Christmas Is...

     Christmas is a time of joy.  The angel came to announce, "..I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all the people."  The world did not yet know that this would be a time of great joy for all the world.  The announcement that one would come to bruise the serpent's head was made in Gen. 3.  Now after all these years, the Child has been born.  The angels burst forth with praise and singing and great joy. 
     Christmas is a time of great pain.  Herod's jealousy and fear of a new king born causes him to send forth a command that all male children aged 2 and under are to be killed.  Throughout Bethlehem and its districts there is the sound of lamentation, weeping, and great mourning.  Jeremiah's prophecy has come to pass, Matt. 2:17,18.  Rachel weeps for her children, refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.  Spiritual warfare is ignited with the birth of the Child.  Rev. 12:4 says, "...the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born."  Christmas has ignited spiritual warfare, which has caused much pain for all the world.
     Christmas is a supernatural time.  So many supernatural events took place at that first Christmas:  The angels appearances to Zacharias, to Mary, to Joseph, the supernatural birth of John the Baptist, and the prophecies of Elizabeth, Zacharias, Simeon, and Anna, the shepherds and the angels, the wise men and the star, Joseph's dreams to flee to Egypt, to return to Galilee, then to Nazareth.  Our God guides us supernaturally, and Christmas reminds us of the supernatural ways that God speaks and guides His children.
     Christmas is a time of destiny.  In Luke 2:34 Simeon said to Mary, "...Behold this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel and for a sign which will be spoken against."  The Child's destiny is seen through the genealogies of Christ, and the many Old Testament prophecies fulfilled in Him.  God had destiny for the birth of this Child, and God has a destiny for each of our lives.  He has a plan to accomplish in each of us.
     Christmas is a time of hope.  Despite the pain, and the warfare, Christmas gives us hope for today and for the future.  He is our blessed Hope, and we look for His appearing the second time.  He is working together all things for our good, and He will make all things new.  Now abides faith, hope, and love.  We have hope because of Christmas!

How does the supernatural affect your life today?

The Light of the World

"I am the Light of the world.  He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."  John 8:12.  Light is a vital part of life, and for those without electricity, keeping the lamp burning is essential.  A lamp gives light to all in the room, so Christ gives light to the world.  It is essential that we keep the lamp of His presence burning in each of our hearts.  This light is the light of life.  Without it, we walk in darkness, we do not know where to go.  So many people are simply lost, they do not have the light of life.  As Christians, we will see that light only as we follow Christ.  If we were out on a hike in the forest, and our guide said, "Follow me", it would be essential to keep our eyes on the guide.  At any point that we lost track of the guide, our very existence would be threatened.  To follow a guide, I must not only keep my eyes on him, but I also need a willing attitude to follow.  If the guide goes right, but I want to go left, I must submit my will to follow the guide, knowing that he knows more about the forest than I do, and he has gone that way before.  If we would approach our walk with God with this attitude, we would not get lost along the way trying to do our own thing.  Darkness is the domain of the demonic realm, where demons lie and deceive and torment.  But it is not difficult to dispel darkness.  Dispelling darkness does not require vast knowledge of the realms of darkness, it only requires that we turn the light on!  Our attention is not to be given to the darkness, but our focus is to be on the Light.  The Light will take care of the darkness!  The light of life is poured into our hearts by the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, which floods our hearts with light, Eph. 1:17,18.  The Word of God is a lamp to our feet, and a light unto our path, Ps. 119:105.  The light of the knowledge of the glory of God that shines in the face of Jesus Christ comes to shine in our hearts, 2 Cor. 4:6.  "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men."  John 1:4.  He is the Light of the world!  He is the light that shines in a dark place!  "Arise, shine; For your light has come!  And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.."  Isa. 60:1  Let the light of Christ shine in you, and you will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life!

How can I walk in the light today?

I Have Enough

"He who spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things."  Rom. 8:32.  We can often feel that we do not have enough.  We may feel we don't have enough love, or strength, or provision, daily bread, etc.  Romans 8:32 tells us that if we have Christ in our life, we will always have enough, because God will give freely give all things with Him.  Watching Jesus in action in the gospels, we see Him take 5 loaves and 2 fish, and feed over 5000 people.  Philip and the disciples felt they did not have enough.  But they saw that when you give the little you have to Him, that He can multiply it over and over, so that there is enough.  There are several other stories in the Bible where the miracle of multiplication occurred.  In 1 Kings 17 the widow of Zarephath had her flour and oil multiplied as she honored Elijah by making him a cake first.  Her bin of flour and jar of oil did not run dry for 3 years and 6 months.  In 2 Kings 4 the widow's jar of oil was poured out into borrowed vessels until the vessels were full.  The oil was sold to pay her debts to the creditor.  Also in 2 Kings 4, 20 loaves of barley bread fed 100 men under Elisha's ministry.  In each case, there was something offered to God, and it was taken and multiplied.  The New Testament shows us the miracle of multiplication is available to us also.  In 2 Cor. 9:8 Paul says that God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.  11 Cor. 9:10 says, "Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness."  God will supply and multiply the seed we have sown.  We will see the miracle of multiplication as we sow our seed.  As we bring what we have, and offer it to the Lord, He will multiply it, which causes us to thank Him all the more.  His grace is sufficient!  He is enough!  When we have Him, we have enough!  I can confidently say, that I have enough, because I have Him.  What do you have in your house?  What do you have in your hand?  Offer it to Him, and you will have enough!

Do I realize that I have enough?