Scripture: Micah 5:2,4-5

In Joshua I5, the cities of the land were divided among the tribes of Israel. Bethlehem, however, was too small and insignificant to be mentioned. Although it was “too little to be among the clans,” God selected it to hold the honor of being the birthplace of the Messiah.

God demonstrates his use of the weak and foolish to be the source of his mightiest works. Great things do come in small packages.

Just as Bethlehem was considered insignificant, so perhaps did the people consider the infant Jesus as an unlikely candidate for the Messiah.

Yet, within the being of the gentle baby Jesus, resided the glory and majesty of the great Triune God.

The Word of God, in communion with the Father and the Spirit in eternity past, did not burst forth into history with great fanfare, but amidst the sounds of common animals in their stalls. And during that dark night a star shone overhead and guided the Wisemen to this newborn Savior.

We have only to remember that in the darkest night, there is a bright star, indeed the Morning Star, who pierces the darkness to say that “in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

A small start is often the crack of opportunity for the great and powerful God. Next time you think you are too small or insignificant for God to use you, remember Bethlehem. Remember that the Savior of the world came as a small child. Remember that in the darkest night the morning Star will be there to guide your way and include you in his plan!

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Scripture: Isaiah 11:1 and Jeremiah 23:5

E is for Eternal, how long God’s love will last.
V is for Victory, won when Christ was born.
E is for Everything, how much we mean to Him.
R is for Rejoicing, that He saved us from our sins.
L is for Leaving, when Christ left all else behind.
A is for Almighty, for God’s power never fails.
S is for Salvation, something precious to our hearts.
T is for Tomorrow, and the hope He always brings.
I is for Incredible, how we see Him in our minds.
N is for Never, He will NEVER let us down.
G is for God, the Father, who will always love, protect and guide forever and ever, amen.

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Scripture: Isaiah 9:6-7

King and Father

When Isaiah spoke about government, he had in mind the person of a king. The king carried the burden of authority upon his shoulders as he ruled over a nation. Yet Isaiah used titles that we would not readily ascribe to kings. One of those titles was the Everlasting Father. What did he mean by it?

Another possible translation of the Everlasting Father is “a Father forever”. God is eternal but here Isaiah also says that God cares for his people constantly.

What a beautiful and encouraging thought this is for us. Nothing can interrupt God’s love and care for us because the child was given for our salvation. Even those who are presently rejecting Jesus Christ, they can enjoy the love of God if they repent, change their minds and receive the gift of the Everlasting Father in his Son Jesus Christ.

The rule of the King is just and righteous. The law is given and upheld. No unrighteousness is over-looked. The life of Jesus Christ was the foretaste and the assurance of such reign. Jesus was loving and righteous at the same time. He enforced righteousness and offered love throughout his life here on earth. And he will do the same throughout eternity.

Remember then that Advent is not just about a glorious past event. The Everlasting Father has control over the present and the future filled with his loving care based on the justice of a holy God.

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Scripture: Psalm 24

Why can’t we see God?

That’s a question most parents have heard; and while the theological prohibitions are obvious, I suspect most of us hold some mental picture of the Majesty of God and Heaven.

Now, hold this image for a moment, and think of Jesus leaving this grandeur, to be born in a lowly barn in Bethlehem. Think of the Mighty God becoming one of us! God, “who never slumbers or sleeps” will now need sleep! God who could be everywhere at once, will now be limited to one place at a time! The God who created all things, must now depend on human parents for daily care.

Awesome to consider, isn’t it?

But wait, now consider “The Mission” – The reason for Him becoming an “earthling” was to die! He became one of us so He could do the one thing we could not do for ourselves – eradicate sin.

After man sinned, God could have wiped us out and started over with a new creation. But no, instead He engineered an elaborate, and intricate redemption plan that cost the very life of the Son of God.

Why? Why did He care so much?

There can be no other motivation but LOVE. And if, during this season, we can grasp even a portion of this great love for us, it will cause us to shout with the Christmas angels: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth Peace, Good Will toward men.”

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Sripture: Psalm 17:6-8

From the poetry of David we have a rich heritage that leads us to some of the most effective ways to worship God.

The striking truth found in the life of David and particularly in this psalm is not that David was simply a powerful or righteous man; the striking truth is that a man so powerful and so righteous needed a Savior. David cries out to God, “Show me the wonder of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes.” David, a man of power and righteousness, needed a Savior.

So it is with all men. For if the mighty need a Savior, how much more those of us who are only average or even weak.

While constantly being pursued by his enemies David learned a very important lesson. The issue is not the ability or the inability of a man to save himself. The issue is the enormity of the predicament that he is in. No man can hope to win a battle in which the odds are stacked against him. His only hope is in God. In such a situation it is God alone who saves.

And the same is true for each of us. The issue is not our ability or inability to save ourselves but the enormity of the predicament that we face. Thanks be to God that our predicament has been matched by his sending us the one who would be called “Mighty God” and He is Jesus Christ our Savior. “Born to us, in the city of David, is a Savior”

All men, no matter how powerful and righteous, need a Savior, and all men, no matter how weak and wicked have a Savior.

Take a few moments to thank Jesus Christ, the Mighty God for what He’s done for you.

