Merry Christmas from God!

Christmas is upon us. Once each year across the world this day is set aside as a day of celebration. For many throughout the world, today is the celebration of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, God in the flesh.

The Birth of Jesus {Matt 1:18-25 [MSG]} 18-19 The birth of Jesus took place like this. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. Before they came to the marriage bed, Joseph discovered she was pregnant. (It was by the Holy Spirit, but he didn't know that.) Joseph, chagrined but noble, determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced. 20-23 While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God's angel spoke in the dream: "Joseph, son of David, don't hesitate to get married. Mary's pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God's Holy Spirit has made her pregnant. She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus—'God saves'—because he will save his people from their sins." This would bring the prophet's embryonic sermon to full term: Watch for this—a virgin will get pregnant and bear a son; They will name him Immanuel (Hebrew for "God is with us"). 24-25 Then Joseph woke up. He did exactly what God's angel commanded in the dream: He married Mary. But he did not consummate the marriage until she had the baby. He named the baby Jesus.

The every day miracle of child birth took on a whole new meaning on this day, over two-thousand years ago, when the miracle of childbirth delivered the miracle baby -- the God-baby. Even the wisest among men of that time recognized the event for what it was.

An Event for Everyone {Luke 2:9-20 [MSG]} 8-12 There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God's angel stood among them and God's glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, "Don't be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David's town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you're to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger." 13-14 At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God's praises: Glory to God in the heavenly heights, Peace to all men and women on earth who please him. 15-18 As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. "Let's get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us." They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the sheepherders were impressed. 19-20 Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they'd been told!

Exactly the way they had been told! The miracle of God coming to earth in the form of His Son, Jesus Christ, happened exactly as God had planned. Exactly as it had been foretold by prophets centuries earlier.

{Isaiah 53:1-10 [MSG] (emphasis mine)} 1 Who believes what we've heard and seen? Who would have thought God's saving power would look like this? 2-6 The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling, a scrubby plant in a parched field. There was nothing attractive about him, nothing to cause us to take a second look. He was looked down on and passed over, a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand. One look at him and people turned away. We looked down on him, thought he was scum. But the fact is, it was our pains he carried— our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us. We thought he brought it on himself, that God was punishing him for his own failures. But it was our sins that did that to him, that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins! He took the punishment, and that made us whole. Through his bruises we get healed. We're all like sheep who've wandered off and gotten lost. We've all done our own thing, gone our own way. And God has piled all our sins, everything we've done wrong, on him, on him. 7-9He was beaten, he was tortured, but he didn't say a word. Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered and like a sheep being sheared, he took it all in silence. Justice miscarried, and he was led off— and did anyone really know what was happening? He died without a thought for his own welfare, beaten bloody for the sins of my people. They buried him with the wicked, threw him in a grave with a rich man, Even though he'd never hurt a soul or said one word that wasn't true. 10 Still, it's what God had in mind all along, to crush him with pain. The plan was that he give himself as an offering for sin so that he'd see life come from it—life, life, and more life. And God's plan will deeply prosper through him.

The story of the greatest gift of all is not complete with the birth of Jesus Christ, for that gift receives it's greatness through the sacrifice He made for us on the cross. Jesus Christ died for our sins, and arose, so that there might be no doubt that he was God in the flesh, here to save us from our sins, so that we might spend an eternity with Him. Merry Christmas, world! May we never forget the meaning of this day. Your comments? Joe

Cross posted at Average Joe American.

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True Security

Today's Daily Soap {Scripture | Observation | Application | Prayer} FOR TODAY'S FULL READING, CLICK THE TITLE LINK ABOVE.

SCRIPTURE:

I lift up my eyes to the hills— where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip—  he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD watches over you— the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day,  nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm—  he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. Psalm 121 [NIV]

OBSERVATION: The Lord watched over me.

APPLICATION:

In times of economic turmoil; of government upheaval; of uncertainty about what's coming next, I will not fear. I will not worry about what the world can do to me, for the world can do nothing to me of any consequence in the grand scheme of things. The Lord watches over me, and my soul is secure in His arms.

PRAYER:

Father, Thank You for Your wonderful gift of Salvation, for preparing for me a place in eternity outside the reach of this world.

