New Year’s Prayer 2020

My father and my God, as I stand at the beginning of 2020, I need your presence and your guidance as I face the future. I have hopes and expectations for the year that is ahead, but you alone know what it holds for me, and only You can give me the strength and the wisdom I will need to meet its’ challenges. Help me to humbly trust You and to seek Your will for my life during this coming year.

In the midst of life’s uncertainties in the days ahead, I am assured of the certainty of Your unchanging love. You evidenced your love through your death and resurrection. By trusting in You, and repenting, I have forgiveness of sins, and life eternal. Because You live, I can face tomorrow.

In the midst of life’s inevitable disappointments and heartaches, I turn to You for the stability and comfort I need.

In the midst of life’s temptations and the pull of my stubborn self-will, help me to have the courage to do what is right in Your sight regardless of the cost.

In the midst of my daily preoccupations and pursuits, open my eyes to the sorrows and injustices of my hurting world and help me to respond with compassion. Help me to be less of myself.

In the midst of these difficult times I pray for our nation, and for all those who are seeking to bring peace and justice to our dangerous and troubled world. Protect our president and give him wisdom. Protect our country. I pray especially for Your protection on all those who serve in law enforcement and our armed forces. I thank You for their commitment to defend our freedoms even at the cost of their own lives. Be with their families also, and assure them of Your love and concern.

In the midst of so much hurt, bring our divided nation and divided families together. Give me a greater vision of what You would have me to be. Your Word reminds me that “blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” (Psalm 33:12). (II Chronicles 7:14) “If my people who are called by name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

In the midst of everything, I thank you for your goodness to me—far beyond what I have deserved. May I never presume on Your past goodness or forget all Your mercies to me, but may they instead lead me to repentance, and to a renewed commitment to keep You the foundation and center of my life.

My Father, I thank You for the promise and hope of this new year, and I look forward to it with expectancy and faith. In the name of my Lord and Savior. AMEN

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Happy New Year! What are your New Year Resolutions?

Every year, people all over the world make New Year’s Resolutions. Some with many good intentions, but they often fail because their resolutions are not realistic. When setting a New Year’s Resolution, pick something that is reasonable and obtainable. For instance, if you want to lose 100 pounds, make that a long-term goal and start with 25 pounds. Attempting to lose 25 pounds over the year is much more attainable than 100 pounds. If you broke up 25 pounds over twelve months, that would be about 2.08 pounds per month in weight loss as opposed to 8.33 pounds per month for 100 pounds.

If you want to achieve many things, start with a goal plan where you have set expectations. A few years ago, I wanted to finish my Bachelor’s Degree, so I set up goals and how many classes I would have to take in a year to obtain my degree. As a working adult, I chose to obtain my degree online and took classes half time. I finished my degree in two years. I took Summer classes to finish within two years. Each class, I followed the syllabus and set appointments in my calendar to study and take exams. This was a New Year’s Resolution that I could achieve, but it took about a year of planning in figuring out. I put a plan in progress and ultimately achieved my goal. There is an old saying, “If you have to eat an elephant, eat it one bite at a time.”

Many may want to read the Bible within a year. This can be done, but you must make time in your schedule to do it. One of the best ways to do it is to get a schedule of what chapters to read. The Gideon’s offer a schedule for free. Schedules are also found for free online. The nice thing about this goal is that you can start anytime. You do not have to wait until the New Year to make a resolution.

As with any new goal or resolution, you can start either today or any day in the year. If you want a closer walk with Christ, then why wait for the New Year. You can start by praying and asking Jesus to forgive you for your sins, which are things that you have done that are against God’s laws and His will. Ask forgiveness and then ask Jesus into your heart. Once you do this, Jesus will send His Holy Spirit to live in your heart, to lead you and guide you in your Christian walk. Then start to study God’s Word.

Get yourself a good study Bible. One of my favorite study Bibles is the English Standard Version (ESV). The ESV is one of the closest translations to the original text. A good Bible will have a Concordance and study notes. My favorite study Bible is the Reformation Study Bible published by Reformation Press. There are many other study Bibles available that are the ESV.

Another favorite is the Spurgeon Study Bible. This is a Holman Christian Standard Bible and has notes throughout of what Charles Spurgeon thought about certain Scripture. This Bible translation as well as the Spurgeon notes help to make your Bible study richer in understanding God’s Word.

Whatever your New Year’s Resolution will be, I pray that you will put God first.

Photo Credit: Franklin Graham

What is in Your Cup? Love or Hate?

