Thoughts from God for You E-Book

Kay Ashwell

• Herausgeber: Proisle Publishing Services
• Kategorie: Ratgeber
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 430

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

This book will encourage people to find hope, joy, love, faith, fellowship and be able to live successfully in a negative environment. God wants His creation to live happy productive lives. Satan is out to destroy everything good. History tells us how things repeat themselves every few generations. God tells us to be mindful and wise of what we wish for, it may come and bite us. This book hopefully brings the true meaning of what Christ came to teach and show us. The way to achieve true peace is to allow God to be in control of our lives. This nation was built on God's principles, but over the years society has become "I" centered. People need to stand up, be strong and say "not my will Lord, but your will." We need to stand up and be counted for living an exemplary life that counters the sinful aspects of our culture so prevalent today, not just sit and complain about them. We can have a successful life but not when we put ME first. We need to open the Scriptures and find Him again. There is love, peace, hope and joy but we have to say His will, His way, my Faith. There is an old song we sang when I was young that says it all. It is a simple little song, the author is unknown, but many have recorded it. "Have faith, hope, and charity. That's the way to live successfully. How do I know? The Bible tells me so. Don't worry about tomorrow. Just be real good today. The Lord is right beside you. He'll guide you all the way. How do I know? The Bible tells me so."

Kay Ashwell is a unique combination of Bible teacher, scholar, and church planter. Over the years she has accumulated a great deal of wisdom about the scriptures and how to live a life devoted to seeking God. I have observed her studying scriptures constantly, indicating her deep desire to understand the messages God has for us. I am confident that you will be blessed by the personal insights she shares with readers of this volume, as she presents both encouragement and warnings about taking our Christian walk seriously. -Kevin Wirth CEO, Leg-cutter Press

Leseprobe

Thoughts

From God

For You

By

Kay Ashwell

Copyright © 2022 by: Kay Ashwell

ISBN:978-1-960224-24-8

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher disclaims any responsibility for them.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Proisle Publishing Services LLC

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Introduction

As I started this book I realized I was going to write an introduction. I also realized I would have to explain many things about myself and what has led me to write a book. I have a very hard time talking about myself at any time but to put it into the public eye has been a new experience for me. The Scriptures used are from the NIV unless others wise stated.

I have been a Christian since I was 12 years old. I had, as many do, built a wall around myself in self-defense and insecurity of being the oldest child. I had wonderful parents, but as the oldest I felt responsible for many things and didn’t feel like I should take their time away from the other kids to listen to my problems, so I built the wall of self-protection.

After I accepted the Lord into my life He started showing me His mercy, grace and peace. I was able to start letting the wall of protection down. It was as if I could see it disappearing a little at a time as I was able to understand why I had built it to start with. One day it was no longer there in front of me. He also showed me how to accept and handle the circumstances in my life.

At the present time, in my 79 years, Christ has been a very active part of my life. He has given me knowledge that could have come only from Him. He has been in control of my life and what I do since I was 12. He has helped me through many negative situations in my life. He has been with me and healed me through some very serious medical problems. He has given me a very positive attitude about life, and how to assist others through situations in their lives.

I believe He has been directing me to write this book for several years. In order to do that I have to tell you what and how He has been there for me all these years. My prayer is it will help others find the comfort and peace He has given me.

It is my firm belief that lessons we have learned are meant to be shared, as difficult as that is for some. I have learned many lessons, had several negative experiences, and had four major surgeries in my life.

Christ has watched over me and been with me through them all. Although in my earlier years as a Christian I didn’t understand all the ways He cared for me, but always felt His peace and the fact that He was showing me how to deal with them, what He wanted me to learn and understand.

Great is your faithfulness and mercy Father. You have been faithful all my life, even when I strayed for a short while. During those years which I allowed the world to guide me you were never far away. You were just waiting for me to open that door you were knocking on. Even then I knew you were with me, and I never forgot who you were and who was calling me back. I can now see how you were working in my life, and I learned what your plan was for my life. I know you allowed me to be in the world for a time so I could understand how deceitful it is. You were preparing me for being able to follow your plan for me. I soon learned the world and what it offers had nothing to offer me.

