Someone named Gayle Erwin wrote the following:
What might such a government look like? First of all, it would look like its king. Politicians of this day look for what they can get from you. Jesus looks for what He can do for you.
Leaders of this day surround themselves with servants. Jesus surrounds us with His servanthood.
Leaders of this day use their power to build their empire. Jesus uses his power to wash our feet and make us clean and comfortable.
Leaders of this day trade their influence for money. God so loved that he gave . . .
Generals of this day need regular wars to keep their weapons and skills up to date and insure their own advancement. Jesus brings peace and rest to hearts.
The higher the plane of importance one reaches in this world, the more inaccessible he becomes. Jesus was Emanuel, “God with us.”
Leaders of this day are desperate to be seen and heard. Jesus sought anonymity so He could be useful.
Obviously, Jesus is not in charge of the halls of Washington, London, Moscow, Baghdad, Paris or Bonn. So, how can we ever believe the “government will be upon His shoulders”?
Actually, His government shows its workings in wonderful ways. Whenever I see someone who miraculously leaves a life of drugs or alcohol and is restored to his family and work, I can see that he is now governed by God.
Whenever I see loving Christians gently caring for orphans and those rejected by family, I know I am watching people governed by God.
Whenever I see people eagerly learning the Bible and joyously praising, I know who the governor is.
Whenever I see people give up lucrative careers simply to go and share the Good News of Jesus, I know they are governed by God.
When I see pastors carefully teach and lead the flock God has given them, I know they are getting signals from the great King.
When I see people leave family to live and teach in distant lands because they love the people who have not heard, I know they are governed by God.
So, indeed, the government is alive and working. Often silently, mostly unseen. We can be and are, by choice, governed by God. Hope and joy and peace and rest cover its subjects. Justice, mercy and grace, amazingly coexist. I like this Kingdom. The borders are open. Come on in.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Sunday, December 21, 2008
A Child is Born, A Son is Given - 2
Isaiah speaks as if this is an event that has already happened. When Isaiah prophesied about the birth of the Messiah he did not see it as a future event that may or may not happen but he saw it as an event that was so certain that it was as if it had already happened.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
A Child is Born, A Son is Given
Isaiah 9:6 says "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given."
When Jesus came into this world He came as a human, He came as a baby. As a baby He had to be born. But He was also divine and as God He was not born but given. This verse speaks of both His humanity (He was born as a child) and His divinity (as a son He was given). Jesus never ceased to be God but He did become God incarnate, God in the flesh.
When Jesus came into this world He came as a human, He came as a baby. As a baby He had to be born. But He was also divine and as God He was not born but given. This verse speaks of both His humanity (He was born as a child) and His divinity (as a son He was given). Jesus never ceased to be God but He did become God incarnate, God in the flesh.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Why a Manger?
The following was written by my friend Ethel.
Why a Manger?
This Christmas Stop, and ask yourself, why Jesus, God's only Son our King, was born in a Manger? Ask yourself, who was Jesus sent to replace?
Jesus was sent to replace, the Sheep, the Cattle, and even the Dove. They were being sacrificed, daily in the Temple.
King Solomon, sacrificed thousands of sheep, goats, and bulls, when he dedicated his Temple.
God sent Jesus His Son to replace the sacrifice of the animals and even the dove. Jesus blood was shed once and only once for our sins. That is why God let Him be born in their home, a manger.
May God bless you, as you remember the special gift that God sent to you, over two thousand years ago. He sent His Son Jesus, so that we might have eternal life.
I pray that you will find, Piece, Joy, and Love, in the New Year, as you worship Jesus, “GOD'S MANGER GIFT”
Why a Manger?
This Christmas Stop, and ask yourself, why Jesus, God's only Son our King, was born in a Manger? Ask yourself, who was Jesus sent to replace?
Jesus was sent to replace, the Sheep, the Cattle, and even the Dove. They were being sacrificed, daily in the Temple.
