“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)
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
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
Don’t worry; be happy!
***
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.
Every time I look at Buddy, I smile because I love him so much.
Now many preachers claim that joy is independent of circumstances, but happiness is based upon circumstance. In other words, you can be joyful even when life sucks.
But I think joy is more than an attitude, but also a wonderful feeling. When I focus on the Lord, how magnificent, creative, intelligent, patient, and kind He is, it’s more than an intellectual exercise: I feel gratitude and thankfulness and love.
So, if you’re feeling down or under spiritual attack, please start praising God and singing His praises.
“Nehemiah said, ‘Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’”—Nehemiah 8:10
It’s Christmas time, when God sent His greatest gift, the incarnation of His Son, Jesus Christ, “God With Us (Matthew 2:23).”
Go and enjoy great food, gift giving, and loving relationships this Christmas Season.
God actually encourages celebrating His goodness.
As artist Sandra Boynton made famous: Don’t let the turkeys get you down.
When Buddy ran off one Fourth of July holiday, there was no way that I would give up looking for him till he was found. I knew that he was car stupid and might get injured by a motorized vehicle or killed by a coyote. Like all little terriers, he thinks he can protect himself, but actually depends upon his master to keep him safe from harm.
Because I was not raised in the Christian faith, I have not been subjected to Christian memes my whole life. I approach some issues with fresh eyes, rather than automatically believing something the Christian community repeats endlessly.
Now, before you get angry with me, it’s always an advantage to be raised Christian so that the Holy Spirit is influencing a life positively from childhood; that person has less chances to screw up their life with bad behavior and has less obstacles to overcome as a result of bad decisions.
However, once again, I was recently told by a lifelong Christian that God is going to punish the United States, just as He did ancient Israel.
My response: Firstly, is the United States more wicked than other nations? We have tens of millions of born again believers in our country. Should we just give up? Where is our faith?
And we punish ourselves as a nation by disobeying God and not following His instructions for life and godly living in the Bible.
But, most importantly, we are NOT living in the Old Testament times under the Old Covenant. Jesus was born and died to usher in a New Covenant of Grace.
“Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem.
And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, ‘Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?’
But He turned and rebuked them, and said, ‘You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.
For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.’”—Jesus, Luke 9:51-56
It’s so easy to get frustrated when we see Christ excluded from Christmas in so many family celebrations. And to witness so many in power, whether political or corporate, acting in ways that are selfish, ungodly and destructive to our nation and culture.
But Jesus reminds both myself—and you—that He came to save lives, not destroy them.
“‘For the Son of Man has come to seek and save that which is lost.’”—Jesus, Luke 19:10
Yes, Wise men and women still seek Jesus.
And Judgment is coming—one day. Jesus will declare, “I never knew you; depart from Me who practice lawlessness! (Matthew 5:23).”
But until His Second Coming, He is still seeking and saving His lost sheep.
It’s difficult, I know. I wish Jesus would return and wipe out evil.
But then I remember I was one of those lost sheep that Jesus chose to save, instead of punishing.
So, please, focus on God’s mercy. He’s still saving.
He’s not eager to rain down judgment.
“But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”—Apostle Peter, 2 Peter 3:8-9
God bless you.
Merry Christmas from Dawn and Buddy
***
Yes, God is not eager to punish. He wants everyone to leave the “kingdom of darkness and translat(e) us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins (Apostle Paul, Colossians 1:13-14).”
But the Apostle Peter did warn that judgment, though delayed, would one day come: “They will give an account to Him Who is ready to judge the living and the dead.”—1 Peter 4:5
He warned that the Lord’s Return would occur like “a thief in the night (2 Peter 3:10)”—He will return unexpectedly and suddenly; there will no longer be time to repent and accept Jesus as Lord.
Every day you have a choice: Do you want to remain under the authority of Satan as your god, or accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Remain under the authority of a defeated being of hatred—or accept the authority of a God Who loves you and created you?
What do you really have to lose if your life is currently miserable, anyway?
If you want new spiritual life, please repeat the following, out loud if possible:
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you that Jesus came to save me and not condemn me. Thank you for loving me and wanting to guide my life along a better path. Please forgive my sins and fill me with the Holy Spirit. I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. I want You in my life. I give my life to You. Lead me into everlasting life and freedom from bondage to sin. In the merciful name of Jesus, amen.
