Roseville Church of the Nazarene

Greetings in Christ,

  Mankind has progressed very quickly in knowledge and technology.  Mankind’s technology advancements are making great strides helping us with everyday tasks.  It seems you hear of some new way to make things smaller, faster, more data storage capabilities, and have multi-function abilities.  The things we have in this present time did not exist twenty years ago.

  Mankind as a whole seems to be able to accomplish more great feats then ever seemed possible.  We have people in think tanks just focusing on new ways to develop new ideas and methods of technology.  Children are exposed to technology at a very young age, and the school systems are equipping the classrooms with computers for the children to do their school work.  Those who do not have a computer are considered to be out of touch with technology.

  We revel in the idea we are moving at a great speed, and we feel great things will happen, and most of us will see those things happen before we die. Space travel will be a common thing, and we will have established homes on another planet.  Voice commands will allow us to control anything we want so we do not have to move from our place of rest, or better yet we will just be able to think it and it will be done.

  Many believe the reason for this rapid development of technology is due to the reverse engineering of alien technology.  Aliens have crashed their ships on the earth and mankind has sequestered the ships into an unknown spot to study their technology to help develop new technology for mankind.  This alien technology is so complex it has taken many years to study and re-develop into what is known today in many things we use today, thus giving mankind the progress it has today.

  Many people believe this is the approach mankind has taken for the rapid development of knowledge and technological level we have today, but they have forgotten one thing—their Creator Who made them.  Credit must be given to those who think an intelligent mind passed on this sophisticated knowledge and technology.  They have overlooked the real source of knowledge—God.  Their only reason for this mistake is they do not recognize God as God.

  It would be crazy to say there are no aliens because it would limit the intelligence and ability of God to create the aliens, but it was God who equipped them with their knowledge.  If we truly believe God is God, then He created everything we can conceive or understand as knowledge.  God has proven over and over He is smarter than mankind. 

  1 Corinthians gives us picture of God’s wisdom.  “Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?  For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.  For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.  Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”

  Mankind was created in the image of God, but they will never be God.  Their drive for knowledge and technology has driven mankind to want to be like God.  Eve was tricked into believing she could be like God if she ate the fruit of the forbidden tree, and the devil just keeps on trying to convince mankind they can be just like God.  The strides mankind accomplishes prove they want to eliminate God out of the picture by giving mankind the credit for their knowledge.

  Without God we are nothing, and it His grace that goes before us to enable us to accomplish the things we are able to do.  The only wise people are the people who give God the credit for their ability to do great things.  Let’s not forget to give God the praise for all He has done for us. “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

  “O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; my soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.  Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory.  Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips will praise You.  So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.  My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth offers praises with joyful lips.”  Psalm 63:1-5

  “Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth; break forth and sing for joy and sing praises.  Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody.  With trumpets and the sound of the horn
shout joyfully before the King, the Lord.  Let the sea roar and all it contains, the world and those who dwell in it.  Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy before the Lord, for He is coming to judge the earth; He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with equity.”  Psalm 98:4-9

  “The Lord performs righteous deeds and judgments for all who are oppressed.  He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the sons of Israel.   The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.  He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever.  He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.  For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.  As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.  Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.  For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust.”  Psalm 103:6-14

  Lord may we always give You the glory for all we are able to accomplish.  Amen

  Blessings,

Greetings in Christ, 

  We live in a world in which we seem to encounter don’ts, cant’s, shouldn’t, better not, and many other negative influences in our lives.  We are subjected to them in many ways almost every minute of the day.  We have laws on the books stating we cannot do certain things.  We have heard no as a child many times from our parents as they correct our actions.  We have rules in place to tell us what to do and most of them are telling us not to do something or worded in a negative fashion to make it sound like it is a drudge to carry out.  Even the Ten Commandments have don’ts for us to follow.

  We read in the Bible how people had the don’ts from God and the measures they had to take to avoid the wrath of God.  The high priests had to tie ropes around their ankles when they went into the holy of holies once a year in the tabernacle for fear of dying because they forgot one of the don’ts.  The rope was to pull out the high priest who died so others would not have to face death.  They had a don’t when it came to approaching Mount Sinai while in the desert for fear of death because God said He would even strike down a beast if it approached Sinai.  Moses was even fearful of approaching the mountain, and he had faced many don’ts.

