Yes, God Is Enough!

“My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.” Psalm 73.26

    What a wonderful verse for us to close this old year of 2021 and to enter the new year of 2022. All of us will quickly agree that our flesh and heart fail – regularly. This next phrase changes everything: “But God … ” How many times in this old year have you thought, either out loud or to yourself, “But God … ”? It doesn’t take long for us to realize that He changes everything.

    This next phrase must become our “go to” truth for the next year: “but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.” The moment you and I begin to think, “I’ve got this. I can handle this one”, we are in trouble. If God is truly the strength of your heart, then you must allow Him to be the strength of your heart for ever.“” God is a gentleman and He will not force Himself to override your will. But the moment you are willing to yield to Him, He becomes your strength.

    I love this last phrase: “God is … my portion for ever.” Can you read that, “God is enough”? Because He is! Since He is ENOUGH, you don’t need anything or anyone else to take His place or help Him. AND He will ALWAYS be enough – “for ever.” These thoughts will carry you through this new year with an amazing peace that can come from no other source. Just my thoughts …

A Saviour!

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2.11

    Most people opened gifts this morning for Christmas. Some opened a few, some opened a lot. Some may have had nothing to open at all. But the gift mentioned in this verse is for EVERY ONE: “For unto you … ” I know this announcement was made to the shepherds, but it was recorded for all of us to read. Jesus came for the shepherds, but he didn’t JUST come for the shepherds. He came for us all. “For unto you is born this day … ” Every time I read this phrase, I remember what the shepherds said to one another. “And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.” “Let us now go … ” These men had no doubt ever heard directly from an angel before, but when the angels left, they took the message to heart and said, “Let us now go … ”

    Look closely at the depth of the message: “unto to you is born … a Savior … ” It is one thing for a Saviour to be born. It is another thing to recognize that one needs a Saviour. The shepherds knew they needed a Saviour. THIS Saviour “is Christ the Lord.” There is NO other. Do you see the depth of God’s love displayed here? The angels came with a special message for all to hear. Here is your Saviour. See Him. Love Him. Receive Him. Serve Him! Just my thoughts …

The Star!

“When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. ¹¹ And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented the young child with Mary his mother unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.” Matthew 2.10-11

    These words are spoken about the “Wise Men”. Have you ever wondered why we call them wise men? I’m sure there are many reasons, but one that stands out to me is their ability to recognize the uniqueness of this star and begin to follow it. Why would they rejoice with exceeding great joy at having seen THIS STAR? You might say, “Because they were wise men.” Obviously, they knew something about this star that others did not know.

    They tenaciously followed the star from wherever they were when they first saw it to “the house” where they found “the young child with Mary his mother …”. Whatever else they knew, they knew this star did not lead them to just a house with just a mother and a baby. How do I know that? “they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him:” SOMETHING they knew led them to worship this child and to present Him with very expensive gifts called “treasures”. Each gift spoke to a different element of Jesus’ life. What they didn’t know but said through their gifts said to this world, “This child bears watching.” I pray that you and I will do more than watch Him. We will diligently follow Him. Just my thoughts …

A Sign? Really?

“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7.14

    You have got to love it when God says He is going to give you a sign. The sign He gives here is one that goes beyond all that we can imagine. “a virgin shall conceive … ” There has only ever been one IMMACULATE conception, no matter what anyone says. We have already talked about Joseph’s response when the angel made the announcement to him that the child Mary was carrying had been conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit.

    “and shall call his name Immanuel.” We are told elsewhere in Scripture that Immanuel means “God with us.” So, there are literally two significant events in this verse that should grab out attention. (1) a virgin conceived a child. (2) God left heaven and came to earth in the person of His Son so He could dwell among us. When you put these two glorious events together, you have God’s plan of salvation designed for us to be able to have our sins paid for, our persons forgiven, and spend eternity with Him in heaven. Can you see in these events some small measure of how much God loves you? He didn’t send His Son because we deserved for Him to come. He sent His Son because, as undeserving as we are, He loved us too much to let us stay in our sin. With the glorious Christmas season upon us, let’s be generous in sharing the good news of God’s love with those who have never heard. They will be blessed and so you will. Just my thoughts …

Call Him Jesus!

“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1.21

    What do you think Joseph thought when he heard these words? He knew that he and Mary had not been intimate. How could she bear a son? Joseph had just been told in the previous verse that this child would be conceived in her by the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph was knowledgeable in the Scriptures and he would have known what Isaiah had written some 700 years before. KNOWING something and being able to UNDERSTAND it are two separate things. I know a little bit about a lot of things, but that doesn’t mean that I understand them all.

    But the angel continues: “thou shalt call his name Jesus … ” Jesus means Savior. Even though it was a common name, Joseph knew the meaning. His legal son is going to be the Savior of the world. Processing that truth had to be mind-boggling for Joseph.

    And now for the clincher to all of this: “for he shall save his people from their sins.” How could any one man save His people from their sins? He can only do it because He is Jesus – the Savior of the world. That’s why He came. That’s why He lived a perfect life. That’s why he died a sinless death. That’s why He arose from the grave and ascended back to the Father. We can revel in those truths all the way through this life and on into eternity. Praise His Holy Name! Just my thoughts …

Unbelievable Love!

