Month: December 2024

12/31/24

“And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm.” Acts‬ ‭28‬:‭5‬ ‭KJV‬‬. As soon as Paul recognized the viper which had attached itself to his hand, he had an immediate desire to get rid of it, so he shook it off. He saw that it was something dangerous and knew that it did not need to be attached to him. As we live our Christian lives today, many things will try to attach themselves to us much like this viper did Paul. Some will come suddenly like this viper while others may come very subtly. We need to be spiritually discerning so that we can recognize them for what they are. Far too many believers today are so spiritually shallow and biblically uninformed that they fail to recognize when something dangerous has attached itself to them. As a result, these ‘spiritual vipers’ become attached to them and bring damage into their hearts and lives. These come in many forms. It may be a bad habit or a bad spirit and attitude. It may be some legitimate thing that has gotten out of balance in our life, such as placing work or recreation before the things of God. But the purpose of the serpent is always the same, to bring spiritual ruin to our souls. By God’s grace, let us be vigilant to recognize when some ‘spiritual viper’ has attached itself to us and shake it off.

12/30/24

“And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand.” Acts‬ ‭28‬:‭3‬ ‭KJV‬‬. In the chapters preceding this, Paul had become a Roman prisoner and was onboard a ship to Rome. For two weeks the ship was in a great storm and finally shipwrecked on this island, among natives who had never heard of Jesus. Not long after landing, Paul is bitten by a viper, which made the people assume that he must be an evil man. To this point, it seems that things can’t get much worse. But through these difficult circumstances, God was showing Himself strong in Paul’s behalf and many souls were helped for God’s glory. Because of God’s protection, the snake bite had no effect upon Paul and a door of opportunity was opened for him to minister to souls. Many people across the island received physical healing. And we can be sure, in those 3 months they were on the island, Paul was able to speak to many souls about Jesus Christ. Only God knows how many of those natives and shipmates of Paul are in Heaven today, because God allowed His servant to face these difficulties. As we face trials and troubles today, let us be sure that God is still working through all these things for our good and to lead others to Christ.

12/29/24

“Let Israel hope in the LORD: For with the LORD there is mercy, and with Him is plenteous redemption. And He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.” Psalm‬ ‭130‬:‭7-8‬ ‭KJV‬‬. What a wonderful word of encouragement this is. Thank God, there is mercy with the Lord! And with Him there is full and free redemption! How many times after our failures, the enemy whispers to us, “there is no hope for you. You will never rise above this”. And how easy it is for us to feel that way. Then we add to our own problems, by giving in to those false ideas. We hang our heads and think “This is how I’ve always been and still am. I will never be better”. But let us believe, no matter how weak we may be, no matter how far we have fallen, there is abundant redemption through Jesus Christ. No matter how dark the stain of sin, there is still cleansing power in the blood of Jesus. This means in the redemption God provides there is a vast supply. Though a million are redeemed today, there is always enough for more. It also means that God’s saving grace can reach to the lowest sinner in the farthest place. However bound a soul may be, shackled by the chains of sin, God’s power to redeem is always greater. In our foolishness we sell ourselves to sin and satan’s bondage. But how wonderful to discover that Jesus Christ can still redeem us from the hand of the enemy. Let us thank God there is plenteous redemption in Jesus Christ.

12/28/24

“I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in His word do I hope.”Psalm‬ ‭130‬:‭5‬ ‭KJV‬‬. In the preceding verses it is clear that the writer was in distress over his failure and sin against God. He has repented and asked for forgiveness. But now he waits for the restoration of God’s favor and blessing. His soul longs for that sweet peace to return. His distress has been the result of failing the God Who loves him. Even though his emotions are at a low place, his hope is anchored in the promises of God’s Word. The Hebrew word translated ’wait’ here, means he has ‘confident expectation’ it will come. In our times of failure, let us learn from this. If we truly love the Lord, sin always brings distress and feelings of disappointment. We know that we have failed the One Who loves us and Who we love. Our hearts grieve because of our sin. Our enemy often uses these times to make us feel forsaken and very low. We wonder if the light of God’s favor will shine on us again. But let us keep looking in faith to God. Let us keep our hopes in the promises of His Word. In many ways, God’s Word reminds us there is mercy with the Lord. As verse 4 says “there is forgiveness with Thee”. All of God’s children have had times where they failed and needed to repent. And yet, God’s favor was restored and they went on with renewed determination to walk in the paths of holiness.

12/27/24

“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.” John‬ ‭14:1‬ ‭KJV‬‬. Do we realize that Jesus is speaking these words because He wants us to have peace in our hearts in all situations of life? Because He loves us, He does not want us to be fretful and troubled about the things that go on around us. Certainly we are to be concerned and prayerful. But He wants us to have His peace and rest in our soul. And He is letting us know that there is no other way for us to have that peace except as we believe in God and we believe He is the Son of God Who came to be our Saviour. But to believe in the way Jesus intends, is much more than how modern ‘easy believism’ describes it. It is to believe in a way that changes our heart and life because we have placed our faith and trust in Him. It is not enough to merely believe in the existence of God. To have this peace we must believe He is my God and my Heavenly Father. We must believe Jesus is my Saviour and Lord. That means we have given up the right to direct our own steps, because He is now our Counselor and Guide in everything. It means we have turned our back on sin and by His grace have chosen the path of holiness and righteousness. What a joy it is, to believe He is my God and my Saviour! With that belief, our hearts don’t have to be troubled.