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Going Forth

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SCRIPTURE:

7-8 Jesus called the Twelve to him, and sent them out in pairs. He gave them authority and power to deal with the evil opposition. He sent them off with these instructions: 8-9 "Don't think you need a lot of extra equipment for this. You are the equipment. No special appeals for funds. Keep it simple. 10 "And no luxury inns. Get a modest place and be content there until you leave. 11 "If you're not welcomed, not listened to, quietly withdraw. Don't make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way." 12-13 Then they were on the road. They preached with joyful urgency that life can be radically different; right and left they sent the demons packing; they brought wellness to the sick, anointing their bodies, healing their spirits. Mark 6:7-13 [MSG]

OBSERVATION: Christ has called us to His service. What will our answer be?

APPLICATION:

Christ has called us all to serve, to go forth and spread the Good News throughout the world. Just as when He commissioned the Apostles to go out preaching and healing in His name, He has told us that it would not be easy. He has told us that we would not live in luxury doing His work. He has even told us not to press the issue where we aren't welcome. Only the willing can be saved, and only God can soften a hard heart. Only God can make the unwilling willing.

He may use us, He may not. He may use circumstances to get to the most stalwart resisters. It is not for us to know God's methods, just as the sculpture cannot understand the sculptor's vision. But just as the clay that forms the sculpture must subject itself to the molding of the potter, we, too, must allow the Master to shape us and mold us and use us for His purpose. To go where He sends us, to do as He asks us, all in His glorious name.

PRAYER:

Father, I know that I sometimes resist Your will. I don't always faithfully answer Your call, despite my best intentions. I want to be used by You, Lord. Help me to strip away the excuses and to submit to Your will.

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All For His Purpose

Today's Daily Soap {Scripture | Observation | Application | Prayer} FOR TODAY'S FULL READING, CLICK THE TITLE LINK ABOVE.

• S: "And now, friends, I know you had no idea what you were doing when you killed Jesus, and neither did your leaders. But God, who through the preaching of all the prophets had said all along that his Messiah would be killed, knew exactly what you were doing and used it to fulfill his plans. Acts 3:17-18 [MSG]
• O: God uses all things to His glory and purpose.
• A: Just as God used the "trial" and crucifixion of His Son, Jesus Christ, to fulfill His purpose of the gift of salvation, so does He use the events of today for His purpose. We may feel that we're in control, that we choose the leaders whom we feel can best take us into the next decade, but no matter what choices we make -- no matter what the final outcome -- God uses both our successes and our mistakes for His purpose. In the end, for those who have chosen Him, all will be well.
• P: Thank You, Father, for having control.

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Prodigal Son

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• S: Then he said, "There was once a man who had two sons. The younger said to his father, 'Father, I want right now what's coming to me.' "So the father divided the property between them. It wasn't long before the younger son packed his bags and left for a distant country. There, undisciplined and dissipated, he wasted everything he had. After he had gone through all his money, there was a bad famine all through that country and he began to hurt. He signed on with a citizen there who assigned him to his fields to slop the pigs. He was so hungry he would have eaten the corncobs in the pig slop, but no one would give him any. "That brought him to his senses. He said, 'All those farmhands working for my father sit down to three meals a day, and here I am starving to death. I'm going back to my father. I'll say to him, Father, I've sinned against God, I've sinned before you; I don't deserve to be called your son. Take me on as a hired hand.' He got right up and went home to his father. "When he was still a long way off, his father saw him. His heart pounding, he ran out, embraced him, and kissed him. The son started his speech: 'Father, I've sinned against God, I've sinned before you; I don't deserve to be called your son ever again.' But the father wasn't listening. He was calling to the servants, 'Quick. Bring a clean set of clothes and dress him. Put the family ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Then get a grain-fed heifer and roast it. We're going to feast! We're going to have a wonderful time! My son is here—given up for dead and now alive! Given up for lost and now found!' And they began to have a wonderful time. "All this time his older son was out in the field. When the day's work was done he came in. As he approached the house, he heard the music and dancing. Calling over one of the houseboys, he asked what was going on. He told him, 'Your brother came home. Your father has ordered a feast—barbecued beef!—because he has him home safe and sound.' "The older brother stalked off in an angry sulk and refused to join in. His father came out and tried to talk to him, but he wouldn't listen. The son said, 'Look how many years I've stayed here serving you, never giving you one moment of grief, but have you ever thrown a party for me and my friends? Then this son of yours who has thrown away your money on whores shows up and you go all out with a feast!' "His father said, 'Son, you don't understand. You're with me all the time, and everything that is mine is yours—but this is a wonderful time, and we had to celebrate. This brother of yours was dead, and he's alive! He was lost, and he's found!'" Luke 15:11-32 [MSG]
• O: No matter how we wander or where we roam, the Father always welcomes us home with open arms.
• A: I was saved at the age of twelve. Just a young boy who felt the Spirit move in me during a youth retreat with the Baptist Church my family attended at the time. I had grown up going to church, and it was just a matter of time before I would accept Christ as my Savior, be Baptized, and start my walk with Christ. But as so often happens, I soon found myself headed down a path that surely Christ wasn't leading me down. I experimented in some things that no one should be messing with at that age, especially not someone so new in his faith. Minor things by today's standards, but things I would be embarrassed to have my children learn about. Things I surely don't want them experimenting in. I became very selfish, thinking always of me and my own desires, and rarely of what God wanted from me. As always, my selfish pursuits paid the rewards I was due -- embarrassment, inconvenience, struggle. Well into adulthood, I lived selfishly, pursuing my own desires, wondering why life was so unfair. Until one day, when airplanes struck down America's symbols of success, and I felt the call to return to my roots and visit a church. That was the start of my return to the fold. The Father greeted me warmly, held me, comforted me. He welcomed me home. I'm far from perfect, but have learned to put my God and my family before myself, and life has never been better.
• P: Thank You, Father, for welcoming me home and showing me what really matters most. Thank You for family.

