Isaiah 9:6
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Dear friends,
The greatest man in history named Jesus, had no servants, yet they called him Master. Had no degree, yet they called him Teacher. Had no medicines, yet they called him Healer. He had no army, yet kings feared him. He won no military battles, yet he conquered the world. He committed no crime, yet they crucified him. He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today.
Merry CHRISTmas!
Lord Jesus,
We thank You for being our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. As we enter the Christmas Season, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness. As You sent Your messengers the prophets to prepare the way of salvation, may we prepare traditions that nurture our spiritual lives and celebrate the dawning of your everlasting light. In Your name we pray. Amen.
May the love of Christ fill you completely, and His grace and mercies flow forth from you!
Merry Christmas,
Robert
Friday, December 24, 2010
Thursday, December 23, 2010
12.23.10
John 3:17
"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
Dear friends,
Many of us are familiar with John 3:16 and have it memorized (say it with me :-), "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." I encourage us to read, meditate and even memorize the verses that follow as well. We know that all of us have fallen short of the glory of God. The Bible says that not one of us seeks God in our own strength. We all had gone astray and stood condemned because of our sin. In verse 19, Jesus gives us the verdict: "Light came in to the world but men loved darkness because their deeds were evil". But praise be to our merciful Father who could have first sent Jesus to earth with the justice and war of Revelation 19. Instead, God sent his Son to be our Savior through his obedience even unto death!
May you dwell in the depths of His mercy this Christmas!
-Mike
"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
Dear friends,
Many of us are familiar with John 3:16 and have it memorized (say it with me :-), "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." I encourage us to read, meditate and even memorize the verses that follow as well. We know that all of us have fallen short of the glory of God. The Bible says that not one of us seeks God in our own strength. We all had gone astray and stood condemned because of our sin. In verse 19, Jesus gives us the verdict: "Light came in to the world but men loved darkness because their deeds were evil". But praise be to our merciful Father who could have first sent Jesus to earth with the justice and war of Revelation 19. Instead, God sent his Son to be our Savior through his obedience even unto death!
May you dwell in the depths of His mercy this Christmas!
-Mike
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
12.22.10
Isaiah 7:14
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
Dear friends,
Is it not amazing that the Lord has shown us prophecy after prophecy that has been meticulously fulfilled in the life of Christ? Isaiah most likely ministered in Jerusalem and the surrounding area from 739 to 686 B.C. during the reigns of 4 kings of Judah (Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah).1 Hundreds of centuries before Christ's birth, God told the house of David a most curious sign.
Can you imagine the looks that Isaiah received when he claimed that a virgin would bear a child? In Matthew 1 our verse for the day is referenced:
Matthew 1:22-23
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 "The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" (which means "God with us").
May you rest in the sovereignty of our God who has given us sign after sign that He is Lord over all!
-Mike
1 John Macarthur, The MacArthur Study Bible (Thomas Nelson, 2006)
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
Dear friends,
Is it not amazing that the Lord has shown us prophecy after prophecy that has been meticulously fulfilled in the life of Christ? Isaiah most likely ministered in Jerusalem and the surrounding area from 739 to 686 B.C. during the reigns of 4 kings of Judah (Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah).1 Hundreds of centuries before Christ's birth, God told the house of David a most curious sign.
Can you imagine the looks that Isaiah received when he claimed that a virgin would bear a child? In Matthew 1 our verse for the day is referenced:
Matthew 1:22-23
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 "The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" (which means "God with us").
May you rest in the sovereignty of our God who has given us sign after sign that He is Lord over all!
-Mike
1 John Macarthur, The MacArthur Study Bible (Thomas Nelson, 2006)
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
12.21.10
Colossians 1:15-16
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.
Dear friends,
Hello! Have you missed me? I'm back again and this time with reinforcements! What better day to make a comeback than the first day of winter. It's such an honor and privilege to share God's Word with others and I've truly enjoyed using this medium to do so. However, as you can imagine, family, daily schedules, life's happenings, distractions of the world, etc., can all become a bit overwhelming and something has to give. Unfortunately it was this daily dose of spiritual food. Realizing the importance of encouraging one another daily, two dear friends volunteered to come alongside and help share God's amazing spiritual food with you each day! Both are great brothers in the Lord and have huge hearts to share the Truth! I pray you'll be blessed by them just as much as I have been. Welcome Mike and Ty!
God being the Supreme Creator that He is, wrote himself into the heavens. You may have heard that last night there was a lunar eclipse that created a blood read moon just like the one seen at Christ's crucifixion. The power in the birth of this Baby named Jesus, that we celebrate at Christmas, extends beyond to the Son of God that gave his life on the cross for all of us. Blood shed to cleanse us white as snow. The sweet celebration of the nativity, culminating in the ultimate power, joy and gift of great sacrifice in the story of the cross!
God's magnificent story, written in the skies. God wrote the incarnation of Himself into and out of history in the stars. He left His mark for us to see over two thousand years later...and at the time of Jesus' birth. Leaving pieces of Himself for us to find, yesterday, today and tomorrow. The Bethlehem Star, not just descriptive imagery, but an actual astronomical event...God heralding the birth of his Son from on high in the heavens.
All glory, power and honor to the King of kings and the Lord of lords!
Happy first day of winter!
Because of Christ,
Robert
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.
Dear friends,
Hello! Have you missed me? I'm back again and this time with reinforcements! What better day to make a comeback than the first day of winter. It's such an honor and privilege to share God's Word with others and I've truly enjoyed using this medium to do so. However, as you can imagine, family, daily schedules, life's happenings, distractions of the world, etc., can all become a bit overwhelming and something has to give. Unfortunately it was this daily dose of spiritual food. Realizing the importance of encouraging one another daily, two dear friends volunteered to come alongside and help share God's amazing spiritual food with you each day! Both are great brothers in the Lord and have huge hearts to share the Truth! I pray you'll be blessed by them just as much as I have been. Welcome Mike and Ty!
God being the Supreme Creator that He is, wrote himself into the heavens. You may have heard that last night there was a lunar eclipse that created a blood read moon just like the one seen at Christ's crucifixion. The power in the birth of this Baby named Jesus, that we celebrate at Christmas, extends beyond to the Son of God that gave his life on the cross for all of us. Blood shed to cleanse us white as snow. The sweet celebration of the nativity, culminating in the ultimate power, joy and gift of great sacrifice in the story of the cross!
God's magnificent story, written in the skies. God wrote the incarnation of Himself into and out of history in the stars. He left His mark for us to see over two thousand years later...and at the time of Jesus' birth. Leaving pieces of Himself for us to find, yesterday, today and tomorrow. The Bethlehem Star, not just descriptive imagery, but an actual astronomical event...God heralding the birth of his Son from on high in the heavens.
All glory, power and honor to the King of kings and the Lord of lords!
Happy first day of winter!
Because of Christ,
Robert
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