Archive | December 2023
Rottweiler!
If you started a sports team, what would the colors and mascot be?
This is a fun question.
I’d choose the Rottweiler.
And my colors would be black and shimmering gold, which would make for really cool uniforms, helmets, and logo.
Rottweiler—because only the toughest would even dare to challenge this animal.
And because I love dogs.
Besides, I am considered a Husky!
Have Hope For The New Generation Of Future Believers In The Coming Year, Psalm 78
Buddy often expects me to share my meals with him. He has zero concern whether I’m hungry or have enough. I’m happy to share, however, a small amount but must be careful how much protein he eats to protect his aging kidneys.
It can be discouraging to listen to news reports of how increasingly unanchored from reality GenZ seems to be. Truth is just an intellectual concept and there’s no objective reality.
There’s a reason the Scientific Method arose from Christian civilization: Descartes and others believed that a benevolent God would not deceive His creation and that He created an orderly universe with laws that could be discovered.
Sociologists declare that each succeeding generation is increasingly secular and atheist in their beliefs. And many church leaders declare that, because of the imminent return of Jesus Christ, believers can only expect continual cultural decay and worsening spiritual collapse.
However, we can only speculate when Christ is returning. Certainly, although He declared we cannot predict the exact time (Mark 13:32-33), He did state that we can know when it’s near, like the budding green leaves that sprout from wintertime tree limbs (Like 21:29-30), announcing the arrival of springtime.
But the Bible itself describes two instances during which the Jewish people repented and returned to the Lord. The first is the ancient nation’s return to their land after 70 years in exile.
But I’d like to focus on the first return to the Lord.
“For He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children; that the generation to come might know them, the children who would be born, that they may arise and declare them to their children, that they may set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments; and not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation which did not set its heart aright, and whose spirit was not faithful to God.”—Psalm 78:5-9
Quite a mouthful, isn’t it?
Now someone stated, not me, that pessimism comes naturally.
It’s easy to become disheartened by this wicked world.
But we have to remember that the world has always been wicked and needs God.
The Book of Exodus details how God performed mighty miracles to deliver the ancient Jewish nation of Israel out of bondage to slavery by performing ten mighty judgments against the Egyptians, yet simultaneously showing favor and preference to the Jewish people. The humbled Pharaoh finally permitted the Jewish people to leave, the Egyptians even showering them with lavish gifts as they scooted out the door.
And when Pharaoh changed his mind and pursued the nation of Israel to force them to return to their former slave status, God drowned the mighty Egyptian army in the Red Sea, while parting the waters to permit Israel to escape.
Yet, despite experiencing mighty miracles of God’s clear favoritism and protection, the nation rebelled and refused to enter the Promised Land, forgetting that the Lord was perfectly capable of performing miracles to defeat their enemies.
So, because the nation refused to obey God and enter the land, He declared:
“The carcasses of you who have murmured against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered…from twenty years old and above.
“Except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in.
“But your little ones, whom you said would be victims, I will bring in, and they shall know the land which you have despised.”—Numbers 14:29-32 (NKJV)
The nation wandered in the desert wilderness for forty years till everyone in the unfaithful generations had died, except for the two leaders who believed Israel could take the land, as they trusted fully in God’s word: Caleb and Joshua.
Even Moses died before the nation could enter the land and the younger leaders, Joshua and Caleb, who replaced him, succeeded in bringing the nation into the Promised Land.
But just consider for a minute: The younger generation had the faith to enter the land, but their rebellious and unbelieving parents and grandparents did not.
Certainly, the faith-filled leadership of these two mighty men made a difference, Joshua and Caleb.
We don’t have to assume that the children and grandchildren of a disbelieving generation will necessarily continue to reject the Lord. Forty years of living in brutal conditions, yet protected by God, turned their hearts toward trusting Him.
As the younger generations wander in the desert of a decaying and lifeless culture, they “may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.”—Apostle Paul, 2 Timothy 2:26
Particularly during the pandemic and post pandemic, there have been some surprising public conversions of youthful, public figures.
Let’s not give up on the upcoming generations in our nations, but continue to tell them about the love and mercy found only through Jesus Christ our Lord.
So that they don’t have to continue wandering in the desert of sin.