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The Perfect Gift

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• S: "Don't bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This is not a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we're in. If your little boy asks for a serving of fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? If your little girl asks for an egg, do you trick her with a spider? As bad as you are, you wouldn't think of such a thing—you're at least decent to your own children. And don't you think the Father who conceived you in love will give the Holy Spirit when you ask him?" Luke 11:10-13 [MSG]
• O: The gift of Salvation is ours for the asking.
• A: Why does God say that all we must do to be saved is ask? Simply believing in Christ as the Son of God who dies for our sins and inviting Him into our hearts is the ticket to Salvation. No tests involved. No preconditions. No cost to us whatsoever, because Jesus already paid the price for us. And it isn't a trick. When my son or daughter ask for something, like a special gift for their birthday, or something like that -- if it's in my power to give, I give it to them. I want my children to be happy and to know that their father loves them so much that he would do anything for them. Even die for them. Our Heavenly Father has that same kind of love for us. So much love that He came to Earth in the form of man and died for us, so that we might live forever. Salvation is the Father's gift to give, and all that we have to do is ask.
• P: Father, Thank You for the greatest gift, and for being the perfect model of the kind of father I should be to my children.

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Seize The Day

Today's Daily Soap {Scripture | Observation | Application | Prayer} FOR TODAY'S FULL READING, CLICK THE TITLE LINK ABOVE.

• S: Jesus said, "No procrastination. No backward looks. You can't put God's kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day." Luke 9:62 [MSG]
• O: There is no time to waste.
• A: "Seize the day." For there may be no tomorrow. The coming of the Lord is close at hand. It will happen at a time when it is least expected, with no warning. Every day that we live could be our last. Now is the time to accept the gift of salvation. Now is the time to stand up and follow God. Now is the time to share the Word to all the Earth. Now could be the only time we have left. Seize the day.
• P: Father, help me to spread Your Word in daily interactions with others. Show me the opportunities. Help me to seize the day, Lord.

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Baptism

Today's Daily Soap {Scripture | Observation | Application | Prayer} FOR TODAY'S FULL READING, CLICK THE TITLE LINK ABOVE.

• S: When crowds of people came out for baptism because it was the popular thing to do, John exploded: "Brood of snakes! What do you think you're doing slithering down here to the river? Do you think a little water on your snakeskins is going to deflect God's judgment? It's your life that must change, not your skin. And don't think you can pull rank by claiming Abraham as 'father.' Being a child of Abraham is neither here nor there—children of Abraham are a dime a dozen. God can make children from stones if he wants. What counts is your life. Is it green and blossoming? Because if it's deadwood, it goes on the fire." Luke 3:7-9 [MSG]
• O: Baptism by water only is not the key to Salvation.
• A: What counts is your life. ... It is your life that must change, not your skin. The practice of immersion Baptism -- being dunked in water -- is a symbol. It is an act of confessing your belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, Savior, and Messiah. It is not by immersion (or any other form of) Baptism that we are saved. We are saved by believing in Jesus Christ. We are saved before we are Baptized. We are then (after receiving Salvation) Baptized for two reasons: 1) because Jesus did it and said that we should, too; 2) it is a tangible act of our confession of faith in Jesus Christ. Salvation without Baptism is still Salvation. Baptism without Salvation is like a bath without soap -- worthless.
• P: Father, Thank You for Your Son, for giving us Baptism as the symbol of our sins being washed away by the blood of Christ.

