Inspirations

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.  John 3:16 Love is perhaps one of the most commonly misunderstood words in the English language. We think we know what love means, but, to be honest, we seldom understand it completely. Ask people to define love, and you're likely to get different answers from each one. To many, love is a warm fuzzy feeling that comes and goes. So we love as long as we feel like it, or as long there is something in it for us. People say I "fell" in love as though it was a hole to fall in; something that we have no control over. Truth is this definition makes lovely romantic stories and movies, but if we use that definition of love, we find a very changeable, unstable love. However, when God defined love, He left the divine, heaven, to become human. He was God with human limitations. He chose to live among people who...

I love Christmas!!!  Let me say it again, “I love Christmas.”  Sometimes, even now as an adult, it’s hard for me to wait until Christmas.   There is so much excitement in the air.  It’s almost impossible to wait to give those we love that one-of-a-kind gift. We can’t wait to see the joy in their eyes and on their face when they open the gift and see what you picked up for them.  In fact, for some waiting is so difficult that they give the gift early because the anticipation is so great that they do not have the self-discipline to wait.  It’s also challenging to wait for those gifts that you know others chose for you with love.  Little Children awaken at the crack of dawn in anticipation of those treasures that they know are waiting for them under the tree.  Way back in Genesis, God promised to send a savior who would bridge the gap between Him and man that sin had created.  God, however, d...

Babies are full of hope and there are few things more peaceful than a tiny innocent baby.   It all seems so natural to them.  They also bring so much joy to those around them.  In fact, the joy they bring often cancels out the stress and weariness that comes with a newborn.  The joy of this world is temporary.  When we think of the joy that Jesus brought at Christmas, it is eternal.   When God gave us joy, it came in the form of a baby in a manger.  Jesus did not give joy like this world gives. It does not depend on the circumstances of this world.     It is joy in the anticipation of what is to come when we believe God.   At Christmas time and throughout the year, our joy does not depend on whether we get what we want at any given moment, or whether we do all the things we want.  So this year if Christmas is different, people are missing, you can not afford all the gifts you would like, you can not do all the th...

  Peace  I leave with you; my  peace  I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.                 Christmas is a time of love and joy and peace and hope.   Yet often this is when these things are most elusive.  Peace is hard to find the bills are mounting and we are expected to buy presents. Peace hides when the holidays came and people are missing they've gone on to their final home leaving an empty spot. Peace is slippery when it is Christmas and relationships are strained and there is baggage. We can look at everyone's expectations  and our own and as we try to please people and create the perfect Christmas or capture the illusions of Christmas past and somewhere along the way, we lose our peace and buy into everything that the world says about Christmas. We forget that Jesus came to give us peace. Jesus is our peace, all y...

Let the  peace  of Christ rule in your hearts. Colossians 3:15 When we think of peace, the first thing that comes to mind is the absence of strife. It's hard to find peace in our world today. We talk of peace; nations want it; Everyone wants it. Most of us are looking for something that will bring just a little peace. There are so many things in our day that can cause us stress and worry. Our health, or finances. Relationships at work; with parents, with spouses with siblings. they all can rob us of our peace. This is true, particularly at Christmas. Just when we should be celebrating The Prince of Peace we find our own peace gone.  As we travel back to that very first Christmas, we see a scene that could very easily steal peace. First,  an angel appears to Mary, and informs her that she will have a baby. The problem is that she was not married. Yikes!! This was scandalous! However, Mary finds peace and says. "Ok,...

We wait in  hope  for the  Lord ;  Psalm 33:20 Christmas is always an exciting, joyous time.  I love Christmas! Yet at the same time, I know that, at times,  it can also be stressful and sometimes depressing.  Sometimes, in the craziness, we need to regain our hope. Hope is certainty mixed with anticipation.  The Jewish people at the time of Jesus' birth were anxiously awaiting the messiah.  They were hoping he would come, yet when the angels heralded his arrival, only the shepherds came to worship.  The rest?  They saw the star and maybe even saw the angels.  However, I suppose they were too busy to bother with a star shining brightly in the sky, the angels in all their glory, and a tiny baby in a manger.  They were busy with work and the cares of this life pressed in around them.  The could not concern themselves with an insignificant baby.  For them, that day was like any other.  They were looki...

