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And there was again a battle in Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim, a Bethlehemite, slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam. And there was yet a battle in Gath, where was a man of great stature, that had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to the giant. And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea the brother of David slew him.

2 Samuel 21:19-21

When Goliath issued his challenge for someone to face him in single combat, David's three oldest brothers were part of the army of Israel. They heard the giant's call, but like all the other soldiers, including King Saul, they feared to face Goliath. So a young man who had no military training but did have a strong belief in God brought down the giant and cut off his head. Goliath, however, was not the only giant in the Philistine army. Through the years that followed, Israel was threatened by the relatives and children of Goliath. And one of those threats was met by David's nephew Jonathan who stepped up to overcome the kind of challenge that his own father had previously failed to meet.

The failures of the past do not mean that we are doomed to repeat them. The shortcomings of those who have come before us do not mean that we have to lose our battles. The same God who gave David victory over Goliath was there for Jonathan when it came his turn to face a great challenge. There are always going to be battles to fight. There are always going to be giants to face. There are always going to be temptations and snares to resist. Rather than worrying about what others have done or failed to do, we should confidently run toward the battle as David did, trusting in God to provide the victory He has promised.

And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hands. And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.

1 Samuel 17:47-49

The soldiers of Israel feared to face Goliath in battle. They saw his immense size and realized that they would have no hope of defeating him in single combat. Yet David saw something different. He looked at the giant as a target that was too big to miss. He did not tremble his way onto the battlefield but ran there to face the giant. The difference in those responses, however, was not so much in how they saw the giant. The soldiers of the army and David saw the same giant. The difference was in how they saw God. David recognized that it was not Israel but the God of Israel that Goliath was defying, and he believed that God would bring about the impossible victory.

Because we live in a fallen world filled with sin, it should be no surprise that we must face battles. Often the obstacles before us seem to present an impossible situation. But if our focus is on God, we will not be discouraged and defeated before the battle even begins. When God commissioned Jeremiah, He warned the prophet that many of the people would reject the message. But He challenged Jeremiah not to allow that to deter him from speaking the truth. “Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces...” (Jeremiah 1:17). When we look around us, we will find reason to be discouraged or dissuaded from standing for Christ. But when we look to God, we will be motivated to reach forward for Him.

And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail. And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him. And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine

1 Samuel 17:38-40

When David was going out to face Goliath in battle, Saul focused on the military side of the conflict. Saul wanted David to wear his armor and fight with his weapons. But David had no training with such tools of war and set them aside for his familiar sling. He knew what he could do with it, and he knew how to use it successfully. David was not dependent on military equipment for the victory—he was trusting in God, and he wanted to go to battle with the weapons he knew worked.

There are many people in our day looking for new ways to do God's work. While we should not reject new ideas just because they are new, we need to be very careful that any new methods are still in line with the Bible. A brief look at the history of churches, schools, and denominations reveals that many of them have strayed far from their original purpose and beliefs. The unproven new ideas that they accepted led them into error and then into apostasy.

The things that were true yesterday are still true today, and they will still be true tomorrow. Rather than looking for new armor, we need to trust what God has given us and what has been proven correct and true through the years. Hang on to your sling no matter what new weapon is suggested.

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting. My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

James 1:1-4

We live in an impatient world. It seems like every day people come up with new ways to do things faster. We want the fastest cars, the shortest cooking times, the quickest weight loss results—the list goes on and on. Yet God's timetable is not focused on speed. He requires that we be willing to wait for Him to work, even through testing and trials, so that the right fruit will result. There are no shortcuts to holiness or obedience. A. W. Tozer wrote, “The faith of Christ offers no buttons to push for quick service. The new order must wait the Lord’s own time, and that is too much for the man in a hurry. He just gives up and becomes interested in something else.”

The natural tendency when things are hard is for us to want to get out of difficulty as quickly as possible. In doing so, however, we may well miss what God most wants to teach us. The troubles we face in life often come as a surprise, but they never take God off guard. He is in control of the events of our lives; He is not a helpless bystander. Before anything happens, He knows not only what will happen but how we will respond. He carefully calculates exactly what we need to bring the most glory to Him. It is our responsibility not to run away from trials and testings, but to learn what He is teaching and to allow Him to conform us to be more like Jesus. If we refuse to endure the trials, we will not receive the fruit of patient endurance that leads to Christlikeness in our lives. 

And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is? And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art: Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.

Genesis 41:38-41

When Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery rather than killing him, they had selfish motives. There was no profit in murder, but condemning their hated brother to a lifetime of servitude in a foreign country would fill their pockets. They certainly had no idea that Joseph would be raised up by God to become the second most powerful man in the world. Joseph didn't either. He was just trying to survive and be faithful to God amid very trying circumstances. And his circumstances didn't improve when he did right. In fact, his commitment to doing what was right put him in prison. But what Joseph couldn't see at the time was that God was preparing him for a great work. Everything that happened to Joseph was just another step on the path to God's plan for his life.

Many times when things go wrong in our lives—or at least when we think things are going wrong—it is not because we have been forgotten or abandoned by God. Rather, it is because His plans and purposes are taking us down a path that leads to a destination we may have never even have considered. The path may be difficult, but we are never alone. God spoke to the prophet Isaiah with this message for His people: “For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee” (Isaiah 41:13). Our responsibility is not to understand all that is happening, but to maintain our trust and confidence in God and to be faithful to Him no matter what.

Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 4:14-16

When the early church father Polycarp was commanded to burn incense to Caesar to recognize his claim to deity, he refused. Polycarp had been a follower of the Apostle John, and for many years he pastored the church in Smyrna. When told his life would be spared if he would recant his faith, Polycarp responded, “Eighty and six years I have served Him, and He has done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King and Savior? You threaten me with a fire that burns for a season, and after a little while is quenched; but you are ignorant of the fire of everlasting punishment that is prepared for the wicked.”