Since that time, I have tried each day to be the person you desire me to be. It became clear to me I had been called to be a teacher. You have continued to give me the knowledge to understand Scripture and to be able to give that knowledge to others.

There have been several times when I know for certain He has saved my life; the time I was a passenger in a car that went across several railroad tracks under the warning light. I looked up and that engine was close enough to touch, but somehow we made it over the tracks. Then there was the time I should have been hit head-on by a car passing a loaded semi on an S curve; the road being a very narrow 2 lane road with no edges, just ditches. The semi and I were just reaching each other, when the other car came around, I could see the expression of fear on the semi drivers face, when all of a sudden my car went sideways onto a driveway and come to a stop. The other car passed the semi with the three of us abreast. I know I never could have done what happened without help, there was no time for me to react. It had to be the Lord. There is no other explanation for what happened.

He gave me the patience and understanding to raise my four children, four stepchildren and two neighbor kids for six months. Seven of them were teens. I have been given specific instructions over the years and learned patience, which comes from love, His love first.

When I had my hip replaced a number of years ago, He used me in a way I never would have imagined; but one that encouraged many people.

I was not able to be comfortable in bed for a time after I returned home from a rehab facility. I slept in my recliner; I was only able to sleep two to three hours at a time. I remember distinctly Jesus talking to me through all my sleep times. He was reassuring me I was going to be fine; He also gave me insight into several things and several situations going on with friends and the hurt they were experiencing and the church in general. I believe He was preparing me for my next assignment from Him. After a week or so of this I was totally exhausted. I’m the type of person who needs at least six to eight hours of good sleep each night. My husband was going to work, he was a gate keeper for a secured housing development, and I decided it would be a good time to try and figure out how-to sleep-in bed. I had always slept on my right side, but that was the hip I had replaced. I got into bed, lay on my left side and said to Jesus; “I love the fact that you have shown me so many things and taught me the meaning of many Scriptures these past few weeks, but I need 8 hours of sleep. I looked at the clock it said 10 PM. I remember, to this day, of being in a mountain meadow with a huge oak tree in the middle of it, I sat under the tree resting and feeling a cool breeze, I knew Jesus was there, but He never said a word. At about the time I woke up He said to me, “Do you see those sheep over there?” I told him yes, He then said to me, “I want you to feed my sheep.” I woke up and looked at the clock and it said 6 AM, I had been asleep for exactly eight hours.

His words kept ringing in my ears, and about three days later I said to Him, “Lord how am I supposed to feed your sheep? What do you want me to do?” The very next day I awoke at 5 AM, went to the computer and He said type what I give to you. I started typing and a very encouraging thought came into my head. When that thought was finished He had me send it to a few people by e-mail. People He had been telling me about. Almost every morning from that day on I woke up at 5 AM and a new thought would come into my head. I would type it and send it. I didn’t save the first few I wrote, then one day I felt I should be saving them.

Sometimes He would give me a new person to add to the list of those who received those thoughts. I never knew what the thoughts would be until I sat down each morning. There was never any preparation of what was said. I never read them after I sent them but started getting messages back about how that had helped them that day; sometimes they would tell me they had forwarded it on to someone they knew was needing that message. This situation continued every morning for about 1 ½ years. I had thought several times I would quit writing them; then that day I would receive a note from someone who had received one, how the messages had helped them through a very rough situation. One morning I awoke, and the message was not there. Some asked why I quit writing them. At the same time when the thoughts stopped, we had a pastoral change, and I took on the job of Education director and teaching the adult Sunday School Class at my church. I had also taken on a part time job as a cashier at the local Wal-Mart store; Don had to give his job up about a year before.

You will notice as you go through the readings they don’t follow any set pattern. They have been randomly picked out of the 400+ I have written. If there were consecutive writings on a specific Scripture they will follow in order; The Jabez prayer, the warnings in Hebrews, and the Advent series, which starts with the second thought and going through Christmas day.