My sister recently sent me an analogy comparing a coffee cup to a person. The analogy goes like this, “You are holding a cup of coffee when someone comes along and bumps into you or shakes your arm, making you spill your coffee everywhere. Why did you spill the coffee?

“Well because someone bumped into me, of course!” Wrong answer. You spilled the coffee because there was coffee in your cup. Had there been tea in the cup, you would have spilled tea.

Whatever is inside the cup, is what will spill out. Therefore, when life comes along and shakes you, which WILL happen, whatever is inside you will come out.

It’s easy to fake it, until you get rattled. So we must ask ourselves… “what’s in my cup?” When life gets tough, what spills over? Joy, gratefulness, peace and humility? Or anger, bitterness, harsh words and reactions?

You choose!

Today let’s work towards filling our cups with gratitude, forgiveness, joy, words of affirmation; and kindness, gentleness and love for others” (Author Unknown).

Let’s examine this a bit further. We all as humans put on our best fronts when we are out in public. We have a public self and a private self. In public, we may act like we are so good and without sin or blemish. We want our friends, co-workers, and clients to think the best of us.

But in private, the real “you” comes out. Not only that, when one gets angry, just the right recipe may set someone off to say the most ghastly and hateful things. For instance, when people consume too much alcohol, then their inhibitions are lowered. If they are angered, they may curse and abuse you because they are intoxicated. Unfortunately, this is the real person. They have shown just how dark their heart really is and the hatred they have for whomever they are cursing.

Before my true conversion to Christ, I had anger and hatred inside of me. But it was through Jesus Christ’s love and forgiveness that allowed myself to forgive and move forward. My angry self was cleansed and emptied and replaced with the Holy Spirit, which started to change, transform, and shape my heart into the man that I am today.

So, are you filled with love or do you harbor anger, resentment, and hatred towards another person? I can guarantee you that whatever is harbored inside of you will come out. If you do not know or have not experienced the real and true love of Jesus Christ, please consider surrendering your life to Him. He will forgive you. If you are an existing Christian, but have anger problems, please reach out to a Christian Counselor for help.

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one come to the Father except through me.” (John 14:5-6)

If someone offends you or angers you, is it okay to be angry for days?

I do not believe that anger is a sin, but if the emotion of anger leads to an action of assault or even murder, the actions are sin. Remember in the analogy, I mentioned someone who may be intoxicated, and then cursing another brother or sister in Christ out, the alcohol lowered the inhibitions and actually allowed the sinful nature to take control.

The Bible states in Ephesians 4:26-27, “26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold.” By festering anger over a period of time, it removes you from communion with God and allows the devil to have a foothold on this part of your life and character.

James 1:20 states, “for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” What this means is that the anger of man is more concerned about man as opposed to God. Anger rooted in sin will produce strife. See 2 Corinthians 12:20, “For I fear that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder.”

There are consequences to being angry and allowing it to fester for days. See Matthew 5:22, “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.” Therefore, to avoid sin, we should forgive quickly. We need to forgive because if we do not, then how can we ask God to forgive us? Forgiveness of a wrong is what God has called us to do. Forgiveness is an act of love.

And speaking of love, take a look at 1 Corinthians 13. “13 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

Practicing love will overcome anger. How can one state they love God with all their heart, with all their soul, and with all their mind as well as state they love their neighbor as their selves, and yet not forgive someone and fester hate in their heart? How can one say they love God and yet curse and abuse their brother and sister in Christ? Don’t blame it on the alcohol. The alcohol just lowered the inhibitions so that the real “YOU” showed up! If you have experienced this type of behavior, seek help from a qualified counselor or clergy. Ask Jesus Christ to forgive you and move forward and sin no more. God will forgive you if your are genuine and really mean it!

Let us start the New Year out with LOVE. Fill your cup up with God’s Love, the Love of Jesus Christ. Your cup is your heart. Allow the Holy Spirit to dwell in your heart. You can only do this by asking Jesus into your heart. Make today the first day of the rest of your life by loving others and inviting Jesus to come live in your heart.

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Less of Myself

This Christmas, my sister Kay gave my wife and I a simple gift that meant more to me than if she had spent a million dollars. My Mom was a devout Christian woman who had a heart for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She would never want anyone to brag about her as she had a saying when she prayed. She would always pray somewhere in the prayer, “Help me to become ‘less of myself.’”

The gift was made from an 18-inch board and was painted white with black lettering that read “less of myself.” Then inscribed in very small letters was her name, “Foy Lee.”