If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you are born again. Please start reading the Bible as your soul needs daily nourishment, just as your body needs daily food. The Word of God is your soul food. I suggest starting with the Book of Luke as it details the Christmas story.
Also, please join a Bible believing church or Bible study. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, then I suggest these 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).
God bless you as you celebrate your new life in Jesus.
Buddy and I love you and hope to meet you in heaven one day.
I recently returned from a weeklong trip, visiting with a friend I haven’t seen for two years. So fun to spend quality time with her and discover some things that we have in common that I hadn’t known previously. My furry pal welcomed me home, but is a scruffy-looking little fellow as I wasn’t around to give him a bath.
“Come now and let us reason together,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are as scarlet, they’ll be white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they’ll be like wool.”—Isaiah 1:18
We are all like Buddy. Every single one of us.
How?
We cannot wash ourselves clean of our sins. Just like Buddy, we need someone bigger to wash us.
Someone who loves us and wants us to be healthy, free of dirt.
Jesus died to wash us clean of our sins. God demands payment for bad behavior and Jesus paid that price for us.
But why?
As pastor Dr Charles Stanley likes to say, “God does not dwell in a dirty vessel.”
Quite true. So for a person to be indwelt by the Holy Spirit—for God to inhabit the human soul—we have to be declared clean of sin: totally perfect and righteous (Matthew 5:48).
It’s important for Christians to explain to the unbelieving world WHY they need their sins forgiven: so that God can GIVE them spiritual LIFE.
“Jesus answered and said to him (Nicodemus), ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’”—Jesus, John 3:3
When I was an unbeliever in the deity of Jesus Christ, no one explained to me what “born again” meant. It’s vitally important that we explain to nonChristians that they are spiritually “dead (Ephesians 2:5)” and need to be reborn spiritually to enter God’s heavenly kingdom.
That’s the true good news: Not that they are sinners, but salvation comes through believing God loves them and Jesus, God in the flesh (Matthew 1:23), died for their sins AND was resurrected from the dead to give them eternal LIFE (Romans 8:11).
Sinners washed clean by the blood of the holy Lamb and made saints, children of God (John 1:12-13).
God bless you this Christmas Season.
Much love from Dawn and Buddy.
***
I hope you understand that you need Jesus to have spiritual life. Other religions can teach you how to be a better person, but only the Lord Jesus can give you new life, raising your soul from death to life.
If you realize something is wrong and need Jesus, please repeat the following prayer, out loud if possible:
Dear Heavenly Father, I want to be washed clean of my sin and enter the kingdom of heaven. I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. I acknowledge that He is God Who came to die for my sins. Please forgive my all my sin and fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I want new life and cannot earn it, but humbly receive it as a gift of Your love for me. I want to live for You. Thank you for hearing my prayer. In the name of Jesus, amen.
If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you are born again. Please start reading the Bible as it’s your soul food; just as your body needs daily nourishment, so does your soul. I suggest starting with the Book of Luke as it details the Christmas story.
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.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org.
God bless you. May Buddy and I see you in heaven one day. Merry Christmas!
Who says that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?
Wrong!
I adopted Buddy over twelve years ago and he’s been a fairly quiet dog—till recently. He learned that when he barked at my dad, my dad would give him a treat.
Now he barks at me till I give in to his demands. There is no peace in the household till Buddy gets his way!
My dad, unintentionally, created a little monster!
(My dad is starting to squirt Buddy with water from a spray bottle if he becomes too insistent. It usually works.)
During the eighth century BC, the Jewish prophet Isaiah made this prediction about the coming Messiah, whom we now know is Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Isaiah 9:6-7:
“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace,…”
Yet, the Christian group, Casting Crowns, so beautifully sings “I Heard The Bells on Christmas Day,” with the famous line: “There is no peace on earth, they say…” https://youtu.be/M7670CXvPX0
In fact, Jesus told His followers in Matthew 10:34-36:
“Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be members of his household.”