I have never written anything but my Sunday School Class lessons. I researched them each week in preparation for teaching it on Sunday. I also kept getting led to research other things like the book of Revelation. After a while, I started teaching Wednesday evening services on Revelation. This idea of putting together a book of the daily thoughts kept nagging me. I have written hundreds of lessons for Sunday school since then and put together a daily devotional booklet for Advent, which was given to each family in the church to use at home during Advent.

My husband, Don, started showing signs of Dementia about five years ago and four years ago I was diagnosed with a rare cancer, Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma. I had to have surgery and seven weeks of radiation treatments. During this time Don’s Dementia got worse. It was getting to the point I knew I needed to move us closer to the children.

At this time, I have Don at our home near the children. An attack he had in October of 2019 left him virtually bedridden. I have help getting him up and cleaned and dressed for the day and in his recliner, and in the evening to get him ready and in his bed for sleep. I have no idea how long I will have him with me but will care for him at home for the duration. I know one morning I will wake up and Jesus will have called him home. He loves to listen to gospel music and will sing along with the ones he knows. He also talks to Jesus several times a day. Even though I know time is short for me to have Don with me, one is never prepared for when that time comes.

Today March 14, 2020 at 8:35 AM Jesus called my husband Don Home to be with Him. Yet another time God has given me the peace, love, and strength to get through another trial. I know He is with me always.

I don’t know what lies ahead, but God does, and I know He will see me through whatever comes. This book only holds just over 100 of my daily thoughts. Perhaps there will be a second book with more of them; whatever is ahead I know God will direct me and give me the wisdom and strength to get through it and follow His leading.

Jesus has seen me through two other major surgeries. Through all four of them I have either felt him holding my hand or holding me in His arms. There has never been any fear of what was happening or going through the surgeries. I never had to use any pain medications for any of them. It was always offered, but I felt no pain. He has also given me new wisdom and understanding over the years.

As I have read these thoughts for the first time, I find a theme throughout; God is sending out warnings to everyone, everywhere. There are four types of people just as Jesus taught and there are four types of growth. Those who will never come to Him; those who will start believing and then find it easier to follow the ways of the world but like to make others think they are sincere; those who believe and try to follow Him, but for one reason or another didn’t follow up on learning His ways; and those who have stepped up and continue to carry the light to others because they have found He can sustain them every day through whatever comes along.

Revelations 3: 13-16. “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other; so, because you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”

Christians are God’s Church, we are His people, those just playing at being one of His are getting a very clear message. It’s time to get hot in our walk of faith.

Those who do not call the Lord their Father need to make that decision soon, time is getting shorter by the day.

My prayer is that when this book gets published and people who read it will be given new insight to my Jesus. They will come to know Him as Savior and be able to feel HIS PEACE, LOVE, MERCY, JOY and HOPE which I have felt for most of my life.

God bless each of you who read this book.

Kay Ashwell

God, Our Anchor

Good morning;

A blue sky and sunshine brings renewed hope. The earth is renewed from the rain. Some would say our country has new hope. Regardless of what you expected or wanted from the 2012 election, one thing is sure. It will bring about some sort of change. Good or bad no one knows at this point. But one thing we know for sure as Christians our God never changes. The promises He has made He will keep.

Hebrews 6:17-20, "Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, He confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie; we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuarybehind the curtain, whereJesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf.”

Unlike the world and governments, our God is unchangeable. We can depend on Him to be here for us whenever we are in need and come to Him. It says He is an anchor for our soul. An anchor in a ship or boat holds it firm and steady, that’s what God does when we stand firm on His promises. He holds us firm and strong. Ready to deal with anything our enemy throws at us. We just have to calm the promises and obey the directions He is giving us.

This is sort of a second thought, but not entirely separate. When I think of our country, as I have the past couple of days, with all the election news; I am reminded when I look out front and see our flag gently flying in the breeze, how firm our men and women have stood in their hope of keeping freedom alive.

They are unwavering in their duty, in their love of country. When I look at our flag I always think of the Star Spangled Banner. Most of us know it, but sadly many of our children and grandchildren don’t know the words of the first stanza. There are other stanzas that are not as well known.

"Oh, say, can you see, By the dawn's early light, What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming...The Star Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave o’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!”

