If our greatest need had been information, ...God would have sent us an educator; If our greatest need had been technology, ...God would have sent us a scientist; If our greatest need had been money, ...God would have sent us an economist; If our greatest need had been pleasure, ...God would have sent us an entertainer; But our greatest need was forgiveness, ...So God sent us a Savior. Halfway through December we were doing the regular evening things when there was a knock at the door. We opened it to find a small package with a beautiful ceramic lamb inside. We looked at the calendar and realized that the 12 days of Christmas were beginning!! We waiting excitedly for the next night's surprise and only then, with the gift of a matching shepherd, did we realized that the lamb was part of a nativity set.
Each night we grew more excited to see what piece we would receive. Each was exquisitely beautiful. The kids kept trying to catch the givers as we slowing built the scene at the manager and began to focus on Christ's birth. On Christmas Eve, all the pieces were in place, but the baby Jesus. My 12 year-old son really wanted to catch our benefactors and began to devise all kinds of ways to trap them. He ate his dinner in the mini-van watching and waiting, but no one came. Finally we called him in to go through our family's Christmas Eve traditions. But before the kids went to bed we checked the front step - No Baby Jesus! We began to worry that my son had scared them off. My husband suggested that maybe they dropped the Jesus and there wouldn't be anything coming. Somehow something was missing that Christmas Eve. There was a feeling that things weren't complete. The kids went to bed and I put out Christmas, but before I went to bed I again checked to see if the Jesus had come-no, the doorstep was empty. In our family the kids can open their stockings when they want to, but they have to wait to open any presents until Dad wakes up. So one by one they woke up very early and I also woke up to watch them. Even before they opened their stockings, each child checked to see if perhaps during the night the baby Jesus had come. Missing that piece of the set seemed to have an odd effect. At least it changed my focus. I knew there were presents under the tree for me and I was excited to watch the children open their gifts, but first on my mind was the feeling of waiting for the ceramic Christ Child. We had opened just about all of the presents when one of the children found one more for me buried deep beneath the limbs of the tree. He handed me a small package from my former visiting teaching companion. This sister was somewhat less active in the church. I had learned over time they didn't have much for Christmas, so that their focus was the children. It sounded like she didn't get many gifts to open, so I had always given her a small package - new dish towels, the next year's lesson manual - not much, but something for her to open. I was touched when at Church on the day before Christmas, she had given me this small package, saying it was just a token of her love and appreciation. As I took off the bow, I remembered my friendship with her and was filled with gratitude for knowing her and for her kindness and sacrifice in this year giving me a gift. But as the paper fell away, I began to tremble and cry. There in the small brown box was the baby Jesus. He had come! I realized on that Christmas Day that Christ will come into our lives in ways that we don't expect. The spirit of Christ comes into our hearts as we serve one another. We had waited and watched for him to come, expecting the dramatic "knock at the door and scurrying of feet" but he came in a small, simple package that represented service, friendship, gratitude, and love. This experience taught me that the beginning of the true spirit of Christmas comes as we open our hearts and actively focus on the Savior. But we will most likely find him in the small and simple acts of love, friendship and service that we give to each other. This Christmas I want to feel again the joy of knowing that Christ is in our home. I want to focus on loving and serving. More than that I want to open my heart to him all year that I may see him again. Don't forget the reason for the Season. By Gaye Willis "Will The Christ Child Come?" Toe 'n bekende Christelike outeur haar gunsteling resepteboek met 'n "nuwe en bygewerkte" uitgawe vervang het, het sy gesê: "Dit was nie meer dieselfde nie. Dis aangepas vir gerieflikheidsredes." Mense probeer dieselfde met God se Woord doen; aanpas om dit meer gerieflik te maak. Die waarheid is dat God se Woord nooit verander nie. Die nagevolge van die sonde is dieselfde: "Die loon wat die sonde gee, is die dood..." (Romeine 6:23 NV). God se reddingsplan het nie verander nie: "Dit is mos die genade wat julle verlos het deurdat julle tot geloof gekom het..." (Efesiërs 2:8 NLV). Sy metode om leiding te vind, is in dieselfde plek: "Die woord van die Here is volmaak: dit gee lewe. Die onderwysing van die Here is betroubaar: dit gee wysheid aan die wat nog onervare is. Die bevele van die Here dui die regte koers aan: dit bring blydskap. Die gebod van die Here is helder: dit gee insig." (Psalm 19:8-9 NV). Sy oplossing vir woede is steeds dieselfde: "Daarom moet jy in stilte op die Here vertrou... Moenie kwaad word nie, laat staan die woede... dit bring net ellende" (Psalm 37:7-8 NV). Sy metode om vrede te vind het nie verander nie: "Moet oor niks besorg wees nie, maar maak in alles julle begeertes deur gebed en smeking en met danksegging aan God bekend. En die vrede van God wat alle verstand te bowe gaan, sal oor julle harte en gedagtes die wag hou..." (Filippense 4:6-7 NV). Die Psalmskrywer het gesê: "Alles wat U sê, is betroubaar; U regverdige bepalings is vir altyd..."
