All barriers to Jesus are gone…nothing can now keep you from Him. All social, economical, or gender based limits have been abolished through the blood of Christ. There is but one flock…with one Shepherd.
Tag: God
Micah 2:7 ” Do not My Words do good to him whose ways are upright? “
By obeying the Lord’s commands and being in His Word daily, we will benefit in all ways. Good will come our way…practically, economically, and materially as we live according to His Word.
Matthew 16:24 “… and take up his cross and follow Me.”
We are called to follow Jesus with a believing trust and obedience. We are called to follow His leading and act according to His example. Our relationship and fellowship with our Lord and Savior is at the very heart of our walk with Him…it needs to be cared for and nurtured on a daily basis. This new year, determine in your mind to follow the Lord more closely…to be in His Word daily…to listen for His voice more acutely…to commune with Him more actively. At the start of this new year…follow Jesus.
Isaiah 55:7 ” Let the wicked forsake his way.”
Going into the new year…don’t take extra baggage with you. Leave behind those habits that aren’t healthy. Cast off those secret sins that only God and you know. Put aside those things that are good, but take time away from your relationship with the Lord. Forsake anything that you don’t want to continue to battle with…leave it behind.
Luke 9:62 ” Jesus replied, ‘ No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the Kingdom of God.’ “
To plow well – your furrow must be straight – to have straight furrows, you need to be looking forward, not back. To be of use for the Lord in the coming new year, we can’t be gazing back longingly at the life we had before we became Christians. To be His servant, we must forego all…surrendering, and relinquishing the past and all its trappings.
Philippians 3:113 ” Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead…”
With the new year fast approaching the Lord would say…Forget what is behind you. Forget the anger, frustration, and impatience you’ve had towards others. Forget those times that someone was mean and wished you evil. Forget the things you’d like to pay back someone for. All these things are now in the past…let them remain there.
Luke 2:4 ” So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.”
Caesar Augustus wanted a census of the entire Roman world, and ordered everyone to go to their own town to register. Eighty miles…that’s the distance between Nazareth and Bethlehem…not a easy undertaking for a very pregnant Mary to travel. It usually took four days to walk between the two towns, but given her physical limitations, it probably took them a week. But slowly, during that arduous process, they were fulfilling the prophecy of the Minor Prophet Micah, who proclaimed the Messiah would come from Bethlehem. (Micah 5:2)
Luke 1:41 “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.”
The Holy Spirit gave Elizabeth divine revelation into the miracle of Mary and her unborn child. Elizabeth then bore witness and confirmed Mary’s faith, for it states in verse 45, “Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished.” This affirmation was what Mary needed, and during the 3 months she stayed with Zechariah and Elizabeth she was encouraged and strengthened by their kind, wise words…not only marveling at the miracle happening within Elizabeth, but the ever-growing miracle inside herself.
Luke 1: 26-27 ” In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.”
Gabriel’s mission was to deliver a message so wonderful and miraculous, no one could possibly put their head around it. And yes, Mary had questions…very practical ones, but never once did she question the power of the All Mighty and what He could accomplish. In the end, her faith showed through in her statement to the angel – ” I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.” Mary’s unwavering faith in her God was evident, even though she might not have understood the process to come.
Luke 1:13 ” The angel said to him: ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.’ “
This older, (the Bible says, well along in years) childless couple were still praying and hoping beyond hope that God would bless them with a baby. Both Zechariah and Elizabeth came from a long line of priests, and Zechariah was actually serving before the Lord when Gabriel appeared with this wonderful news. The angel not only prophesied over John that he would go before the Lord in the Spirit and power of Elijah and make ready a people prepared for the Lord…but Gabriel also dedicated and called John the Baptist into ministry before he was even conceived.
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