We may be in a war zone all day, to go home to a safe haven knowing that our God has been there with us. But we should also realize we may only have a few hours of rest before it starts all over again. But remember, God is always on the throne, just as our service men and women are always on guard of our freedoms.

The other verse of the song, which I love and wish we all knew,

“Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation! Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, and this be our motto, in God is our trust.”

Yes, God is our trust, our redeemer, our hope for the future; not only for us and an eternal home with Him, but for our nation, an anchor for the rest of the world. When you pray; always remember our service men and women and our country. It needs to stand firm in these unchanging times. Just as we need to stand firm in our love for our God and the promises we have in Him. He is our anchor in this world.

Have a great day and God Bless

Advent and Preparation

Good morning.

Tomorrow starts the Advent Season! This has been a special time in my life since I was a young girl. We would always have our manger scene up and the advent wreath ready. Some may not know what Advent is. The word advent comes from Latin meaning "come" and refers to Jesus coming into our world. It starts 4 Sundays prior to Christmas Day. The Festival of Christmas wasn't established until the fourth century. Advent was originally 40 days long. It represented the four thousand years of patient waiting on the part of the Hebrews for the promised Messiah.

The meaning of Advent is the longing for deliverance from oppression along with the anticipation of the Messiah. It is a time of prayer, not of fasting as some think. It is a time to be centering on God who gave us His son Jesus, who is the King of Grace.

The Advent wreath is very symbolic of Christ and the purpose for using one is to deepen our understanding of Christmas. Some of you may be saying to yourself, I know the meaning of Christmas and the coming of our Lord. That may be true, but there is nothing like focusing on it every day prior to His birth, you will begin to anticipate His coming. I hope all of you join me today and every day this advent season.

Make your Advent wreath today and be ready to light a candle each day with me. The base of the wreath is round and covered with greens. The circular base represents life without end, eternal life. It is also a symbol of God's unending love for each of us. The green which covers the base represent the continuation of a life lived in Christ.

There are five candles, three purple or violet, one pink and one white. The purple candles are lit the 1st, 2nd, and 4th weeks; they symbolize our PENITENCE and PREPARATION. The pink candle lit on the 3rd week is to symbolize our JOY. In the center is the white candle symbolizing CHRIST as the CENTER OF OUR LIFE. (If you can't find purple candies you can use red in their place.)

Now you are ready to light the candle of the week each day and have a time of devotion in your home. It doesn't matter if you are single, a couple, or a whole family. Set aside time each day to light the candle, have the daily devotion, and pray. My children grew up with it and some still use it in their homes each year. It is a good tradition to start if you don't already do it. Each day from tomorrow through Christmas Day I am going to give you a scripture and devotional focus for the day.

This was laid on my heart last evening and I pray that it will be a blessing to you the next four weeks as we look expectantly to the coming of our Savior and King. This will be a very busy time in most of our lives, but take time to focus on our Lord and the meaning of this season. If you are alone you will be drawn even closer to the one who is keeping you now in his loving hands. If you are a couple this special time each day will not only draw you closer to the Lord, but it will draw you closer to each other. If you have family it will draw the family closer together as you take time to share and become united together in the bond of love which is given by our Lord and the children will gain a sense of expectancy of His birth and understand what this Christmas season is all about; a lasting impression for life, not just on what presents they get.

Another thing I did with my children was to have them pick someone who would not have any gifts for Christmas; they would get them a gift and give it to them just prior to Christmas Day. It had to be someone whom they would not receive anything from. This taught them the reason for giving; it also taught them what was given to us by God as a baby is a living gift of love.

Have a great day and God Bless!!!

Advent week One Day one

Good morning;

This is the first day of Advent, a time of preparation for the coming of our Lord and Savior. As Christmas approaches, take comfort and be glad, for once again the Long-awaited One stands at our door! Let us prepare our hearts and home to greet our Lord.

Light the first purple or violet (or red) candle it is the PROPHECY CANDLE. It calls us to Immanuel!

Prepare for the coming event; it reminds us of the prophets of the Old Testament who foretold the coming of the Messiah, Jesus, who would bring peace and love and salvation to the world. Jesus told us, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.