Sielskos: Gen 10-12; Joh. 18:12-24; Ps 150; Spr. 29:22-27 The Christmas party was over. Several of the men were sitting at a table reminiscing about the Christmas days of their childhood. The conversation turned to the best Christmas of their lives. As they went around the table, they noticed one man hadn't said anything. They asked, "Come on.. Frank, What was your best Christmas?" Frank said, "The best Christmas I ever had was when I didn't even get a present." The others were surprised. They had to hear the story. Frank began to talk.. "I grew up in New York. It was the great depression and we were poor. My Mother had died when I was just eight years old. My Dad had a job but he only worked two or three days a week and that was considered good. We lived in a walk up and we just barely had enough food and clothes. I was a kid and didn't really notice." "My Dad was a proud man. He had one suit. He would wear that suit to work. When he came home, he would take off the jacket and sit in his chair still wearing his shirt, tie and his vest. He had this big old pocket watch that had been given to him by my mother. He would sit in his chair, the chain from watch hanging out, connected to the fob in his vest buttonhole. That watch was his proudest possession. Sometimes, I would see him, just sitting there, looking at his precious watch. I bet he was thinking of my mother." "One year, I was about twelve, chemistry sets were the big thing. They cost two dollars. That was big money but every kid wanted a chemistry set including me. I began to pester my Dad about it a month or so before Christmas. You know, I made all the same kid promises. I would be good. I would do my chores. I wouldn't ask for anything else again. My dad would just say, 'We'll see.." "Three days before Christmas he took me to the carts. There was this area where all the small merchants keep their street carts. They would undersell the stores and you could get a good buy. He would take me to a cart and pick out some little toy. "Son, would like something like this?" I, of course, would tell him, 'No, I want a chemistry set.' We tramped to nearly every cart and him showing me some toy car or toy gun, and me refusing it. I never thought that he didn't have the money to buy a chemistry set. Finally, he said, we better go home and come back the next day." "All the way home, I pouted and whined about the chemistry set. I repeated the promises. I said I didn't care if I never got another present. I had to have that chemistry set. I know now that my Dad felt guilty about not being able to give me more. He probably thought he was a failure as a Father and I think he blamed himself for my mother's death. As we were walking up the stairs, he told me, that he would see what he could do about getting me the chemistry set. That night I couldn't even sleep. I could see myself inventing some new material. I could see the New York Times.. 'Boy wins Nobel Prize!" "The next day after work, my Dad took me back to the carts. On the way, I remember, he bought a loaf of bread, he was carrying it under his arm. We came to first cart and he told me to pick out the set I wanted They were all alike, but went through them, like I was choosing a diamond. I found the right one and I almost yelled. 'This one.. Dad!'" "I can still see him, reaching into his pant's pocket, to get the money. As he pulled the two dollars out, one fluttered to the ground, he bent over to pick it up and as he did, the chain fell out of his vest. The chain swung back and forth. 'No watch.' In a flash, I realized that my Dad had sold his watch. He sold his most precious possession to buy me a chemistry set. He sold his watch, the last thing my mother had given him, to buy me a chemistry set." "I grabbed his arms and I yelled, 'No.' I had never grabbed my Dad before and I certainly had never yelled at him. I can see him, looking at me, a strange look on his face. 'No, Dad, you don't have to buy me anything.' The tears were burning in my eyes. 'Dad, I know you love me.' We walked away from the cart and I remember my Dad holding my hand all the way home." Frank looked at the men. "You know, there isn't enough money in the world to buy that moment. You see, at that moment, I knew that my Dad loved me more than anything in the world." That is the way that God loves us. He didn't just say it. He showed it. He gave the most precious thing anyone could give. He gave His Son. John 3:16, says, "For God so loved the world (you and me) that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life." He gave His Son, Jesus, That you and I might have everlasting life. If you haven't accepted that great gift.. Accept it now.. Just ask him to forgive you of your sins and to come into your heart and be your Lord and Savior. It is that easy to receive the greatest gift ever given. Author Unknown Gods way- The Lord has not promised that He would take us out of the fire when we give our hearts to Him but He will walk through the fire with us and we will not be burned if we stay with Him.Today, do it Gods way and expect God to honor His Word. See Daniel 3 and realize again what a mighty god we serve.
God always energizes us to do what He leads us to do. Do not follow mans will you will get tired 2 Cor 2:14 says that God always leads us in triumph. His will is not for us to live defeated weak lives but He wants us to be more than conquerors Rom 8:37 His will for us is strength not weakness victory not defeat
If we consistently believe Gods Word He will turn our circumstances from negative to positive from ashes to beauty Isaiah 61:3 Believing God is the key to receiving from Him. Enjoy the good future that is set aside for you in Jesus Christ
Revival is not a “silver bullet” that fixes everything. It must be followed up with a church, or rather Christians, who establish the Kingdom of God in all spheres of society. We must do this by putting the principles of the Scriptures into practice. We must do it from a biblical perspective on life and the world, and in the power of the Holy Spirit, we should live biblical ethics, with integrity in the world of politics, the business community, education, media, arts, entertainment, sport and every other area of society. Unceasing, purposeful, God-centered prayer is necessary. We need Christ-centered prayer in the Spirit, and under leadership of the Holy Spirit. Prayer where believers take hold of God (Isa.64:7) and remind Him of His promises in His Word. Prayer where people really listen to God and do exactly what He tells them, and bring their lives in line with His will and His Word. Heavenly Father, rid us from our passivity and lukewarm hearts. We need Your Spirit to revive us.
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