"Still he seeks the fellowship of his people and will send them as gifts both joy and sorrow to detach their hands from the things of this world and to attach those things to himself."

J.I. Packer

The hard sayings of Jesus are not hard to understand, just hard to swallow. —Steven Lawson

A Big God for little people

Luke 2:1-5

Have you ever thought what an amazing thing it is that God ordained beforehand that the Messiah be born in Bethlehem (as the prophecy in Micah 5 shows), and that He so ordained things that when the time came, the Messiah's mother and legal father were living in Nazareth, and that in order to fulfill His word and bring two little people to Bethlehem that first Christmas, God put it in the heart of Caesar Augustus that all the Roman world should be enrolled each in his own town?

Have you ever felt, like me, little and insignificant in a world of 4 billion people, where all the news is of big political and economic and social movements and of outstanding people with lots of power and prestige? If you have, don't let that make you disheartened or unhappy. For it is implicit in Scripture that all the mammoth political forces and all the giant industrial complexes, without their even knowing it, are being guided by God, not for their own sake but for the sake of God's little people. The little Mary and the little Joseph who have to be got from Nazareth to Bethlehem. God wields an empire to bless His children. Do not think, because you experience adversity, that the hand of the Lord is shortened. It is not our prosperity but our holiness that He seeks with all His heart. And to that end He rules the whole world. As Proverbs 21:1 says: "The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He will." He is a big God for little people and we have great cause to rejoice, that unbeknownst to them, all the kings and presidents and premiers and chancellors of the world follow the sovereign decrees of our Father in Heaven that we, the children, might be conformed to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ.

- John Piper

Christmas is about the Gospel

Matthew 1:21 - "She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins"

Jesus came into this world on a mission. 

Before this world was created, Jesus agreed and willingly decided to come and be born to a virgin,  be the God Man, live the perfect life that we could not live and die the death we deserved; to save his people and call them to himself.

This is the Joy of Christmas......and all the rest of the year. It is the Gospel that we celebrate at Christmas, God becoming man to save His people. He had a mission, a mission from His Father and a mission on His heart because He loves us and the fame of His name.

During this season, let us soak in the truths of the Gospel. Let us remember as we celebrate this season that when Jesus was born, he left His throne in heaven to come and be born in a manger, a food trough for the animals. The King of Kings left His place to come and be with us, His enemies. He came to save, to love, to die.

Isaiah 53:5 - 

But he was pierced for our transgressions,

    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed.

Let us worship the King because He is worthy and we are now because of His sacrifice!

Your blood has washed away my sin
Jesus, thank You
The Father’s wrath completely satisfied
Jesus, thank You
Once Your enemy, now seated at Your table
Jesus, thank You

Merry Christmas!

Help my unbelief!

John 6:9

“There is a boy here who had five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?

A crowd of 5,000 men and many more women & children had followed Jesus to be healed of their diseases. Jesus had spoken many hard words but had healed many diseases as well. He came to show compassion on them to draw them to Himself, ultimately to save the lost, His chosen people.

Here we find a moment when the people were tired and hungry. Jesus decided to test the disciples and to show them more and more of who He was by His miraculous works. Jesus asks Philip where they could buy bread for all that were there. He was put on the spot, what was he to say? He begins to think in worldly means and answers that there would not be enough food if he even had a year wages. Philip answered probably as we all would have on the spot.

Maybe that is how we answer today, when we look at our circumstances and where God has us. Many times, we loose sight of who our Great God is and what He does. I know I do. I begin to see the world and the “wisdom” of the world in situations and I forget that He holds it all together and I need to trust Him and cry out to Him!

Andrew was listening and his faith was a greater one then Philip, and us most of the time. He saw a few fish and loaves of bread, knew what Jesus could do, and brought them up to Jesus to see what He would do. Then Jesus blessed them and they multiplied so that at the end, there was more then started with and everyone was filled! If we know He is truly God, we need to trust Him in everything, YES, EVERYTHING!

At the end of Chapter 6 there in John, when all the rest of the “disciples” leave Jesus because of His hard sayings, Jesus asks the 12, “Do you want to go away as well?” Their response should be our response, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God”. We have tasted that He is good and we know He is the Holy One of God. Let us abide in Him and trust Him in ALL things!

Praying that God would increase our faith and keep our eyes on Him!

For His Glory!

“God has promised to supply our needs. What we don’t have now we don’t need now.” – Elizabeth Elliot

“I believe; help my unbelief!” – Mark 9:24