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3.16

    This is probably the first verse I memorized as a child. It has remained a part of my memory through the years and I have quoted it often. “God SO loved the world … ” How much is “so”? it can’t be defined with a number. It is beyond our wildest imaginations. God’s love is immeasurable. God’s love is unconditional. God’s love is without boundaries. The only way to describe God’s love is as John records it above: “God SO loved the world … ”

    That love moved Him to give His only begotten Son. The word begotten is a word in Greek that means “the only one of its kind.” There has never been another person like Jesus. He is the ONLY Son God had and God chose to give Him to do what no other One could do. First of all, Who would give His only Son to die for a sinful world and why? The “why” is relatively easy. It was because He loved us – even in our sinful state.

    Now look at this last phrase: “that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” The word “perish” speaks of eternal separation from God. We don’t have to perish, we simply must believe in Him. And what is the result of such action? We “everlasting life.” It can’t be earned. It can’t be purchased. It is ours simply through believing in Him. WOW! What a wonderful transaction for anyone! Just my thoughts …

Be Kind, Be Tenderhearted, Be Forgiving!

“and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Ephesians 4.32

    FORGIVENESS – something that is talked about much but is misunderstood by very few. Paul’s words here are so powerful. They are practical words that will enable us to walk with God and with others in a harmonious spirit every day.

    Let’s begin with his first phrase: “be ye kind one to another … ” You may say, “but that doesn’t come natural to me.” Then let it become something supernatural that the Holy Spirit is allowed to do through you. I don’t know about you, but I certainly prefer that other people treat me with a kind spirit. I also want to treat others with that kind of spirit.

    Then Paul says, “tenderhearted”. You may have grown up in a home where you never say one tenderhearted moment, so this will be a learned behavior for you. But it is a supernatural spiritual response to a world that is anything but tenderhearted. Then Paul reminds us of this great truth: “forgiving one another … ” As I already stated, so few people understand forgiveness. Forgiveness is not for the other person; it is for you. When you forgive someone, you are not saying what they did was right. You are releasing them to God and giving God your pain that you have been experiencing. Why is forgiveness so important? “God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Praise God that He forgave us because Christ paid for our sin. we are able to live each day in the state of forgiveness. What a powerful blessing that is for each one of us. Just my thoughts …

Let’s Rejoice!

“Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.” Philippians 4.4

    There are certain kinds of people that I would rather not be around. You know the kind – whiners, complainers, life-is-never-good-enough, God never shows up when I need Him. That spirit and attitude soon gets on my nerves and I seem to cope well.

    On the other hand, I enjoy being in the presence of those people who have a positive outlook on life. They are the ones who “Rejoice in the Lord always … ” You may say, “But I don’t have anything about which to rejoice.” Did you get up this morning? Were you able to put your clothes on without assistance? Did you have enough food for breakfast? If you needed to go somewhere, was there enough gas in your car to let you go? Have your bills all been paid? The list is endless. My point is this, we often overlook the things that should cause us to rejoice.

    Look carefully at Paul’s words here: “again I say, Rejoice.” It sounds to me like rejoicing is a choice that I can make or not make. It is MY choice. My circumstances do not determine my rejoicing. My attitude does. Why not try this thing of rejoicing for the rest of the day and see how it works out? See how it affects other people. See how it affects you. I think you will be pleased that you were able to rejoice. Just my thoughts …

Follow the Light!

“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8.12

    We read these words in John 3.19: “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” Ever since the entrance of sin into the world in Genesis 3, this world has lived in a spirit of darkness. God already had a plan in place to deal with the matter of sin and darkness even before the foundations of the world were laid.

    We are approaching the time when we celebrate the birth of Christ and all that came as a result of His birth. We must never forget WHY He came. The words above speak volumes to us: “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” Every person that is born is born into darkness. The only hope for a Christ-filled eternity is a relationship with Christ that we call salvation. Salvation brings the Holy Spirit into our lives and He will provide the light we need to live for God every day – IF we allow Him to do so. He is a gentleman and does not run rough shod over our will. But once we yield our will and our spirit to Him, He will give us light for the next step. Let’s trust Him and follow the LIGHT. Just my thoughts …

Time to Obey!

“Rejoice evermore. ¹⁷ Pray without ceasing. ¹⁸ In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 1 Thessalonians 5.16-18

    Here are three powerful instructions that we would do well to obey during this Christmas season and all year long. Let’s look a little more closely.

    “Rejoice evermore.” You say, “Preacher, I’ve got nothing to rejoice about.” Did you wake up this morning? Were you able to get out of bed? Did you have something to eat? If you need to work, do you have a job? The list could go on for some time. ALL of us have things about which we can rejoice. It is far too easy to just see the negative things that Satan uses to beat us up with every day. DON’T LET HIM WIN!

    “Pray without easing.” That doesn’t mean remain on your knees all day with your hands folded in prayer. It means to remain in an attitude of prayer ALL THE TIME. Why is that important? You and I never know when something will come into our lives that requires immediate prayer. I want to be able to do to God without having to clear up a bunch of unconfessed sin. When something happens that you need to deal with, do it right away. God will be pleased and you will live a much more joyful life.

    “In everything give thanks.” Don’t misread that verse. It doesn’t say, “FOR everything give thanks.” Even in the midst of our deepest trial, we can say to God, “Thank you for walking through this with me.” He has promised to never leave us or forsake us. (Hebrews 13.5) It is interesting how this passage closes: “: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” These things are not simply a suggestion for us. This is the will of God. Don’t disobey! Just my thoughts …