Our first scripture reading is from Isaiah, 9: 2, 6, & 7. Isaiah was a prophet sent by God, about 750 years before the birth of Christ. He was sent to warn the people of Israel about many things including their need to prepare for the coming of the Messiah. The people of Israel were living in darkness; much like the world today is living in darkness. They had a hope that the Messiah would come and bring light to their miserable existence. Jesus did that, He became the light of the world. Never again will people need to live in darkness and despair!

Even though we have the scriptures to tell us how to live in the light and how to have peace and joy in our hearts there is a world around us that is still living in the darkness. There are people who are still living without the hope of the gospel. They are living in hopelessness. We have been given the light; let it shine so others can see it. Pray during this holiday season that God will use you to help spread the light to a world that cannot see. For us, the world is our family, our neighbors, our community and beyond.

Isaiah 9:2; “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”

This is talking about us, Christians, we once walked in darkness, and then God had mercy on us and showed us the light. We no longer have to walk in the shadow of darkness; we have been given the light of God.

Isaiah 2:6; "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace."

What beautiful names; we have been given for Christ. Dwell on these names, Counselor; He is with us giving us help on how to walk our life with Him. Mighty God; we only have to look around us to see the mighty hand of God in creation. Everlasting Father; He is always there for us through eternity. Prince of Peace; when we walk with Him we have the peace He gives us in knowing He is taking care of us. These are promises to us. Remember these names and the promises as you go forward.

Isaiah 2:7, "Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over His kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.”

This is the promises that Jesus will come from the lineage of King David, He will reign over His kingdom, the one to come, with righteousness forever. The zeal, with which He will reign, is like a jealous lover who will not abandon His people.

Let us keep these promises in our hearts and minds as we walk toward our goal of eternity with him. We need not fear, Our Savior is taking care of us. We just have to be willing to let Him. We have a job to do for Him. Pray today that He will have control of every little piece of your life. Then let others, esp. family, know that Jesus loves them too and wants to live with them also. Live in the comfort of verse 6.

Have a great day and God Bless!!

Advent Week one Day two

Good Morning.

Today we light our Prophecy candle and read Isaiah 61:1-4; “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives, and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes; the oil of gladness instead of mourning; and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated, they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.”

Israel is the nation of people God has chosen for His kingdom. Once you have received the mercy of God and have become one of His children you are now a part of the nation of Israel. These words are also the words spoken at the synagogue in Nazareth when Jesus started His ministry. (Luke 4: 16-21)

Through His life and ministry, Jesus fulfilled the words of the wonderful prophecy: God's Spirit was on Him, he preached good tidings, healed the broken-hearted, proclaimed liberty to the captives, and opened the prisons of those who were bound. Today we are fortunate because Jesus continues to perform these same roles in our lives. The scriptures teach of His good news. He draws us ever closer to Himself. He heals the broken hearted; many of us who have suffered or are suffering from fractures of the heart have found this promise to be true. He proclaims freedom for those who are caught in sin; through Him we can experience freedom from these addictions and sins which controls. He continues to call the lonely, the hurt, and the persecuted to Himself. We can find comfort in His promises. We can find shelter in the time of storms in His loving arms. He is our Counselor, our Redeemer, and our Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 41:10 & 13, "So do not fear, for I am with you, do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand...13. For I am the Lord, your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, do not fear; I will help you."

Sometimes the fears we have are imagined, and sometimes they are real. Sometimes we are caught in situations over which we have no control, and sometimes we cause those situations ourselves. But God's word to Israel and to us is the same; 'Do not fear; I will help you.' This is the promise we hold onto as we look expectantly toward Christmas.

Isaiah reminds us of what Jesus is and what He will do for us if we only let Him. He came and still comes to set us free from the sins of this world.

Galatians 5:1 says, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery (sin)."

As we move ever closer to Christmas these and other promises from God should comfort us and give us the joy and peace that can only come from knowing and serving Jesus. Look with anticipation to what He has in store for your life and be glad He is in control. Keep your minds and hearts in touch with Him as we look expectantly to His coming.

Have a great day and God Bless!!

