They Saw His Star

 

Matt 2:2,11
“For we have seen His star ...(Magi) fell down, and worshiped him: and when they had opened their treasures...”

Twas the night  before Christmas, the Magi followed the star to find the promised Messiah. The night before Christmas, they went to King Herod to inquire, but the influencers of that time did not have a clue of any star in the sky. As the Magi continued their quest, the star appeared once again to guide and direct them. The timeline of their journey was about a couple of weeks after the birth of Jesus, but at last the star stood still, and they arrived to find Mary and Joseph in a house where Jesus was under their care. God’s gift of Love had arrived, and the Magi’s hearts were stricken with praise and adoration. They recognized that this was the Son of God who would change the world. They fell down on their knees, no doubt, lifting their voices to the heavens and gave thanks to the new born king. The Magi opened their treasures and presented them to the Son of God. The gifts were symbolic, recognizing the significance of His coming. Gold as a symbol of kingship on earth, frankincense (an incense) as a symbol of deity, and myrrh (an embalming oil) as a symbol of death. He, the God man, will die, shed His blood to set men free, but will rule the world as King and Lord for all eternity. As the Magi fell down, so will every knee bow and confess that He is Lord.  Let us give Christ the treasure of our hearts. May we open our treasures and give them all to Jesus. He gave His life for us, let us give our heart to Him in full surrender to His will and desires. Let us bow the knee now and worship Him, for He is worthy. 

Escape Temptation

 1 Corinth 10:13
 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

The work of sanctification in the heart of man does not remove the temptation to do something that is wrong. It would seem that if the Holy Spirit is dwelling in the heart of the believer, and the carnal nature has been put to death, it would be impossible for a believer to fall into doing something that is in violation of the will of God. I don’t claim to be a Bible scholar on this subject, but it is undeniable that no matter how spiritual or committed you are to God, the temptation to sin is no respecter of person. Not everyone is affected by temptation in the same way. The devil knows our vulnerability and human weaknesses. The devil works through human nature and the legitimate desires of humanity. The desire for love, happiness, self-preservation, and self-respect is common among all of us. God puts these desires within each one of us, but Satan tempts us to fulfill them in a way that brings death to the soul. The battle is intensified when the heart is not consecrated and set apart in sanctification. The carnal nature is still lusting after the sinful ways of the flesh. The spirit-filled person must still pick up their cross every day and make the choice to do the will of God. We read and know that Jesus Himself faced temptation, and He did not have a carnal nature, yet was tempted by Satan to fulfill a human desire. They say that everyone has their demons. I would clarify this by saying that Satan has his demons that he uses to weaken the resolve of those who desire to do what is right. We have been given this promise in His word. That whatever we are facing, God is faithful to provide a way to escape and resist the fiery darts of the enemy. Call upon His word, entreat the power of the Holy Spirit, plead the blood of Jesus over sin, resist the devil and yield yourself unto righteousness, doing what is right.  

Receiving the Gift Through Confession

 1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Along with John 3:16, this scripture is used to stress what it means to believe in Jesus Christ. God gave His Son to die and paid the price for our sins, so that we would not die and go to eternal damnation. The message of the Gospel is one of good news, and the good news is that we don’t have to perish. But the good news does come with conditions. Believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and to confess our sinfulness to Him, and accept His forgiveness. It is not God's desire that anyone would die in their sins and go to hell. The message to believers is to go out and tell others of this great gift. This is the greatest gift given to man. We celebrate at this time of the year Christmas to tell the world that God gave the most important gift to mankind when He gave His son to be the supreme sacrifice for the sins of the world. Many will go through this season with the knowledge that Jesus came to this world, and lived among us, and celebrate this great event in history, but many have yet to come to the foot of the cross and confess their sins and to be cleansed from all unrighteousness. This is the reason for the season: Jesus, who was not only born into this world, but also gave his life as the greatest gift man has ever received. We received this gift by confessing our sins. He is faithful to forgive. 

Time and Place to Pray

 Daniel 6:10
 He (Daniel) kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did before.

