Jesus Birth Prophesied

"Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." (Isaiah 7 :14)

"Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David." (Luke 1:30-32)

The Prophecy fullfilled

"Then the angel said to them, Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." (Luke 2:11-13)

This is the true joy of Christmas, our Saviors' birth.
Merry Christmas.

Thy Will Be Done

How often have you said, The Lords' Prayer? Now, how often have you stopped to think about the words, "Thy will be done?" Those are some tough words to pray at times.

My wife is currently losing her brother to lung cancer. We have prayed for healing and continue to pray for healing but, Gods' will may not be to heal him on earth and that's OK. Even though as Christains we are told to, "make our requests known to God," He is under no obligation take our direction. Who are we to direct or council God?

Jesus, the night before His crucifixtion prayed, "Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will. (Matthew 26:39) The Bible also speaks of Jesus being in so much agony at this point, that His sweat became like great drops of blood falling to the ground. (Luke 22:44) This request must have been difficult for the Father not to grant seeing both the current and future pain of His Son. However, God had a greater purpose, the salvation of man.

Therefore, do not be discouraged by what seems to be unanswered prayer. Understand our Father has a heavenly purpose that is far beyond our current understanding.

The Truth
"To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven." (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

Press Forward

How often do we stop and think about Gods' work in our lives? If you're like me, not often enough. We tend to focus on life itself and not God's purposes in taking us through life. As the Apostle Paul wrote, "He who has begun a good work in you will be faithful to complete it, until the day of Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1:6) Therefore, whatever we are experiencing in life, has come through Gods' hand to us, with a plan for our perfection in Him. Who are we then to question. This has been a very comforting scripture to me as I have walked through life's difficult moments.

As Christains we are encouraged to, "Forget those things which are behind and to reach forward to those things which are ahead." (Philippians 3:13) In other words, focus on the opportunities yet to come. Not knowing the "whys" in life is okay, because we know," That all things are working together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28)

How should we then live our lives? Once again the Apostle Paul leaves us a valuable scripture as to the more excellent goal:

The Truth
"Press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:14)
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God." (Philippians 4:6)