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God of Second Chances

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• S: A third Angel followed, shouting, warning, "If anyone worships the Beast and its image and takes the mark on forehead or hand, that person will drink the wine of God's wrath, prepared unmixed in his chalice of anger, and suffer torment from fire and brimstone in the presence of Holy Angels, in the presence of the Lamb. Smoke from their torment will rise age after age. No respite for those who worship the Beast and its image, who take the mark of its name." Meanwhile, the saints stand passionately patient, keeping God's commands, staying faithful to Jesus. I heard a voice out of Heaven, "Write this: Blessed are those who die in the Master from now on; how blessed to die that way!" "Yes," says the Spirit, "and blessed rest from their hard, hard work. None of what they've done is wasted; God blesses them for it all in the end." I saw another Sign in Heaven, huge and breathtaking: seven Angels with seven disasters. These are the final disasters, the wrap-up of God's wrath. I saw something like a sea made of glass, the glass all shot through with fire. Carrying harps of God, triumphant over the Beast, its image, and the number of its name, the saved ones stood on the sea of glass. Revelation 14:9-13; 15:1-2 [MSG]
• O: The Beast will rule the earth during the time of Great Tribulation, but will be defeated in the end.
• A: Ever the forgiving Father, God gives us a second chance if we are too stubborn to choose His Salvation now. As the Beast rules the earth during the Great Tribulation, controlling all religion, trade, government, everything, those left behind will be forced to accept the mark of the Beast or face death. Those who accept the mark will be doomed to eternal death for rejecting God. Many whose eyes will be opened will hold out, reject the mark, and accept Christ as their Savior. They will be blessed in the end with eternal life. But why wait and suffer to take the second chance? Why not act now? And be with God during the Great Tribulation, safe from the torment of the Beast.
• P: Father, thank You for Your wonderful gift of Salvation, and for being so gracious as to even offer a second chance to those who reject You. You are truly an awesome God.

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The Coming of the Beast

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• S: And the Dragon stood on the shore of the sea. I saw a Beast rising from the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads—on each horn a crown, and each head inscribed with a blasphemous name. The Beast I saw looked like a leopard with bear paws and a lion's mouth. The Dragon turned over its power to it, its throne and great authority. One of the Beast's heads looked as if it had been struck a deathblow, and then healed. The whole earth was agog, gaping at the Beast. They worshiped the Dragon who gave the Beast authority, and they worshiped the Beast, exclaiming, "There's never been anything like the Beast! No one would dare go to war with the Beast!" The Beast had a loud mouth, boastful and blasphemous. It could do anything it wanted for forty-two months. It yelled blasphemies against God, blasphemed his Name, blasphemed his Church, especially those already dwelling with God in Heaven. It was permitted to make war on God's holy people and conquer them. It held absolute sway over all tribes and peoples, tongues and races. Everyone on earth whose name was not written from the world's foundation in the slaughtered Lamb's Book of Life will worship the Beast. Are you listening to this? They've made their bed; now they must lie in it. Anyone marked for prison goes straight to prison; anyone pulling a sword goes down by the sword. Meanwhile, God's holy people passionately and faithfully stand their ground. I saw another Beast rising out of the ground. It had two horns like a lamb but sounded like a dragon when it spoke. It was a puppet of the first Beast, made earth and everyone in it worship the first Beast, which had been healed of its deathblow. This second Beast worked magical signs, dazzling people by making fire come down from Heaven. It used the magic it got from the Beast to dupe earth dwellers, getting them to make an image of the Beast that received the deathblow and lived. It was able to animate the image of the Beast so that it talked, and then arrange that anyone not worshiping the Beast would be killed. It forced all people, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to have a mark on the right hand or forehead. Without the mark of the name of the Beast or the number of its name, it was impossible to buy or sell anything. Solve a riddle: Put your heads together and figure out the meaning of the number of the Beast. It's a human number: 666. Revelation 13 [MSG]
• O: The Beast will wage war on the inhabitants of Earth. His False Prophet will use magic he gets from the Beast to dupe them. They will worship the image of the Beast.
• A: Our current political climate is intense. Presidential elections always create quite a stir, but it seems especially so this time around. Many Bible scholars predict that we are now in the "last days," the times leading up to the Second Coming of Christ and the Great Tribulation. My wife and I had a political discussion as we drove home from church yesterday. Interestingly enough, this discussion seemed to cross the divide between politics and religion. We spoke of the coming of the Beast -- the Antichrist. We spoke of the Bible prophecies of this event. We spoke of the current political scene in America. We have two Presidential candidates in America who have a viable chance of winning the election in November. One candidate who has given his entire life to the service of his country. Another candidate who has only recently risen to national prominence. One candidate whose rallies bring chants of "USA! USA!" The second candidate whose rallies bring chants of his name, over and over and over. One candidate who has a loyal following of similarly-minded people. The second candidate who is surrounded by the masses of the disillusioned looking for a savior, a candidate whose image is plastered on tee-shirts and signs everywhere you look, emblazoned with promises of hope and change. One candidate who is a national hero. The other candidate who is more like a rock star. I'm not implying that either of these two candidates could be the up-and-coming Antichrist. I'm not saying that the False Prophet is among us. Biblical prophecy of the end times makes no mention of the United States, nor of any country that appears to be the U.S. Could that be because the U.S. will have seen it's demise before the coming of the Beast? A patriotic America led by a Conservative Christian who believes in Jesus Christ as his Savior might conceivably take a stance in opposition to the Beast. It stands to reason that prophecy might require the elimination of that opposing American force before the rise of the Antichrist. My wife and I spoke of these things, and how today's political landscape could to some appear to be the beginning of the end. I'm no doomsayer. I'm not afraid of the Antichrist, because I've been saved by the blood of Christ. But it sure does make for some interesting discussion.
• P: Father, as we draw one day closer every day to the return of the Messiah and the rise of the Antichrist, help us to weigh carefully and to choose wisely, both as we choose our next President and -- hopefully -- as we choose Your Son as our Savior.

