12/16/14

12/16/14

Luk 2:10 And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.

Within the message that the angel brought to the world is “joy” for man and glory for God. Have you heard and received this joy for yourself? If you have then you will experience the real meaning of Christmas this year!

12/15/14

12/15/14

I covet that kind of joy for you. I would like you to have the experience of entering into the kind of joy that Mary and Joseph and the shepherds had on that first Christmas morning. Did they have joy? Of course they did! But the circumstances were not good. Mary and Joseph were far from home, in a strange town without even a room to themselves in which Mary could give birth to the Child. But I imagine that the joy of this couple on this occasion was the greatest this world has ever seen. Why? Because it came from God and was centered in the birth of the Savior. If you know this joy, then you can go on, as the angels did, to give glory to God; and you can possess that peace of heart and soul which transcends understanding.

James Boice

12/14/14

12/14/14

Joy is a wonderful thing; it is an appropriate part of Christmas. I wonder if you have experienced joy at this season. I am not referring to activity, of course. There is much activity — but many go through these activities in a joyless way. Nor am I referring to happiness. Happiness is a wonderful thing at Christmas — shopping, decorating, entertaining, mailing cards — but it is the world's virtue, and like all the world's virtues, it quite easily passes away. Happiness is related to circumstances. When circumstances are right, there is happiness; but when the source of happiness departs, happiness goes with it. It is not this way with joy. Joy is of God. It is based upon what God has done, and it is given to the Christian by God and is sustained by God. Nothing destroys joy except sin.

James Boice

12/13/14

12/13/14

Eph 1:10 He planned to bring all of history to its goal in Christ. Then Christ would be the head of everything in heaven and on earth.

Eph 1:11 God also decided ahead of time to choose us through Christ according to his plan, which makes everything work the way he intends.

I think the birth of Christ means more than we know!

12/12/14

12/12/14

My computer crashed yesterday (Wednesday, November 12, 2014) And all of the verses that I had ready to put on this blog were lost also. So I will have to start from here.

The birth of Jesus Christ our LORD is why we have this Holiday. We all know that but sometime we get so busy that, we don't really forget, but we get lost in the other stuff. I am not saying that other stuff is bad, in fact I love almost everything about Christmas. I think my thought here is; every now and then stop, take a big breath and remember our LORD and His birth and what that means.

Gal 4:4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,

Gal 4:5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

12/11/14

12/11/14

Mat 1:18  Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

This is impossible! But so is creating man in the first place. It is also very important because the sinful blood of Adam came through the Father. Jesus is sinless all the way. He is God-Man.

12/10/14

12/10/14

Mat 2:23  And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.

 And so He has been called throughout history.

12/9/14

12/9/14

Jer 31:15  Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not.

The prophecy was given a long time before, then we read in Matthew that it happened just the way he said it would.

Mat 2:16  Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.

Mat 2:17  Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying,

Mat 2:18  In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.

12/8/14

12/8/14

Mic 5:2  But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

Luk 2:4-6  And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.

12/7/14

12/7/14

Hos 11:1  When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.

God had sent Joseph and his family to Egypt to avoid Herod and his army. After Herod's death God called them out of Egypt, back to Israel. 

Mat 2:20 Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child's life.