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Scripture: Psalm 147:4-5

Praise to the Gracious and Mighty God

In Psalm 147, the grace of God was revealed when he restored his people, who had been in exile from their homeland, to Israel. Yahweh was the one who, by his grace, healed the shattered in heart, attending their painful sorrows.

The power of God is then revealed in verses 4-6 by his mastery of the stars and his unsearchable wisdom. God’s grace compelled him to “lift up the downtrodden.” God’s power allowed him to “cast the wicked to the ground.” He is truly the gracious and mighty God.

These attributes are magnified during this special season we call Christmas. The coming of the Messiah is the ultimate demonstration of the grace and power of God. In God’s mercy he was willing to send his own son into a sinful world. In his power he is able to forgive our sin and restore rebellious human beings.

Today may we “Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above”

Sing praise to God who reigns above,
The God of all creation, the God of power,
The God of love, the God of our salvation;
With healing balm my soul he fills,
And every faithless murmur stills:
To God all praise and glory!

What God’s almighty power hath made,
His gracious mercy keepeth,
By morning glow or evening shade
His watchful eye never sleepeth;
Within the kingdom of his might,
Lo! All is just and all is right:
To God all praise and glory!

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Scripture: Psalm 145:1-3

Dear God,
I will exalt You as my God and King, l will praise your name forever and ever. Every day I will praise You and exalt Your name forever and ever. Great are You Lord and most worthy of praise; Your greatness no one can understand…
Yours for eternity,
David

Our praises should be like David’s, “Every day I will praise You and exalt Your name. . . ”

Although sometimes, in the hustle and frustrations of life, that may seem hard to do. Sometimes we find ourselves worshipping God only on Sundays and forgetting our faith during the week.

We remember Christ at Christmas and Easter but forget him the rest of the year. Why can’t everyday be a celebration of Christ?

We must praise God every day, lift up His name every day because he has promised us that He will never leave us!

God is so good. He knows us so well and understands the things we have to face daily. We must remember that we serve a Mighty God, His love for us endureth forever and the things of the world will pass away but we will be with Him forever. We can praise His name forever and ever.

Today as you exalt the Lord in your personal worship, let the things of the world disappear in your mind and focus all of your attention on the Eternal. Follow David’s example and write a letter or song of praise to God. Keep this in your Bible or on your nightstand and refer to it often, especially when the world begins to take hold of you.

Remember that our God is a Mighty God, a Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace and the Everlasting Father all year long and not just at Christmas!

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Scripture: Luke 2:14

Let’s try to imagine going back in time to that glorious event when the heavenly host met with the shepherds. We read that the glory of the Lord shone around them. This manifestation of God’s glory was so sudden and so extraordinary that these shepherds were terrified.

How many of us would behave differently? We would probably think that beings from another planet had finally arrived, and we were their first victims.

But that was not true during the first Christmas.

The angel spoke immediately asking them not to be afraid. What they witnessed was the true manifestation of the glory of God. The Good News was proclaimed about the Messiah. To top it all off, the shepherds got a preview of the heavenly atmosphere as the angels praised God saying: “Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests. ”

Here we have the hymn called the Gloria in Excelsis Deo. The angels could not contain their desire to praise God, so they burst into a chorus that gave us the foretaste of future glory that we will experience forever in the presence of a glorious God.

There is one thing for us to do. As we give glory to God, we should not forget that God wants “on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

Christmas is a great time to expose others to the glory of God so that they may find peace in Him.

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Scripture: Luke 2:25-32

I wonder if we’ll spend Christmas in Singapore or at home this year?
The kids will be disappointed if we can’t buy them the presents they have been wanting…
It’s only a few more weeks till Christmas and we haven’t planned out the meal or even figured out exactly how we will spend it.
We have so much going on this Christmas with the choir practices for the cantata, the company parties that we have to go to, Christmas shopping, decorating … where will we get all the time?

Does this sound like Christmas around your house?

We get so busy with all of the duties and events of the Christmas season that it’s hard to find time to stop for even a moment to be silent and just listen to the quiet voice of the Holy Spirit. But that is what a man by the name of Simeon did, and a wonderful revelation was given to him. His heart was filled with joy when he got to witness the baby Jesus, sent to be the Savior of all mankind.

Find the time this Christmas season to be still and listen for your quiet voice.

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Scripture: Matthew 1:18-20

During the Christmas season, music, food, decorations, and traditions bring back cherished memories of Christmas with your family as a child. There are special tree ornaments and the nativity scene. The image of “baby Jesus” being cared for by Joseph and Mary filled us with wonder.

It is still difficult to grasp the fact that the Son of God became the Son of Man, that the infant in the manger who was as helpless and as dependent upon his parents as any other human child… was also God. We know the infant Jesus was divine for an angel of the Lord told Joseph to take Mary home as his wife for “what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit” (Matthew I:20).

In order to save us from our sin, Christ had to physically take our place on the cross. He had to become man.

By being born of Mary, Christ experienced all that it means to be human – love, joy, sorrow, pain, blessing, and temptation. This means that we have a Savior who understands us perfectly, who knows how we feel. He alone deserves the title Wonderful Counselor!

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