God bless you.
Much love from Dawn and Buddy
***
“Some wandered in desert wastelands…They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress.”—Psalm 107:4-6
If you feel like life isn’t working for you, or feeling hopeless, please don’t despair. The Lord is kind and is willing to transfer you out of the kingdom of darkness and bring you into His kingdom of light (Colossians 1:13) through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.
“For whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.”—Apostle Paul, Romans 10:13
God doesn’t play favorites. No matter where you are in life, or whatever you’ve done, God is willing to embrace and transform your life if you’re willing to repent of your sin and acknowledge that He can guide your life more successfully than you can.
If you accept Jesus as your Savior, Who lived a perfect life and died for your sins so that you don’t have to; and that He rose from the dead, proving that He is God and has the right to rule over your life, you can become one of His loved children and be given eternal life.
Are you willing to call on the name of the Lord and be saved? If so, please repeat the below prayer, out loud if possible:
Dear Heavenly Father, I’m tired of wandering in the wilderness and am sorry for my sin. Please forgive me. I call on Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. And show me how much You love me. Break the chains of darkness in my life. Thank You for hearing my prayer. In the mighty name of Jesus Christ, amen.
If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible daily. Just like your body needs daily nourishment to be healthy, so does your soul. The Holy Scriptures are your soul food.
Please, also, join a Bible believing church or Bible study, and get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I suggest these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message).
God bless you as you begin your new journey with Jesus.
May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.
Started Considering My World View
How have your political views changed over time?
Struggling with severe illness in my twenties and thirties didn’t leave me much time to pay attention to politics. I just remembered that President Reagan was always positive, and that Jimmy Carter boycotted the Olympics (being an athlete that upset me) and gave away the Panama Canal, and that Bush Sr. broke his word when he promised, “No new taxes.”
I had a lot of opinions, but never thought through them in an orderly fashion.
Over time, I began to think more about what I believed, and why. I realized that I hold what is now considered a conservative world view, but was considered quite typical during the first decades of my life.
Helping the poor, being respectful of others and the US Constitution, to protect our liberties as detailed in the Bill of Rights, to allow others to have their own opinions and to encourage debate, has always been a hallmark of classical Liberalism, the kind of intellectual thinking that founded the United States.
And what I call Classical Liberalism is actually the new Conservatism.
The hippies, I was told by my parents to avoid, believed in nonviolence and free speech and getting along with others.
I grew up in an interracial neighborhood. My mom attended an interracial high school in the 50s. My religious tutors were the most gentle and sweet Black couple that I’ve ever met.
Loving people despite their appearance should never be considered Left or Right wing.
“For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”—1 Samuel 16:7
I absolutely reject identity politics. It’s ungodly and a product of Marxist ideology.
If I’m hated for this view, so be it.
I prefer to side with Martin Luther King Jr and the Lord, not Karl Marx.
Cure For A Stinky Attitude, Buddy Brief
Buddy wasn’t too thrilled to get a bath this afternoon, but he was starting to get stinky. No one wants to be around a stinker.
Sometimes I have a stinky attitude; the only thing that can wash it away is to remind myself about God’s love and power toward me.
“But You, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. I cried aloud to the Lord, and He answered me from His holy hill.”—King David, Psalm 3:3-4
Reminding myself to call out to my Lord when I feel distressed or sad gives the Holy Spirit the opportunity to work on my attitude.
And He will lift my attitude skyward, to rise above my circumstances, to remember that He is with (me) always, even to the end of the age,*” to grant me the courage to face the day.
Nobody enjoys the company of someone with a stinky attitude. Instead of wallowing in self pity, it’s best to call out to Jesus, just like the ancient King David did.
Jesus is always willing to listen.
*Jesus, Matthew 28:20
God bless you.
Much love from Dawn and Buddy
Merry Christmas! The Greatest Love Of All, 1 John 4:10
“This is real love—not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.”—1 John 4:10 (NLT)
Pastor Dr Michael Youssef recently preached that Jesus was the only person born to know the purpose for His life: to die for our sins so that we can fellowship with and be at peace with God.
Such humility! To leave glorious heaven to be confined to a human womb for 9 months, submit to the authority of human parents till adulthood, and suffer the company of sinful people during His public ministry—with grace and patience.