King Solomon, sacrificed thousands of sheep, goats, and bulls, when he dedicated his Temple.
God sent Jesus His Son to replace the sacrifice of the animals and even the dove. Jesus blood was shed once and only once for our sins. That is why God let Him be born in their home, a manger.
May God bless you, as you remember the special gift that God sent to you, over two thousand years ago. He sent His Son Jesus, so that we might have eternal life.
I pray that you will find, Piece, Joy, and Love, in the New Year, as you worship Jesus, “GOD'S MANGER GIFT”
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Why a Carpenter?
“Isn’t this the carpenter’s son?” Matthew 13:55 (NIV)
When God sent His Son into the world as a baby He chose Mary and Joseph to be the guardians of this special gift to the world. He could have chosen anyone as the father but He chose Joseph, the carpenter. As Jesus grew up in that home He learned the trade of a carpenter from His father. Jesus became a carpenter Himself but He was known as the carpenter’s son.
Jesus could have chosen any profession at all. He could have been a shepherd because He is known as the Good Shepherd, the Great Shepherd and the Chief Shepherd. He could have chosen to be a fisherman, most of His disciples were fishermen and He told them that He would make them fishers of men. He could have been a teacher or a farmer or a merchant. He was a teacher and many came to hear His teaching. He told many parables about farming and merchants. However, He chose to be a carpenter.
Why a carpenter? First, He was obedient as a Son and followed His father’s teaching. He did not come to go against the status quo but to show obedience by following it. He became a carpenter because His father was a carpenter.
Second, He wanted to show the value of work. He did not just put value of teaching or fishing but He showed us that all work is valuable when it is done for the Master.
However, I think the real reason He became a carpenter is because carpenters have the ability to take an ordinary piece of wood and make something beautiful from the wood. They design the product whether it is a piece of furniture or a boat or a house. They carefully mark the material and cut the pieces. The pieces are then carefully put together according to the plan. The product is not finished when the last nail is driven because the article needs to be sanded, stained and polished until it has a beautiful finish.
The Carpenter has a plan for our lives. That plan is unique to us. He wants to take the raw materials and cut away the parts that He cannot use. He wants to shape us and fashion us according to His plan. He then takes the sandpaper of life and rubs away all the rough edges until we are smooth. He then finishes the project by applying the stain and the polish.
We may not like the cutting, nailing, gluing and sanding. We would like to go from the raw materials to the finished product without having to suffer the pain of the carpenter’s hand and tools. However, there is no shortcut to a fine piece of furniture and there is no shortcut to a holy life. God always has to take off the rough edges to make us beautiful.
When God sent His Son into the world as a baby He chose Mary and Joseph to be the guardians of this special gift to the world. He could have chosen anyone as the father but He chose Joseph, the carpenter. As Jesus grew up in that home He learned the trade of a carpenter from His father. Jesus became a carpenter Himself but He was known as the carpenter’s son.
Jesus could have chosen any profession at all. He could have been a shepherd because He is known as the Good Shepherd, the Great Shepherd and the Chief Shepherd. He could have chosen to be a fisherman, most of His disciples were fishermen and He told them that He would make them fishers of men. He could have been a teacher or a farmer or a merchant. He was a teacher and many came to hear His teaching. He told many parables about farming and merchants. However, He chose to be a carpenter.
Why a carpenter? First, He was obedient as a Son and followed His father’s teaching. He did not come to go against the status quo but to show obedience by following it. He became a carpenter because His father was a carpenter.
Second, He wanted to show the value of work. He did not just put value of teaching or fishing but He showed us that all work is valuable when it is done for the Master.
However, I think the real reason He became a carpenter is because carpenters have the ability to take an ordinary piece of wood and make something beautiful from the wood. They design the product whether it is a piece of furniture or a boat or a house. They carefully mark the material and cut the pieces. The pieces are then carefully put together according to the plan. The product is not finished when the last nail is driven because the article needs to be sanded, stained and polished until it has a beautiful finish.