Because of what the Lord has done for us, we must never abandon our faith or deny Him. We can hold fast in the face of opposition, difficulty, and even persecution because He is always faithful. We have a God who cares about what happens to us and who understands the struggles and battles we face. Jesus could have used His power to make sure He never had a problem. He could have met every need that He had rather than becoming tired and hungry. He could have spoken a single word and destroyed all the Pharisees and religious leaders who opposed Him. He could have called on His Father in Heaven for thousands of angels to come and fight for Him. Jesus did none of those things so that He could be our Savior. As a result, we owe Him nothing less than complete obedience and unwavering devotion.

Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended. Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.

Matthew 26:33-35

If Peter had been taken off guard by the temptation to deny that he knew or followed Jesus, we would find it more understandable. But the disciple had been personally warned by the Lord that Satan was out to get him, and that he would be challenged on the very issue of whether he would stand with and identify with Jesus. Peter did exactly what Jesus said he would do, because in his pride he assumed that he would never fail such a test. Peter knew Jesus and loved Him, but even after three years with the Lord, he was still relying on his own strength and confident that he could handle any challenge alone. Peter's pride told him that he was more devoted to Jesus than those around him. He was not.

Years later, when the Holy Spirit inspired Peter to write his first letter to believers scattered across the Roman Empire, he include a warning about pride and an emphasis on the importance of depending on God. I'm sure Peter remembered the events of that night. He wrote, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time” (1 Peter 5:6). If Peter had heeded Jesus' warning, if he had stayed awake and prayed with the Lord in Gethsemane, if he had recognized his complete dependence on God, he would no doubt have reacted differently when the challenge came. Any time we indulge in pride, comparing ourselves to others, or feeling like we have everything together, we are headed for a fall. Instead, we need to humbly flee to God, begging for His help to be faithful to Him.

I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old. I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings. Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God? Thou art the God that doest wonders: thou hast declared thy strength among the people. Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah.

Psalm 77:11-15

All of us know that God has done great and wonderful things for us. Yet rather than being grateful for them, we often take them for granted and lose sight of God's kindness toward us. It is critically important that we remember God's blessings at all times, but perhaps even more when things are going well than when things are going poorly. In his warning to the Israelites of the dangers they would face once they entered the Promised Land, Moses reminded them that they would be receiving good things, but also said, “Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage” (Deuteronomy 6:12).

It should be a regular practice and spiritual discipline in each of our lives to recall what God has done for us. It is a vital part of building gratitude and encouraging praise, as well as a reminder not to be proud for what we have because it all came from God. The more that we focus on the blessings we have been given and the things we have seen God do, the stronger our faith will become. It is no accident that the parting of the Red Sea is mentioned almost fifty times in the Bible. God knows that we are prone to forgetting and leaving Him out of the picture, and He wants us to instead remember that He is the source of every blessing and victory. He alone is worthy of praise. And when we face new challenges, remembering His power keeps us from giving up.

Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

1 Peter 1:6-8

Most of us know what it is like to go through a deep trial. Whether it is a grave illness, an economic catastrophe, a broken relationship, or something else, the pain and the heaviness are very real. As much as we would prefer not to experience the grief and turmoil that come from such a trial, we should not be surprised by them. Because we live under the curse of sin and its effects, trouble naturally comes. If we are committed to following Jesus faithfully, we can expect an extra measure of opposition and hostility from the world that rejects His message.

The Lord loves us too much to allow us to endure suffering without purpose. Just as gold is refined by being heated to almost 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit so the impurities can be removed, trials serve a purpose in God's plan to make us more like His Son. Jesus certainly was no stranger to hardship and difficulties. “And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head” (Matthew 8:20).

The purpose of this life is not this life, but the next. The temporary troubles we may experience must be viewed in light of the eternal impact they can have if we respond to them as we should. Rather than feeling singled out or mistreated because things are hard, we should look to Jesus more and more, trusting Him to work all things for good.

The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand. I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.

Psalm 37:23-26

David certainly lived an eventful life. Again and again he saw God at work to fulfill the promises He had made. Yet God's goodness and His faithfulness did not mean things were easy. Looking back after many years, David could see how even when things had been at their very worst, God had still been there to help him. In his autobiography describing the miraculous ways God had provided for the orphans under his care, George Müller wrote, “The Lord in His faithfulness helped us. Help was never more truly needed, nor did the help of the Lord ever come more obviously from Himself—His timing could not have been better. Praise the Lord for His goodness! Praise Him that He helped us trust in Him in this trying hour.”

No Christian has ever been abandoned by God. Every Christian goes through trials and difficulties. But those are not in any way evidence that God has failed us or broken His promises. God never forsakes His children. He knows all that is coming before it happens, and nothing touches our lives that has not first passed through His hands. God's plans for us often can only be understood when we are able to look back on what happened. But no matter whether it is what we would call a good day or a bad day, we can and should trust Him. God was just as faithful to David when he was running for his life as He was when David was defeating Goliath. He never fails to give us what He knows is best.

Many times did he deliver them; but they provoked him with their counsel, and were brought low for their iniquity. Nevertheless he regarded their affliction, when he heard their cry: And he remembered for them his covenant, and repented according to the multitude of his mercies. He made them also to be pitied of all those that carried them captives. Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among the heathen, to give thanks unto thy holy name, and to triumph in thy praise.

Psalm 106:43-47

God is perfectly just, and He is perfectly loving. When He allows difficulties into our lives, it is always for good reasons—even though we usually cannot see those reasons at the time. Sometimes those reasons include His discipline to bring us back into fellowship with Him. When we receive His correction, it is a sign that we are part of His family, and it is not to be resented or become a cause for bitterness or giving up. The writer of Hebrews reminds us, “And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him” (Hebrews 12:5).

