Joseph from Nazareth, a descendent of David pledged to marry the virgin, Mary, received a personal message of hope from God. Delivered by an angel, Joseph understood God’s direction to fulfill his part in God’s divine plan.
The message to this local carpenter was the answer to a unique personal dilemma Joseph was struggling with at the time of the angel’s encounter.
And Joseph’s obedience would forever change the direction of our world!
Are you waiting to cleanse your sinful ways before coming to Jesus? Trust me—it won’t happen!
No one can become free of sin—not until we see Jesus face to face. Not until our presence in this sinful world transcends to His heavenly realm. Not until that nano-second after God calls us home.
1 John 2:1 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
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I pray God blesses you, gives you strength, and your faith in Him expands so that you trust Him with all areas of your life.—Debra
To learn and share the importance of keeping God’s name holy, order copies of LIFT HIM UP DON’T PULL HIM DOWN @ LULU.COM or AMAZON.COM for your next Bible study.
Two thousand years ago not far from the town of Bethsaida in Israel, along the shores of the Sea of Galilee, a Nazarene Man filled the stomachs of 5,000 men (total does not reflect women and children in attendance) who gathered together in a grassy area.
The wondrous deed was not done through the typical process of planning and preparation of food, but was accomplished on-the-spot by the Nazarene looking into the heavens and giving thanks!
Listen to random conversations around you. You will definitely notice more people verbally spewing “Oh my G**!” to express their excitement rather than using the phrases “Oh my gosh!” or “Oh my goodness!”
This choice has also carried over into our electronic communications. When texting became the norm, abbreviations were formed to hurry the typing process, which brought on the OMG overload.
Often referred to as acronyms, (though by definition they are initialisms) only the first letter of each word is used to form an abbreviation so we can type messages faster. Many trendy typed conversations to your BFF (Best Friend Forever) might also include: Continue reading
With Thanksgiving approaching, November is the traditional month to give thanks for our blessings.
Though Christians continually offer thanks to God in prayer everyday, it is good to delight in the the much anticipated gathering of this special holiday. The idea of planning a seasonal menu, decorating with nature’s bountiful gifts, and welcoming family and friends around the dinner table inspire us during this notable month to give thanks to God for all His goodness .
Try not to be overwhelmed this holiday season with the details of a perfect gathering, and instead try to focus on the reasons we need to give thanks to our perfect God. Continue reading
The Bible is 1 book, made from 66 smaller books divided between the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament contains 39 books while the New Testament has a lesser amount of 27 books.
Written by approximately 40 different people, the authors of these books include prophets, a scribe, a cupbearer, a shepherd, a tax collector, a physician, fishermen, farmers, priests, philosophers and kings, just to name a few!
Though the Old Testament was written before the New Testament with approximately 400 years between the Old Testament’s last book, Malachi, and the New Testament’s first book, Matthew-the Bible is not written as a continuous story from Genesis to Revelation. Continue reading
Recently I posted, Christians, Claim Your Identity!, noting how Hollywood, again, poked fun at Christians during the Emmy Awards: “She says she doesn’t like watching white award shows because you guys don’t thank Jesus enough. That’s true. The only white people that thank Jesus are Republicans and ex-crackheads.”—Michael Che, referencing his mother.
Of course the flood gate of God-haters in Hollywood will never be totally closed until the return of Christ. So for now, Christians must continue swimming through Hollywood’s muddy waters. And sadly, just as murky mainstream Hollywood has no conscience for attacking Christians as a group, a certain God-mocking editorial cartoonist also has no problem publicly directing a penned attack at one little believing girl. Continue reading
October 4 is Bring Your Bible To School Day! How fantastic is that?
The event, started by Focus on the Family in 2014, is growing in popularity. With every state in the nation involved, 8,000 students participated in 2014, 155,000 in 2015, and 356,000 in 2016, and the number for 2017 almost reached 500,000!
Bring Your Bible To School Day started as a response to America’s schools continuing to forbid religious groups, Bibles, prayer, kneeling for God at football games, or even acknowledging Jesus in the classroom.
Not unusual for Hollywood, the Emmy Awards this week applauded one if its hosts, Michael Che, telling the audience that his mother was not watching the show —“She says she doesn’t like watching white award shows because you guys don’t thank Jesus enough. That’s true. The only white people that thank Jesus are Republicans and ex-crackheads.”
Hmmmm, assuming Mrs. Che is a Christian, because Michael did say she wants Jesus to be thanked more, I wonder if Mrs. Che enjoyed her son’s joke at Christian’s expense? Continue reading