As Jesus said, recorded by the Apostle John in John 15:13:
“There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friend.” (NLT)
Jesus, God In The Flesh (Matthew 1:23), was born in Bethlehem, because He loves you.
If you don’t know Him, please ask Him to reveal His great love for you.
Merry Christmas.
God bless you.
Love from Dawn and Buddy
“Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.”—1 Corinthians 13:13 (NLT)
The Biggest Influence In My Life
Who are the biggest influences in your life?
My maternal grandmother. She always had time for me, unlike my mother, who would be tired after work and not want to talk. My mom had a bad back and undiagnosed food allergies, which made her miserable. So she often wanted time to herself.
Of course, as a kid I couldn’t understand this and it made me feel unimportant.
But Grandma loved having me visit overnight on the weekends and would even let me take the public bus after school to meet her near the end of her work shift and ride home with her.
I have a better relationship with my mom now.
But I really miss my grandma during the holiday season, as she is missing from the dinner table during our celebratory holiday meals.
What Is Faith?
Buddy always looks like he’s being tortured when I dress him in his Christmas outfit. But that’s OK, as long as he cooperates long enough to take a few photos. He remained amazingly still this year–till he ran out of patience.
The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, as recorded in 1 Corinthians 13:13:
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
Last Wednesday I discussed the topic of hope. Today I’d like to discuss faith.
What is faith, really?
- Faith cannot be mere knowledge of who God is or a fact. Because the Apostle Paul also tells us:
“You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that–and shudder.”–James 2:19, James the brother of Jesus, (NIV)
The demons also acknowledged that Jesus Christ is God and had the authority to cast them into Hell and torment them (Matthew 8:28-29). So faith must be more than just knowledge that there is a Creator God and that Jesus is His Son, the incarnate God (Matthew 1:23).
2. Faith must be more than just obedience to rules of good behavior.
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,… For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, so that no one can boast.”–Apostle Paul, Ephesians 2:4-5, 8
Good behavior doesn’t save us, the Apostle Paul states, but faith.
This mysterious faith.
Jesus made it clear to the religious leaders of that day, the Pharisees, that although they obeyed the Laws of Moses, they didn’t make the mark to get into heaven:
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead man’s bones and all uncleanness. So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”–Jesus, Matthew 23:27-28
Jesus also emphasized this point that acting good and looking good to others didn’t mean that your heart was right with God. You can do all sorts of good deeds, but still not be right in God’s sight.
The Sixth (or Seventh)* Commandment given to the Jewish people through the prophet Moses is:
“Thou shalt not commit adultery.”–Exodus 20:14
Yet, Jesus said that committing adultery was not just an outward action, as the Pharisees believed, but was also an attitude of the heart and mind:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”–Matthew 5:27-28
3. So is faith an attitude? Because apparently actions don’t save or make you right with God?
Yet the Apostle Paul says that faith is what saves, and is a gift from God.
The Book of James both clarifies, and sometimes confuses, this point:
James echoes both Jesus and the Apostle Paul that actions alone do not save.
Jesus taught, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”–Matthew 5:48
Which must’ve made His hearers despair as no one can be perfect.
And James echoes this in James 2:10:
“For whoever keeps the whole law yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.”
The Apostle Pau also strongly declared to the Galatian Church, who were trying to keep their salvation through good works:
“The Law is not of faith.”–Galatians 3:12
4. So what is saving faith?
I think the argument can be summarized as:
Receiving Jesus as both Lord and Savior.
Satan demonstrated that he knows the Bible (Luke 4:9-11) when He tried to trick Jesus into proving He was Lord by twisting the Scriptures. Demons also attend religious services, as Jesus cast out a demon:
“Just then there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, ‘What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who You are–the Holy One of God!”–Mark 1:23-24
So knowing what the Bible teaches or attending church isn’t enough to prove that you’re a Christian who has saving faith. The devil and his demons know that Jesus is Lord; apparently that’s not enough for saving faith.
Acknowledging Jesus as Lord, God in the flesh, is one half.
The other is submitting to His authority as Savior.
The devil and his demons don’t submit to God’s authority. They clearly cannot repent. Satan wants to be worshipped as God and the demons follow Satan as their leader and obey him.