12/26/24

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:12 KJV. God’s people are engaged in a very real and daily spiritual warfare. One of the most important things to understand in this spiritual battle, is to be able to recognize who our enemy is. So many believers fail day after day, because they make their battle against people, against flesh and blood, rather than their real enemy. The devil has always made great efforts to misdirect us, to get us to think, that person is the problem, or that institution. And so, we begin to fight against people, against businesses, even against governments. But let us realize, we are battling against spiritual wickedness. While wickedness may be seen or felt through some person, we will always fail if we direct our attack against them. Today, many believers have forgotten the mighty power of prayer and turned instead to fleshy battles. We’ve lost sight of the overcoming power of God’s love working through us and focused our energies against individuals. May God help us to recognize the real enemy and then humble ourselves before Jesus Christ, Who never has lost a battle. Only with Him, only as we abide  in Him, can we be the overcomers He calls us to be.

12/25/24

“…Where is He that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen His star in the east, and are come to worship Him.” Matthew 2:2 KJV. On this day which we set aside to remember and celebrate the birth of our Saviour, let us learn from the godly example of the wise men. They came to worship Him Who is the King. They did not come asking for anything or seeking to be blessed in some way. They simply came to worship the One Who is worthy. Much has been said and written about the gifts they brought to Jesus, all which have special significance. But we often fail to recognize, that their greatest and most important gift was the worship they offered the newborn King. Let us be reminded that our King is worthy of our worship and it is His desire that we offer our worship to Him. It seems we get caught up in so many activities during this season that we become distracted from what Christmas is really about. But let us pause in the midst of all the busyness and take time to worship our Saviour and King. Nothing we could give or do for Him is as important as the worship He deserves. My prayer for each of you is that this will be a very blessed Christmas and our Saviour and King Jesus will receive the worship He deserves from our lives. 

12/24/24

“When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.” Matthew 2:9 KJV. As the wise men followed this unusual light in the sky, they first were led to Jerusalem. There they received instruction from God’s Word about where this newborn King would be. Leaving Jerusalem, the light appeared once again and they followed it until it led them to the exact place where Jesus was. And how thrilled they were to find the baby Jesus! They humbly bowed in worship before Him, Whom the prophets had written of long ago. But it is important for us to notice, the purpose of the light was to lead them to Jesus. That is because true light always leads to Jesus. Today we live in a time, when many in religion profess to have ‘new light’ that is leading them to places and activities that have nothing to do with Jesus, or are contrary to Him. People are being led into lifestyles that Jesus declared were sinful. Others are lead to believe that material blessings are the things that matter most. But we should always pause to consider, where is this idea leading me? Is it leading me closer to Jesus, or is it leading me more towards the world? Is the light I am following leading me to think more of Christ, or is it leading me to exalt the creature more than the Creator? We must be careful in this day of deception, that the light we follow always leads to Jesus.

12/23/24

“And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭2:7‬ ‭KJV‬‬. Think of these words ‘No room for Jesus’. This is the One Who they had waited so long for, the One they so desperately needed, but they had no room for Him. Yet how many times in our busy lives do we the same? Our days become so full that there is no room for Jesus. Our minds become so preoccupied with this world that there is no room for Jesus in our thoughts and activities. And even in this season which should be all about Him, we get so involved with family, friends, food and festivities that we seldom have room for Jesus. May God help us to understand, that we need to give first place in our hearts, lives, thoughts and priorities, to Jesus! It means even if other things have to be neglected, Jesus is going to have the best place, the first place in our lives. Will we give Him room today? Today He is not a Babe, but the King and Saviour Who seeks for us. He says “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him…” Rev.‬ ‭3:20‬. Will we open the door of our heart and say, “Lord Jesus come and take the first place in my heart?”

12/22/24

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.” Isaiah‬ ‭9‬:‭6‬ ‭KJV‬‬. In this beautiful prophecy of the birth of Jesus, the prophet is inspired to write many things about Who Jesus would be to those who will trust Him. But before He can be to us all of those things, we must first place the government of our lives upon His shoulders. This is called the Lordship of Jesus Christ, which is a very clear New Testament truth. This means that when we come in true faith to Jesus, we accept Him as our Saviour and submit to Him as our Lord and Master. It means He is the One Who governs our lives. It is sad that in so much of the professing church today, this truth is being neglected and even denied. Many who claim to be believers openly reject Jesus’ authority over their lives. But let us be clear, that is apostate religion. That is not the true faith that the early church contended for. True salvation means that we trust Him as our Saviour and Lord. To those who deny His Lordship over their lives, they miss out on the joy and reality of Who He is. They are left with only a form of religion with no power. And worst of all, they are not true children of God and are on the broad way to destruction. But for those who humbly accept Jesus as Lord, they will experience how Wonderful He truly is.