If only we could be all in for the gospel and lived our lives in a manner of being “less of ourselves!” We could possibly make a huge impact for the Gospel as we take ourselves out of the equation and focus entirely on God.

The Bible speaks of this in several places and I will mention a few here. Before I do that, what does it mean to be “less of myself?”

Humility and humbleness comes to mind. Humble is defined as having or showing a modest or low estimate of one’s own importance. My Mom tried to live her life in a way that was pleasing to God. She was a humble woman, would do all she could to help anyone, and never wanted to be given credit because what she did was to honor God.

She had a heart for those who were downtrodden. I remember one year, she took in a homeless woman and helped this woman until she could get back on her feet.

My Mother was involved in a jail ministry. She and her friend, Athaleen Bazemore would go to the jail in Portsmouth, Virginia on a weekly basis and minister to men and women who were prisoners. They would share their faith and would lead those prisoners to Christ. My Mom was truly a marketplace evangelist, spreading the gospel throughout the community.

As Mom got older, retired from Belk’s, she moved to Agricola, Mississippi and lived with my sister Kay until she passed on into glory. In her last years, she would pray and always end with “Help me to be less of myself.”

In God’s Word, living a life by being “less of myself” is referenced in several passages. I have listed a few below:

“1 Corinthians 10:24-26, ²⁴Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. ²⁵Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. ²⁶For “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.”

Romans 12:3, “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.”

2 Corinthians 8:9, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.”

James 4:10, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.”

Micah 6:8, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness,and to walk humbly with your God?”

2 Chronicles 7:14, “if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

Matthew 23:10-12, “Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. ¹¹The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

Matthew 23:10-12 is one of my favorites because Jesus said that the greatest among you is servant to all. If we could just learn to not be puffed up and proud, but to humble ourselves so that we could be “less of ourselves,” then, quite possibly, we could be servant to all. The ones we serve in the name of Christ could very well come to know the true and living Savior, Jesus Christ. Becoming less of ourselves means that we die to self and then follow and live our lives in a manner that is pleasing to God.

If you want to experience God in a way that real and intimate, then pray a prayer like this: “Lord, I pray that I can put aside my pride, the puffed-up presentation of myself, and focus on you alone. Father, I have sinned against you by my conceit and proud behavior. I ask Father that you will change my mind and my heart, to focus on you alone, be servant to all, and transform me into the man or woman that you want me to be. Help me to be “Less of Myself.” In Jesus Name, Amen.”

Wise Men Brought Gifts: What Do the Gifts Mean?

Now that Christmas has passed, many have asked why the Wise Men mentioned in Matthew 2 brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh? Before we get into the reasons, let’s look at the Scripture.

Matthew 2: 1-12

“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, ²saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” ³When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; ⁴and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. ⁵They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

⁶“‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

⁷Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. ⁸And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” ⁹After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. ¹⁰When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. ¹¹And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. ¹²And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.”

Let us look at who these wise men were? According to R.C. Sproul, “the wise men were not kings but priests or court advisers, like Joseph or Daniel. They were called Magi and were most likely from Mesopotamia which is a region of ancient Babylon which is modern day Iraq. Other locations of Palestine have also been suggested. There are numerous accounts of ancient astrologers interpreting astronomical phenomena as heralding the birth of kings.”[1]

These men saw the star which may have been a planetary conjunction, supernova, or something purely supernatural. This reference of a star alludes to the star of Jacob from Numbers 24:17, “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth.” The prophet that wrote this from Numbers 24:17 was that of the Gentile Balaam.

The story speaks of Herod summoning these wise men to come to him and tell about this new king so that he may worship him as well. Herod had other plans and was very insecure in his kingship. The wise men went on and saw the star over Bethlehem and entered the house where Jesus was and fell on their knees and worshipped Him. The Scripture says that they opened their treasures and gave Him gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These items were very expensive and only the rich would have them. The gold was given as a symbol of kingship on the earth. Frankincense which is an incense was given as a symbol of deity. Myrrh, which is an embalming oil was given as a symbol of death.

These Magi knew that Jesus was the Christ child, the Savior of the world. They brought these gifts as inspired by the Holy Spirit because of what Jesus would ultimately go through as the Son in which God sacrificed for the redemption of our sins.

Christmas is about the virgin birth of God’s Son, Jesus, but He is no longer in a cradle in a manger. Jesus grew up to be the salvation of the world. In John 3:16-17, it reads, “¹⁶“For God so loved the world,^[a] that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” God did not send His Son into the world to condemn it, but that everyone in the world might be saved from hell through belief in Jesus, the Christ.