When a person repents of their sin, they are admitting that they are unable to live life by their own rules and must submit to the authority of God to define right and wrong. There are a lot of people in our modern Western Culture who claim to be Christians, yet do not submit to God’s moral authority. These are not their exact words, usually, but they say that the Bible’s moral rules are old-fashioned and we need to change with the times. They follow what the culture says is right or wrong, or what the individual perceives to be truth or defines truth to be, not what the Word of God says is the truth and what is morally right or wrong.
Disciples of James confused the Galatian church. They believed that they were saved by faith, as the Apostle Paul taught, but had to keep their salvation through works. The Apostle Paul rebuked these disciples who confused this church and his teaching that we are saved and maintained by faith, not works (Galatians 3).
So the teaching of James can confuse.
Desiring to obey God demonstrates that you have a changed heart. You’ve put your trust in Jesus to save you and submit to His authority.
If you claim to be a Christian, but have zero desire to obey God, there’s something seriously wrong. You cannot be born again and still desire to sin and disobey Him. A sincere believer may stumble and fall and disobey, but he/she doesn’t want to sin. Sin no longer is their master (Romans 6:14). A true believer is a “new creation. The Old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”–Apostle Paul, 2 Corinthians 5:17
To summarize James: If you’ve truly put your trust in Jesus as your Lord, you will act differently. Your behavior will demonstrate what you truly believe. Because Abraham learned to trust God, he was willing to obey what God told him to do, even if it meant sacrificing his own son, because “Abraham believed God (James 2:23).” He was concerned about people forgetting who they were in Christ and not setting an example to the world by their behavior (James 1:22-24).
The centurion demonstrated that he had “great faith (Luke 7:9)” because he asked Jesus to heal his servant, but felt unworthy for Jesus to enter his home. He believed that Jesus could heal from afar and didn’t need to be physically present to perform the miracle. He knew Jesus was the Lord and had the authority to declare his servant healed. The centurion’s behavior backed up what he truly believed in his heart.
A modern example is an experience I often had with my beloved grandmother. She’d often say that “she trusted me,” yet would often doublecheck. Her actions demonstrated that she didn’t really trust me.
A saved person has a new heart, is one with Christ (John 17:22), and desires to obey God. They have cast off their filthy rags of works righteousness (Isaiah 64:6) and been clothed with the clean, white garments of the “righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:22).”
James was concerned that someone who claimed to be saved backed up their words with actions, as he clearly taught in the first chapter that it was impossible to be made right with God through the Law. So something else was needed.
So this is why I emphasize in my call to faith at the end of my weekly posts that a person asks Jesus to be both their Lord and Savior.
A person proves that they have a new heart–saving faith–by becoming a different person.
NOT a perfect person.
But they’ve entered the “paths of righteousness for His namesake (Psalm 23:3)” and have a heart to obey the Lord, rather than serve the world, the flesh, and our culture.
They have started their journey of sanctification.
I hope this helps clarify.
And then again–maybe not.
But that’s how I understand it. And why someone who claims to be a Christian may only be deluding themselves. I don’t anyone who reads my blogs to be one of the people that Christ casts away from His presence on Judgment Day because they thought they were right with God–but aren’t.
God bless you this Christmas Season (or whatever time of year you read this blog post).
Much love from Dawn and Buddy
*Different denominations parse the Commandments differently.
***
Most religions try to teach you how to be good.
But cannot give you the power to BE good.
Only a change of heart through the power of God’s Holy Spirit can change your behavior–and thus your life.
We’re all born spiritually dead, because our first ancestors rejected God’s authority in their lives. They believed Satan and his lies, rather than trusting that God is good and obeying Him because He had their best interests in mind.
And, therefore, every person is born without the Holy Spirit since Adam and Eve. (This Creation story is extremely important to understanding our need for God.)
Humans were created in God’s image; just as He is triune in nature–Father, Son, and Holy Spirt–we are supposed to be triune beings, also: body, soul, and spirit. But every person is born into this world without the Holy Spirit indwelling them. Everyone is born with just a body and soul, without union with God. That’s why you need to be born again.
“Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”–Jesus, John 3:3
Do you feel like something’s missing in your life? Like there is an empty space on your soul that can never go away, despite how hard you try to fill it with things or relationships you think should make you feel happy—but don’t.
Your soul was created to be united with God’s Spirit. If you feel empty, it’s because the Holy Spirit isn’t filling that space in your heart where He is supposed to dwell.
If you don’t have the Holy Spirit, you do not having saving faith.
If you haven’t yet, please consider asking Jesus to be both your Lord and Savior. He died for your sins, so that you don’t have to, and was resurrected bodily on the Third Day to prove that He is God and can give you supernatural, eternal life.
Please repeat the below prayer, out loud, if possible:
Dear Heavenly Father, I’m sorry for my sin. Please forgive me. I call on Jesus to be both my Lord and my Savior. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. And please teach me how much You love me. In the mighty name of your Son Jesus Christ, amen.
If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible daily. Just as your body needs daily nourishment to be healthy, so does your soul. The Bible is your soul food.
And attend a Bible-believing church or Bible study, and get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I recommend the following two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) or http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message). There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to be deceived by bad teaching or legalism until you know the Bible fairly well.
God bless you. May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.
Where Hope Comes From, Quickie Read
We all say, “I hope this happens, and I hope that happens,” because it’s usually a circumstance beyond our control. We cannot say, “I will make this happen” in those circumstances.
Buddy is saying above, “I hope my human gets this suit off of me soonest as I’m being tortured.”
I’m saying and praying, “I hope God will give me at least two more years with Buddy,” as he’s sixteen and Silky terriers can live to at least twenty-one.
I also hope that Jesus will return and rapture Buddy and I, so that I don’t have to suffer the sorrow of being separated from him or experience the rise of the Antichrist.
But those are ardent hopes beyond my control. I can give Buddy special enzymes to assist his kidneys, but ultimately his lifespan is decided by Jesus, not me.
But there is one hope that born again Christians can count on: eternal life.
“For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.”—Romans 8:25-25
“He who believes in the Son has eternal life;”—Jesus, John 3:36
God bless you.
Much love from Dawn and Buddy
“Now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”—1 Corinthians 13:13
Christian Spoilsports, Luke 2:8-14
Ah, Christmastime. The time, once again, to torment our furpals with costumes as part of the holiday season traditions.
Just as Buddy isn’t too keen to put on his Christmas outfit, there is a group of Christians who seemingly refuse to enter into the joy of the season and put on their happy faces.
They self-righteously proclaim several reasons for not participating in the Christmas spirit:
Jesus wasn’t born on Christmas Day. He was likely born in Springtime as the shepherds were sleeping outside in the field.
Christmas is a pagan holiday, since it takes place on, and replaces, the pagan holiday of Saturnalia, traditionally celebrated around December 25th.
They claim that the Christmas tree is a pagan symbol, so we shouldn’t put up a tree in our homes.
And a couple other highlights worthy of Dickens’ Scrooge:
You shouldn’t be celebrating with your family on Christmas Day. You should be out serving and helping the poor.
You shouldn’t waste your money buying gifts for family and friends who already have too much. Give your money to charity, instead.
I remember something a Counseling Pastor’s wife once said: “Christians need to stop shoulding on other people.”
About a week ago I attended a Christmas Party with fellow authors. One dour-faced woman announced that she’d just received her license as a pastor (the denomination surprised me).
She scowled through the entire party, her small, bear-like eyes never sparkling with joy or gratitude. Not even a forklift could lift up the corners of her mouth to resemble anything like a smile.
I would never want to be her friend, let alone listen to her preach. As an unbeliever, I’d probably run the other direction if I saw her heading my way.
I remember walking to a church service one night with a group of students from the dormitory when attending college. I wasn’t a Christian then and appreciated that they wanted me to accompany them.
But, the pastor preached that you should never joke or be jovial, but always “sober-minded (1Peter 4:7, 5:8).” As an aspiring comic strip cartoonist, this lecture was a big turnoff to ever joining that denomination. After all, isn’t it the Scriptures that advise: “A joyful heart is good medicine. But a broken spirit dries up the bones (Proverbs 17:22).”
The Christian spoilsports always seem to rear up their legalistic heads during any holiday.