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One Way

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• S: The remaining men and women who weren't killed by these weapons went on their merry way—didn't change their way of life, didn't quit worshiping demons, didn't quit centering their lives around lumps of gold and silver and brass, hunks of stone and wood that couldn't see or hear or move. There wasn't a sign of a change of heart. They plunged right on in their murderous, occult, promiscuous, and thieving ways. Revelation 9:20-21 [MSG]
• O: Despite all of the signs and warnings from God, the human race continues full throttle on a course of sin and death.
• A: We are nearing the end of times. Every day just one day closer to the Glorious Appearing of Jesus Christ, returning to collect His faithful. And every day the world continues on the path of sin that started with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. We bury ourselves deeper and deeper into promiscuity, idolatry, adultery, murder, thievery, lies, and blasphemy. We blindly and deafly disregard the warnings and prophecies of what such behavior will bring for us and continue on our paths of self-destruction. Though it is prophesied and will come a day when those left behind reap the full wrath of God for their sinful ways (and failure to turn to Him), it's not too late to be on the right side. Just as God has warned us of the wages of sin, He has also promised us a chance at eternal life. This is how much God loved the world: He gave His Son, His one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in Him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending His Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in Him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust Him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person's failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to Him. John 3:16-18 [MSG] There is only One Way to spend eternity with a loving God and avoid the wrath of an angry God. The choice is ours to make.
• P: Father, as I see the prophecies of the end times played out in my own lifetime, I rejoice in the Salvation You gave me through Your Son Jesus Christ. Though I know that many will be left behind for a time of Great Tribulation, use me as You will to reduce that number and grow the Kingdom.