Jesus took all our sin, our evil, our wrong doing, our adultery, our fornication, our theft, our lies, our guilt… He took it all on his back when He was scourged and was beaten almost to death. Each strike on His back was for our sins. He carried that cross beam up the hill to Golgotha, which is also called Calvary. For every nail driven through His hands and feet, our sins did that to Him. He died an agonizing death and His side was pierced for our redemption!

I can only imagine that once He was dead and they removed Him from that cross, they took His body to the tomb which was donated to the family. The people who prepared His body most likely used that very same myrrh to anoint His body and bury Him in the grave.

But that is not the end of the story. After three days in that tomb, he rose from the grave. There are multiple confirmed eyewitness accounts, both Biblically as well as in other non-Biblical manuscripts from that era.

Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life; NO ONE comes to the Father except through ME!” – John 14:6

Are you still looking for Jesus? He is waiting for you to come to Him. Just invite Him into your heart and He will enter it. I pray that you will find the living Savior, Jesus Christ this coming year.

[1] RC Sproul, Ed. The Reformation Study Bible (Reformation Trust: Orlando, FL, 2015), 1673.

Christmas: But this is NOT the end of the story…

Have you ever wondered about what Christmas is about? This is just the beginning of a wonderful and divine act in which God sent His Son into the world.

This is just the beginning.

Luke 2 English Standard Version (ESV)

The Birth of Jesus Christ

2 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. 8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 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.11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” 15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. 21 And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

But this is NOT the end of the story…….

Although many celebrate Christmas with a baby in a feeding trough, that baby grew up as the loving Son of God who died a horrible death to redeem us from our wickedness. He was beaten until his blood was spilled on the ground, crucified with nails driven into his hands and feet, and He died. After three days, He rose from the grave and this is evidence that He truly was the Son of God.

May you find the real joy of Christmas that only Jesus Christ can bring. It is through the death of Jesus Christ and His resurrection that we have forgiveness of our sins. Jesus came into the world not to judge the world but to save it. It is only through Jesus that one can be saved.

Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

John 3:3 “Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Romans 10: 9-11 ” because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”

2 Corinthians 5:15 “and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.”

Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”

Jesus stands at your hearts door and knocks. If you want to really experience the “true” meaning of Christmas, then consider inviting Jesus Christ into your heart and life and ask God to change your heart and transform you to be Christ-like in all that you do. Believe with your heart and mind. Ask forgiveness of your wrongdoing and sins, and confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Transformation means that you are a changed person for Christ.

Christmas is really about the Christ who came to save the world! Won’t you give your life to Christ and know the real meaning of Christmas?

The Birth of Jesus: According to Matthew

Matthew 1:18-2:23 English Standard Version (ESV)

The Birth of Jesus Christ

¹⁸Now the birth of Jesus Christ^[a] took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed^[b] to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. ²⁰But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” ²²All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

²³“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”

(which means, God with us). ²⁴When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, ²⁵but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

The Visit of the Wise Men

2 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men^[c] from the east came to Jerusalem, ²saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose^[d] and have come to worship him.” ³When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; ⁴and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. ⁵They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

⁶“‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

The Flight to Egypt

¹³Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” ¹⁴And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt ¹⁵and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

Herod Kills the Children

¹⁶Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. ¹⁷Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:

¹⁸“A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”

The Return to Nazareth

¹⁹But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, ²⁰saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” ²¹And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. ²²But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. ²³And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.

Footnotes:

Matthew 1:18 Some manuscripts of the Christ
Matthew 1:18 That is, legally pledged to be married
Matthew 2:1 Greek magi; also verses 7, 16
Matthew 2:2 Or in the east; also verse 9

The Birth of Jesus Christ: Savior of the World

Luke 2:1-20 English Standard Version (ESV)

The Birth of Jesus Christ

2 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. ²This was the first registration when^[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³And all went to be registered, each to his own town. ⁴And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵to be registered with Mary, his betrothed,^[b] who was with child. ⁶And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. ⁷And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.^[c]

The Shepherds and the Angels

⁸And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. ¹⁰And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹²And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” ¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

¹⁴“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”^[d]

¹⁵When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. ¹⁷And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. ¹⁸And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. ¹⁹But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. ²⁰And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Footnotes:

Luke 2:2 Or This was the registration before
Luke 2:5 That is, one legally pledged to be married
Luke 2:7 Or guest room
Luke 2:14 Some manuscripts peace, good will among men

Glorious Christmas Nights: A Timeless Hope

My wife and I went to see the Christmas musical, “Glorious Christmas Nights: A Timeless Hope” which was performed at West End Assembly of God in Richmond, VA under the direction of Reverend Bob Laughlin. This year, the play centered around a man by the name of Samuel, who experienced life’s trials which ultimately left him by himself at the end. He lost his wife and lost his job when the Miller & Rhodes finally closed their doors. But it was through the hope that his grandmother taught him when he was a small child, that all you can ever depend on in life is your hope and faith in Jesus Christ.