The Christmas tree actually has its origins during the Protestant Reformation. Supposedly Martin Luther began the tradition in Wittenberg, Germany, while walking beneath an awe inspiring, starry sky: “This wondrous sight inspired him to set up a candle-lit fir tree in his house that Christmas to remind his children of the starry heavens from whence their Saviour came.” The tradition supposedly was imported into Great Britain by Queen Charlotte, December 1800. (See article by Alison Barnes, 2006: https://www.historytoday.com/archive/history-matters/first-christmas-tree). Some scholars say that the traditional star atop the Christmas tree represents the Star of Bethlehem.
OK. Jesus likely wasn’t born on December 25th. But the early church planted the holiday tradition on this date to turn people’s attention away from worshipping a false god to worshipping the true God, Jesus Christ. Just as they built many churches upon the ruins of pagan temples.
Isn’t it wonderful to have festive Christmas lights and beautiful carols and family celebrations during the darkest time of the year?
Instead of being focused on the Winter Solstice, a traditional tine for pagan celebrations during the shortest day of the year, people are instead preoccupied with parties, gift giving, remembering the poor, baking delicious goodies, decorating their homes, and celebrating loving relationships.
If someone wants to be a Christmas Scrooge and scowl their way through the “happiest time of the year (see below video)” that’s OK. God’s unconditional love shines also upon his cranky children; they’re recipients of God’s grace too and deserve our love and compassion.
But don’t feel obligated, please, to heed their joy-killing admonitions.
Even the angels took a break to joyfully announce the birth of the Savior to lowly shepherds one dark night:
“Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
“And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.
“Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
“‘For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord.
“‘And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.’
“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
“‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.’”—Luke 2
Enjoy the holiday season.
Merry Christmas from Dawn and Buddy
***
Knowing Jesus Christ is good news. It’s wonderful to discover that God is real and loves you immensely.
But too many Christians only preach half the gospel, so it sounds like bad news, instead of the Great Good News that it really is.
Through Moses, God brought the Law, His rules of right and wrong, to show us how sinful we are and in need of abandoning our right to rule our lives and submit to His rule and authority.
But too many legalists stop there.
God makes you feel bad to announce the way to eternal happiness.
Jesus died for our sins on the Cross so that we don’t have to suffer the punishment for rebelling against a holy God (Colossians 2:13-14).
But followers of Jesus are saved, given eternal life, through His resurrection (1 Peter 1:3).
Too many focus on the Cross and forget why He was resurrected. He rose bodily, not spiritually, and walked amongst His followers for 40 days till he rose heavenward with his apostles looking on.
We are all born spiritually dead. No one is holy enough to deserve to be saved, to become born again. Everyone must repent.
But we must repent so that we can be given spiritual life by the Holy Spirit.
Other religions or leaders can tell you how to be good. But only Jesus can give you spiritual life. That’s why He claimed to be:
“The way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.”—John 14:6
EVERYONE needs to repent to receive eternal life with God in Heaven. There’s no sliding scale where someone does enough good deeds to get in.
Jesus said that the standard to enter heaven through good works is “perfection (Matthew 5:8).”
No one is perfect, even if they think they are.
EVERYONE is on the same level, and fall short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). It’s the most fair religion there is.
NO ONE can earn their way into bliss. EVERYONE must humble themselves before the Almighty Lord.
Are you ready to become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) in Christ Jesus? If so, please repeat the following, out loud if possible:
Dear Heavenly Father, I’m sorry for my sin and ask for Your forgiveness. I realize that I can never be good enough or do enough good deeds to earn your love and forgiveness. I call on Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. And teach me how much You love me. Thank You for hearing my prayers. In the mighty name of Jesus Christ, amen.
If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible daily. I suggest starting with the Book of Luke this Christmas Season as it tells the most complete story of the first Christmas. The Bible is your soul food. Just as you need to eat daily for your body to be properly nourished, so does your soul.
Also, please join a Bible believing church or Bible study. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I suggest these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message) and http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way). There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to be misled by false teaching or legalism till you know the Bible fairly well.
God bless you as you celebrate your first Christmas, united with God through Christ Jesus.
Merry Christmas!
May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.
Meditations About God and Buddy 