  The don’ts, cant’s, shouldn’t, better not’s have a way of letting fear drive our motive in not doing something.  The negative method of stating something has a very negative impact on our lives and with it comes the fear of doing the don’ts wrath will follow.  Soon the fear becomes the motivator rather than learning why we are not to do something.  We let the fear become so dominate we apply it even to the things we should be doing fearing we will do something wrong.  God even recognized this pattern developing in mankind and wanted to do something to change this approach for mankind’s sake.  

  People focused on the don’ts to the point they missed the whole idea of the reasoning behind the laws, rules, and reasons of hearing no.  The real focus should have been on the result of doing the don’ts.  God’s judgment has never changed, and His reasons to avoid His judgment have never changed-it has been mankind’s approach to His judgment which has changed.  The result of doing the don’ts still brings God’s judgment, but we should not focus on the don’ts but rather the reason for the don’ts.

  Jesus said it best, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.  He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.  If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.” 

  The reason for the don’ts in our lives is for us to take a good hard look at the world and make a decision whether the world has something to offer us or it is God Who has something to offer us.  If we truly decide this world has nothing for us, and we give up our life to follow Jesus the don’ts should not be our focus.  Our desire should be to serve Jesus, and it will be our focus.  When we focus on Jesus, we allow Him to guide us the don’ts fade away along with the fear of the don’ts.  The don’ts and fear is replaced with the love of Jesus making room for the joy of following Jesus, and God’s judgment will not be something feared, but rather something to rejoice.

  God’s intent was not the don’ts or fear to repel us from His presence, but rather for us to realize what it will be like without His presence.  It is up to us on what we intend to make our desire to be in His presence, or to be absent from His presence.

  “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your name give glory because of Your lovingkindness, because of Your truth.  Why should the nations say, Where, now, is their God?  But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases.  Their idols are silver and gold, the work of man’s hands.  They have mouths, but they cannot speak; they have eyes, but they cannot see; they have ears, but they cannot hear; they have noses, but they cannot smell; they have hands, but they cannot feel; they have feet, but they cannot walk; they cannot make a sound with their throat.  Those who make them will become like them,
everyone who trusts in them.  O Israel, trust in the Lord; He is their help and their shield.  O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord; He is their help and their shield.  You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord; He is their help and their shield.  The Lord has been mindful of us; He will bless us; He will bless the house of Israel; He will bless the house of Aaron.  He will bless those who fear the Lord, the small together with the great.  May the Lord give you increase, you and your children.  May you be blessed of the Lord, maker of heaven and earth.  The heavens are the heavens of the Lord, but the earth He has given to the sons of men.  The dead do not praise the Lord, nor do any who go down into silence; but as for us, we will bless the Lord from this time forth and forever.  Praise the Lord!”  Psalm 115

  Lord may our focus be to serve You.  May we always desire to be in Your presence for ever and ever.  Amen.

  Blessings,

Greetings in Christ,

  We all like consistency in our lives.  The problem with being consistent it eventually becomes something automatic or reoccurring which becomes a routine done without any thought involved in the process.  We all have done it at some time in our lives and do it almost every day.  It may be something simple as locking a door before we go to bed.  We get comfortable in the bed and our mind begins to think did we lock the door.  We get up to check the door only to find we actually locked the door.  We have locked the door on an automatic process which we do on a consistent basis without a thought process to trigger our mind we actually did lock the door.

  We get caught up doing things repeatedly every day in our lives without really thinking about it.  It is who we are as humans, but somewhere in our minds we have the idea we will get different results.  Perhaps we believe if we keep doing the same thing over and over we will achieve better results because we can improve our actions with repetition.  We apply this to our spiritual lives as we set ourselves into a pattern of doing our devotions, praying, or going to church.  We think if we read our Bible more, pray longer, or attend church more it will make us better people spiritually.  The sad part is it does not change the results.

