THE BIBLE - Merry CHRISTmas!

In today's "Bible Pick 'Ems" the Word of God will speak for itself:

THE PREDICTION

Yet a ruler…will come.

And He will stand to lead His flock with the LORD'S strength, in the majesty of the name of His God.

He will be highly honored around the world.

And He will be the source of peace.

(From Micah 5)

For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us.

The government will rest on His shoulders.

And He will be called:

Wonderful

Counselor

Mighty God

Everlasting Father

Prince of Peace.

His government and its peace will never end.

(From Isaiah 9)

THE FULFILLMENT

Look!

The virgin will conceive a child!

She will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel, which means "God is with us."

(From Matthew 1)

"Don't be afraid, Mary…for you have found favor with God!

You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.

He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High.

And He will reign…forever; His Kingdom will never end!"

And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born.

She gave birth to her first child, a son.

Glory to God in highest heaven,

And peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.

(From Luke 1 and 2)

So the Word became human and made His home among us.

He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness.

And we have seen His glory.

(From John 1)

THE ANTICIPATION

Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds with great power and glory.

And He will send out his angels to gather His chosen ones from all over the world – from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.

(From Mark 13)

For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God.

Then we will be with the Lord forever.

(From 1 Thessalonians 4)

I am coming soon.

Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown.

(From Revelation 3)

Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds.

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

(From Revelation 22)

THE CULMINATION

Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!

And He who sits on the throne will give them shelter.

They will never again be hungry or thirsty.

For the Lamb on the throne will be their Shepherd.

He will lead them to springs of life-giving water.

And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.

(From Revelation 7)

Praise the name of the Lord!

Praise Him, you who serve the Lord.

Praise the Lord, for He is good.

Your name, O Lord, endures forever!

(From Psalm 135)

AMEN! Come, Lord Jesus!

May the wonder of a starlit night,

The power of our Savior's might,

The glories of His merciful love,

Bring blessings to you from above.

Wishing each of you and yours a very Merry CHRISTmas!

"When in doubt, search God out!"

DANIEL - End of Story

Jesus, the Savior is born.

Though the world did not know it, a new world order had begun. A brand new King had come to usher in God's Kingdom.

Nothing would ever be the same again.

In many ways, this was the beginning of life.

Yes, God created the heavens and the earth, and everything in it. That was the beginning beginning. The very first spark of life. The generation of all that is.

But the word *beginning* goes beyond that.

I love these words – commencement, opening, launch, foundation, establishment, inauguration.

Baby Jesus – the Beginning of Life.

But how does the story end?

Today's "Bible Pick 'Ems" is found in Daniel, and it prophesies the ending:

"I watched as thrones were put in place and the Ancient One sat down to judge.

His clothing was as white as snow, his hair like purest wool.

He sat on a fiery throne with wheels of blazing fire, and a river of fire was pouring out, flowing from his presence.

Millions of angels ministered to him; many millions stood to attend him.

Then the court began its session, and the books were opened." (Daniel 7:9-10)

The first thing that occurred to me as I read this passage was the vision of all the angels. Those are the very same angels who watched with bated breath as Jesus, the eternal Son of God, was born into humanity.

Can you even imagine the hush that fell over the heavens at that moment?

Especially Gabriel.

The one who had been given the privilege of telling Mary about the secret plan of God.

I'm sure he hovered close by during the entire pregnancy, during the long trip to Bethlehem, during Mary's labor, and during the actual birth. Did he breathe a sigh of relief when Jesus was delivered safely?

And then, did his eyes grow as big as saucers as he looked at the miracle of God Incarnate – a baby with his Master’s eyes?

Glorious.

And yet, it was the moment that the angels were given their marching orders. War had begun on a level never before seen. The enemy was very, very angry. Spiritual conflict took on new meaning. I can see Gabriel turn to the angelic host and cry out, "Brethren, to arms!"

We who believe in the Savior – including the ones that came before us, and the ones who will follow us – have joined them in the fight.

