Thought for the day...

December 17, 2019
Verse of the Day
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14

 

December 18, 2019
Verse of the Day
But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:57

 

Magnificat: Not too big to fail
By Pastor Mark Jeske
During the 2008 economic meltdown, Americans were treated to the spectacle of the government’s decision that certain financial firms were “too big to fail,” i.e., too big to be allowed to fail. They needed to be propped up at all costs and protected from normal market forces. That’s how little folks at the bottom see the upper crust—that the system is rigged to protect the big guys at the little guys’ expense. They fear that nothing ever changes.

Except when God does one of his celebrated interventions in human history and changes the unchangeable. Mary had the Spirit-given perceptiveness to see that she was living in just such a moment: “He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones . . . sent the rich away empty” (Luke 1:51-53). It’s not that God hates wealth and the wealthy or that he hates power and the powerful. Some of his most productive believers in history were wealthy and powerful.

But the people who put their trust in their wealth and power are leaning on a broken stick. In God’s eyes, nobody is too big to fail. He can take people and their institutions and organizations down as fast as he built them up. What matters is faith in Christ.

Money makes a lousy god

 

Being an elected person , I wait for the day someone says “you work for me”.
My reply will be “you aren’t the first boss I told they were full of crap”.

 

December 19, 2019
Verse of the Day
In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:16 NIV

 

Magnificat: He kept his word to Abraham
By Pastor Mark Jeske
Mary’s Advent joy was communal. She was excited not only for herself but for her nation as well. And not just because of a chauvinistic pride of race. At the core of the identity of the Israelite nation were the triple promises that God had given to Abraham two millennia earlier, that Abraham’s little family would grow to nation size, that this nation would inhabit the land in which Abraham now roamed as a landless Bedouin sheep tender, and that his descendants would bring the Savior into the world.

Mary was given the insight to see that Israel’s national purpose was about to be fulfilled. Through her, God was about to keep a 2,000-year-old promise: “He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors” (Luke 1:54,55). A faithful core of Jewish believers kept the Word and promises alive even in centuries of spiritual decay, military and economic reversals and collapse, occupations and exiles, and everything else Satan could throw at them. How we Gentiles appreciate and respect them!

And how thrilled we are to see God taking his historic promises so seriously. We depend on his Word, often having to believe what we cannot see: God’s forgiveness of our sins, God’s favor on our daily lives, God’s angels bringing their protection, and God’s resurrection power to reassemble our dead bodies.

With Mary, our souls glorify the Lord.

 

December 20, 2019
Verse of the Day
When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Matthew 2:10-11 NIV

 

December 21, 2019
Verse of the Day
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
Isaiah 7:14 NIV

 

Inarticulate Spirit-groans
By Pastor Mark Jeske
Perhaps you know the story of Cyrano de Bergerac (modernized as the movie Roxanne with Steve Martin). Cyrano’s friend Christian was clumsy and full of self-doubt as he tried to court the noble and beautiful Roxane, and so the glib-tongued Cyrano whispered elegantly romantic things for him to say.

Normally when we need communication assistance, we get someone who is a better writer than we are (an editor), who knows the law better (an attorney), or whose poetic speech is better than ours (Cyrano). Most of us would agree pretty quickly that it would be great if we had a little help in our prayer life. Amazingly enough, the Holy Spirit himself volunteers to do that for us, but in the strangest way—through inarticulate groans: “The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God” (Romans 8:26,27).

Not to worry—the Spirit can communicate more in one groan than you or I can in an entire stammered paragraph. What a promise! Imagine—the Spirit himself so strongly wants our needs to be communicated to the Father’s throne that he will carry them himself, edit them, and even write copy for us when we hit writer’s block.

 

The REAL Die Hard Christmas Story

 

In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:4‭-‬5 NIV

 

The First Evangelists

Grand announcements are made via media outlets every single day. Breaking News! You heard it from us first! We are there when it happens! Those are just some of the claims of newspapers and TV channels.

But the biggest announcement of all time came first to a group of unassuming folks in a village more than 2000 years ago. The group of shepherds that we read about in Luke 2 became privy to the grandest declaration– that God became man and was now among them. These guys, who were just minding their own business, tending to their flock of sheep, were witness to a marvelous concert of what my 7-year-old calls a “multiplication of angels.” They were the audience for the grandest ever light and sound show in history.

It didn’t end there. They ran to where the Christ child lay and they worshipped. Then, in sheer excitement, they shared the marvelous news. The very first evangelists weren’t glitzy or glamorous. They didn’t have the right packaging. What they did have was the right heart!

God honors the humble. He doesn’t wait for the world’s accolades before He chooses someone. He only wants a humble heart willing to be used by Him.

Prayer

Father God, You turn the world’s standards upside down. You don’t care about power and position. You don’t concern Yourself with status. Man looks at the outside, but You look at the heart. Help me, Lord, to come before You humbly and offer myself as a living sacrifice for Your glory. Amen



And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.
Luke 2:8‭-‬10 NIV
Luke 2:8-10 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were te | New International Version (NIV) | Download The Bible App Now

 

December 23, 2019
Verse of the Day
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
Luke 2:14 NIV

 

If church were a gym
By Linda Buxa
“Physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:8).

The more I’m at my CrossFit gym, the more I apply their unwritten rules to my church life too.

• Check your ego at the door. I am working out to get stronger, not to show off how awesome I am. But do I walk into church hoping everyone will admire my faithfulness? Arrogance has no place in the body of Christ.
• Cheer for others. The people who finish the workout last and struggle the most don’t get judged because they aren’t in great shape. They get the loudest cheers. Yet sometimes I judge those who are struggling in life. Shouldn’t my congregation be the place where the weak get the most compassion and support?
• Tell your trainers about any injuries. How can they help you if they have no idea what hurts? Still, I walk into church and hide my struggles and pain. The people God put in your life are there to help you. Let them serve you.
• You get out what you put into it. Going through the motions doesn’t change anything. Want your faith to grow? Get involved. Open up your Bible. Think about the words you are singing. Put the Word into practice.

My gym is fabulous, but it’s for this world only. Our churches have an infinitely more important message about eternal life.