Thursday... This is such a special time of the year.

Thursday... This is such a special time of the year. It really is.

Do you love the songs of Christmas? Joy to the world. That's a great song, isn't it?

The Psalmist in 2:12b (NLT) writes, "But what joy for all who take refuge in him!" And that is so true! I prayed for five in my family who headed off to school this morning. One who is an Executive Director, one who is a School Counselor and three who are students. And each one of them take refuge in Him because they have a relationship with Him. What joy that is even in the major unrest in our schools. Do you have that joy today.?

And then over in Ephesian 2:8 (NLT), "God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this, it is a gift from God." It is a tremendous gift from God.

I love to give gifts. I love to watch people open gifts especially those that I have taken the time and effort and money to buy something that hopefully excites them. And I know that is true of God. It excites Him when we believe and accept His salvation. That is a tremendous gift from Him.

Paul continues in verses 9, "Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it." We can't boast about any gifts that we will get on Christmas day. We didn't do anything to get them. Someone else did all the work and effort to give you that gift. Yes it may give you great joy but it also gives them great joy to give it to you.

He goes on, verse 10 says, "For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."

What if we would open the gift and then throw it off to the side and then say, "Oh that was nice, what's next?" But we do that all the time when we don't accept the greatest gift that has ever been given to us. This gift is a masterpiece that was paid for by God's Son giving His life and then coming to life.

So what a joy there is to accept and take refuge in this masterpiece that God has given to us.

Verse 7 says, "So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus." That is such, such a tremendous gift! Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning

Comments

Tuesday... Each one of us see and describe what we are going through differently but...

Tuesday... Each one of us see and describe what we are going through differently but... We each one have our own way of explaining what we are going through, don't we? Some of us are maximisers, other are minimizers and neither one is better. We each one are different and we see what we are facing differently but no matter what it is and how you see it and describe it, God can handle it! Now the writer of Psalm 46 shows the extremes. In verse 1 he states the basic reality and then he moves on into our fears and he maximizes them to make sure we really understand. Here is what Psalm 46:1-3 (NLT) says, "God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!" So what do you fear? The Amplified Bible says verse 1 this way, "God is our refuge and strength [mighty and impenetrable], a very presen...

Friday... Yes, we need them. We really do

Psalm 8:3-4 (NLT), "When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers - the moon and the stars you set in place - what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?" Friday... Yes, we need them. We really do. No, not the fact that I can go out my front door and look out at night at the marvels of the sky. I can do that and it is amazing and it takes my breath away each time I see it. Yes, that is a fact but the reality of who did that and the wisdom and the faith that I have to believe that and to marvel that the one who did that cares about me makes such a difference in how I live my life. Yes, God really does. That is so wonderful for us to believe. And that is why faith and wisdom are so important. Now whatever belief you have at how that marvel happened must also be believed through faith. And the sad thing to me is that more and more people have been taught that there is no God and therefore he did not have a h...

Wednesday... It didn't just happen.

Psalm 16;10 (NLT), "For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one to rot in the grave." Wednesday... It didn't just happen. We are headed into a weekend of deep emotion. One that we really really love was killed and it didn't just happen. David in Psalm 16:10 (NLT) writes of this happening. He says about God, "For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one to rot in the grave." We read over in the Gospels at the beginning of the New Testament in the Bible of the life of God's Son who came to earth to be our sacrifice so that our soul would not be left among the dead. Jesus came so that we wouldn't have to be buried at death and just left there. But he also shares that Jesus who was going to be killed as a sacrifice for our sins would not have to rot in a grave. David many generations before foretold this and that is what happened. Now that had to be a God thing. We can guess a lot about our future and we d...

Todays Beginning

Search This Blog