The Carpenter has a plan for our lives. That plan is unique to us. He wants to take the raw materials and cut away the parts that He cannot use. He wants to shape us and fashion us according to His plan. He then takes the sandpaper of life and rubs away all the rough edges until we are smooth. He then finishes the project by applying the stain and the polish.
We may not like the cutting, nailing, gluing and sanding. We would like to go from the raw materials to the finished product without having to suffer the pain of the carpenter’s hand and tools. However, there is no shortcut to a fine piece of furniture and there is no shortcut to a holy life. God always has to take off the rough edges to make us beautiful.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Why Nazareth?
“And he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: ‘He will be called a Nazarene.’” Matthew 2:23 (NIV)
When Philip met Jesus he went to his friend, Nathaniel and told him that he had found the Messiah and He was the son of Joseph of Nazareth. Nathaniel’s response was one of disgust; “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” he asked. Philip’s only response was the invitation to come and see for himself.
Nazareth was considered a very lowly town. Someone said that if the earth was the footstool of God then Nazareth was the heel. No one had a high opinion of Nazareth and of course that meant that if you were from there then you were of no value.
However, all that changed. Nazareth today is regarded with reverence. It has been raised in status because it was the home of our Lord. No one ever expected that a carpenter’s son from Nazareth would be the Messiah. No one of any stature had ever come from Nazareth.
Why did God choose to have His Son raised in such an obscure and insignificant town? Why Nazareth?
Jesus came as a common man and as a common man he lived in a common town. There was no one who could say that He was superior because He had been born in Jerusalem or raised in a fine home. Jesus was like all the other common people. His family was poor. He lived in an insignificant village. He did ordinary work. He learned the Scriptures in the synagogue. He was a poor village boy. But all that changed when He revealed Himself and began His public ministry.
There are two reasons why He grew up in Nazareth. First, He identified with the common man, suffering the same hardships as anyone else. He came to save the lost and He came and dwelt among the lost.
Second, He shows that the ordinary is no longer ordinary when He is there. Nazareth would have been lost in antiquity except that it was the home of our Saviour. Today people all over the world know about Nazareth. God changes the ordinary into the special.
And He does that with mankind as well. He does not require that we are special. All He requires is that we come to Him. He can take the ordinary jars of clay that we are and make them something special because He dwells in those jars. We are special because we are Christ’s home.
When Philip met Jesus he went to his friend, Nathaniel and told him that he had found the Messiah and He was the son of Joseph of Nazareth. Nathaniel’s response was one of disgust; “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” he asked. Philip’s only response was the invitation to come and see for himself.
Nazareth was considered a very lowly town. Someone said that if the earth was the footstool of God then Nazareth was the heel. No one had a high opinion of Nazareth and of course that meant that if you were from there then you were of no value.
However, all that changed. Nazareth today is regarded with reverence. It has been raised in status because it was the home of our Lord. No one ever expected that a carpenter’s son from Nazareth would be the Messiah. No one of any stature had ever come from Nazareth.
Why did God choose to have His Son raised in such an obscure and insignificant town? Why Nazareth?
Jesus came as a common man and as a common man he lived in a common town. There was no one who could say that He was superior because He had been born in Jerusalem or raised in a fine home. Jesus was like all the other common people. His family was poor. He lived in an insignificant village. He did ordinary work. He learned the Scriptures in the synagogue. He was a poor village boy. But all that changed when He revealed Himself and began His public ministry.
There are two reasons why He grew up in Nazareth. First, He identified with the common man, suffering the same hardships as anyone else. He came to save the lost and He came and dwelt among the lost.
Second, He shows that the ordinary is no longer ordinary when He is there. Nazareth would have been lost in antiquity except that it was the home of our Saviour. Today people all over the world know about Nazareth. God changes the ordinary into the special.