In fact, Isaiah said that “There would be no end to the increase of…His peace.” Yet Jesus was crucified almost two thousand years ago and there has been no increase of peace throughout the past two millennia on the earth. In fact, over 100 million people were killed in during the world wars and by Communists during the 20th century—the low end figure. And 70 million Christians have been killed for their faith since Christ walked on the earth. For example, the Ottoman Turks murdered over 1.6 million Christians in Armenia and Turkey in the 1820s. (Source: https://www.goodnewsfl.org/christian-persecution-21st-century/)
So we’re not experiencing the world peace Isaiah seemed to prophecy that the Messiah would usher in.
So what the heck kind of peace was being referred to by the prophet?
“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”—John 14:27
A few comments regarding this promised peace:
1. Firstly, Jesus gives it. It’s a gift. You cannot earn it.
2. It’s a peace different from the kind that the world gives.
3. If you receive this peace from Jesus, you will not feel fear or anxiety.
Sounds great, right? What is this peace that only Jesus can give to you?
Three things:
1. Peace with God. “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ…”—Apostle Paul, Romans 5:1
God hates sin and must punish it; the whole world is under His wrath. “Jesus, Who rescues us from the wrath to come.”—Apostle Paul, 1 Thessalonians 1:10
Because Jesus died for the sins of all humanity, “once for all” Hebrews 9:12), we are no longer enemies of God and are at peace with Him—if we “confess with our mouths Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; (Romans 10:9)”
But please note: This peace with God comes only through Jesus.
2. Peace within your heart.
After I became born again, the Holy Spirit has been revealing to me how much unnecessary conflict and anger there is in my mind and heart. I’ve learned to forgive and become free of bitterness and resentment (Romans 5:5); freed from jealousy and envy, because God promises to meet all my needs and cares for me, even to the point of knowing how many hairs I have on my head at any given moment (Matthew 6:25-34); freed of worrying about what people think of me or may do to me. (OK, that last one the Lord and I are still working on.)
Isaiah prophesied that our Lord is a “Wonderful Counselor.” But too few seek the wisdom in the Bible or the help of the Holy Spirit, through prayer and submission; but seek worldly wisdom, then wonder why they are in endless therapy. (I’m not referring to emotional issues caused by physical problems or chemical imbalances, although I think too few don’t look at how their diets or potential allergies may be causing mental problems.)
3. Peace through hope in the future.
Jesus said: “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”—John 16:33
The peace we can have as Christians is that, no matter what life throws at us, we know Jesus is walking alongside us and leading us as our Good Shepherd (Psalm 23, Psalm 139, John 10:14-18). He gave His life to buy us eternal life in heaven with Him:
“I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live, even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.”—Jesus, John 11:25-26
Because Jesus died for our sins and then was resurrected from the dead, proving that His blameless life was sufficient payment for our sins, and that He was (and is) “God in the flesh” (Matthew 1:23), we can be assured of having eternal life—if we’re born again through faith in Jesus Christ.
So the peace Isaiah foretold was: Peace with God, peace within our souls, and peace despite suffering because we’re destined for paradise in heaven.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,…”—Apostle Peter, 1 Peter 1:3-5
God bless you this Christmas Season.
Much love from Dawn and Buddy
PS. Buddy fussed continuously throughout my composing this blog tonight. First I stopped to take him for a walkie. Then he fussed for attention. What a little monster! And he’s still fussing at these very moment!
***
Jesus stated that peace with God comes only through Him. “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”—John 14:6
Now, you cannot judge by the lives of other Christians if that peace is truly available. You don’t know where a person started from in their walk with God and how much progress they have made. Or what is in their heart. As long as we walk this earth, we’ll all struggle with our own personal sins and flaws.
But the question is: Are you ready to begin that journey right now? And be reassured of a future in Heaven? For Jesus told the thief dying on the cross next to Him, that because of his confession of his sin and faith, he would join Jesus in paradise that very day after his death (Luke 23:39-43).
If you’re ready to experience the peace that Jesus gives, instead of the uncertain peace of a broken world, please repeat the following prayer, out loud if possible:
Dear Father, I’m tired of the false peace this changeable world promises and want the peace in my life that only Jesus can give. Please forgive all my sins. I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please fill me with the Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. I ask the Great Shepherd to fill my heart with the peace He freely gives. In the mighty name of Jesus, amen.
If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible. Just as your body needs daily nourishment, so does your soul; the Bible is your soul food. I suggest starting with the Book of Luke as it details the Christmas story.
And 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 and http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way). There are other godly ministries out there, but it’s easy to be misled by legalism or false teaching till you know the Bible fairly well.