  It is like planting a tomato plant in the garden.  We can dig in the ground and plant the tomato plant.  We can water it, fertilize it, and make sure it has plenty of sun light, but it may not be the healthiest plant as it grows.  On the other hand, if we plant the tomato plant, water it, fertilize it, and make sure it has sunlight, but drive a stake in the ground and support it as it grows it may grow better.  We can take it one step further by pruning the suckers off the plant to ensure it will not grow to be all plant, but rather produce more fruit so we will have a better tomato plant.  By staking the tomato plant we get it off the ground and reduce the chances of disease to affect the plant.  We prune the suckers by eliminating unneeded growth so the plant will produce more fruit.  We could plant the tomato plant and expect different results every year we plant the tomato plant, but if we desire better results we have to do something different to get more fruit from the plant.

  We have a tendency to get caught up in being consistent in our spiritual life.  We are doing things the same way every day expecting different results.  We need to change up our method in order to get different results.  Sometimes God wants to stake us up, and prune our suckers in order for us to produce more fruit.  Do we listen to His desires and let Him work in our lives?

  “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.  You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; for those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives.”  Hebrews 12:1-6

  Those who have gone before us have set the course, but also allowed God to guide them in their journey.  They have allowed God to stand them up and prune away unneeded growth in their lives so they can produce the fruit He needed them to produce, but they were not the only ones who wanted different results.  God changed His method of approach as well.

  “For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, I dwell on a high and holy place, and also with the contrite and lowly of spirit in order to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.  For I will not contend forever, nor will I be angry; for the spirit would grow faint before Me, and the breath of those whom I have made.  Because of the iniquity of his unjust gain I was angry and struck him; I hid My face and was angry, and he went on turning away, in the way of his heart.  I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him and restore comfort to him and to his mourners, creating the praise of the lips.”  Isaiah 57:15-19

  We can do the same thing over and over, but if we want different results we need to do something different.  We need something to change in our spiritual growth.  God can change things up for us, and it is His desire for us to want growth in our spiritual lives, but we must allow things to change to get different results.  God proved this by changing His method of approach to His creation.  Are we willing to change our approach in reaching out to Him?

  “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.  My soul will make its boast in the Lord; the humble will hear it and rejoice.  O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.”  Psalm 34:1-3

  “O taste and see that the Lord is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!  O fear the Lord, you His saints; for to those who fear Him there is no want.  The young lions do lack and suffer hunger; but they who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing.  Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.  Who is the man who desires life and loves length of days that he may see good?  Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.  Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”  Psalm 34:8-14

  “Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth.  Sing to the Lord, bless His name; proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day.  Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples.  For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.  Splendor and majesty are before Him, strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.”  Psalm 96:1-6

  Lord may we desire You to keep things fresh and anew in our spiritual lives.  May we allow You to prune us so we can produce fruit for You.  Amen

  Blessings,

Greetings in Christ,

  Have you ever felt our world has become so complex it is hard to grasp all of the things taking place in the world?  We are bombarded by so many things on a daily basis it is hard to take everything and decipher what is happening.  We hear so many different things coming from so many angles with so many facts and supporting data it hard to discern what is fact or fiction.  We have become so accustomed to being bombarded with all of the noise we just do not take the time to comprehend what is fact or fiction and we have become numb to it.

  We have become so used to all of the bombarding noise we forget to really listen.  We have trained our brains to only receive the information we want to hear rather than what we need to hear.  We have trained our minds to filter out certain things letting only the things we want to hear trigger our minds so we listen and receive.  We have even gone even farther and set expectations once we have processed the information we have received.  We gauge what we want to hear, and we gauge the outcome by our standards.  By setting the standards to our expectations we have dumbed down the results we expect to see or experience. 

  Jesus had experienced the very same thing in His time on earth.  The Jews refused to believe He was the Christ.  “So some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, is this not the man whom they are seeking to kill? Look, He is speaking publicly, and they are saying nothing to Him. The rulers do not really know that this is the Christ, do they?  However, we know where this man is from; but whenever the Christ may come, no one knows where He is from.  Then Jesus cried out in the temple, teaching and saying, you both know Me and know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.  I know Him, because I am from Him, and He sent Me.”  John 7:25-29

  The Jews had created so much complexity by adding more laws upon laws to the ten commandments they bombarded their thinking with too much noise for them to recognize fact from fiction.  Their standards had been guided by their own filter system they did not hear what they needed to hear, and the result was they felt Jesus did not meet their expectations.  They had dumbed down their results because they did not consider accepting what they should be hearing on faith.  They dumbed down their faith because they were not as smart as they thought they were.

