Merry Christmas - The Christmas Story

Today's Focus Scripture: Luke 1:28-79__Luke 2:1-20

This passage of scripture is also known as "The Christmas Story."

The Christmas Story - Scriptures Luke 1:28 - Luke 2:20  <<< Click Here To Read Online

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Fight The Good Fight - And Don't Come Hungry

Today's Focus Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:12-21

12 Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
13 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate,
14 that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15 which He will bring about at the proper time—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords,
16 who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.
17 Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.
18 Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,
19 storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.
20 O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called “knowledge”—
21 which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith.   Grace be with you.

Be filled and not lacking due to a hunger for the Lord.  -  Relationship with the King.  Tomorrow, Christmas Day, is a time to focus on the birth and arrival of our Messiah and what this now means for all human beings.

Challenges are the same now as they were then with with believers and those who are in apostasy or disbelief.

"What does the Lord your God require of you?"

December 21, 2012

Deuteronomy 10:12-22

“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes which I command you today for your good? Indeed heaven and the highest heavens belong to the Lord your God, also the earth with all that is in it. The Lord delighted only in your fathers, to love them; and He chose their descendants after them, you above all peoples, as it is this day. Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff- necked no longer. For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe. He administers justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing. Therefore love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. You shall fear the Lord your God; you shall serve Him, and to Him you shall hold fast, and take oaths in His name. He is your praise, and He is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome things which your eyes have seen. Your fathers went down to Egypt with seventy persons, and now the Lord your God has made you as the stars of heaven in multitude

Abide In The Teaching Of Christ

Today's Focus Scripture - 2 John 2-9

2 for the sake of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever:
3 Grace, mercy and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.
4 I was very glad to find some of your children walking in truth, just as we have received commandment to do from the Father.
5 Now I ask you, lady, not as though I were writing to you a new commandment, but the one which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another.
6 And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.
7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.
8 Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward.
9 Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son.


We are truly and incredibly blessed because God the Father, through His Son Jesus Christ, has given us revelation of His truth and love.  And now grace, mercy and peace are ours through the Son, our Savior and Messiah, Jesus Christ.

We ended up discussing the verses following, but the main idea we dwelt upon is to abide in the teachings of Christ.

We Are Blessed To Have Hope In God's Lovingkindness

Today's Focus Scripture - Psalm 33:8-22

8 Let all the earth fear the Lord;
Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
9 For He spoke, and it was done;
He commanded, and it stood fast.
10 The Lord nullifies the counsel of the nations;
He frustrates the plans of the peoples.
11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
The plans of His heart from generation to generation.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance.
13 The Lord looks from heaven;
He sees all the sons of men;
14 From His dwelling place He looks out
On all the inhabitants of the earth,
15 He who fashions the hearts of them all,
He who understands all their works.
16 The king is not saved by a mighty army;
A warrior is not delivered by great strength.
17 A horse is a false hope for victory;
Nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength.
18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him,
On those who hope for His lovingkindness,
19 To deliver their soul from death
And to keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul waits for the Lord;
He is our help and our shield.
21 For our heart rejoices in Him,
Because we trust in His holy name.
22 Let Your lovingkindness, O Lord, be upon us,
According as we have hoped in You.

We may forget from time to time that those who do not believe in, or rather reject, Jesus, these do not have a revelation of Him.  We are very blessed to have our eyes opened and blessed that our ears are open to God's lovingkindness because He has granted us revelation of Himself.  And now we can hope in His lovingkindness, in this mad, corrupt, and evil world we live in. Those who do not have this revelation are without hope.  We must remember our blessings and be gentle to those who do not have hope in God's lovingkindness as we do.  These people are held captive by the devil to do his will, and not the will our our Father.  We are truly, without question, incredibly blessed to have been set free from doing the devil's will rather than our Father's will.

2 Timothy 2:24-26

24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.

