“The Lord is my Shepherd.”
What an amazing truth that is! The eternal, almighty Lord of heaven and earth is MY Shepherd. He takes care of my every need so that “I shall not want.” I will not lack any good thing.
Few books draw the reader to know and feel the love of the Savior as does this account of life under the care of the Good Shepherd. From our being lost Read More »Sheep & Shepherds
Many people like to brag to others about what they have or what they’ve done.
The child on the playground may brag about what his dad can do. He may even get into a “My dad’s better… stronger than your dad” argument with other kids.
As adults we are inclined to brag about our children or grandchildren and their accomplishments. If one proves to be better than others, or has cuter grandkids than others, it might be said that he has the “bragging rights.”
As Christians we are somewhat reluctant to brag about ourselves, for in His Word our God warns about the destructiveness of pride. However, we do have the greatest bragging rights when it comes to our God. We truly have a God and Father who is greater than all.
We can rightfully and proudly brag and boast about our God!!Read More »Reaching Out with the Gospel… “Bragging Rights”
When I was a young child, I recall feeling somewhat disappointed when I heard this Bible verse. It was building up to a grand conclusion, “If you then, being evil know how to give good gifts….” Then I expected, “How much more will your heavenly Father give even greater gifts to those who ask!”
Again, as a child I thought about all the greater things God could give. When the passage continued, it somehow wasn’t quite what I had in mind: “How much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.”
I soon realized that there is no greater gift than the Holy Spirit!
Earthly fathers can give us only earthly gifts: food, clothing, a home, and other things to enjoy in this life, but all such things are temporary. Through the Holy Spirit, however, our heavenly Father can give gifts that last forever!Read More »Pray for the Spirit
We are entering what many consider to be their favorite season of the church year – the season of Lent.
Isn’t it interesting that some appreciate the somber season of Lent more than the excitement of a newborn Savior at Christmas? Or the exuberant joy of victory over death at Easter? Without Lent Christmas would be irrelevant; without Lent we would not know the full joy of Easter.Read More »Surveying the Wondrous Cross
He (God) did not give His Son for the purpose of coming to straighten us out.
Of all our customs at Christmas time, gift giving is perhaps the most universal. It may also be the most exciting custom, at least in the minds of children who can’t wait to see what they will get for Christmas. When a gift is received, it’s natural to want to examine it carefully. It is exciting to get something new and to try it out.
However, we don’t want to forget the giver. The gift means so much more when it is given by someone who loves us. While a new shirt or piece of jewelry is nice to receive and a new toy can be fun, the real gift is the love of the person who chose that particular present and paid the price to give it to us.
Isn’t that really what the festival of Christmas is all about? We have received the most incredible gift of all – the eternal, holy Son of God, wrapped in the flesh of a little baby. We rejoice in that gift. He is beautiful and wonderful. We want to examine Him carefully and use Him and find our joy in Him.
“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!”
1 John 3:1
At the same time we don’t want to forget the Giver. We can often tell a lot about the heart of the giver by looking at the gift. When we really love and care for someone, we as the givers don’t want to get any old piece of junk just to have something to give. Instead, don’t we spend time searching for something that will be meaningful and will last?
Also, the more the person means to us, the more we will be willing to sacrifice to get something really special, because love knows no bounds. The greater the sacrifice, the greater the love of the giver.Read More »The Festival of the Father
