognize His voice and follow Him.   We can trust God to lead us in the right way.  Without God’s guidance, we stumble and fall like people in the dark.   There are many promises in Scripture about God’s guidance. Here are two that I hold dear.   Psalm 32:8 “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.” Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” 

How will you apply this knowledge of God being your guide today?  Will you pray and ask God for His help?  He can and does help us with physical, emotional and spiritual guidance.  Open His Word and read His words of comfort, hope and assurance.  Prayerfully, ask the Holy Spirit for guidance in making decisions.  God will guide you as you wait upon Him. Patience and trust are essential and looking to Jesus for guidance is a must for the Christian desirous of walking day by day with Jesus.  Never easy, but always rewarding, purposeful and bearing fruit, is our walk with the Savior.

Trusting in the perfect Guide,

Linda

When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt.  Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”   So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod.  And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”   When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.  Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:  “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”  Matthew 2:13-18

Joseph and Mary were obedient to the angel’s direction and fled to Egypt.  (The bringing of Jesus into and back from Egypt parallels the bringing of the infant nation of Israel into Egypt for safety during the famine and then out of Egypt after 400 years of slavery.)  God’s plan to protect Jesus from ruthless and power hungry Herod included a trip to Egypt.  It is not known how long Mary, Joseph and Jesus stayed in Egypt but Herod died in 4 B.C., and they returned after his death.   God provided a safe place, Egypt, and the means to get there, the gifts of the Magi.  Those gifts, gold, frankincense and myrrh were very costly gifts and could have been sold to provide for them in Egypt.   We have to trust God to deal with the murderous Herod as vengeance belongs to God.  A promise we can claim in the name of those slain children is Hebrews 10:30-31 “It is mine to avenge:  I will repay, and again, “The Lord will judge his people.  It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

How do we see God in this event?  God was Jesus’ Father and protected Him.  As the Creator, God sustains and provides for all He has made, but He is the Father only of those who believe in His Son Jesus Christ.  He gives us His Spirit, adopts us into His family and makes us His children.  He has a loving relationship that lasts forever with every believer. He speaks to us personally through  His Word  the Bible, and we speak to Him in prayer.  Even the best human father has flaws but God is always good, wise and loving.  God loves, protects, care for, trains and disciplines His children.   Jesus was His Son and He protected and cared for Him in that distant land of Egypt.  The gospels tell us that Jesus spent time in prayer talking with His Father, communing with Him, drawing from His strength and receiving His comfort while here on earth.  God did not have to discipline Jesus, as He does us, as Jesus was perfect and without sin.  Therefore, Jesus was perfectly obedient to His Father and fulfilled all that God sent Him to accomplish, our redemption.

Do you look upon God as your heavenly Father?  As a believer, do you allow Him to love protect, care for, train you?  Do you willingly accept His discipline?  Many people struggle with the image of God as their Father as they have had a flawed earthly father in their lives.  If this is your experience, pray and ask God to establish His relationship anew with you, to repair you sight and heal your understanding so you can relate to Him as your heavenly Father.  He is a good, good Father and will not let you down.  He is perfect in all of His ways.

Thankful for my good, good Father,

Linda

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?  We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”  When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.  When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born.  “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will co a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’    Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.  He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and make careful search for the child.  As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”  After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.  When they saw the  star, they were overjoyed.  On coming to the house they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him.  Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and incense and of myrrh.  And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.  Matthew 2:1-12

Several things stand out to me as I read this account of the Wise Men, Magi, arriving  from the east.  They referred to Jesus as ‘King of the Jews’ not our king indicating they were Gentiles and that all people would acknowledge Jesus as King.  This star that appeared in the sky had to stay in position, shining brightly for months as they traveled some 600-700 miles from Persia following the star’s course.   The prophecy that is referred to in this passage about the Messiah’s birth in Bethlehem was given by the prophet Micah some 7 centuries earlier!  This King Herod, also know as Herod the Great, was a non-Jew appointed by the Roman Senate and known in history to be a ruthless man who murdered family members and built great splendorous buildings. The Magi sought Jesus to worship Him and brought Him valuable gifts befitting a king.

What does this event tell us about God? First God is impartial.  He drew non-Jews to His Son to show that He is the God of all people on earth.  All will come to acknowledge Jesus as King and will bow before Him in worship.  He saves people regardless of what they have done or will do.  He saves people who have families in church and people who do not.  He saves people who are rich, poor, smart and not smart.  He is always fair.  There is nothing anyone can do to force God’s hand, or put God in their debt.  God will always do right by every person, in every situation.  The Star also shows God’s infinite character.  God has no beginning and no end.  He has always exited and He always will.  This is why God declared His name to be “I AM”.  God IS.  God also has no ‘size’.  There is no place that can contain God because God has not limits of any kind. There is no way to measure God, for everything that God is, is limitless.  God’s power, knowledge and love have no limits.  God the Father, Son and Spirit are all the same: infinite.  God can use all things in His creation to proclaim His being and His Son’s arrival.  His power and being are infinite.

Do you seen God as impartial and infinite?  Have you seen Him call and use all people and all things for His glory?  Do you see any limit to God’s power and love?   In 2 Peter 3:9 we are reminded “The Lord is not  slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.  He is patient with you not wanting anyone to perish, but  everyone to come to repentance.”   God is impartial and wants all to be saved from their sinful state and cleansed by Jesus’ righteousness. Everyone is desired by God.  Jeremiah 23:24 says, “Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?” declares the LORD.  “Do not I fill heaven and earth?”  declares the LORD.  God is infinite and everyone is accountable to Him.