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The Lord Will Return

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• S: I turned and saw the voice. I saw a gold menorah with seven branches, And in the center, the Son of Man, in a robe and gold breastplate, hair a blizzard of white, Eyes pouring fire-blaze, both feet furnace-fired bronze, His voice a cataract, right hand holding the Seven Stars, His mouth a sharp-biting sword, His face a perigee sun. I saw this and fainted dead at His feet. His right hand pulled me upright, His voice reassured me: "Don't fear: I am First, I am Last, I'm Alive. I died, but I came to life, and My life is now forever. Revelation 1: 12-18 [MSG] O LORD, what is man that You care for him, the son of man that You think of him? Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow. Part Your heavens, O LORD, and come down; touch the mountains, so that they smoke. Send forth lightning and scatter {the enemies}; shoot Your arrows and rout them. Reach down Your hand from on high; deliver me and rescue me from the mighty waters, from the hands of foreigners whose mouths are full of lies, whose right hands are deceitful. Psalm 144:3-8 [NIV]
• O: Jesus Christ is returning, and the time is drawing near.
• A: The time is drawing near. That's what Bible scholars tell us. That's what the Bible teaches us. Jesus Christ is returning soon, in all of His majestic glory, and God's wrath will be unleashed on the Enemy. But what does "drawing near" mean? To God, a day is like a thousand years, a thousand years are like a day. Our finite minds cannot measure time from God's perspective. We created the 24 hour day, the 30 day month, the 365 day year. As God measures time, the Lord could return any day. And when He returns, He will collect His followers and take them to Paradise with Him. Those who have rejected Him will remain for a time of Great Tribulation. Life will not be easy then. Where will you be? Are you prepared for the Lord's return? Or for a time of Great Tribulation? The choice is Yours.
• P: Father, while those of us who choose You are ready for Your Son to return, there are so many who aren't ready. Use us, Lord, to reach them for You.

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God is Knocking

Today's Daily Soap {Scripture | Observation | Application | Prayer}

• S: From the very first day, we were there, taking it all in—we heard it with our own ears, saw it with our own eyes, verified it with our own hands. The Word of Life appeared right before our eyes; we saw it happen! And now we're telling you in most sober prose that what we witnessed was, incredibly, this: The infinite Life of God himself took shape before us. We saw it, we heard it, and now we're telling you so you can experience it along with us, this experience of communion with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. Our motive for writing is simply this: We want you to enjoy this, too. Your joy will double our joy! This, in essence, is the message we heard from Christ and are passing on to you: God is light, pure light; there's not a trace of darkness in him. If we claim that we experience a shared life with him and continue to stumble around in the dark, we're obviously lying through our teeth—we're not living what we claim. But if we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God's Son, purges all our sin. If we claim that we're free of sin, we're only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other hand, if we admit our sins—make a clean breast of them—he won't let us down; he'll be true to himself. He'll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing. If we claim that we've never sinned, we out-and-out contradict God—make a liar out of him. A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of God. 1 John 1 [MSG]
• O: "The infinite life of God Himself took shape before us."
• A: Different denominations of the Christian faith will sometimes engage in a dangerous debate. Was Jesus Christ a prophet? The Son of God? Or God Himself in the form of man? This question is answered several places in the Bible, though the answer often goes overlooked. Jesus Christ was God made man. Not "God-made man" (that would be Adam and all the rest of us), but God, made man. God made into a man. God in the flesh -- in the form of man. Emmanuel: God with us. Some stumble with the fact that Jesus referred to "the Father," meaning God -- even prayed to Him -- during His time on Earth. Does this mean that He prayed to Himself, or that He was not actually God in the flesh? If you are a believer of God and follower of Jesus, then you likely know that God is everywhere. Meaning that He was here, on Earth, as Jesus, and at the same time in Heaven, as the Father. If we believe that God has the power needed to have spoken the world into existence, why must we think that He might be limited by things of His own creation -- such as time, space, and the physical realm? Such a powerful God certainly isn't limited by the things of Earth. God is everywhere, all the time. Looking over my shoulder as I write this. Looking over yours as you read it. Hopefully living in your heart. Or certainly, at the very least, knocking and asking you to invite Him in. Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me. Revelation 3:20 [KJV] Will you open the door and invite Him in?
• P: Father God, You are truly an awesome God, Creator of all things, in all places at all times. By Your awesome power You existed as both God and man at the same time. You died for us and live today, so that we might live forever with You. Knock, Lord. Knock loudly, so that others might hear, answer, and invite You in, to experience the awesome power of Your endless love.

