A New Year’s Eve Challenge

 According to Edward Gibbon in his "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire," the oath of service and fidelity to the emperor was annually renewed by the troops on the first of January. Below, we read of the fidelity of John S. Inskip to the King of kings:

"Monday Jan. 1, 1866. -- Upon returning from the meeting, I feel that before retiring to rest I must record my consecration. I am devoutly thankful to God for His many mercies during the year that has passed away. I praise Him that He has enabled me to continue in the way of faith. If spared, I intend to live nearer to Jesus. Afresh I dedicate myself to the service of God. I give to Him my little all, and solemnly declare that I am and will be forever the Lord's. All my faculties and powers -- my life, influence, substance, and reputation, I renew my devotion to God, and declare that henceforth I will love and glorify Him forever. I will labor to promote His glory, and trust in Him for grace to guide, comfort, and support me. I again, and, if possible, in a fuller sense than ever, consecrate to Him all I have and am. My wife, home, and all, I give to Thee, O Lord, to be Thine. In testimony of which I hereunto affix my hand and seal, on this the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-six. 

As you begin the New Year, take a few moments and renew your consecration (dedication) to the LORD for 2022. Happy New Year!!!

Daily Devotion Day 56

 “And put your trust in the Lord." This is a charge to make a faithful commitment to God's Sovereignty. God is in charge of your life. That doesn't mean you don't have choices, but it does mean that ultimately God will have His perfect way with you. He will allow you to roam, but not forever. God has a way of creating situations for you that will drive you back to Him. Be thankful today that God has a plan for you and your loved ones. Be trusting today.

Daisy Devotion Day 55

 “Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness!" God's basis for intervention for you resides in Him, not you. Yet, you are to call on Him. While God is not required to answer you, He will do so when the requested action fits into His divine plan. God doesn't need you to act, however, He has ordained that He will use the prayers of people to bring forth His action. In theology, we refer to this as secondary causes. God has chosen that His method of working is to have man pray and He responds. We are to be a people of prayer, not in arrogance as some do, but in humility. As a small child approaches his or her parent requesting something, we are to approach God in the same way. Stay humble. 

Daily Devotion Day 54

 “Salvation belongs to the LORD." This is a broad sweeping, all inclusive deliverance, whether physical here on the earth, or in eternity. Our deliverance is the work of His hand, not ours. It is His strength that holds us and protects us, not ours. When you were small, a parent held your hand tight when you crossed the street. It was not your grip that protected you, it was the parent's firm hold. God is a lot stronger than a parent and He will hold you tight as you cross the street of life. You can be safe.

Daily Devotion Day 53

 “Arise, O LORD, Save me, O my God! For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone; You have broken the teeth of the ungodly." God is a boxer! He will fight for you! The "Arise" part is a battle cry to engage the enemy. The psalmist is asking God to defend His soldiers, which include you. We should never hesitate to ask God to arise and defeat our enemies. That is a benefit for being in His army. Sometimes I will say in the morning, "O Sovereign God, Arise and defeat those who are coming against me today! He will!

Lesson Thirteen of the Quarter: The Son of the Highest

 Yesterday was Christmas! You have heard the expression, "put Christ back into Christmas!" The only problem is that the Lord Jesus Christ never participated in a Christmas celebration. The holiday was started centuries after the time Christ walked the earth. The festival Saturnalia (celebration of the god Saturn) was joined with the churches desire to have a holiday for the birth of Jesus Christ. Thus, Christmas has a pagan root. Notwithstanding this, it is important to know the Biblical account of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. Today's study comes from Luke 1: 26-35. 

Christmas is a time of many surprises. It was the same at the first advent for those involved. Zacharias and Elizabeth were surprised by the angel informing them they would have a son (John the Baptist). Joseph was surprised that his future wife was going to have a baby. Mary was very surprised at the announcement that she was going to become pregnant.  Lots of surprises for all involved. It was a good thing that angels were involved to help guide the participants.

The first section is: An Angel's Greeting." (vv. 26-29) The first portion of this chapter informs us that Gabriel tells Zacharias and Elizabeth they are going to have a son. His name would be "John." Six months later, Gabriel is sent to Mary to tell her she is "highly favored" and "blessed." She is told that the Lord is with her. Mary becomes very confused at this point. Mary knows a few things:

1. She is a virgin.

2. She is engaged to Joseph.

3, They both are from the line of King David. 

4. She is troubled because she realizes something is about to happen.

It is impossible to place ourselves in Mary's shoes. She is living a life pleasing to the Lord. She is about to become a wife and most likely have a family. She will live in a small town in Nazareth, and for the most part live a normal life. That is about to become majorly interrupted.

The second section is: "An Astounding Announcement." (vv. 30-33) The angel begins by telling her "Fear not." Then, she is told that she will conceive and have a son and call Him "JESUS." Her Son would be great, be called the "Son of the Highest," and He will have King David's throne. His kingdom would never end! Mary might not feel too blessed at this announcement. Here are a few reasons:

1. She is a virgin; how can she have a child?

2. What would Joseph think? Would he think Mary was unfaithful? 

3. Would the religious leaders stone her for adultery since she wasn't married?

This was a lot for a young lady to absorb. Most historians believe that Mary was 15-16 years of age. This is truly an astounding announcement. How could this be?

The third section is: "A Miraculous Conception." (vv. 34, 35) Mary asks a legitimate question, "How shall this be?" Zacharias asked a similar question (Lk. 1: 18) and was rebuked for his unbelief. Mary was different. She wanted to know how this could be if she was a virgin. The angel gives an amazing answer: "The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee...."Joseph is provided the same explanation. "The power of the Highest" would bring into being the human body and nature of the Christ Child. Christ's human nature had to be pure, free from the corruption of the Fall. This means that the corrupt sinful nature must be passed through the father not the mother. Otherwise, Jesus would have had a corrupt nature. He had an earthly mother but a Heavenly Father. 

The angel concludes by stating that child born shall be called the "Son of God." No matter how many times we hear the Christmas story, we must stop and consider what took place. Before the foundation of the world, a divine plan was formulated to have the second Person of the Trinity, be born into human flesh, be crucified for the sins of mankind, be buried, rise from the dead, and ascend into heaven. Christmas is not just about the birth of Christ, it's about the plan of salvation. 

As you reflect on the events of yesterday, don't forget about the events that will take place some 30 years later when our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ would die for the sins of those that believe in Him.

The Golden Text is: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." (Isa. 7:14) When Mathew wrote his gospel, he referred to this prophecy as a prediction of the Incarnation. (Matt. 1: 23) God became one of us (man). Since He is the God-man, He alone can be our Savior and Meditator. 

Have you made Him the Lord of your life? You can, He is calling you, answer. 

The Savior is Born!

 “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." There are 60 clear prophecies concerning the Messiah known as Jesus Christ. They include: born in Bethlehem, born of a virgin, died by crucifixion, being a contemporary of the temple in Jerusalem. Mathematicians have looked at just 8 of the 60 prophecies to determine the probability that one person, Jesus Christ, fulfilled those prophecies. The answer is 1 in 10 to the 17th power. That number looks like this: 100,000,000,000,000,000! We hear the phrase today, "believe the science." Today, I know that faith and science point to the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ is God's Son and He came to save His children from their sins and take them to heaven when they leave this planet. Now, that is a reason to say Merry Christmas!!!