The themed Scripture was taken from Hebrews 10:23, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.”

Act 1

Perspective: This story was told from the perspective of 1993 Richmond, remembering the past and looking, with hope, towards the future, through the eyes of four generations of middle-class Richmond women. Each woman remembered Richmond as a child or as a teenager. Two generations of men and many others tell their stories as well.[1]

Synopsis: Four generations of women who were continuing a family tradition, have attended the closing performance of the Christmas 1993 run of the Nutcracker at the Carpenter Center. As the street clears of patrons, our ladies remain, waiting for the father/son to bring the car around. The younger girl comments on the suddenly evident deterioration of once vibrant Downtown Richmond. Then the journey begins of the ladies remembering back through the decades of happier times for the city, a journey of a cast of characters from the past to the present, each struggling to find hope beyond their circumstances.[2]

Act 2

The 2nd Act began without an intermission and started with Scene 7. This scene began with the shepherds outside of Bethlehem, tending their flock at night. The Angel of the Lord came and announced that Jesus was going to be born. As the scene changed to the night of Christ’s birth, a live camel was brought onto the stage along with the kings, bringing Him gifts. This was a moving scene, with angels being suspended in the air by wires.

The last scene was the Second Coming with the Reverend Bob Laughlin singing the Midnight Cry. Then came in other men vocalists such as Allen Brown, Tony Robinson, and James Opher. What a stellar performance these men gave as well as the rest of the cast. Jesus appeared above and a multitude of Angels were suspended as well. It was a sight to see!

This was a night to remember for years to come. It is a reminder that whatever our circumstance, God will never leave us nor forsake us (cf. Deuteronomy 31:6). The cast had us laughing one minute, and towards the end of the play, Samuel (James Opher), in his own hopelessness, tears came to my eyes with me knowing that there are people in our society today, have no hope because no one had ever loved them enough to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Samuel finally found hope in Christ, which led into the Midnight Cry.

As of the writing of this review, the musical play performed their last show December 15th, 2019. The gospel message is always presented in the Glorious Christmas Nights series. I look forward to going again next year to see what West End Assembly of God will be presenting. I have been to many church performances but West End Assembly of God is about the best I have experienced in musical theater.

We give this show the highest review ever and award it 5 Stars out of 5.

References:

Photo Credit: Rev. Joseph Lee, Marketplace Evangelism Ministries Inc., Photo was taken by permission of Rev. Bob Laughlin, West End Assembly of God.

West End Assembly of God Website: https://gcn.weag.org/cast-crew/

[1] West End Assembly of God Website: https://gcn.weag.org/cast-crew/

[2] West End Assembly of God Website: https://gcn.weag.org/cast-crew/

Do You Have Spiritual Leprosy?

We all have leprosy in our spirits.

In Luke 17:11-19, Jesus was traveling to Jerusalem and He passed between Samaria and Galilee. When He entered a village, there were ten men with a serious skin disease who met Him. They had leprosy. People who are stricken with leprosy have to statin to talk because it also affects the vocal cords. They stood at a distance and raised their voices saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” Jesus saw and heard them and said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And while they were going, they were healed.

Only one out of the ten saw that he was healed and he immediately returned to Jesus, fell down at His feet, thanking Him, and praising God! He gave all the glory to God! He was praising God with a very loud voice. The man was a Samaritan who was a foreigner and was not Jewish. His faith healed him and Jesus told him to get up and go on his way.

But what happened to the other nine? Were they not thankful for their healing? They did not return to Christ Jesus to give thanks and glory to God for their healing! How many people are healed, blessed with miracles, who then go on their own way and never give thanks to God who granted their blessing?

Thankfulness is important to God. Thankfulness is a decision.

Thankfulness is a decision based on realty.

When you are thankfully living, you will see it. 17:14
You will say it. 17:15
You will show it. 17:16. He fell at Jesus feet.
You will share it. 17:19

Luke 17:11-19
11 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

References:

Brian Autry, Sermon, Grove Ave. Baptist Church, 2019.

Photo Credit: WebMD.com