  There is something to be said about accepting what God has to offer by faith alone.  The problem we have is we need to bypass the filtering system we have in place, or better yet eliminate it all together.  We get bombarded by so much noise we forget to listen.  We have turned off the best part of acting on faith by not listening to God.  The first part of faith is to listen, and the second part is to obey.

  Abraham has been credited as being a faithful man.  Abraham’s secret is he listened and obeyed.  “By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.  By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”

  Faith is listening and obeying, and when we do this we establish God as our architect and builder.

  “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained; what is man that You take thought of him, and the son of man that You care for him?  Yet You have made him a little lower than God, and You crown him with glory and majesty!  You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, whatever passes through the paths of the seas.”  Psalm 8:3-8

  “The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it.  For He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.   Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord?  And who may stand in His holy place?  He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood and has not sworn deceitfully.  He shall receive a blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation.  This is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face—even Jacob.  Selah.”  Psalms 24:1-6

  ”O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah.  Behold our shield, O God,
and look upon the face of Your anointed.  For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside.
I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord gives grace and glory; no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.   O Lord of hosts, how blessed is the man who trusts in You!”  Psalm 84:8-12

  Lord may we live by faith by listening and obeying You.  Be our architect and builder and establish our foundation.  Amen

  Blessings,

Greetings in Christ,

  By now we have heard the Christmas story told many ways, and it may be getting to the point it has become redundant to hear the same thing being said for many weeks.  How many times can you hear about the birth of Jesus?  While we have heard the story many times, it should not get to the point we get tired of hearing it being said, more importantly the reason for Jesus coming to earth.

  If we look at the history of the people in the Bible, we can see a pattern to their spiritual life on earth.  They enjoy a relationship with God, they become complacent, they suffer the wrath of God, they lament, and they repent.  This cycle of actions repeat over and over many times in the lives of the people throughout the writings in the Bible.  They struggled with maintaining the law and the regimen it took to comply with it.  They did not have anyone who could provide real influence in how to comply or actually fulfill the law requirements.  They all struggled with the law.

  The solution for this mess was to send one of the authors of the law and let Him be the example in its simplest form.  The only way this plan of salvation could be enacted was to remember the power of love in the intent of the law so love could counter the way the law had been obeyed.  The real problem with the law was it became a ritual and not an act of love.  It was through this act of love Jesus was able to set the bar for all to follow. 

  It took Jesus coming to earth to show and live out this act of love for the Father and mankind.  It was this act of love which was displayed in every moment how Jesus embraced mankind with every word and action.  He acted on his love to the point it was worth writing about and telling others just how much Jesus loved mankind.  Jesus’ love became so powerful it could not be contained, and it spread like wildfire among the people of the earth.

  Jesus was able to display the real intent of the law was to remind the people it was love behind the purpose of the law not the act of fulfilling the law.  It was this display of love the law became fulfilled on earth by Jesus, and then He surpassed the law by showing what a love filled heart could accomplish.  Jesus proved a heart filled with love was able to conquer the world with all its ugliness. 

  John puts in this way, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.”  The life in the last verse was the love Jesus brought to share with mankind, and without this love being displayed by Jesus we would be lost.

  We may be tired of hearing the Christmas story over and over, but have we forgotten the real reason Jesus came to earth?  Without Jesus’ example of love lived out for God and mankind we would still be struggling to overcome the sin of the world.  God’s plan of salvation was always to be an act of genuine love.  Love from God, love for God, and love for mankind.  It took Jesus to come to earth to show us just how powerful this genuine love can be, and how to let it empower us so we can share it with others.  