We often find ourselves praying in desperation when things suddenly turn bad. We double up on our prayer time, we reach out to others to help us pray for an urgent situation. This is a normal response to a believer to cry out to Jesus, “Lord help us in our time of need.” God delights in our petitions and will come to us in a time of need. This was not the case with Daniel. Daniel had a consistent prayer life. Going to prayer was not motivated by an emergency situation, or by a last attempt to be recused. Daniel prayed because it is how he lived his life. He prayed without ceasing and making special time when he shut out the world around him and focused on Jehovah God. We also know that Jesus would often get away to find a place to pray to His Father. I don’t doubt that Daniel went into his chamber with this decree from Darius on his mind. He no doubt took this to God and submitted himself to God’s will. His life was not his own, it belonged to God. We find Daniel opening up his windows in defiance of the king's order and obeying God rather than man. His consistent prayer and communion with God assured him that his life was in the hands of God. Historically, men and women of God have practiced taking time out of the day to get alone and have communion with God in prayer. It is a good habit to establish in one’s life. Prayer is our lifeline to spiritual victory and a weapon against spiritual darkness. Prayer is also a state of mind that we practise through the day, in season and out of season. We are not confined to a specific time of the day for God to answer prayer on our behalf, but taking time out of our day with God is a lifestyle that pleases God and honors His name. 

True Fellowship with God

 1 John 1:6

 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

I call myself a Christian because I asked Jesus to forgive me for my sins and come into my heart. Believers were first called Christians in Antioch. They were given the name because they were followers of Jesus Christ. A man who claimed to be God, a man who gave His life on the cross, shed His blood that the world may be saved. Through Christ, I now have fellowship with God. Christ bridged the gap, and I now can enter into the presence of a holy God through Christ who reconciled me back to my Creator. John says that if you have this kind of fellowship with God, then the way we live our life matters. Living a life of sin, and knowingly doing things that are contrary to what is right, is to walk in darkness. The Bible says that we once lived in darkness, but we are now the light of Jesus, and we need to walk in His light. Continuing to say that we have fellowship with God, and know Christ to be our savior, but refusing to walk in light is to deceive ourselves, and we are living a lie. The word religion has become the catchphrase for anyone who chooses to rest their salvation by keeping rules and rituals. It is true that a religion without a relationship or fellowship with Christ is empty. Yet, if one professes to have a relationship with God, then he or she will be a religious person, and, by God’s help and grace, walk in the light of God’s word. The devil has set spiritual traps along this path we walk. That is why we must walk in the light of God’s word and seek to do what is good and right. Love mercy, do justly, and stay humble before God and others. This is done when we walk a path that is full of light.

Lamp to Light the Path

 Psalm 119:105
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

The book of Hebrews describes God’s word as a two-edged sword. Piercing the heart, revealing the thoughts and intents of the heart. But David in this Psalm likens God’s word to a lamp. A lamp is light that will pierce the darkness. No doubt, God’s word will reveal the sinfulness of the heart as it sheds its light showing us our sin and need for salvation. It is also a light for believers as we walk the path and journey through life. The path is not always clear, and there are times that Satan will attempt to deceive us into taking a path that leads to destruction. When the path is uncertain, we go to the Word, examine its truths and follow its precepts. God’s word will illuminate what is true and what is false. A decision that is contrary to the teaching of God’s word is to ignore the light that is shed on our path, and to walk away from the path that God desires for us. We need not stumble through life not knowing how to live and what to believe is the truth. His word is given to us to show us the way, direct us in times of confusion, and to keep us on the path to heaven. 

My Shepherd

 Psalm 23:1
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

The familiar Psalm is a favorite for many. It is a Psalm of comfort and reassurance. Jesus is the good Shepherd that will give us peace during troubled times. In this life there will be trials and tribulations. Trouble times will come, and storms are inevitable. Sorrow and suffering come to all who live, the just and unjust. But those who have put their trust in the Shepherd have been given the promise of peace. Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled, you believe in God, believe also in me.” When we find ourselves going through the valley of despair, He is there to lead us and walk beside us. We are prone to fear and fret about tomorrow because it is our human makeup to stress and worry about “What if.” But the Holy Spirit gives us the strength and power to lean on Jesus and let Him direct our paths. I find comfort in the song written by Bill Gaither, “Gentle Shepherd.” For there is no other we can turn to show us the way and give us peace and comfort. 

Gentle shepherd come and lead us.
 For we need you to help us find our way
Gentle shepherd come and feed us
For we need your strength from day to day
There's no other we can turn to
Who can help us face another day
Gentle shepherd come and lead us
For we need You to help us find our way