Trusting in our impartial and infinite God,

Linda

Get a fresh perspective on the Star of Bethlehem.  Watch the video ‘The Star of Bethlehem’  produced by Stephen McEveety.   More information available at bethlehemstar.net

“There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.  She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four.  She never left the temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying.  Going up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.”  Luke 2:36-38an

Mary and Joseph had just encountered Simeon and now they faced an old woman who was known as a prophetess.  There are a few women who speak for God under His guidance in the Bible.  Deborah (Judges 4:4) and  Aaron’s sister Miriam (Exodus 15:20) are the most well known.  Anna was known for her devotion to the Lord and constancy in prayer and worship.  Wouldn’t you have loved to have been there that day and heard what she said about Jesus and what He would accomplish?  Her focus was on the redemption of Jerusalem meaning the Jewish people.  She knew that God was just and that He would redeem and rescue her people with this child  just as He had promised.

How is God just?  God’s justice is perfect.  His decisions are always based on His righteous character.  God cannot ignore sin because He is holy.  It would be unjust to ignore wickedness, rebellion and sin. God is just and does not show favoritism.  Every penalty will be fair and right.  God does not treat His children as their sins deserve because Jesus suffered the full punishment for our sins.  Because God is just, He will never punish His children for the sin for which Jesus paid on the cross.  Anna could see this sacrifice in Jesus’ future that day and knew He was the key to the redemption of God’s people.

How are you and I affected by God’s justice?  We can count on God to always be Holy and intolerant of sin.  We can trust that His justice is and has always been perfect as He is unchanging in character and does not show favorites.  God is true to His Word and will do as He promised in Scripture.  He will be victorious over Satan and Jesus will return again.  We have proof of God’s justice.  He dealt with our sin through the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus.  Now that our sin has been dealt with, it is over and God’s justice is done!  Praise Him for His Justice and keep pointing others to Jesus.  Live focused on things with eternal value that glorify God.  Cling to God’s promises in Scripture and pray for those that do not know Jesus as Savior.  Do not judge others but leave justice to God. Trust in God’s justice it is and always will be perfect.

Depending upon our Just God,

Linda

After Jesus’ birth, Scripture tells us he was named Jesus and circumcised on the eighth day.  The Law of Moses then required that every first born male be presented in temple for consecration after 40 days and that a sacrifice be offered at that time.  When Mary and Joseph entered the temple they encountered a man named Simeon.

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout.  He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him  It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.  Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts.  When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: “Sovereign Lord as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace.  For my eyes have seen your salvation , which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”  The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him.  Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.  And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

This encounter with Simeon gave Mary and Joseph another glimpse into the power and might of God.  They saw and heard their child being prophesied over by a stranger in the temple that revealed His purpose for both Jews and Gentiles-salvation and glory to God.  He also revealed the reception Jesus would receive from people- rejection in unbelief and hearts touched by faith.  Simeon said there would be sword piecing pain for Jesus, which happened literally at the cross, and for Mary in her sorrow over the way her beloved son was treated.  All of these revelations reveal the Righteousness of God.

What is God’s righteousness?  God is right in all He does.  He has always been right and always will be right.  All of His words and actions are right. All of His plans are right.  God has no sin and is positively perfect.  God never lies.  He is fair, just and faithful in all He does.  We never need wonder if God is right, so we can trust God when we do not understand.  We do not always see God’s righteousness in the world today, but He has promised His righteousness will prevail.  Because God is righteous, He expects us to be righteous.  Even the best person cannot be perfectly righteous.  But God see His children clothed with Christ’s righteousness.  Because of what Christ did for us, suffering that sword piercing pain, we can be righteous before God.  The plan Simeon revealed that day in the temple was God’s right plan for mankind to bring about our righteousness.

Just like Mary and Joseph, I marvel at God’s plan of redemption.  Here we see it is a plan not just for the Jews but for all Gentiles too.  As you study the gospel accounts of Jesus’ earthly ministry you see how He was received in unbelief, rejected and crucified just as Simeon foretold.  God’s righteous plan was to save us.  Praise God for His righteousness that saves all of us through faith in Jesus.

Marveling at Jesus today,

Linda

“When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another,  “Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”  So they hurried off, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was laying in the manger.  When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.  But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.  The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.”  Luke 2:16-20

After being visited by a host of heavenly beings and hearing their message and praises for the child that was born in Bethlehem, they hurriedly went to find the child.  They found Jesus just as the angels had said.  Their response to encountering Jesus was excitement -they spread the word, they praised and glorified God for allowing them to see and hear and meet the Savior, Jesus.  God was within reach, touchable, real and worthy of all their praises.

What does this tell us about God?  God was then and is now accessible. Since God had walked with Adam and Eve in the garden, He had not been accessible in the flesh.  He was now accessible, or near.  In the covenants God made with the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, He promised to be in relationship with them always.  Later God commanded the people to build the tabernacle so He could live among them.  God made Himself even nearer to people when He became a man, the Lord Jesus Christ.  Now He is accessible in the most intimate way possible.  His Spirit lives in every believer.  When you pray, He hears you.  The shepherd experienced the accessibility of God in a miraculous way and it caused them to glorify and praise God.

Do you find God accessible?  Just like the shepherds, if you seek Him you will find Him and experience His glory-His indwelling Holy Spirit.  Here are a few promises that God gives regarding His accesibility that we can rely upon.  James 4:8 “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.  Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you;  He will never leave  you nor forsake you.”   Jesus promised in Matthew 28:20b “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  Hebrews 4:16 “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so tha we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” 

Praising God for His accessibility 24/7,

Linda

Loved the concept given in this cartoon picture.