  “Praise the Lord!  I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart, in the company of the upright and in the assembly.  Great are the works of the Lord; they are studied by all who delight in them.  Splendid and majestic is His work; and His righteousness endures forever.   He has made His wonders to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and compassionate.  He has given food to those who fear Him; He will remember His covenant forever.  He has made known to His people the power of His works, in giving them the heritage of the nations.”  Psalm 111:1-6

  “Praise the Lord!  How blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commandments.  His descendants will be mighty on earth; the generation of the upright will be blessed.  Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.  Light arises in the darkness for the upright; He is gracious and compassionate and righteous.  It is well with the man who is gracious and lends; He will maintain his cause in judgment.  For he will never be shaken; the righteous will be remembered forever.”  Psalm 112:1-6

  “Who is like the Lord our God, Who is enthroned on high, Who humbles Himself to behold the things that are in heaven and in the earth?  He raises the poor from the dust, and lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes, with the princes of His people.  He makes the barren woman abide in the house as a joyful mother of children.  Praise the Lord!”  Psalm 113:5-9

  Lord may we embrace the power of Your love, and may we live it out in our lives and share its power with others.  Amen

  Blessings,

  Greetings in Christ,

  The name of Jesus has been used in many ways, and referred to in many ways since He has been on earth.  Many have used His name in a slang version as they speak.  This use of slang denotes the unbelief in which He was and is, and they choose to seek their own wisdom in the understanding of who Jesus was and is.  This personal wisdom leads people to a finite view of true wisdom which does not reveal who Jesus really is limiting what they can grasp and/or see.

  Jesus had encountered this problem with a group of Jewish people who could not get past their own thinking.  They knew Jesus as the son of Joseph and Mary, He had brothers and sisters, and He lived among them as a child.  How could they believe Him when He declares Himself the Son of God?  They relied on their own thinking which led them to believe they knew all about Him, and they formed an opinion He was crazy and delusional.  They saw Him as an ordinary man who thought He was claiming something which He was not.  Their lack of true wisdom and understanding led them to turn their backs on Him, and to use His name in a derogatory manner thinking His was a lunatic.

  The denial of who He was and is continues today along with the forsaking of His name.  We hear it spoken in ways which turn our hearts and grieve our soul.  To hear His name used as slang, or to be used as a curse brings tears to those who know Him personally, and if He were here today, He would say it has to be this way.  He would say people either love Him or hate Him there is no in-between.   Can the name of Jesus be proclaimed in the right manner today and in the future?  The simple answer is yes.

  Paul writes to the Colossians asking them to not lose sight of Jesus.  Paul is reminding them they have been chosen by God, and put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other.  Now this is a tall order for the people to grasp, but Paul goes on to say just as the Lord forgave you, so you should also forgive them.  Paul wanted them to remember the words of Jesus, and to seek His wisdom and understanding.

  Paul wanted them to understand what he had found in Jesus.  Paul understood Jesus came to earth to impart His wisdom and understanding to the people so they could see beyond their own finite wisdom and see the heavenly kingdom which exists for all to inherit.  Paul wanted them to understand Jesus was chosen by God to come to earth and give His life for all to have the opportunity to receive God’s inheritance. 

  Solomon writes to his son in Proverbs asking him to seek wisdom and understanding, and by seeking his son would find God’s true wisdom, and for him to treat it like it was silver—a precious commodity.  It is in this wisdom and understanding his son would find a shield from evil and to guide his path in righteousness.  This wisdom and understanding will help him use discretion so he would be aware of those who were speak perverse things, and keep him from walking in the path of evil. 

  Paul writes more to the Colossians asking the people to do everything in the name of Jesus giving praise to His name, and thanks through Him to God the Father.  Paul wanted them to know they had to seek wisdom and understanding before they could do things in the name of Jesus.  They first had to get a full picture of what Jesus was all about before they proclaimed any action in His name; otherwise the true understanding of His name might be misunderstood.

  The name of Jesus has been proclaimed in many ways since He has been of earth.  It is a powerful name which cannot be matched by any other name.  It is a name which can lead the blind, heal the sick, and restore those who stumble to walk upright again.  It is a name by which those who choose to believe in it can gain true wisdom and understanding which provides a shield from evil leading them to eternal life.  It is a name worthy to be proclaimed by the righteous people He leads.    