God bless you. Thanks for reading my blog post. May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day. Enjoy the journey you’ve begun as a new believer in Christ.
It’s the Twelfth Day of Christmas, Day of the Epiphany (January 6th, 2021). I was going to keep my decorations up till tomorrow but a rat infestation blew my mood so everything was taken down shortly after the New Year. Buddy discovered the unwelcome visitors before I did. Fortunately, God protected him from tearing up his paws on the carpet tacks after he ripped up a portion of my living room carpet in an attempt to hunt down the rodents who had camped out in our supply closet.
I was not raised in the Christian religion, so my family never celebrated the Day of Epiphany. Church tradition celebrates the visitation of the three magi who recognized the incarnation of the promised Messiah.
“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the East and have come to worship Him.’…When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshipped Him. Then opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Matthew 2:1-2, 10-11).”
Much has been written and speculated about the Three Wise Men, but they had been watching the skies in anticipation of the incarnate God visiting His creation (Matthew 1:23). Scholars claim that the magi determined the timing of God’s visitation upon prophecies in the Old Testament book of Daniel, Chapter 9 (https://creationtoday.org/the-wise-men-and-the-star/). Unlike most of the world at that time, they recognized that the Lord had been born and had traveled a great distance to celebrate this great event and to worship God in the flesh. Although Mary and Joseph were aware of their first born’s special status, it must’ve been a surprise to have three foreign ambassadors arrive and worship their child.
The first epiphany was a life changing event: for the wise men who celebrated the arrival of the King whom they were anticipating, and for Christ’s parents to have their Son’s status confirmed but also to have been given expensive gifts. The gifts would soon provide financial assistance when Joseph and Mary flee to Egypt to protect their son from being murdered by Herod, who did not want competition for his throne.
I also had my own life changing epiphany during the Twelve Days of Christmas. I’m sharing my experience in the hopes that my insight will help other Christians who have been struggling with the same problem that I have for decades.
After coming to Christ, I felt aimless in life. Previously, I had been very active creatively and had hoped to become a syndicated cartoonist or create my own animation company. But after experiencing the power and presence of God during my born again experience, nothing seemed as important as people coming to know God through Jesus Christ and escaping eternal separation from Him. The ambition that fueled my creativity seemed shortsighted and selfish in comparison.
Only souls are eternal. Everything else was going to be burnt up at the Second Coming to make way for a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21:1).
Of what value were my cartoons and stories when Jesus is going to return and destroy the earth and all of our human works? Anything that I created, apart from proselytizing and saving souls, was transient. Not lasting. A waste of precious time.
In fact, God even declared through His prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 65:17: “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things will not be remembered or come to mind.”
Not only is this decaying and corrupt planet going to be destroyed, but after Christ establishes His kingdom, Christians won’t even remember their prior lives or the evil they once had to endure.
Therefore, nothing I create is lasting. It’s all going up in a puff of smoke one day.
Not that I think I’ll ever attain the status of Ernest Hemingway or Shakespeare, and be remembered by future generations long after my death. But at least I’d once hoped I could attain the status of Charles Schultz or even JK Rowling.
But it’s all going “poof” one day, does anything I create really matter?
I loved my characters that I published in my novel (Cattle Capers ™: Search For The MooMoo Pearl) in 2005 and other works, but the energy that fuels creative efforts after long work days and exhaustion dried up. Particularly after my main computer crashed, just before I’d planned to publish the second Cattle Capers ™ novel in 2020.
I struggled with a sense of worthlessness. I had many story ideas and ambitions, yet it all seemed so pointless. Why bother?
But when taking down the year 2021 Christmas decorations, just like the magi, I had my own life changing epiphany.
A life changing realization.
But then I thought, what made the sculptures wouldn’t be so special or delight me so much if I kept them out all year long. It was unboxing them and putting them on display for only about five weeks a year that made them so special.
Fortunately, most of my Yorkie Christmas sculptures survived my move to Arizona. They are beautifully detailed Christmas events performed by Yorkie dogs in ceramic. Dogs decorate a Christmas tree topped with a dog bone star and help hang strings of lights on a house made of ice blocks. I sighed, admiring the marvelous creativity and loving detail of the designers of each sculpture, but knowing I would soon box these treasures up for another year and no longer gaze upon them each day.