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Works

Today's Daily Soap {Scripture | Observation | Application | Prayer}

• S: If anyone loves me, he will carefully keep my word and my Father will love him—we'll move right into the neighborhood! Not loving me means not keeping my words. The message you are hearing isn't mine. It's the message of the Father who sent me. John 14:24 [MSG]
• O: We show our love for Jesus by keeping his word and doing his works.
• A: I've journaled before about the difference between belief and works, and how one gets us to Heaven and the other pays our rewards after getting to Heaven. While works don't make the grade, it is by doing God's works and obeying His words that we display our love for Him for all to see. It's like oxygen and carbon dioxide. If we breathe in oxygen, we must breathe out carbon dioxide. That's just the way out works. Similarly, if we take Jesus Christ into our hearts as our Lord and Savior, we must breathe out good works, and obey His words. It's not possible to do the first without the last. Not genuinely, that is, and not for long. If we say we love God and we don't show it, because we continue to wallow in sin, what kind of love is it really? If you say you love your spouse, yet you continually betray her, what kind of love is it? It is a deep and abiding love for Christ Jesus that first moves us to accept Him as our Savior, and second gives us the undeniable desire to obey His will. How can we love Him and not show it? How can we love Him and not want everyone to experience the power of His love? We cannot.
• P: Father, Thank You for your love, and for Your plan of salvation. Thank You for sending Your Son to pay the price for my sins. For that which I am wholly unworthy, Thank You. Guide me now, Lord, as I try to obey Your will, to do Your works, and to share Your love with those I encounter on a daily basis. Use me as tool, Lord, to grow Your kingdom.

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Our Choice to Make

Today's Daily Soap {Scripture | Observation | Application | Prayer}

• S: "I've got something to say. Is anybody listening? I've a warning to post. Will anyone notice? It's hopeless! Their ears are stuffed with wax— deaf as a post, blind as a bat. It's hopeless! They've tuned out God. They don't want to hear from me. But I'm bursting with the wrath of God. I can't hold it in much longer. "So dump it on the children in the streets. Let it loose on the gangs of youth. For no one's exempt: Husbands and wives will be taken, the old and those ready to die; Their homes will be given away— all they own, even their loved ones— When I give the signal against all who live in this country." God's Decree. Jeremiah 6:10-11 [MSG]
• O: As God's wrath builds, the time of the end is drawing near. How we will spend eternity is up to us.
• A: The Bible teaches us that we will all be judged in the end. God's people will be given the gift of eternity, then judged for their works and rewarded accordingly. Those who have rejected God and turned away from Him will be judged according to their works and then cast into the lake of fire for eternity. It sounds brutal and cruel. Many ask, "How can He be a God of love if He's going to send people to Hell?" Or, "Why would He send people to Hell if He's a God of love?" They justify their rejection of God by saying Hell can't be literal, because a God of love wouldn't send people to Hell. They're right. And wrong. A God of love He is, and He wants to reward everyone with eternal life with Him. We were created to worship and glorify God. And He's made it so easy for us to receive the gift of eternal life. 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 [NIV] But there's more. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. John 3:18 [NIV] God has already given us the gift of eternal life. It is up to us to receive this gift by accepting His Son Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. By refusing to receive this awesome gift we are instead accepting the condemnation of eternal suffering in Hell. God doesn't send us to Hell so much as we choose to go there by failing to heed God's warning call. Eternal life to all who will accept it. For those too deaf and blind to heed the warnings: Hell. It's our choice to make.
• P: Father, You made the choise so clear to me at an early age. In fact, there is no choice at all. The only choice to make is eternal life. Help me now to understand how some can fail to heed the warning and choose eternity in Hell over eternity with You. Use me, Lord, as a tool to show them the Light.

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Belief

Today's Daily Soap {Scripture | Observation | Application | Prayer}

• S: Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval." Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?" Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." John 6:26-29 [NIV]
• O: The one requirement of God: believe in the One He has sent.
• A: Good deeds, living right, going to church regularly, being Baptized -- these are all things too commonly accepted as tickets to Heaven. Jesus Christ Himself said only one thing is necessary to do the works of God: ...believe in the One He has sent. For it is by His grace, through our faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, that we are saved. Meet that one small requirement -- believe -- and everything else will fall into place.
• P: Thank You for making it so easy to receive the gift of Salvation.

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Heeding the Warning

Today's Daily Soap {Scripture | Observation | Application | Prayer}

• S: The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The LORD takes vengeance on his foes and maintains his wrath against his enemies. The LORD is slow to anger and great in power; the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet. Nahum 1:2-3 [NIV]
• O: God will punish His enemies.
• A: I had an online discussion recently with someone who claims to be a devout Christian. Someone who doesn't believe that God would cause harm to people as punishment. Many people believe that God is all cake and cookies, the He is all good and incapable of causing anyone any harm. Of course He is all good, but through his wrath God has and will punish His enemies. As Nahum warned Ninevah, God will take revenge and, though He is slow to anger, He will not allow the guilty to go unpunished. Ninevah did not heed Nahum's warnings and was exposed to God's might wrath. Why today do so many resist the call to salvation? Eternal Life if you choose, eternal fire if you ignore. What can be so hard about that?
• P: You made the choice clear to me twelve years ago, Lord. The choice of Eternal Life. Help me to tell others of this wondrous gift.