  “The Lord sustains all who fall and raises up all who are bowed down.  The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food in due time.  You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.  The Lord is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His deeds.  The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.  He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them.  The Lord keeps all who love Him, but all the wicked He will destroy.  My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, and all flesh will bless His holy name forever and ever.”                     Psalm 145:14-21

  Lord may we proclaim Your name boldly and give You the praise for what You do through us.  Amen

  Blessings,

Greetings in Christ,

  “And the Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.”

  Luke wrote these words as he recorded the details of Jesus’ life on earth.  The interesting part of this scripture is Jesus was increasing in wisdom.  The recorded events are in the dedication portion of Jesus’ life as a child.  Luke gives us a look into the life of Jesus life after He had been dedicated to God.

  Jesus, being raised in the proper Jewish home, had the responsibility to follow the law and learn the Torah.  This was instituted by God for all Jewish families to follow in the home as a child until they were twelve.  It also included learning all the rituals and sacrifices which were to be observed before the Lord.  It was something done by the family in the home for any child who was raised in the Jewish tradition.

  But I believe it went farther than this for Jesus.  It was the foundation upon which He built His wisdom.  To become wise and possess His wisdom He had to go deeper into His study.  It was searching for the truth which had to be revealed unto Him.  I do not want to take away from His sovereignty as the Son of God, but as the Son of Man I believe He had to learn firsthand just how important this wisdom He needed to learn as a man on earth had to come from His own personal experience.  True wisdom comes from the hard work of finding out on your own just what the truth is and how to apply it to life.  His wisdom could not be handed down from someone else.  It would be a form of cheating robbing Him the experience He needed to appreciate the wisdom He would have learned. 

  Jesus learned from seeking the truth, and it was through these experiences made Him acceptable to God.  God blessed Him with the understanding He needed when He needed it making Him complete as the Son of God and the Son of Man.

  I think all too often we want instant wisdom without all the work.  We want to send up a prayer when we get into trouble after we have made all the wrong choices expecting results which are not going to take place.  True wisdom is having the power of discerning and judging as to what is true or right.  This wisdom does not happen without the work or study on our part.  It takes getting into God’s word and digging into the truth and applying it to our life.  It takes long hours of prayer talking to God about the situations which arise so we have the right understanding to deal with those situations. 

  Jesus set the example for us to follow, and He put in the hard work to become wise.  He is willing to share this wisdom with us, but we must be willing to work on our part to appreciate the wisdom He gives us.  Jesus never said it would be easy, but it would be worth it.

  “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.  My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear it and rejoice.  O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.”  Psalms 34:1-3

  “The righteous cry and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.  The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit.  Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”  Psalms 34:17-19

  “Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.  Ascribe to the Lord the glory of His name; bring an offering, and come into His courts.  Worship the Lord in holy attire; tremble before Him, all the earth.”  Psalms 96:7-9

  Lord never let us take the easy way out.  May we be diligent in our approach to study the truth as You reveal Your wisdom to us.  Amen

  Blessings,

  Mark Johnson

  Psalm 34, 93 ,96; 1 Samuel 1:1-2, 7b-28; Colossians 1:9-20; Luke 2:22-40

Greetings in Christ,

  “For the Lord has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His habitation.  This is My resting place forever; Here I will dwell, for I have desired it.  I will abundantly bless her provision; I will satisfy her needy with bread.  Her priests also I will clothe with salvation; and her godly ones will sing aloud for joy.  There I will cause the horn of David to spring forth; I have prepared a lamp for Mine anointed.  His enemies I will clothe with shame; but upon himself his crown shall shine.”  Psalms 132:13-18

  “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel.  His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity. Therefore, He will give them up until the time when she who is in labor has borne a child.  Then the remainder of His brethren will return to the sons of Israel.   And He will arise and shepherd His flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord His God.  And they will remain, because at that time He will be great to the ends of the earth.”  Micah 5:2-4

  “John answered and said, a man can receive nothing, unless it has been given him from heaven.  He who comes from above is above all he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth.  He who comes from heaven is above all.  What He has seen and heard, of that He bears witness; and no man receives His witness.  He who has received His witness has set his seal to this, that God is true.  For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure.  The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand.  He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”  John 3:31-36