Yet even as we endure such hardship, recognizing that it is for our good, we must also not lose sight of the great mercy of God. He does not hold our sins against us forever, and even when we have gotten ourselves into trouble and what we are going through is all our own fault, He still provides mercy. He still hears and answers when we cry out to Him. Think of Peter walking on the water in obedience to Jesus' command. Peter began to sink when he took his focus off of Jesus and began worrying about the storm. It was his fault, yet when he cried out for help, Jesus rescued Him. We do not receive mercy and help from God because we deserve it, but because we need it, and because it is His nature and character to provide it.

He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.

John 13:4-7

After observing the Passover with His disciples on the night before His crucifixion, the Creator and Lord of Heaven and Earth was on His knees, washing the feet of His quarreling followers. Even on that momentous night, they were not focused on the weight of the burden Jesus was carrying or rejoicing that God's plan of salvation was about to be accomplished. Instead they were jockeying for position in what they expected to be an earthly kingdom. “And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest” (Luke 22:24). Washing feet was a dirty and disgusting job. If a Jewish man or woman was a servant, it was necessary to ask them if they were willing to do it rather than commanding them to do so.

Yet Jesus was willing to set aside all of His rights and privileges in order to serve. The world values pride, prestige, and position, but God does not. John Owen wrote, “There is an infinite distance between God and His creatures, and it is an act of sheer grace for Him to take notice of earthly things. Christ, as God, is completely self-sufficient in His own eternal blessedness. How great, then, is the glory of His self-humiliation in taking our nature that He might bring us to God! Such humiliation was not forced on Him; He freely chose to do it.” As Christians we are called to serve others in humility rather than seeking our own fame and glory.

For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:

1 Peter 2:21-23

Though Jesus was fully and completely God, He was also fully and completely human. As He faced temptation, challenges, betrayal, persecution and a painful death, He did not just wave it away with His deity. Instead He remained faithful, trusting in God. This is a pattern that we can follow. We do not have to prove we are right or ensure our vindication when we are falsely accused. We do not have to fight back against those who mock us or call us names. We do not have to allow the actions of others to dictate our own. We can do as Jesus did and simply trust our lives, our reputations, our success or failure in the eyes of the world, and our future, to our righteous Father in Heaven.

There is an old story from the pre-revolution days in Russia that the peasants felt that their problems were the result of local officials. A common saying in those days was, “If only the Tsar knew.” They felt that the ruler of the country would not let things continue if only he were aware of how bad they were. In this telling, the revolution came about because the people found out that the tsar did know—and didn't care. Christians never have that experience. God always knows, and He is always concerned about us. Peter wrote, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (1 Peter 5:7). In any situation and in any circumstance, we can be confident that God is in control. That does not mean that things will always go as we wish they would or think they should, but it does mean we can trust Him.

I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you. I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father. They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham. But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.

John 8:37-40

The response that people have when they are confronted with the truth varies. Some people accept it gladly and are willing to make whatever changes are required. Others hear it skeptically, looking for hidden motives and meanings in the word. Still others reject it, refusing to listen because of what accepting the truth would require. Jesus saw all of these responses during His ministry. Most of the opposition and rejection to Him came from those who prided themselves on being the most religious and strict in their observance of the Old Testament Law. Yet despite their proud claim to be descended from Abraham, they did not follow his example in accepting the truth.

There is a great difference between saying that something is right and actually doing what is right. The devil tempts us to substitute words for actions and to rest on the accomplishments and deeds of those who have gone before us. None of that matters when God evaluates our lives. He does not care who our ancestors were or what they believed, but rather what we are and what we do. He is not impressed with our proclamations, but looks at our actions. Rather than resting on our laurels and thinking that we have arrived, we need to be continually obeying God and doing what He commands. Instead of comparing ourselves to other people and feeling superior, we must be holding up God's truth as our standard of measurement.

But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit. But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

Jude 1:17-21

Throughout Scripture we see people setting up reminders of what God had done. Joshua commanded the Israelites to build an altar at the Jordan River where God parted the waters for them to cross. Samuel consecrated a rock and named it Ebenezer to remind the people of the victory God gave them over the Philistines. God knows that we are prone to forgetting what we have been taught and what He has done for us.

Too many times Christians are taken off guard and fail to stand firm for the truth because they do not remember what God has said. There is a tendency to think that because we have heard the truth in the past, we do not need reminders, but, in fact, each of us needs to be brought face to face with the truth again and again. The writer of Hebrews said, “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip” (Hebrews 2:1).

The temptation those of us who have been saved for many years face is to begin thinking that we already know all we need to know. We have read through the Bible multiple times, we've heard countless sermons and Sunday school lessons and we've done numerous Bible studies. But in truth even after we have done all of that, we still need reminders of the truth and a constant and steady diet of God's Word.
 

Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.

2 Corinthians 11:24-27

Isaac Watts was born while his father was in jail for refusing to join the official Anglican church, which at the time was considered an act of treason against the king. Thus, Isaac understood from a very early age the cost of following Jesus no matter what others may do. It is reflected in many of his nearly six hundred hymns, including one of the most famous, “Am I a Soldier of the Cross?” which begins:

Am I a soldier of the cross,
A follow’r of the Lamb?
And shall I fear to own His cause,
Or blush to speak His name?

Must I be carried to the skies
On flow’ry beds of ease,
While others fought to win the prize,
And sailed through bloody seas?

Though it would be nice if serving God were easy and never provoked a response from the world, that is not the case. Our faithfulness to God will at times cause conflict with those who do not love Him. It was from a prison cell in Rome that Paul wrote to Timothy, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). Our task is not to take the easy way or attempt to avoid conflict by silencing the truth. Instead it is to be faithful regardless of the consequences. Most of us have never and hopefully will never have to endure such great suffering as Paul did, but if that day comes, that is a price we must be willing to pay.