Advent week one Day three

Good morning.

As you light the Prophecy candle today read with me:

Isaiah 40:1-8. "Comfort, my people,” says your God. Verse 3-4, “A voice of one calling in the desert prepare the way for the Lord, make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level. The rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

What a glorious passage! It refers to the coming of a King. In Biblical times, before a King would come everyone would prepare for his arrival. Everything was cleaned; refurbished, painted, and even crooked roads were straightened and fixed. Are we preparing for the arrival of our King?

The theme of this week has been "Prepare." In the middle of the hustle and bustle of Christmas we need to stop long enough to open our hearts to Jesus. We should not give Him the leftovers but should focus our attention upon His coming. What a tragedy if we spend, spend, spend, and find that it was all for nothing, that we were in such a frenzy that we missed the real point and the great joy and contentment of Christmas. In my younger years, I would make sure that the gifts to be given were purchased prior to the beginning of Advent so I could spend time preparing the cards and greetings I was sending out, so I could have time every evening to read and talk about Jesus' coming birth with my children. They still remember the times we spent together making cookies, candies, listening to Christmas carols, reading the Christmas and winter stories. I haven't had any little ones around at Christmas time for several years, but I still like to read the Christmas story, listen to Christmas music and my heart is still filled with Joy and memories.

We have to prepare for the Lord's coming, especially His second coming. What are you doing to prepare for Jesus' coming? Are you ready if He should come today? We need to be in communion with Him. We need to be looking forward, for Him. This means we need to be searching for Him, reaching for Him, anticipating His arrival. Our hearts need to be pure and clean.

There was a man in the temple in Jerusalem that was looking for Him. He was searching and looking forward to His arrival. That man was Simeon. He had been told by God that he would not die until he had seen the Messiah.

Luke 2:21-39. .."When the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for Him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took Him in his arms and praised God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant to peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel..."

We were Gentiles until we accepted Him as our Savior, then we became a part of the people of Israel.

Simeon was looking with anticipation for the Messiahs' arrival, are you looking with the same anticipation? Are you looking forward? Don't let the commercialization of Christmas take away the Joy of this special time of year. Be prepared! Let others know you are prepared, let them see the preparation through your life!!

Have a great day and God Bless!!

Advent week one Day four

Good morning.

Today is the 4th day of Advent. As we continue to prepare for Christmas we are continuing to read the Prophecy of the coming of our Lord. Today's scripture is found in Isaiah 7:14 and Matthew 1:23. They are exactly the same scripture, Isaiah foretold of Christ's coming

"Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call His name Immanuel."

In Matthew1:20an angel has come to Joseph in a dream.

Matthew 1: 23 “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel because it means, "God with us."

Joseph was living in Nazareth when the angel came to him. Nazareth was a small country town, but out of it, came the greatest good the world has ever known. Nazareth therefore is a word suggesting God's grace. In a humble home in that town, God found a virgin in whom the divine Savior would be conceived by His Spirit. There the child would grow up, secure his education, learn a trade, declare his mission, and go forth.

As Christmas approaches we need to remember that we are a part of the nation of Israel, and we need to understand the ancestry of our Lord and be proud of the fact that we are a part of that ancestry. We need to be excited to be a part of His family, we should be able to speak of Jesus and say, like Him, I am a child of the Most High God. We can call Jesus our brother and we can share with Him in the riches of God's kingdom, even though the evil one is trying to sell us into slavery.

Be careful of your thoughts, your actions, and where your mind is focused at this time. It is so easy to get caught up in all the commercial aspects of Christmas. We are told that we should call this a "Winter Festival" so no one is offended. People say, "Happy Holidays" and it is very apparent that Christ is being left out. As a part of His family, we must carry His name forward. It is up to us to greet people with a Merry Christmas; to display, through our actions and our voices that He is the “Reason for the Season." He needs to become more important today than at any other time in history.