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One Faith

Today's Daily Soap {Scripture | Observation | Application | Prayer}

• S: 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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. John 3:16-18 [NIV]
• O: Jesus came to be our Savior, and failing to believe in Him is an eternal death sentence.
• A: It is often quoted -- John 3:16. That Jesus came to give us everlasting life. It's quite clear, really, that He is the one and only path to Heaven. But lest we fail to understand completely, John also explained in further detail in verse 18 that by failing to believe in Jesus Christ as the One and Only Son of God, our Savior, we can just as easily condemn ourselves to eternal death. Many politicians will try to say that any faith is good, that we all believe in the same God, and that if we live a good life we will go to Heaven. That just isn't true. Only one faith teaches that Jesus Christ is the path to eternal life. Believing in God is important, yes. But knowing His Son as your Savior is irreplaceable.
• P: Lord, help me today to share the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ with someone.

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God In The Flesh

Today's Daily Soap {Scripture | Observation | Application | Prayer}

• S: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only Begotten, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:1-3, 14 [NIV]
• O: Jesus has always been.
• A: I have a relative who doesn't quite understand the concept of a triune God. She doesn't understand how God and Jesus have co-existed forever. She doesn't understand how Jesus could simultaneously be the Son of God and God Himself. Doesn't understand why, then, He was born a baby by His mother, Mary. She was raised in one of those old, old religions that puts more effort into making it's own rules than it does into just living right by God. Today's version of the Pharisees. John the Baptist makes it very clear in the opening of his Gospel, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. When it all began, there was God and the Word. And not only was the Word with God, but the Word was God. Who was the Word? John continues, The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only Begotten, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. Only one person has ever been referred to as "the One and Only Begotten." Jesus Christ. "Who came from the Father." Jesus Christ. "Full of grace and truth." Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, who came to dwell among man, became man so that he could die to once and forever pay the penalty for our sins. The ultimate price, paid by the Almighty. The Son of God. The Word. God in the flesh.
• P: Thank You, Father, for loving me so much that You would stoop to my level, become man, die for my sins, then arise and go to prepare a place for me to spend all eternity. You truly are an awesome God!

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Victory Parades

Today's Daily Soap {Scripture | Observation | Application | Prayer}

• S: Since the children are made of flesh and blood, it's logical that the Savior took on flesh and blood in order to rescue them by his death. By embracing death, taking it into himself, he destroyed the Devil's hold on death and freed all who cower through life, scared to death of death. Hebrews 2:14-15 [MSG] In the Messiah, in Christ, God leads us from place to place in one perpetual victory parade. Through us, he brings knowledge of Christ. Everywhere we go, people breathe in the exquisite fragrance. 2 Corinthians 2:14 [MSG]
• O: Christ turns funeral processions into victory parades.
• A: What is the one thing that most people fear more than any other? Death. Really. When you get right down to the nitty gritty, most people would say that their greatest fear is dying. And the majority of those who would say that are among those who don't know themselves to be saved by the blood of Jesus Christ. My mother passed away several years (6 or 7) ago after a long and ugly battle with cancer. It consumed her, literally. She knew that it was cancer long before the disease could be medically diagnosed. When it was diagnosed it was found to be running rampant through her body. Hope was slim. Hope, that is, of defeating the cancer and maintaining her earthly existence. But it wasn't her earthly existence that really mattered. Her real enemy was not cancer. My mother defeated the ultimate enemy -- Satan -- long ago when she accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. It is for this reason that the things of the earth had no hold over my mother. Not even cancer. She knew her Lord, knew where she was spending eternity, and was eager to meet Him. It was her conviction to her faith that allowed her to let go gracefully of this life, to receive her new body, and to be welcomed into the loving arms of Christ. And it was that same conviction to faith that she taught her children that allowed us to let her go -- to actually encourage her to go home to the Lord -- and that turned her funeral procession into a victory parade. As hundreds and hundreds of souls that she touched showed up to pay their last respects to my mother, while we felt the loss of her passing, we celebrated in her victory over death through eternal life with God. I still miss Mom dearly today -- sometimes achingly. But I rejoice in the fact that I'll some day see her again in Paradise.
• P: Lord, Thank You for victory. Thank You for making it possible to spend eternity with You, just as my mother is doing now.

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