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

Hebrews 12:1-3

The price of our salvation was far higher than we are able to understand. We know that Jesus gave up the glory of Heaven, took on the limitations of being fully human, and died a painful and agonizing death on the cross. Yet none of that compared to the “contradiction of sinners” as the perfect and holy Son of God took on our sins in opposition to everything that was part of His character and nature. There was no other way for us to be saved, because sin demands a penalty. To pay it, Jesus submitted Himself to the worst thing imaginable. “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

There should never be a day when we do not stop to be grateful for the completely undeserved gift of salvation we have received. It was purchased at a very high cost, and only the love and grace and mercy of God can explain why we received it. There is great strength for us in remembering what Jesus paid for our sins, and in viewing how much He endured voluntarily, we are reminded that we must be faithful and dedicated in His service. No matter what we experience or face, all of our suffering and sacrifices pale in comparison to the death of Christ on the cross.

For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

1 Corinthians 15:16-21

The world around us is filled with doubt and fear, but as children of God we do not need to face the future with uncertainty. God has told us the end of the story, and though we do not know all that will happen as we go through life, we know that we are secure in Him. This is our hope when things go wrong and times are hard. And that hope is based on the certainty of the resurrection.

Charles Spurgeon said, “Let me beg you to remember that Jesus Christ is still alive. Simple as that truth is, you need to be reminded of it. We very often estimate the power of the church by looking to her ministers, her ordinances, and her members; but the power of the church does not lie here, it lies in the Holy Ghost, and in an ever-living Saviour. Jesus Christ died, it is true; but he lives, and we may truly come to Him today.”

We are not bound to despair like those who have no hope. We are not limited to our own resources or plans. We have the Lord of Heaven and Earth, the resurrected and living Jesus, who hears our prayers and keeps His promises. We have a certain and unshakable hope no matter what is happening around us. This world is not all there is. There is eternity with God in Heaven waiting for us when this life ends. Nothing will ever change that.

Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

Colossians 3:13-15

In 1926, President Calvin Coolidge issued his official Thanksgiving Day proclamation, saying: “We are not unmindful of the gratitude we owe to God for His watchful care which has pointed out to us the ways of peace and happiness; we should not fail in our acknowledgment of His divine favor which has bestowed upon us so many blessings. Wherefore, I, Calvin Coolidge, President of the United States, do hereby set apart Thursday, the twenty-fifth day of November next as a day of general thanksgiving and prayer, and I recommend that on that day the people shall cease from their daily work, and in their homes or in their accustomed places of worship, devoutly give thanks to the Almighty for the many and great blessings they have received.”

No matter how difficult things may be, even in the midst of economic uncertainty, rising persecution, or a global health crisis, we always have things for which to be thankful. And we have a responsibility and duty to do so. Our thanks is not based on what we have received, but on a realization that all of it is due to the grace and mercy of God rather than our own ability or merit. Nor is our gratitude conditioned on our circumstances, but on our obedience. “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Far more than just one day on the calendar or the kickoff of the Christmas shopping season, thanksgiving should be a daily, ongoing, habitual expression of our hearts. If all you had left tomorrow was the things for which you are thankful, what would you have?

And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

1 Timothy 1:12-15

I read about a family who were planning to go on an extended vacation. They asked the nine year old neighbor to take care of the dog while they were gone. They carefully explained all that would be involved—feeding, watering, grooming, walking, and lots of play—and what their expectations were. After all of that, they asked the boy what the job would be worth to him. He replied, “I'll give you ten bucks.” Instead of getting paid for doing something he very much wanted to do, he was willing to pay to do it.

Service for God is often costly, difficult, and sometimes even brings suffering. And yet it is a privilege, not just a duty. Getting to be part of His work is an honor rather than a burden. If we view it as such, then we will not be deterred by the cost of serving God, but instead will gladly pay it. Paul told the Christians at Corinth, “And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved” (2 Corinthians 12:15).

God does not need our help to accomplish His purposes. We are not doing Him a favor when we serve Him, we are accepting a very high privilege He has given us. When the Queen of Sheba met Solomon she said, “Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom” (1 Kings 10:8). We serve One much greater than Solomon.

For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season. Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

2 Corinthians 7:8-10

Paul's first letter to the church at Corinth was filled with correction and rebuke. They needed it. The church was tolerating false doctrine and immorality, confused about how to use the gifts of the Holy Spirit and much more. When Paul wrote them again, he noted the change that had occurred. When they were confronted with their sin, they were sorry. Rather than trying to justify or excuse it, they repented and changed their conduct. Matthew Henry said, “Some people do not like to hear much of repentance; but I think it is so necessary that if I should die in the pulpit, I would desire to die preaching repentance, and if out of the pulpit, I would desire to die practicing it.”

The natural tendency when someone points out something we are doing wrong is to become defensive. Rather than carefully considering whether the person has a point, we may become bitter against them, and blame them for the problem. Paul asked, “Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?” (Galatians 4:16). A person who holds us accountable is not our enemy, but a greatly needed friend. We must repent. We must not reject the rebuke, or attack the rebuker. We must not justify or excuse or lessen the sin. If we view it in light of the price of that sin to Jesus, it should break our hearts, and that sorrow should lead us to confess and forsake it quickly.

I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

Revelation 2:2-4

For centuries, poets and novelists and songwriters have used the story of a lost love as one of their main literary tools. The tragedy of a lost love is not just a fictional device. When her husband Prince Albert died in 1861, Queen Victoria went into mourning. It was almost three years before she appeared again in public, and for the forty years she outlived her husband, she wore black every day as a sign of her grief over the loss.

Yet while a lost love may be sad and painful, there is something far worse, and that is a love that is left behind. This was the complaint the Lord had against the church at Ephesus. They had many admirable qualities and did many good things. But all of that was undermined by the fact that they did not love God as they once had. They were still going through the motions, but they were no longer motivated and driven by their love for the Lord.

Even the greatest of sacrifices are meaningless without love: “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:3). If we want to please God, and we should, the first thing we should look at is not our actions, but our motivations. Have we allowed our love for Him to cool? Have we replaced intimate fellowship with Him with busyness? Do we love Him more now than we did before, or has that love been overtaken in the passage of time?

Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.

Psalm 51:12-15

Our world is filled with people pursuing something that will provide them meaning and joy in life. As Christians, we have the Holy Spirit to produce joy in our lives if we are walking in obedience and submission to Him. There is no outward source that can produce true joy, but there are actions on our part that can take it away. David had known what it was to rejoice in the presence of the Lord, but after his sin with Bathsheba and his murder of Uriah, he also knew what it was to lose that joy: “For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah” (Psalm 32:4). 

The old Scottish preacher John MacDuff said, “Our sins make sorrows needful—our lack of watchfulness may bring disquietude and doubt, and, instead of 'rejoicing in the Lord,' our hearts may be filled with despondency and gloom. Christian! if you have not this joy 'abiding' in you now, you have cause for alarm; for, be assured, it is suspended, not from any lack of love on the part of your Saviour, nor from any forgetfulness of you by the Holy Spirit, but, because you yourself have become less watchful, in guarding the citadel of the heart.”

If we have unconfessed sin in our lives, we cannot expect to have the joy of salvation restored apart from confessing and forsaking that sin. When we do not repent, the relationship with God cannot be fully restored. When it is broken, joy flees. Often people try to find something to replace true joy rather than dealing with the sin in their lives, but those efforts never work.

The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods. Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

Psalm 24:1-5

Though God is the perfect expression of all His characteristics, and all of them are part of who He is, the characteristic that He chooses to emphasize is His holiness. The angels flying around the throne of God in Heaven cry “Holy, holy, holy” (Isaiah 6:3), not “Loving” or “Merciful” or “Light” or “Truth.” God is all of those things completely and totally, but He highlights His holiness. If we are to enter His presence, we must also be holy. Of course that is not possible for sinful people to do in their own strength. That is why the perfect, sinless, obedient holiness of Jesus Christ is placed on our account when we are saved.

The responsibility we have is to live in that holiness to the fullest extent, both inside and out. It is not enough to say that the motive of our heart justifies wrong actions, or that the right actions make up for the wrong motives. We need both “clean hands, and a pure heart” to have the relationship with God that we should. Jesus dealt with people who believed that only outward holiness was sufficient, and He rebuked them sternly: “Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also” (Matthew 23:26). Our standing in God's family is secure and unchanging, but if we want to enjoy the close fellowship with Him that we need and He desires, we must strive toward holiness in both our thoughts and actions.

And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,

Luke 2:25-27

The story of the birth of Jesus Christ is a demonstration of God's faithfulness to keep His promises. Everything that the Old Testament prophets had foretold was fulfilled. The timing and location of Jesus' birth were written down hundreds of years before it happened. There is no way human prediction or planning could have been so precise, but God always does exactly what He says He will do. So even though Simeon was an old man, he did live long enough to see the baby Jesus when Joseph and Mary brought Him to the Temple for His dedication. It was not a coincidence, but rather the prompting of the Holy Spirit that made sure Simeon was in the right place at the right time so God's promise would be fulfilled.

When we see that God has declared something, we know it is certain and true, whether it has happened yet or not. Scoffers may mock the promises of God that are yet to come, as Peter saw in His day: “And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation” (2 Peter 3:4). Yet they are wrong. We must not allow the passage of time or the skepticism of critics to weaken our faith that God will do what He promised. No power can defeat His purpose, and no enemy can stop His plan from moving forward. Every promise of God is reliable.

And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Luke 1:76-79

Six months before Jesus was born, Mary's cousin Elisabeth had a child in her extreme old age. They named the baby John, just as the angel Gabriel had told his father Zacharias to do. John was born with a purpose—to prepare people for the coming Messiah. For hundreds of years prophets had looked forward to Jesus' appearance. A key part of God's plan to prepare for that was fulfilled by this miracle birth. John the Baptist had a brief but powerful and effective ministry. He told people Jesus was the Lamb of God, and when many of those who had once come to hear him preach began following Jesus instead, John was not disheartened or discouraged. Instead he declared, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).

Of all the traits necessary to be effective in pointing people to Jesus, humility is one of the most important. If we are focused on building our own kingdom and promoting ourselves, we cannot show Jesus to the world as we should. D. L. Moody said, “I believe firmly that the moment our hearts are emptied of pride and selfishness and ambition and everything that is contrary to God’s law, the Holy Spirit will fill every corner of our hearts. But if we are full of pride and conceit and ambition and the world, there is no room for the Spirit of God. We must be emptied before we can be filled.” Our purpose is not to serve and glorify ourselves, but to serve and glorify God.

I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid. The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me. In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.

Psalm 18:3-6

David spent several years after Samuel anointed him with oil and declared that he would be the next king of Israel running for his life. The current king, Saul, did not want to give up the throne, and he did everything in his power to hunt down David and kill him. Humanly speaking, David had no hope of survival. Yet again and again God delivered David, and when the running was finally done, David wrote a psalm of praise and thanks for God's protection. When David needed Him most, God was not distant or indifferent to his circumstances. Instead He provided the hope and help that David needed and kept him safe until he was finally seated on the throne.

The physical deliverance God provided for David is a beautiful picture of the spiritual deliverance Jesus came into the world to provide for us. There was nothing we could do to gain or earn or deserve to stand before a perfectly holy God. Humanly speaking, we had no hope of salvation. Yet God provided what we needed most by sending His Son. When Jesus met with the publican Zacchaeus, some people complained that a man reviled as a traitor to his people would be offered a hope of redemption. But that was the reason Jesus was here. He said, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). The ultimate meaning of Christmas is not presents or trees or lights. It is all about the coming of the Savior.

And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.