  “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.  The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.  By this the love of God was manifested in us that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  No one has beheld God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.  By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.  And we have beheld and bear witness that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.  Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.  And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.  By this, love is perfected with us, that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.  There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.  We love, because He first loved us.”  1 John 4:7-19

  As we approach Christmas this year, we should celebrate the grace of God as He has sent His Son long ago to redeem us from our sins.  Jesus’ birth had been foretold by the prophets and celebrated by those who were part of the birth.  As we gather with our families this year, let’s not forget the real reason for Christmas and put Jesus in the middle of our activities.  Jesus is the one gift which does not have to be wrapped or hidden, but rather shared with everyone we know.  Jesus is the gift which gives life and freedom from the bondage of sin with eternity in heaven as the final destiny.  God sent His Son to be the perfect gift for all people to receive on Christmas!            

    “Worship the Lord with reverence, and rejoice with trembling.”  Psalms 2:11

  “Righteousness will go before Him, and will make His footsteps into a way.”  Psalms 85:13

  “The Lord will stretch forth Thy strong scepter from Zion, saying, rule in the midst of Thine enemies. Thy people will volunteer freely in the day of Thy power; in holy array, from the womb of the dawn, thy youth are to Thee as the dew.”  Psalms 110:2-3

  Lord we give thanks for Your love.  May we honor Your love by humbly serving You.  Amen

  Blessings,

  Mark Johnson 

  Psalm 2, 85, 110, 132; Micah 4:1-5, 5:2-4; 1 John 4:7-16; John 3:26-31

Greetings in Christ,

  When do we consider something clean?  If it is laundry, do we consider how it looks, feels, and smells.  If it a kitchen counter top, must it sparkle with no residue.  If it is carpet, the carpet must have a just vacuumed look leaving the carpet strands standing at attention.  If it is a car, it must have a shine which will blind you if you do not have sunglasses on.  Whatever the case may be, we have different levels and ideas of what we think determines something to be clean.  There is a lot of times we do not stop cleaning until this level or idea is met with our expectations, but how well do we keep our souls clean?

  We are inundated everyday with the world’s desires through many channels.  They bombard us from every direction and from many different forms overwhelming us with the thoughts it is ok to do something contrary to our beliefs on a daily basis.  The abnormal becomes the normal and we fit right in with the world in many ways.  What used to be considered not acceptable now is the everyday norm.  We have diluted our Christianity on many levels to the point it has become lukewarm.

  God calls us to live on a level which is acceptable to Him.  If we want to be in His presence, we need to make sure there is nothing separating us from Him.  God cannot be associated with anything sinful.  The Hebrew author writes about how Moses was fearful to go onto Mount Sinai.  He did not want to face God’s judgment.   “For they could not bear the command, if even a beast touches the mountain, it will be stoned.  And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I am full of fear and trembling.”  Moses knew in his own mind and heart he was unworthy to approach Mount Sinai.

  Now if Moses felt unclean, how do we measure up?  We all are unworthy to stand before God Almighty.  It is only through God’s grace we can even ask for forgiveness.  It is in the forgiveness we can approach the throne to kneel before God Himself.  We must go further in our spiritual growth realizing we must have the infilling of the Holy Spirit in our lives Who will help us to be righteous before God.  The Holy Spirit keeps us in check on the things which are unclean and makes us unworthy to approach the throne.  The Holy Spirit is constantly cleaning out those hidden areas of our heart and soul to rid us of those unclean thoughts and actions.  The Holy Spirit is constantly molding us into the reflection of God Himself.  The Holy Spirit is like the scrubbing bubbles which keep working after its application cleaning away at the dirty areas.

  Jesus paid the price for us to be able to ask for forgiveness.  It is through Jesus’ gift God’s grace has been given to us.  God’s unmerited favor has been given to us so we can call Him Father and stand before Him.  It is His grace which allows us to cling to Him and have a firm foundation.  It is through God’s grace we can be in His presence without fear.  It is through God’s grace we have the Holy Spirit to guide us in our lives and help keep us acceptable in God’s sight without fear of judgment.            

