We can make Jesus famous by making Him Center of our hearts, Center of our families, Center of our church gatherings, and Center of our daily lives.

Consider the name given to Jesus at His birth – Immanuel meaning, “God is with us”(Matt 1:23). John 3:16 declares that God the Father sent Jesus His only Son to give Him as the sacrifice for our sins so that He could live with us – here and forever.

After listening one day to a lot of news about Canadian and world politics, I got tired of it; so that evening I sat down to read Jeremiah to focus instead on God’s Kingdom politics. My eyes became glued on two verses in chapter 23. Here we see God’s description of a false prophet. How would you describe the very nature of a false prophet? ______. Here is God’s description of such in verse 18: “Has any of these prophets been in the LORD’S presence to hear what he is really saying? Has even one of them cared enough to listen?” And verse 22: “If they had stood before me and listened to me, they would have spoken my words, and they would have turned my people from their evil ways and deeds.”

How can we as God’s servants receive His direction if we don’t spend time in His presence? How can we as individual followers of Jesus or as groups in local church meetings or in missions planning and strategizing hear “what He is really saying?” Do we care “enough to listen” to Him?

It is thus that we can practice Christmas, the presence of Christ, Emmanuel, each day. He is to be the Center of our lives in our love, thoughts, values, traditions, and actions. In midst of challenges and struggles may we experience Christmas as “the joy of the Lord is our strength”

Life - A School in Walking with God

Our life on this earth is a school in walking with God.

He has given us the tool for this – The Bible “Such things are written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.” (Romans 15:4 NLT);

He has given us the means for this – the Holy Spirit “Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.” (Gal 5:25 NLT);

He has given us the focus for this – Jesus “…clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 13:14 NLT)

All this, so that we might get to know our Father “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.” (Eph 1:3,4 NLT).

What a privilege thus to walk with God!

Keys of Kingdom of Heaven

After Jesus had questioned the disciples as to His identity, He gave an astounding affirmation to Peter’s answer and an astounding statement regarding the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven.

“Jesus replied, ‘You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.” (Matt.16:17-19 NLT)

The church had not yet been formed, so Peter could be taken as a token of the church, then future. Since Peter received the information from the Father, the keys must be figurative of the Gospel of Jesus. Peter was given the keys to preach the Good News to the Jews, and later to the Gentiles. Jesus, by His authority, commissioned all of His followers to preach the Gospel to the world.

Peter makes a comment about this in 1 Peter 2:9 NLT: “…you are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God...”

This truth gives me greater boldness in sharing the Gospel of Jesus by looking for and anticipating opportunities.

The Father's Covenant

“I am the way, the truth and the life…” John 14:6a NLT

Jesus is the essence of these three absolutes. Consider the first one – “I am the way.” There is no other way to the Father than through Jesus.

Since the Father is holy, no sin can be in His presence. His love, though, provided the way for us to relate to Him in holiness. He sent Jesus and made Him sin for us and poured out His wrath upon His Son. The result? We can be healed – saved – by Jesus’ stripes! By dying on the cross, He paid the penalty that was due us, and He was raised so that we could become just before God.

Therefore Jesus commanded us to remember Him, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people – an agreement confirmed with my blood.” Thus when we drink of this cup, it is a symbol of that agreement and of Jesus’ being the only way to the Father.
What a marvel! What a mystery! “…since we have been made right in God’s (the Father’s) sight by faith, we have peace with God (the Father) because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.” (Romans 5:1 NLT)

Jesus Christ the Head

We have many “heads” in our society – heads of state, heads of departments, heads of organizations – and we have a tendency to make room for a head of a church.
I am challenged, though, with the truth found in Colossians 1:18a

“Christ is…the head of the church, which is his body.”

This is a marvelous reality. Every believer in Christ is a member of His body, having been baptized into that body by the Holy Spirit.

“But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.” (1Corithians 12:13 NLT)

Connections with other people might fall flat, but our connection with Jesus Christ stands as a rock. He is the Father’s supreme gift to us, His body. And what a gift! He alone deserves to be the head of the church – our Savior, eternal Lamb, King of kings, Good Shepherd, Brother, Bridegroom, Advocate, Friend.

My challenge is how to function within the body of which He is the Head. For one thing, Christ’s headship alerts me to pay more attention to what He says than to what people say. It moves me to learn more about what it means to follow Him.

I am challenged by God's Word with the questions: Am I truly a follower of Jesus Christ or am I a follower of a church, mission, books, or the Internet? How can I find out?