Isaiah 7:13-15

Many of the ancient religions of the world told stories of the various gods and goddesses they worshiped taking on human form and walking among men. The Greeks, for example, believed that their deities lived on Mount Olympus but frequently appeared to intervene in the lives of the people. In these appearances, however, they were anything but divine. They were jealous and selfish and greedy and immoral as they walked the earth. Their gifts usually came with strings attached, and if they granted people's wishes, it was often in a way that damaged the receivers. Being visited by one of these deities was almost always a disaster for the majority of the people with whom they interacted.

By contrast, Jesus came to Earth becoming fully human and yet retaining the perfection and divine nature of God. He set a pattern and example for us, not of selfish or wicked behavior, but of concern and compassion for others. He walked every day in accordance with God's law, never breaking any of the commandments of His Father. Anyone who emulates His life will behave in a manner that is pleasing to God. Yet Jesus being here on Earth went beyond that. Because He was human as well as divine, He fully understands what it is like to be tired and tempted and abandoned. He knows the struggle we face when we are tempted, for He too was tempted. “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). And ultimately, He gave His life for our redemption. 

And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

John 20:30-31

Many of the heresies that impacted the early church related to the nature of Jesus Christ. Docetism denied the incarnation, teaching that Jesus had no real human body. Apollonism denied the humanity of Jesus's mind, claiming it was divine. Arianism taught that Jesus was created by God rather than always being God. Nestorianism declared that Jesus was really two separate people rather than being both God and man. Despite all these and many other false doctrines, the truth is clear. The Bible teaches us that Jesus came as the Messiah and Savior, and both completely God and completely man at the same time. Charles Spurgeon put it this way: “[Jesus] is not humanity deified. He is not Godhead humanized. He is God. He is man. He is all that God is, and He is all that man is as God created Him.”

One of the purposes for the writing of Scripture is to show us who and what Jesus is so that we can have faith and complete confidence in Him. The more that we know about the truth, the easier it is for us to resist error. The Bible is not just a book of stories from the past. It is the distilled wisdom and truth of God that He has prepared and preserved for us. It is impossible for a Christian to be stable in faith and growing in grace apart from a thorough, deep, consistent, and continual relationship with the Word of God. There is no other way for us to learn about Jesus, and there is nothing more important for us to learn. The more we know of His life and teaching, the more we are able to follow in His footsteps and live more like He did.

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

John 3:17-19

Gerard Moultrie grew up in a pastor's home in England in the early 1800s. He followed his father into the ministry, spending years as a chaplain and pastor himself. He also followed his father in writing a number of poems and hymns. Moultrie is best remembered not for one of his original works, but for his translation into English of an ancient Greek song of worship that dates back to the fourth century AD.

Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly-minded,
For with blessing in His hand,
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
Our full homage to demand.

King of kings, yet born of Mary,
As of old on earth He stood,
Lord of lords, in human vesture,
In the body and the blood;
He will give to all the faithful
His own self for heav'nly food.

Jesus did not come to the world to be an example or a teacher, though He was both of those things. He came to be the only Savior and Lord. He has the right to command everything because He is the Maker of everything. Jesus has the qualifications to be the sacrifice for sin because He was both sinless man and perfect God. The voices around us that proclaim another path to God and Heaven are false and lead people astray. This Christmas we should resolve to be a voice of truth and clarity, pointing others to the Christ who came to save a sinful world and is their hope of salvation.

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross

Philippians 2:5-8

It is impossible for us to fully understand what it meant for Jesus to give up the glory and majesty and praise of Heaven and come as a baby with all the limitations of a human body, but the part we do understand should fill our hearts and mouths with praise and gratitude. Jesus willingly gave up what was rightfully His so that He could become our Savior. “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). He did not cling to His rights and prerogatives but instead obeyed His Heavenly Father in all that He did.

John Owen wrote, “There is an infinite distance between God and His creatures, and it is an act of sheer grace for Him to take notice of earthly things. Christ, as God, is completely self-sufficient in His own eternal blessedness. How great, then, is the glory of His self-humiliation in taking our nature that He might bring us to God! Such humiliation was not forced on Him; He freely chose to do it.” There are many wonderful things about Christmas, but the voluntary submission and humility of the Lord should be a constant challenge to us to be more like Him. If we have His mind, we will not be proud or selfish, but rather humble and obedient. We will not focus on what we can get, but rather what we can give. We will not seek to be served, but rather to serve others.

He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

John 1:10-13

Everything in our world was created by Jesus. Out of nothing He spoke the world into existence. It is not just the beginning of things but their continued existence that depends on Jesus. “And he is before all things, and by him all things consist” (Colossians 1:17). Yet when Jesus came to His creation, born as a baby in Bethlehem, there was not the widespread acceptance and worship that He deserves. Most people did not recognize who Jesus was, and they rejected Him and His message. That is a sad commentary on the state of fallen human hearts. All of nature—storms, diseases, and even trees—obeyed Jesus without question. But the very crown of His creation, men and women made in God's image, rejected Him.

The Lord deserves our complete worship and obedience. Yet even as believers there are times when we struggle to obey His commands. He is Lord, and He has every right to command all aspects of our lives. F. B. Meyer used the metaphor of a key ring to describe His submission to God's will. He said there was one key on the ring that he didn't want God to have, but eventually he surrendered. “It seemed as though He took that key out of my hand and went straight for that closet. I knew what He would find there, and He knew, too. Within a week from that time He had cleared it right out. But He filled it with something so much better!” It is the "so much better" that we miss out on when we refuse to surrender any area of our lives to Jesus. 

Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.

1 Peter 1:9-11

Even before the Scriptures began to be written, people were looking forward to the coming of Jesus Christ. The Lord told the Pharisees, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad” (John 8:56). Through long centuries, as the Holy Spirit inspired prophecies that were recorded in Scripture, there were times when the authors didn't understand how what they were writing would come to pass. God's plans are not dependent on us understanding how He intends to work. Our task is to act in faithful obedience to what we know, and to trust Him for the rest.