  “O God, Thou art my God; I shall seek Thee earnestly; my soul thirsts for Thee, my flesh yearns for Thee, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.  Thus I have beheld Thee in the sanctuary, to see Thy power and Thy glory. Because Thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips will praise Thee.  So I will bless Thee as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Thy name.  My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth offers praises with joyful lips.”  Psalms 63:1-5

  “Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth; break forth and sing for joy and sing praises.  Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre; with the lyre and the sound of melody.  With trumpets and the sound of the horn shout joyfully before the King, the Lord.”  Psalms 98:4-6

  “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name.  Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits; Who pardons all your iniquities; Who heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from the pit; Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; Who satisfies your years with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle.”  Psalms 103:1-5

  Lord fill us with You Holy Spirit so we will be acceptable in Your sight.  May the Holy Spirit mold us into the reflection of You.  Amen

  Blessings,

  Mark Johnson 

  Psalm 63, 98, 103; Isaiah 13:6-13; Hebrews 12:18-29; John 3:22-30

Greetings in Christ,

  Superiority comes in many ways, shapes, and forms, and it can have good and bad qualities.  We often times associate this trait with the angels from heaven.  They were created to be God’s right hand servants, and to serve Him with no question.  They have abilities beyond mankind’s and are more majestic than mankind here on earth.  You would think they would not have bad qualities, but when pride enters into the equation it changes the situation.

  The selected readings give us a history lesson in heaven.  They give us a look at the battle which had taken place in heaven over the idea of who was the superior one.  It is backed by pride with one angel thinking he was more important, and he was filled with conceit displaying arrogance.  Lucifer, the most beautiful angel in all of heaven, thought he was better than the One who created him.  He even went as far in his thinking he could eliminate the Son of the Most High. 

  We cannot fathom the power possessed by the angels and their ability to move through time as they do.  Some do not believe they even exist, but this thinking is not based on God’s truth.  If we believe in God, we must know He is spirit and exists only in spirit.  He has no form or shape.  So to think He could not create something which could move through time and be invisible would be counterproductive thinking.  It would be putting God in a box. 

  Lucifer had many qualities which gave him power, but fell short of possessing all of the qualities needed to be the best.  Lucifer felt he possessed all of the qualities he needed to overthrow the creator, but he failed trying to prove it.  He knows he will lose the ongoing battle for superiority, but he still keeps on trying to win.  This feeling of being superior coupled with pride keeps him going.  He stills has the power to deceive and destroy those who will fall into the same trap of pride thinking they do not need to hear the truth.  He is constantly moving around in the darkness looking for those who feel the same way avoiding the truth of God.  He wants them to ignore the truth and join him in his pursuit of pride and superiority, but there is one flaw in his thinking.  Lucifer is not superior to God. 

  God still had a plan, and this plan was Jesus Christ—the Messiah.  Jesus as the Messiah revealed the truth Lucifer was trying to hide.  The one thing Lucifer’s pride could not overcome was the truth.  The real truth told a different story.  True superiority brings with it a sense of self respect, self-esteem, being glad to associate with something good while maintaining a level of quality, and a level of morality.  True superiority does not beat you down with guilt, it lifts you up.  It brings peace, not confusion.  It does not make you feel ashamed of what you are, but rather you are content with who you are.  

  It is the truth, a source of light, overcoming and dispelling the darkness Lucifer casts on the people.  It is the truth shining as a light for all to see which side will win and rule with superiority.  This is why God sent His only Son to dispel the darkness to show God’s creation, His people, the true light.  “And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; and she was with child; and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.   And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne.”  Revelation 12:1-2, 5  God sent His Son to be the great light for us dispelling the darkness of the world so we could see the truth in God’s word.

  “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Thy name in all the earth, Who hast displayed Thy splendor above the heavens!”  Psalms 8:1

  “The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it.” Psalms 24:1

  “The Lord will give strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace.”  Psalms 29:11

  “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord gives grace and glory; no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”  Psalms 84:11

  “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.  For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him.  He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their deeds were evil.  For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  But he who practices the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”  John 3:16-21

  Lord may we always be in Your light as we walk with You.  Amen

  Blessings,

  Mark Johnson          

  Psalm 8, 24, 29, 84; Genesis 3:8-15; Revelation 12:1-10; John 3:16-21