And He does that with mankind as well. He does not require that we are special. All He requires is that we come to Him. He can take the ordinary jars of clay that we are and make them something special because He dwells in those jars. We are special because we are Christ’s home.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Why Egypt?
‘When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him."’ Matthew 2:13 (NIV)
Why did God send His Son to Egypt? The obvious answer is to protect Him from King Herod who wanted to kill Him? But why Egypt and not another neighbouring country?
Egypt is a picture of the world? God sent His Son into the world to save the world. In the same way God sent His Son into Egypt to save Him. God could have chosen another way to save the world but He choose to do it by sending His Son to be part of the world, to live in the world and to suffer and die in the world.
When the family of Jacob were suffering hardships in the Promised Land God sent them to Egypt so that they could survive the famine. However, His people got too comfortable living in Egypt so God sent them hardship but they still did not want to leave. They were comfortable living in the world and they didn’t want to leave the world. God had to send Moses to lead them out of the world and back to the Promised Land. Moses was unable to lead them into the Promised Land. He could lead them out of the world but it took Joshua, the saviour, to lead them into the Promised Land.
As the Israelites lived in Egypt and were reluctant to leave it so are we in the world. However, we do not need one leader to lead us out of the world and a different leader to lead us into the Promised Land. We have one Leader who can both lead us out of the world and into His promises. That leader is Jesus.
The picture of Jesus going down into Egypt and living there for a time before He returns to His home land is the picture of Jesus coming down into this world and living among us for thirty three years before He returned to His heavenly home. I am sure that Joseph and Mary were unaware of the significance of going down to Egypt and residing there.
Jesus never returned to Egypt after He returned with His parents. Jesus has never returned to this world after He left here to go to His heavenly home. However, unlike Egypt, Jesus will return someday to this world not to reside but to reign. This world will not be the same after He comes to reign. He will reign in righteousness, mercy and holiness and His glory will fill the whole earth.
God could have protected His Son in Bethlehem or sent Him to any place on this earth but He sent Him to Egypt. He sent His Son into the world to save the world. And as He called His Son out of Egypt He will call His people out of the world. We need to be ready to heed that call.
Why did God send His Son to Egypt? The obvious answer is to protect Him from King Herod who wanted to kill Him? But why Egypt and not another neighbouring country?
Egypt is a picture of the world? God sent His Son into the world to save the world. In the same way God sent His Son into Egypt to save Him. God could have chosen another way to save the world but He choose to do it by sending His Son to be part of the world, to live in the world and to suffer and die in the world.
When the family of Jacob were suffering hardships in the Promised Land God sent them to Egypt so that they could survive the famine. However, His people got too comfortable living in Egypt so God sent them hardship but they still did not want to leave. They were comfortable living in the world and they didn’t want to leave the world. God had to send Moses to lead them out of the world and back to the Promised Land. Moses was unable to lead them into the Promised Land. He could lead them out of the world but it took Joshua, the saviour, to lead them into the Promised Land.
As the Israelites lived in Egypt and were reluctant to leave it so are we in the world. However, we do not need one leader to lead us out of the world and a different leader to lead us into the Promised Land. We have one Leader who can both lead us out of the world and into His promises. That leader is Jesus.
The picture of Jesus going down into Egypt and living there for a time before He returns to His home land is the picture of Jesus coming down into this world and living among us for thirty three years before He returned to His heavenly home. I am sure that Joseph and Mary were unaware of the significance of going down to Egypt and residing there.
Jesus never returned to Egypt after He returned with His parents. Jesus has never returned to this world after He left here to go to His heavenly home. However, unlike Egypt, Jesus will return someday to this world not to reside but to reign. This world will not be the same after He comes to reign. He will reign in righteousness, mercy and holiness and His glory will fill the whole earth.
God could have protected His Son in Bethlehem or sent Him to any place on this earth but He sent Him to Egypt. He sent His Son into the world to save the world. And as He called His Son out of Egypt He will call His people out of the world. We need to be ready to heed that call.
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