  Now faith is confidence in what we hope for  and assurance about what we do not see.  Hebrews 11:1 Most people define hope as a desire, a wish.   I hope for a new car,  a better job,  peace,  a better relationship.   Sometimes, we can make it happen  if we try hard enough  or if we're "lucky" enough.    For us, my friends, hope is something completely different.   For us, hope is a certainty.   At Christmas time we celebrate the hope that was born.   We were lost and separated from God and without hope.    There was no way for us to get to God.   We could never be "good enough" for a holy God.   Yet, two thousand years ago hope was born.   It came in the form of the innocence of a baby.   It came with the certainty that we would have a relationship with the almighty.   Jesus was the hope they had been waiting for and he is our ...

Well, here it is Wednesday,  and I am sitting here mentally making a list of things to get done in less than a week. I promised myself I would have everything done early, so I could relax.  I failed.   Life got in the way.   There were so many things to get done that I completely forgot my promise to myself.   We have all made pledges either to ourselves or others and broke those promises.   Broken promises leave us hurt and disappointed.   God, however, has kept every promise he has ever made. So when He promised a savior, He kept that promise too. It didn't look the way everyone expected, so people were confused. They expected a ruler to save them from Roman tyranny, but He, in His wisdom, knew that they needed inner, lasting peace, so he came as a baby in a manger. Sometimes we, in our humanity, break our vows, either intentionally or unintentionally. We all understand ...

he will crush [ b ]  your head,      and you will strike his heel.”  Genesis 3:15 As we begin the Christmas season,   I think it's appropriate to look at the beginning of the Christmas story See, the story begins way back in the  garden of Eden when Eve introduced sin into the world, God had a plan. A plan to correct the sin problem that we all have. We see it in the promise he made in this verse.  "H e will crush   your head,   and you will strike his heel.” I love that, God, knowing we would sin, set a plan in motion.   But the plan, though set in motion in Eden, spanned thousands of years. Things had to be just right, and the timing had to be perfect.  His plan was simple a sinless man, taking on the sins of the world. Adam and Eve had long since died, and there was no sign of a plan. nothing to even hint that God had even remembered the plan or the promise. D...

The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).  Isaiah 7:14   Before there was a manger in Bethlehem,  or a silent night, or angels singing God made a promise. God through the prophet Isaiah said,  “the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son,  and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).    And through Micah he said  “But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,     are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler     who will shepherd my people Israel.” God assured them there would be a savior.   One thing is sure no word from God will ever fail (Luke 1:37).    That means it is a certainty.    God never goes back on his word or breaks a promise.   So when God vowed to send his son,  it...

Some people love to plan. I know crazy. It balances out with all of us random people that  never know what we are doing from one moment to the next. God needs the planners. We need planners. As we enter the Christmas season, I am always amazed at the amount of planning that goes into Christmas plays, concerts and other Christmas activities. Just as God made a plan,  some people begin making plans for Christmas in July and August.  They are meticulously setting dates and times for the festivities. Even though Christmas was still a long way off, the plans were made. While, to the rest of us, it seems as though nothing was happening, the musicians and others were carefully setting a plan in motion  that we will not see until sometime in December when we sit in an auditorium or participate in the Christmas activity that was planned. So if you're the planner, we appreciate you, your dedication, and the skills wi...

he will crush [ b ]  your head,      and you will strike his heel.”  Genesis 3:15 As we begin the Christmas season,   I think it's appropriate to look at the beginning  of a plan.   Way back when Eve introduced sin into the world, God had a plan. A plan to correct the sin problem that we all have. We see it in this verse verse H e will crush   your head,   and you will strike his heel.” I love that, God, knowing we would sin, set a plan in motion. But the plan, though set in motion, took time. It was accurate and detailed. His plan was simple a sinless man taking on the sins of the world. A simple plan, but many years passed. Adam and Eve had long since died and there was no sign of a plan. nothing to even hint that God even remembered the plan. Don't get me wrong, things were happening but was it related to the plan? To the peo...