We fight until the day when Daniel's vision comes true.

And it will come true – God has promised.

There is a court date on the calendar for every person, every nation, every authority in heaven and on earth. At the end of all time, there will be judgment.

"Then the court began its session…"

Can you imagine the hush that will fall over the heavens at this moment?

"…and the books were opened."

I'll bet not even a pin dropping would make a noise.

The end of the beginning, and the beginning of the end commences.

Daniel continues, "I saw someone like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal – it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed." (Daniel 7:13-14)

(I just have to interject a holy WOO HOO here! OK, I feel better now…)

Today's "Bible Pick 'Ems" is like the period at the end of a sentence. A sentence that began this way, "She gave birth to her first child, a son" (Luke 2:7) – and ends with these words, "And the books were opened, including the Book of Life…Nothing evil will be allowed to enter…but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life." (Revelation 20:12; 21:27)

Yes, the beginning of the story began with a hush – and yet, in a nondescript manger war was declared.

But, one day the story will end – and the Son of God will reign.

I can only imagine the thunderous sound of saved souls and the heavenly host joined together in praise, worship, celebration, triumph…

"GLORIA IN EXCELSIS DEO."

Amen.

What does the birth of Jesus mean to you – both now and in the future?

BLOG = "Blessedly Leaning On God!"

PSALMS - Victory in a Manger!

You know, I’m never quite sure where God’s going to lead me when I do a “Bible Pick ‘Ems!”

Today was no exception.

And God consistently shows me something from His Word.

Today was no exception!!

I found myself in Psalm 118.

Most of the Psalms were written by David, God’s chosen king, His mighty warrior. However, the author of Psalm 118 is listed as anonymous. And yet, this nameless author affirmed the confidence we can have in God’s eternal purposes.

“Though hostile nations surrounded me, I destroyed them all with the authority of the LORD. Yes, they surrounded me and attacked me…They swarmed around me like bees; they blazed against me like a crackling fire. But I destroyed them all with the authority of the LORD. My enemies did their best to kill me, but the LORD rescued me. The LORD is my strength and my song; he has given me victory…The arm of the LORD has done glorious things! The strong right arm of the LORD is raised in triumph…I will not die; instead, I will live…”

(Psalm 118:10-17)

Tremendously inspiring, encouraging, comforting words, indeed.

But, I thought to myself, it’s the day after Christmas. Couldn’t the verses have had something to do with Jesus?

Then God said to me, “Read them with Jesus in mind.”

And oh, how another story unfolded!

Picture Mary and Joseph, with their brand-new baby son, Jesus. Shepherds had come to adore Him. And exotic wise men, too. It was a glorious moment…

Except, lurking in the background was King Herod.

Evil King Herod.

King Herod – who felt threatened by the thought of a newborn “King of the Jews.” Unbeknownst to Mary and Joseph, he had instructed the wise men to tell him, as soon as possible, where the new baby was located – because he wanted to “worship” Him.

My friends, Satan was behind this plot.

And Herod was a willing accomplice. He was ruthless.

And he wasn’t alone.

The Scriptures tell us that everyone in Jerusalem was disturbed. When Jesus was born into the world, people began to react immediately. There was a disturbance in the status quo. Emotions were all over the map – excitement, fear, comfort, insecurity, anger – Jesus, a mere baby, had begun His revolution…

Herod planned to kill Him.

We are told that God appeared to the wise men in a dream, and told them to avoid Herod at all costs - to go home by another route. An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, and warned him to flee to Egypt, and stay there until it was safe to return.

I’ve got to hand it to Joseph – he was a very good husband, a very good father. He listened to the Voice of God, and he immediately obeyed. He took his very young family and fled.

Thereby saving the Savior of the world.

It wasn’t the last time that Satan and his cohort of angry little demons tried to kill the Son of God. His mission? To thwart the mission of Jesus – to sabotage the purpose of God. He tried everything, I’m sure.