As we give this season to various organizations, and to friends and family, let us remember that all acts of giving should start with a complete submission to Jesus. We have to have Him first in our lives. Then the gifts we give will come from the heart and not for any other reason. If we give because we are expected to we are not in the right place with God and we need to come to grips with the fact that our heart is not in the right place. We should give because of the love which God has given to us, because of the grace He has given us. People need positives in their lives, and this is the perfect time to show the love and grace of God. It is the perfect time to tell others about the Jesus who saved us from our sinful lives. It is the perfect time to be Jesus to the world.

Is your heart in the right place today? Are you willing to be Jesus to others? Are the gifts you are buying bought with a heart of love or because they are expected? We need to constantly evaluate where we are in our walk with the Lord. His love needs to shine forth in all we do and say.

Have a great day and God Bless!!

Advent week one Day five

Good morning.

As you light the candle today read Matthew 1:1-17. To many this will be a boring read, one in which you have a hard time pronouncing the names. You may wonder why Matthew would even put this in his story of Jesus. Matthew felt it was important for Jews of that day to understand Jesus' heritage. To the Jews of that day their heritage, their family name, was very important. It told who they were, how much they should be respected and who they were related to. Matthew felt the world should know that Jesus came from a long line of honored and respected men. That He truly was a Jew and came from the line of David, just as the prophets had foretold.

The genealogy in Matthew is a genealogy of a King. If you look at this passage closely you will see it is divided into three sections. This is symbolic of human life.

The first section tells the story and history up to David, which is greatness.

The second section takes the story up to the exile in Babylon and is a story of captivity, shame, tragedy, and disaster.

The third section takes our story up to Jesus, where we find liberation from the captivity, of sin. We find love, forgiveness, and grace.

It is interesting to note that these same three sections can tell us our spiritual history.

Section one tells us that we have been reborn into greatness. We were created in God's image. God's dream for us is for greatness.

Section two tells us about how our humanity has used its free will to defy and disobey God through our selfish desires and self-importance.

Section three gives to us the knowledge that greatness can be regained. God did not give up on man, He sent His Son to redeem and rescue our lost lives.

All through the history in this scripture are stories of how God was always with His people, even when they did not know Him or ask Him to be with them. God always rescued His people; He always loved His people, and He always redeemed them and brought them back to Himself. We can praise Him today for the lessons He has shown us. The lesson that He loves us; He wants the best for us. It shows us no matter what we get ourselves into, He will always be there to bring us out of it and back to Him.

Remember today, and each day during Advent and beyond, the provisions God has given us for salvation.

Remember the meaning of Christmas! Remember that the Son of God came to earth as a baby, learned the ways of man, walked through life to show us how to walk. He walked straight to the cross where He died to carry all the sin of the world to death. Then to show man how they could be lifted up again; He arose and became the risen Lord. This is the salvation message.

We are born into a sinful life, we walk in a sinful world and become sinful ourselves, but we have a chance to be redeemed. This redemption can only take place when we give our all to Him, when we surrender our will, or selfish desires, and our pride to Him. Then He will lift us up and call us His. We then become part of His genealogy, part of His family.

We need to praise Him for the grace He has given us. We need to thank Him for the love and tolerance He has for us, even when we don't do what He asks. He is always there waiting for us to ask Him again.

Remember this Christmas season the 'Reason for the Season' and from where it came, how it came and what it means for us.

God Bless and have a great day

Advent week one Day six

Good Morning.

As you light your candle this morning we are going to read Luke 1:46-55 keep in mind that Mary is probably only 13 or 14 years old. After she gets the news from God she prepares to go see Elisabeth, a cousin, who is married to Zechariah, a priest. Elisabeth is with child, the future ‘John the Baptist.’ It is called Mary’s Song.

Luke 1:46-55; “My soul glorifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant. From now on generations will call me blessed, For the Mighty One has done great things for me - holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought rulers down from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away hungry. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers.

There are some key words in this scripture, as you read it you will see favor and grace in what she is saying. Fear, in Scripture, is to revere God, not be afraid of him. Mary is giving God praise and is thanking Him for His grace on the nation on Israel. The words, like favor and grace are not used but are words we would use today. Favor is found in the choice of Mary to bear the most precious of all heavenly gifts. Mary is in awe and humble at the honor given her. She doesn't feel worthy, yet knows the honor is a great one. Isaiah had foretold that a virgin would give birth to God's Son. But Mary never imagined it would come through her. She shows humility and honor in these passages.