Isaac Newton, a man of deep faith as well as scientific ability, wrote, “God gave the prophecies, not to gratify men’s curiosity by enabling them to foreknow things, but that after they were fulfilled they might be interpreted by the event, and His own providence, not the interpreters, be thereby manifested to the world.” Every time we look back on how God has worked, not just in our own lives but throughout history, it reminds us of His faithfulness and strengthens our faith to trust Him more. The story of Christmas is not a fairy tale or a myth; it is a powerful demonstration of God's reliability.

The world around us values uncertainty and many today reject the idea that there even is such a thing as truth. God calls us to a different way of living—a way that believes His truth and His promises without wavering. We trust God, not because we understand all that He is doing, but because we believe that He does. Paul wrote, “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:

Acts 2:21-23

Adam's sin in the Garden of Eden had many consequences. Death entered God's perfect creation. A sinful nature would be passed on to all of Adam's descendants. And the close fellowship and relationship with God that Adam had enjoyed was broken. Sin separates us from God. Of course that sin did not take God by surprise. Even before the world was formed, the plan for Jesus to come as the Savior for the lost had been set in place.

Charles Spurgeon said “From the greatness of God to His mercy is no step, for the two should always be blended in our thoughts as they are in His nature. Great as He is, He stoops to consider His creatures, and sovereign though He be, His name is love. He regardeth not the person of any man, for what is man to God? Yet despite the greatness of God, His wisdom is put to work to devise means by which guilty ones who have been banished from Him may be restored to Him.”

It is a measure of God's unfailing love for us that He was willing to make such a sacrifice. According to our way of thinking, it would have been better to have never created the world than to take a step which would lead to the death of Christ on the cross. Yet God judged the sacrifice to be worth making. So Jesus was born in Bethlehem to fulfill God's plan laid out before the world was made. Truly His love for us is great.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.

Matthew 23:23-25

I read a story about a mother running furiously from store to store on Christmas Eve, trying to get those last minute gifts. Suddenly she realized she’d lost track of her three-year-old son. In a panic, she retraced her steps and found him standing with his little nose pressed flatly against a frosty window. He was gazing at a manger scene. When he heard his mother call his name, he turned and shouted in innocent glee: “Look Mommy! It’s JESUS! Baby Jesus is in the hay!” The harried mom grabbed his arm and jerked him away, snapping, “We don’t have time for all that! Can’t you see that Mommy’s trying to get ready for Christmas?!”

It's easy to miss the point of what God is doing in our lives as we become distracted by and wrapped up in other things. Often those things are not wrong in and of themselves, but they can obscure what is more important. Jesus observed that the Pharisees were careful to tithe down to the smallest herbs they raised. Yet He pointed out that they had substituted that in place of other things that were more important. Life requires us to make choices and set priorities. There is never enough time or enough resources to do everything that could be done. We have to decide what is most important and focus on that. Jesus told the rushed and stressed Martha, “But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:42).

For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 6:20-23

Gift giving has become a major part of the Christmas celebration in our day. Recent studies have shown that whereas most people used to give and receive small and simple things in gift exchanges, the trend in recent years has been to more gifts and more expensive gifts. In fact, economists estimate that in the United States alone, nearly $800 billion is spent on Christmas presents each year. The gifts that we give to friends and family members are a way for us to express our love. In the larger sense, they are a symbolic reminder of the reason for Christmas and the gift God has for us. Vance Havner said, “Christmas is based on an exchange of gifts, the gift of God to man—His unspeakable gift of His Son, and the gift of man to God—when we present our bodies a living sacrifice.”

When we accept the gift of salvation, freely offered and given through God's grace, we receive all the benefits without doing anything to deserve them. It is an extravagantly generous gift of God's grace. Those who have received it desire to respond to God in grateful love. Because He has given so freely to us, it is our joy to give ourselves freely to Him. When Jesus sent His twelve disciples out to minister on their own, He told them, “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8). Everything that we have is because of God's goodness and grace, and from the bounty we have received from Him, we are to be a blessing to others.

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Matthew 28:18-20

God has always been omnipresent—present in all places at the same time. But when Jesus came to Earth, He was not only present; He took on human flesh and experienced life as we experience it. And although Jesus returned to Heaven when His work was complete, He sent the Holy Spirit to live within those who receive Christ as their Savior. The Holy Spirit is the "earnest" or "down payment" of God's promise to bring us to Heaven, and we have the assurance that He will never leave us. This promised presence of the Holy Spirit is something that believers today experience which Old Testament saints did not. This very real presence of God is a continuing, ongoing, and necessary gift as we live and work for God. Thus, the presence of God did not depart when Christ ascended. Instead He left His promise to always be with us.

Charles Spurgeon said, “Immanuel—God with us is eternity’s sonnet, Heaven’s hallelujah, the shout of the glorified, the song of the redeemed, the chorus of the angels, the everlasting oratorio of the great orchestra of the sky. How could anyone preach the gospel, how could he bend his knees in prayer, how could the missionary go into foreign lands, how could the martyr stand at the stake, how could the confessor own his Master, how could men labor if that one word were taken away? Immanuel—God with us.”

The world tells us that we are alone. The devil tempts us to think, like Elijah, that there aren't any faithful people left. Yet God is always with us. He is there to give us strength and guidance and power as we work for Him in the world. That will never change. Jesus may no longer be physically present in the world, but His Spirit is always with us.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, 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 2:10-14

The birth of Jesus upended everything that we would expect for the birth of a king. When the wise men reached Israel, they went to Jerusalem, assuming that would be where they would find a royal baby. Yet rather than coming to a palace, Jesus was born in a stable and laid in a manger. The humility of His birth was an indication of how He would live His life. However despite the lowly circumstances, Jesus was still the Lord of Heaven and Earth, and the joy of the angelic host that announced His arrival and sang praises to God spilled glory across the night skies near Bethlehem.

