MERRY CHRISTMAS

MERRY CHRISTMAS

GOD HAS A GIFT FOR YOU.

"For God loved the world so much

that he gave his only Son,

so that everyone who believes in him

may not die but have 

eternal life."

Have you accepted and opened His gift to you?

Or, have you been ignoring it?

May this be your best Christmas

ever.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

SECRETE OF RENEWED STRENGTH

"Have you not known?

Have you not heard, that the everlasting God,

the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth,

faints not, neither is weary?

there is no searching of his understanding.

He gives power to the faint;

and to them that have no might

he increases strength.

Even the youths will faint and be weary,

and the young men will utterly fall:

But those who wait upon the LORD

will renew their strength;

they will mount up with wings like eagles;

they will run, and not be weary;

and they will walk, and not faint."

(Isaiah 40:28-31 AKJV)

PRAISE THE LORD ANYWAY

About three days ago three of the neighbor's sheep got into

our yard.  And yesterday it was seven of his sheep in our yard.

Now my opinion is that sheep are neat critters.  Also the more

they eat - the less there is to mow or trim.  Cool, right?

Bring them on neighbor.

But my wife has a different opinion.  She actually spent some 

money on a bunch of plants.  Hard earned money and lots of it.

That's beyond my comprehension.  But it's a fact.

The sheep are the neighbor's.  And on that side the fence is his.

But he is a busy man.  So all I could do was say, "Yes dear.  As 

soon as I come back from the barber in the morning I'll fix the fence.

[Or something like that.]

That was yesterday.

[This is the day that the Lord has made.]

This morning early on my way to town - there were thirteen sheep 

in the yard.  Hey the day is just starting.

And were the fence needs repair there is a LARGE briar bush.

With lots and lots of thorns.

 I rode one of my motorcycles to the barber shop.  (The old back road 

one to gas it while in town.) The parking lot is on a good slope.  So

I pulled up close to the door.

When leaving I got in too big of a hurry and did not back down far

enough to get off the slope.  You guessed it.  I dumped it right there 

on the slope - on the right side.

The barber helped me get it back up.  Got it on it's kick stand to 

try starting it, but I was still on the slop.  It rolled forward off 

the stand and dumped it on the left side this time - with my left

foot pinned under it.  (Praise God for such an exciting day.)

You can see what it did to the windshield.

And this is oil all over the right side from the broken valve cover.

Hey, PRAISE GOD I was not hurt and it rode home O.K.

Even before leaving the house I had determined to spend a little more

time in the "Word" when I got back.  So after parking the bike in the 

shop I went straight into the office and started reading where I had left

off.  I read only two verses and then read,

"We also boast of our troubles, because we know that trouble

produces endurance, endurance brings God's approval,

and his approval creates hope."

(Romans 5:3,4 GNB)

THANK YOU JESUS FOR ALL THE ENDURANCE YOU

CREATED IN ME TODAY AND THE HOPE YOU GAVE 

ME THROUGH IT.

TODAY'S PROMISE

"The LORD loves his people

and protects those who 

belong to him."

(Deuteronomy 33:33 GNB)

"The promises of the Lord can be trusted;

they are as genuine as silver refined

seven times in the furnace."

(Psalms 12:6 GNB)

1. Meditate on God's Promises.

2. Plead the Promises at the throne of Grace.

3. Act in Faith that God Will Perform His Promises.

(William Gurnall)

TROUBLE AHEAD

Photo courtesy of:www.bigfoto.com

"For forty years the LORD led you through the desert,

and your clothes and sandals never wore out.

You did not have bread to eat

or wine or beer to drink,

but the LORD provided for your needs

in order to teach you that he is your God."

(Deuteronomy 29:5,6 GNB)

There is trouble ahead.

BIG TROUBLE.

Unless you are an ostrich with your head in the sand,

you can see the whole world crumbling around you.

And you know that things are getting worse, not better.

If you are a student of the Bible, you know that things

are going to get much worse.  Worse than the world 

has ever known.

It is a historical fact that God lead over 600,000 men

with their wives and children through the desert from

Egypt to the their promised land.

And took care of them.

It is time for us to quit trusting in ourselves,

 and put our trust in the one who can take care of us -

 Jesus Christ our creator.

KEY TO GOD'S BLESSINGS

"And the LORD heard your words,

when you spoke to me; and the LORD said to me.

I have heard the voice of the words of this people,

which they have spoken to you: 

they have well said all that they have spoken.

O that there were such an heart in them,

that they would fear me, 

and keep all my commandments always, 

that it might be well with them,

and with their children for ever!"

(Deuteronomy 5:28,29 AKJV)

RESTORED

Yes, it is only a cup.

But twenty four hours ago it was buried trash.

I was down in the bottom of a ravine cleaning up again.

After every storm or rain something else always seems to

show up.  So I was looking for any trash that might have

been missed.  You know, tin cans, bottles, beer cans etc.

Walking along searching for trash a corner of 

this little cup peeked out from under the leaves.  After

digging it out it appeared to be in tact.  So a clean up was

in order. It probably had been discarded with the trash ten to 

fifteen years ago.

After a good scrubbing and a trip through the dish washer,

you can see what I was rewarded with.

That little cup is just like a lot of our lives.

Discarded.  Thrown out with the trash.

On the trash heap of humanity.

But like I wanted to clean up that little cup,

God wants to clean up and restore us.

However, there is one difference.

That little cup is an inanimate object.

It has no will of it's own.

God gave you an I a "free will".

We have the choice.  We can turn to him

and let him restore us.

Or, we can stay on the trash heap.

"The LORD says,

'Now, let's settle the matter.

You are stained red with sin,

but I will wash you as clean as snow.

Although your stains are deep red, 

you will be as white as wool.  

If you will only obey me,

you will eat the good things the land produces.

But if you defy me,

you are doomed to die.

I, the LORD have spoken.'".

(Isaiah 1:1820 GNB)