Take a look at Psalm 145:10-12 for a description of a follower of Jesus.

All of your works will thank you, LORD, and your followers will praise you. They will speak of the glory of your kingdom; they will give examples of your power. They will tell about your mighty deeds and about the majesty and glory of your reign."

This passage greatly influences me to think more and more from His perspective. To reinforce this direction in your life, meditate on Colossians chapter 1 each day for about 6 months. Start with verses 1-4, reading this paragraph daily until you know it for memory (without having tried to memorize it). Verse 1 is like a sandwich to me. The first and last phrases speak of spiritual truths of God and in between is what my response to these truths is to be, namely "to set (my) sights on the realities of heaven."

For your convenience, here is the first paragraph:

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God's right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is you like, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.

Enjoy walking with God as Christ's follower with your sights on eternity with Him.

God's Plan

In reading the Book of Zechariah, I was greatly encouraged by the following verses. They shed a positive light on what is yet to come, perhaps soon.

Zech 1:14b,17b, "My love for Jerusalem and Mount Zion is passionate and
strong...the LORD will again comfort Zion and choose Jerusalem as his own."

Scholars in Jesus day did not recognize His first coming. When they were tested by the wise men as to their knowledge about where the King was to be born, they did well ... in Bethlehem. But they totally missed seeing Jesus. My thinking is that they did not know the God of the Bible.
They studied about God, but missed Him.

Are we doing the same? Might we be unprepared for Christ's second coming because we study about God but fail to walk with Him? If we truly follow Jesus, the spotless Lamb who was slain for our sins, we eagerly look forward to His coming back as the mighty King.

I was deeply touched by reading Zechariah chapters 1 through 4. I am trying to understand what God has given us here in relation to our times and the Lord's return. I want to avoid carnal hype about end times. Hype produces fear; love for God dispels fear.

Looking forward to Christ's coming is a living faith that rejoices in that truth even
when we find ourselves in difficult circumstances. Jesus is our example.

"Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its
shame." (Hebrews 12:2b NLT)

Humility and pride do not mix.

While I lay awake last night, I was thinking, "What does it mean to humble myself before God?" Daniel 10:12 reads,

Then he said, "Don't be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven." (NLT)

A definition of humbling myself before God is committing myself to following/submitting myself to His way. What helps me in understanding humility is comparing it to the opposite, namely, pride. Pride - I follow my way. My ideas replace God's ideas; my thinking replaces God's thinking; my philosophy replaces God's Word. The result is death. Humbling myself before God results in life. The following truths from God's Word encourage humility: (NLT)

Isa 57:15, "I restore the crushed spirit of the humble."

Ps 69:32, "The humble will see their God at work and be glad."

Ps 138:6, "Though the LORD is great, he cares for the humble."

Jesus said: Matt 11:29, "Let me teach you, because I am humble and
gentle."

Luke 14:11, "...those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those
who humble themselves will be exalted."

1 Peter 5:5b, "...God opposes the proud but favors the humble."

Humility is necessary in order to walk with God and enjoy fellowship with Him.

Jesus Christ

Christ's coming was not to create guilt, but to demonstrate, and better yet, be a vehicle of God's love to us. The cross is a dramatic expression of His love and a clear invitation for people to come to Him and be saved. This love of God in Christ is the only basis for anyone's relationship and friendship with God. This seems to be the theme of that Curious Book called the Bible.
Let's check it out.
"For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him."

John 3:16,17 (New Living Translation)

Here are a few of the many truths of how we can experience a growing relationship with God:
"And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts."
Colossians 3:15a (NLT)
"Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives."
Colossains 5:16a (NLT)

John 3:16 - God

John 3:16

"For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."



This Scripture verse focuses on the Father - His loving, His giving, His saving. It is He who expressed His love to us in a most profound way. He loved us so much that He didn't send His most superior angel, but rather His only Son - Jesus Christ. We can add nothing to what He has done. We are only to obey Him by believing what He did for us in sending Jesus and receiving His Son. This results in something as great as His love - transferring us from the state of perishing to having eternal life. This transformation is done by the Holy Spirit Whom He sent. The whole Trinity is involved! We are invited to join the sovereign Lord in deep fellowship that overflows with joy no matter what the circumstances might be.

Your comments are welcome: William.ndfw@gmail.com

William

I enjoy "this and that's" from God's Word. Often I jot down inspiring thoughts, questions, or ideas as I read or meditate and I'd like to share these concepts once or twice a week.