But God protected His Son – and He protected Him until the day arrived to complete that awful, wonderful mission – to die on the cross in our place.

I’ll bet Satan thought he’d won. Killing God – what a coup!

Not so fast…

There’s an empty tomb coming!

Read today’s “Bible Pick ‘Ems” again – read the words as if JESUS is saying them. Hear His ringing Voice of authority. Hear His trumpet call of Victory. Glory in the wonder of God’ protection and providence.

And then, read the words again…

This time, YOU say them. They are your words, too.

Claim YOUR victory through them today!

Though surrounded by hostile forces – through Jesus, you will destroy them all.

Though they attack you, swarm like bees and blaze like fire – through Jesus, you have been given authority against them.

Though they try to kill you – through Jesus, you have been rescued.

Jesus is your strength and song.

Jesus is your victory.

Raise your arm in TRIUMPH!

Because of a baby, because of a life, because of a death, because of a resurrection – we can stand with all the authority of Jesus and say…

“I WILL NOT DIE – INSTEAD, I WILL LIVE!”

Praise God Almighty…AMEN!

“When in doubt, search God out!”

ROMANS - A Son is Born

Anticipation.

Anxiety.

Awe.

I’m sure that a young girl, so many years ago, felt all of these things. She was nearing the time when she would give birth to her first child. A child, a blessed boy – because God had told her she would give birth to a son.

She was very excited.

Such delightful anticipation.

And yet, she didn’t know what to expect. What would it be like? Long and painful, of that she was sure – could she do it? And where exactly would she give birth? She hoped it would be at a nice inn, with warm and light-filled surroundings. So much she couldn’t know yet.

Such disturbing anxiety.

And oh…the most amazing thing of all. This wasn’t just a child – it was The Child – the Son of God. The Messiah – the Savior that her people had waited for, longed for, hoped for. The answer to their suffering – the Deliverer was coming to earth.

Such dramatic awe.

Mary – a young girl on the verge of being the vessel through whom God would save the world.

What joy she must have felt – and yet – what pain.

For her son was destined to die.

He was the first baby ever born for the specific purpose of sacrificing His life. Could Mary have anticipated the grief she would feel at the foot of the cross – seeing her Savior, seeing her son, dying a horrible death? Did she know He was dying for her?

Another parent felt joy at the birth of this child. And yet, He felt pain too.

God the Father sent His Son to be born into a dark and fallen world. It was His plan from time immemorial. It was His decision, it was His directive. And yet, one can only imagine the depth of God’s pain.

HE KNEW the true ugliness of sin.

HE KNEW the temptations, the sorrows, the suffering, the persecutions of this earthly realm.

HE KNEW a day was coming when He would have to turn His back on His ONLY Son - a perfect Son.

HE KNEW His Son would die – darkened by the stain of sin.

HE KNEW an agony that none of us will ever know.

But still, He sent His Son – right into Enemy Territory – right to the front lines.

He sent Him…

Because…of us.

Today’s “Bible Pick ‘Ems” comes from the book of Romans.

“When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time…God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” (Romans 5:6, 8)

Paul writes to his fellow believers in Rome – and to us, too – teaching and reminding us of the grand truth about Jesus Christ. Because of Him, we have entered into a place of undeserved privilege. We have been declared NOT GUILTY. Through Him, we have been drawn close to the Almighty God – we have become His children, we have become His friends.

We were weak and helpless – unable to do anything on our own to save ourselves. Someone had to come and rescue us.

God counted the cost of sending His Son to be born on this earth. And He declared it worth it.

Some thirty-three years later, Jesus made the same decision – and offered His life as a sacrifice for us. How incredibly blessed we are!

At just the right time, in just the right place, for the most “right” purpose of all – a young woman named Mary gave birth to the only Savior who could save us. A Savior who understood our weaknesses. A Savior who loved sinners just like His Father did – unconditionally and completely.

A Savior who was born – to die.

For us…

“So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.” (Romans 5:11)

“When in doubt, search God out!”