Then came the light bulb moment that will illuminate the remaining years of my life occurred: It’s the transient nature of things that makes them so precious, so special, so adored.
Cut flowers are appreciated because their fragrance and beauty are short-lived. Childhood innocence is cherished as the time period is brief. College years are enjoyed as the time for the freewheeling social life is limited. Family is prioritized as free time is sparse and death is unpredictable. Youth is appreciated before age and adult responsibilities saps the strength.
My great epiphany: My life, my creative work, my stories and characters and cartoons, are precious BECAUSE THEY ARE TRANSITORY, because they are not lasting.
Brief moments must be captured and appreciated. Laughter and runs along sandy beaches and birthday parties and playing catch with the dog or watching a cat attempt to climb to the upper shelf or little kids flying down the slide—family and life is precious because its existence on this earth is brief.
Every human life is precious because we never know when the laughter, the conversation, the concert or the ballgame with a cherished friend or family member will be the last.
Every human life is precious because every single person is a unique person fashioned lovingly by God (Psalm 139:16-19) with a unique mission (Ephesians 2:10). We exist on earth for a limited period of time. So what we do matters.
Because if we don’t do it, our unique expression of our existence will one day disappear.
“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol (death) where you are going (Ecclesiastes 9:10).”
If you’ve been struggling with a sense of worthlessness as I have for most of my Christian life, I hope that this post is helpful to you.
Or even life changing.
Now I need to finish up my cartoon for my Sherlock Holmes Club.
God bless you.
Much love from Dawn and Buddy
***
Perhaps you wonder what life is all about. Why am I here? Why was I born?
We were created to love God and be loved by Him.
But humankind turned away from God and has been living under a curse, dwelling in Satan’s domain. It is only by God’s kindness that we have not been destroyed by the devil or self-destructed through sinful behavior.
The word “sin” is not popular today, but God incarnated and died to rescue “us from the domain of darkness” and transfer “us to the kingdom of His beloved Son in Whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 2:13-14).”
God wants you to experience the fullness of His love in a personal relationship with Him.
God‘a love shines light into this dark world. He is real and you can experience Him as real.
You can become born again through the Holy Spirit and begin anew.
What Jesus came to do is reverse the curse that Adam and Eve brought upon humanity by rejecting God’s authority and presence. Jesus died to take the punishment for our sins, our disobedience.
If you’re ready to humble yourself and accept God as your Lord with the authority to define what is right and wrong, please pray the following:
Dear Heavenly Father, I confess that I’ve lived life my way rather than Your way. Please forgive my sin. I call on Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. I don’t understand much right now, but be my Good Shepherd, leading the way and lighting my path. In the mighty name of Jesus, amen.
If you prayed with sincerity, congratulations, you are born again.
But just as your body needs regular meals, so your soul needs daily food: This soul food is the Bible.
Please start reading the Bible daily to grow in the knowledge of who God is. Also, God speaks to our hearts as we read the word. I recommend starting with the book of Matthew as it’s easy to understand.
You also need Christian fellowship to stand strong and to grow, so join a Bible-based Church or Bible-study. If that’s not possible right now, please check out these three ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.InTouch.org, http://www.LTW.org and http://www.AndrewFarley.org. (BasicGospel merged with the latter this year.) There are other godly ministries, but these are my personal favorites.
Buddy was traumatized by abuse before I adopted him. It took him about 2.5 years to recognize me as his protector and provide and not another abuser taking advantage of my power over him.
Many false Messiahs appeared during Jesus’ lifetime. I was raised in a religion hostile to Christianity which did not recognize Jesus as “Emmanuel…God with us (Matthew 1:23.”
It takes the power of the Holy Spirit to reveal Who Jesus is. We are incapable of recognizing Who He is without God’s help (1 Corinthians 2:14).
The Holy Spirit revealed to several people during the infancy of Jesus that He was the promised Messiah. (Jesus fulfilled over 191-456 Old Testament predictions during His lifetime. The number is dependent upon the scholar.)
It is popularly believed that the physician friend of Apostle Paul, who wrote the book of Luke, had interviewed the mother of Jesus to provide more details about the early years of Christ. After Mary was told by the Angel Gabriel that she would become pregnant by the Holy Spirit and give birth to the Messiah (as detailed in Isaiah 9:6), she visited her relative Elizabeth. Elizabeth was six months pregnant with John the Baptist, who would prepare people’s hearts to receive the Messiah, God incarnate.