25 Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth,  

26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

Weapons Against Disobedient Speculations

Today's Focus Scripture - 2 Corinthians 10:2-11

2 I ask that when I am present I need not be bold with the confidence with which I propose to be courageous against some, who regard us as if we walked according to the flesh.
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh,
4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.
5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,
6 and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.
7 You are looking at things as they are outwardly. If anyone is confident in himself that he is Christ’s, let him consider this again within himself, that just as he is Christ’s, so also are we.
8 For even if I boast somewhat further about our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be put to shame,
9 for I do not wish to seem as if I would terrify you by my letters.
10 For they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his personal presence is unimpressive and his speech contemptible.”
11 Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters when absent, such persons we are also in deed when present.

Rewarding Prayer Model - Forgive While Being Forgiven

Today's Focus Scripture - Matthew 6:5-15 

5 "And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.
8 Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.
9 In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.
13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
14 "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 
15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

This passage begins with Jesus explaining about not "tooting your own horn" when we do good works, i.e. helping the poor.  When we do things in secret our Father will reward us openly.  And in these verses Jesus continues that theme about praying in the secret place and not using a lot of words to be heard by men, or vain, repetitious prayers.  The entire chapter of Matthew 6 deals more with doing things in secret and not blabbing about it, as well as not worrying about our lives "for tomorrow will care for itself."

We are all good people.  But none of us are quite "good enough" to be able to by-pass the Blood of Christ for the forgiveness of our trespasses and sins against God and others.

Come to the reward of forgiveness.

Never Too Weary To Soar Close To The Creator

Today's Focus Scripture - Isaiah 40:25-31

25 “To whom then will you liken Me
That I would be his equal?” says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high
And see who has created these stars,
The One who leads forth their host by number,
He calls them all by name;
Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power,
Not one of them is missing.
27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
And the justice due me escapes the notice of my God”?
28 Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth
Does not become weary or tired.
His understanding is inscrutable.
29 He gives strength to the weary,
And to him who lacks might He increases power.
30 Though youths grow weary and tired,
And vigorous young men stumble badly,
31 Yet those who wait for the Lord
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.

Our Creator, The Holy One, The Everlasting God renews our tired lives as we wait upon Him for guidance, instruction, peace, and strength.

His Work of Art - His Workmanship - A Poem

Today's Focus Scripture - Ephesians 2:10 (God's Daily Word Devotional)

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." ~ Ephesians 2:10

A reminder to us all, we are beautiful to the Lord in the eyes of the Lord.

God's Daily Word Devotional - "His Work of Art"

Do you ever wake up and wonder if you are where God wants you? Do you ever wonder if you are really following God's plan for your life? These are normal questions and ought to be asked by every true believer in Jesus Christ. We should desire to follow His plan; and the only way to know is to ask, listen for direction, and obediently follow.

The most important part of God's plan is that we trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of sin; "He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). God wants us all to repent, turn to Jesus, and receive His gift of Salvation. He wants us to step from eternal death to eternal life through faith in His one and only Son!

But many people receive His gift and then continue life with no real change, no new direction. This should not be! When we receive God's gift of Salvation, something wonderful occurs; "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17). When we place our life in His hands, He wipes away the ugliness of our sin and begins to grow and mature us into the likeness of His Son (Romans 8:29). This process of maturing growth IS His plan!

Ephesians 2:10
"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

When we become a new creation in Christ, we become God's workmanship. The Greek word for workmanship is "poiema" - it's where we get the word poem. And though it might be difficult to think of our life as a poem, the idea being presented is that God is creating something beautiful, something almost poetic which touches His heart.

It might be easier to switch analogies and think of God as the Master Painter. When we give Him our life, we hand Him our old canvas covered with the grotesque ugliness of sin. But by grace, the canvas is wiped clean, and the Artist begins to paint a work of art with Jesus as the model. Every stroke of His brush is to make our canvas look more and more like Christ.

Are we where God wants us? Are we following His plan? To help find the answer we should ask: Is the likeness of Christ beginning to form, or is my canvas still filled with ugliness and confusion? Am I allowing Him to paint, or am I trying to take the brush at every opportunity?

God really is the Master Painter, and He really does know what He is doing. If we will allow Him to finish His work, the end result will be better than anything we can imagine!! Let's give Him our canvas and allow Him to paint. Let's follow His plan and allow our life to become His work of art.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God's Daily Word Ministries