Grace is the message of the second half of these verses. It shows the grace given with the Messiah's coming. We should be humbled when we realize that God came to us in the form of an infant, to become human. Human, so we can understand it is possible to be separated from the world and made whole in Him. He came as a human to experience life, to give us knowledge, to know and feel what we experience in life. He knew He would be the sacrificial lamb but wanted us to know that He had experienced life on earth, that He had a better life for us. He came to give us Hope for the future. When He left He knew He had to give us the Spirit to carry us through; the Spirit would be His voice in us.

We have a savior who understands and knows our pressures, temptations, and trials. He understands what this world is like. He has a peace we all need to experience when we believe and follow His path. He is the provider of victory even in the middle of turmoil and an ungodly world. So, as you read this passage keep all this in mind and rest in the fact that we have God's grace and favor as our guiding light.

Praise be to God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Through them we can have hope for the coming of His kingdom. We can rest in the promises of God and look expectantly for His return. As we get ever closer to His birth walk in His light, with His love toward others, with tolerance and prayers for those lost in this world. Walk with a song in your heart and a smile on your face, our savior has promised to be with us through it all.

Have a great day and God Bless!!!

Advent week one Day seven

Good morning.

Today ends the first week of Advent and as it comes to an end, we have talked about how prophets of old foretold of God's free gift. Tomorrow we will start the second week of Advent and light the second candle, the Bethlehem candle.

Today's scripture is Ephesians 2:1-14, it is a beautiful scripture describing the wonderful gift of life God has given to us. It talks about the ruler of the kingdom of the air, which is Satan. It also talks about Gentiles not having been circumcised. This is difficult for some to understand. What it means is that before we accepted Christ as our savior, we were part of the Gentile world, we were sinners, but after we accepted Christ we were no longer a Gentile, we became part of His family, a Jew, with the same fully vested inheritance. God has circumcised us, in other words; He has taken out the sin and gotten rid of it, the same way we cut a bad spot out of something. God has given us new life. Please read this passage it is beautiful when you understand what it says.

We all think about gifts at Christmas, and are as little kids, come Christmas morning when we can unwrap those colorful gifts stacked under the tree. We need to be unwrapping the beautiful gift God has given us, the incomprehensible gift of love He gave to us in Christ Jesus. This gift is free to us, a gift we can unwrap each day of the year, just by asking Him each morning to walk with us through the day and thank Him at the end of each day for keeping us safe.

He has given us this gift, not because we deserve it, but because He loves us so much. God's desire is to 'bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, Christ Jesus'

God provided the people of Israel with many hints about how, where, and when Jesus would be born. He gave them everything they needed to recognize the Messiah so they could believe and follow Him. They didn’t understand.

God has provided us with many hints and instructions as well. He has given us all the information we need to live holy and unselfish lives. Do we live that way? Do we search the scriptures daily until we know them by heart? When we find them do we follow them? Do we follow the example He has given us in Jesus? Do we love others more than we love ourselves? That is the miracle of Christmas; to love as much as God loved when He gave the world His only Son.

Advent is the perfect time to begin a habit of spending time in the word every day, even if it is only a verse or two. It is a perfect time to spend time with Him, talking to Him. It is the perfect time to start loving the way He loves by acting unselfishly toward others. Ask Him to show you how to love the way He loves; you will be surprised how you change when you ask that each day. As a Christian we have already reached out and accepted God's free gift. We have been given the instructions of how to live. We need to thank Him for this lavish gift. If you haven't yet accepted Him into your life, this is the perfect time to do so. You only have to ask, with a sincere heart, for your sins to be forgiven, ask Him to lead you from now on into His ways and then accept the free gift He offers you.

We all need to start showing this free gift to others, through a kind word, a friendly greeting, a smile, then see how much joy we receive. See how much easier our day goes. Give others the free gift of love that God has given us. Ephesians 2:13-14 “now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far away have been bought near through the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two, one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividingwall ofhostility".

Have a great day and God Bless!

Advent week two Day one

Good morning.