“Mary got up and hurried to a city in the Judean highlands. She entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. With a loud voice she blurted out, ‘God has blessed you above all women, and He has blessed the child you carry. Why do I have this honor, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? (Luke 1:39-43)’”
The Holy Spirit revealed to Elizabeth that Mary was pregnant with the Messiah.
After Jesus was born, his parents obeyed the religious requirements in Leviticus for ritual cleansing by offering up a sacrifice in the Temple in Jerusalem and presenting their first born son before the Lord (Luke 2:21). The Holy Spirit, once again, pointed out that Jesus was the Messiah. His parents were greeted by Simeon, who had:
“The Holy Spirit rested on him. The Holy Spirit revealed to him that he wouldn’t die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. Led by the Spirit, he went into the temple area. Meanwhile, Jesus’ parents brought the Child to the temple so that they could do what was customary under the Law. Simeon took Jesus in his arms and praised God. He said, ‘Now, Master, let your servant go in peace according to Your word, because my eyes have seen your salvation (Luke 2:25-30).’”
A prophetess named Anna, a widow who lived in the Temple, who was in frequent communication with God through prayer, also publicly declared that Jesus was the Messiah.
Although I grew up knowing that Jesus lived and performed miracles, I had difficulty believing that God could appear to us, and live amongst His creation, as a human being. (I struggled with atheism during college but that’s a story for later.) The universe is vast and the earth immensely complex. How could such power be contained in one individual?
However, not only in the three examples above did people recognize Jesus as the promised Messiah, but throughout Jesus’ life and ministry, people bowed down and worshipped Jesus, acknowledging Him as their Lord. Jesus accepted their worship and did not rebuke them.
I knew that there were numerous passages condemning bowing down and worshipping anyone but God. These two passages helped me to understand who Jesus truly is.
In Revelation 22:8-9, an angel rebukes the Apostle John for bowing down to him in worship, admonishing John to only “Worship God.” Yet, when Thomas worships the resurrected Jesus, Jesus does not rebuke the apostle but accepts his worship.
“Thomas answered and said to Him (Jesus), ‘My Lord and my God! (John 20:28)’”
Finally the Lord opened my heart to understand that Jesus was indeed Emmanuel, God in the flesh. It was only after that recognition of Christ’s deity that I received the Holy Spirit into my life. I’d been physically baptized a few years earlier but was not yet born again.
Once again Christians have the great privilege of acknowledging the incarnation of God at Christmas. I hope that you, too, are acknowledging the real reason for the season, the birth of Emmanuel.
God bless you.
Much love and Merry Christmas, from Dawn and Buddy.
***
You might claim to be a Christian, but are unaware of Jesus’ warning: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. (John 3:3).”
Please ask God to reveal to your heart who Jesus truly is: not an angel, nor merely a good man, or a deceiver, but Emmanuel, God in the flesh. If you ask with a sincere heart that desires to know the truth, He will delight to reveal Jesus to you.
If you’re ready to admit Jesus is God incarnate and your moral authority as Lord, please pray the following:
Dear Heavenly Father, I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please forgive my sins. And fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Thank you that Jesus came into the world in the flesh to die for my sins. Lead and guide me. In Jesus’ holy name, amen.
If you prayed with sincerity, congratulations, you are born again. You are just beginning your journey. Please find a Bible based church or Bible study to grow in your faith and to fellowship with other believers.
Buddy was abused for three years by the husband of his prior owner. She was dying of cancer and could scarcely care for herself, let alone care for Buddy, whom she’d kept as a pet. Fortunately, a breeder friend of hers rescued Buddy and fostered him out till he became my “furever” friend.
Jesus came to die for our sins (Hebrews 10:10) and to give us new life through the power of the Holy Spirit Who indwells born again Christian believers.
But the Apostle John clearly states that He also came to the earth to defeat the power of Satan in our lives in 1 John 3:8:
“The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.”
What three things gives Satan power over us?
1. Sin: “The one who practices sin is of the devil (1 John 3:8.”
2. The fear of death: “Since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives (Hebrews 2:14-15).”
3. The Law (given through the prophet Moses): “Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:19-20, 23).”
Even the first generation born on planet earth could not resist sinning. God warned Cain to resist his feelings of anger toward his brother Abel, whose sacrifice God accepted but rejected Cain’s.
“Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.’ (Genesis 4:6-7)”
Cain could not resist the pull of his anger and murdered his brother.
The Law gives Satan power over us because the Law can only condemn us and prove that we are sinners, but cannot save us: “because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:20)…I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, ‘You shall not covet.’ But sin, taking every opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law, sin is dead (Romans 7:7-8).”
Jesus defeated Satan by defeating the power of sin, the fear of death, and fulfilled the righteous requirements of the Law for us. He lived a totally sinless life under the Law so that the Law could no longer have the power to condemn us.
So how did Jesus address these three powers of the devil over us?
1. Defeated the power of sin: “He (Jesus) appeared in order to take away sins, and in Him there is no sin….No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him;…By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. (1 John 3:5-6, 9, 1 John 4:9).
What the apostle was explaining in his first epistle is that born again believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and now have the power of God to love and obey Him, and the power to love others. We are no longer under sin’s rule.
A lawyer and teacher of the Law, asked Jesus, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied, that to love God and others is the summary of the Law: “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, and with all of your soul, and with all of your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets (Matthew 22:35-40).”
2. Defeated the fear of death: “As God lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life (Jesus, John 3:14).”
We no longer fear death because we have an everlasting inheritance with Jesus in heaven where Satan no longer dwells (Revelation 12:9) nor evil.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you (Apostle Peter, 1 Peter 1:3-4).”
In heaven we will find hope and comfort after living in this broken world of heartache and pain: “God will wipe every year from their eyes (Apostle John, Revelation 7:17).”
“And they overcame him (Satan) because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life, even when faced with death (Revelation 12:11).”
3. The curse of the Law is broken so that we no longer want to sin nor are condemned by God as sinners, because Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the Law for us. As the Apostle Paul explains:
We no longer need to “go for the gusto” or harm others to obtain everything that this world offers or our corrupt nature desires. As adopted children of God, our Heavenly Father knows what we need and promises supply it (Matthew 6:25-34) if we ask. Therefore, we can love others as we know our own needs are being met.
The Holy Spirit transforms our heart so that we are a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17): “Circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter (Romans 2:29).”
“For He (Jesus) rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in Whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:13-14).”
“For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the Law….But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness…Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 3:28, 4:5, 5:1).”
“For the Law made nothing perfect (Hebrews 7:19),” Jesus makes us perfect before God through our faith: “to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy (Jude 1:24, brother of Jesus).”
Much more could be said, but the above is a summary of how Jesus came to “destroy the works of the devil”.
There are two other things Christ gave us through His incarnation, to be explained in the next two blogs celebrating His first coming.
God bless you this Advent Season as the church celebrates the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Immanuel, God in the flesh (Matthew 1:23).”
Thank you for reading this rather lengthy post.
Much love from Dawn and Buddy
***
God is loving. He protects and provides for everyone in many ways as humans are made in His image (Genesis 1:27). However, when a person gives their life to Jesus, the Holy Spirit destroys the devil’s power over a person’s life by enabling them to stop engaging in self-destructive (sinful) behavior.
This process of sanctification works differently in every Christian’s life, but after giving your life to God, the Holy Spirit will come to indwell you and begin that process of helping you.
I have fallen flat on my face many times since becoming a Christian, but I can truly say that, although I have a long way to go, I’m a better person than I was before I got saved. But like a good Father, God promises never to leave nor forsake His children (Hebrews 13:5). He keeps guiding us along “the path of righteousness for His name’s sake (Psalm 23:3).”
If you’d like to become a child of God, please say the following prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for loving me so much that You sent Jesus to earth to die for my sins. I call on Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please forgive my sins. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Thank you for the gift of Christ, which we celebrate at Christmas. In the mighty name of Jesus, amen.
If you prayed with sincerity, congratulations, you are born again. Please find a Bible-based church or Bible study to grow in your faith and relationship with God. If that’s not possible right now, I recommend these three ministries: http://www.InTouch.org, http://www.LTW.org and http://www.BasicGospel.net. These will get your new life in Christ started off on the right foot.
Meditations About God and Buddy 