T. DeWitt Talmage said, “If there had been such brilliant and mighty recognition at an advent in the house of Pharaoh, or at an advent in the house of Caesar, or the house of Stuart, we would not so much have wondered; but a barn seems too poor a center for such delicate and archangelic circumference. The stage seems too small for so great an act, the music too grand for such unappreciable auditors, the window of the stable too rude to be serenaded by other worlds.” As we reflect on the love of God displayed in sending a Savior, our hearts should also overflow with praise and worship. Gratitude for God's grace has no more fitting topic. And like the shepherds after they visited the stable, we should tell everyone we meet that the Savior was born.

God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

Hebrews 1:1-4

The grace and love that prompted Jesus to lay aside the majesty and splendor of Heaven for the poverty of Earth is beyond compare. There is nothing like it anywhere in our world. It's shocking to think that the all powerful Creator would join His own creation, not as a ruling king, but as a tiny baby, completely dependent on others. Though Jesus was still God even as an infant, He accepted the physical limitations of a human body. All of His glory was cloaked during His time on earth, except for a brief moment on a mountaintop with the closest three of His disciples. “And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering” (Luke 9:29).

The Jesus who was revealed in that moment did not suddenly receive glory, but instead briefly revealed what was always rightfully His. This is the Lord who saved us, and the Lord that we worship. This is the purpose and meaning of Christmas on full display. When His work here was complete, Jesus returned to Heaven, and the truly finished nature of His work is shown by the fact that He sat down at the right hand of the Father. Nothing remains to be done until He returns for us. The same glory that the disciples saw for a few moments will be our eternal object of worship.

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

Matthew 1:18-20

The Bible does not record a single word spoken by Joseph. All that we know of him is seen in his actions and responses. Those show us a man of incredible faith and character—the kind of man we might choose if someone else had to raise our children. God entrusted Joseph with the responsibility of being the human provider and protector for His Son. It would be Joseph who would take Jesus to the Temple, setting a pattern of obedience to God's law. It would be Joseph who would frantically search for Jesus when He stayed behind in the Temple as a twelve year old boy. He fulfilled the responsibility God placed on his shoulders even though it would have been far easier to refuse.

Obeying God exposed Joseph to ridicule and humiliation. Everyone who found out Mary was expecting a child before their marriage would have assumed either he was the father and had been immoral, or that he was not the father and that he was a fool. Instead of listening to human reasoning, Joseph accepted the impossible explanation that the angel gave to him and to Mary, and did everything he could to follow the plan God had made. Our obedience to God is not meant to be based on understanding or reasoning, but on faith. We do not have to see the end of the path to walk in obedience the step that is before us.

And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.

Matthew 21:6-9

Because David was wholehearted in his love for God, God elevated him to the throne of Israel to replace Saul who refused to rely on God and insisted on going his own way. Among the promises that God made to David was that his line would not end as Saul's had. “And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever” (2 Samuel 7:16). Though the earthly kingdom of Israel ended more than five hundred years before the birth of Christ, God's promise to David remained fully intact. In the fullness of time Jesus came into the world, hailed by those who recognized Him as the “Son of David.” Even Pilate, who agreed to His execution placed a sign at the cross declaring Jesus to be “King of the Jews.”

In truth Jesus is far more than just the king of the Jews. From the throne of David, He will rule not just Israel but the entire world. Jesus is the fulfillment of the promise God made to David. Though thousands of years have passed and He has not yet taken that throne, He certainly will. “Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this” (Isaiah 9:7). We have God's promise.

Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also. I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love. For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

2 Corinthians 8:7-9

On December 10, 1905, The New York Sunday World published a short story by William Porter, better known by his pen name, O. Henry. “The Gift of the Magi” tells of a poor couple named Jim and Della Young and their desire to show their love for each other at Christmas. Della cut off and sold her long hair, not knowing Jim had purchased a special set of combs for her. Jim sold his prized watch, not knowing Della had purchased a watch chain for him. Henry's story concludes: “I have told you the story of two children who were not wise. Each sold the most valuable thing he owned in order to buy a gift for the other. But let me speak a last word to the wise of these days: Of all who give gifts, these two were the most wise.”

The value of a gift is not measured in the cost of the gift, but in the sacrifice required to get it and in the love that motivates that sacrifice. There has never been a greater sacrifice than the one made by the Lord when He gave up the riches and glory of Heaven for our sake. We did not love God. There was nothing in us that was of value or worth to Him. It was only His love and grace and mercy that made such an amazing sacrifice worth making. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

Luke 1:30-33

On Christmas Day in 1864 as the Civil War was nearing its end, William Clark Martin was born in New Jersey. Once he had completed his seminary training, Martin would spend the rest of his life pastoring churches in five different states. In addition to his pulpit ministry, he wrote a number of hymns. In 1901 not long before he became pastor of the Tabernacle Baptist Church in New Albany, Indiana, Martin wrote the following lyrics:

The name of Jesus is so sweet,
I love its music to repeat;
It makes my joys full and complete,
The precious name of Jesus.

I love the name of Him whose heart
Knows all my griefs and bears a part;
Who bids all anxious fears depart,
I love the name of Jesus.

“Jesus,” oh, how sweet the name!
“Jesus,” ev'ry day the same;
“Jesus,” let all saints proclaim
His worthy praise forever.

The angel Gabriel told Mary that her child would be named Jesus. That precious name sums up the work which the Lord came to do. It is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua, which means "Jehovah is salvation." Ever since the coming of a Savior was foretold in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:15), those who believed and loved God had looked for His arrival. They—and we—needed a Savior above all else, for there is no hope of reaching God in our own merit. Only through the provision of Jesus could we hope to be reconciled with God, and enjoy His presence in Heaven throughout eternity.

Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.

Exodus 12:5-7

On the night of the tenth and final plague, the death of the firstborn, which finally persuaded Pharaoh to let the Israelites leave Egypt, Moses commanded the people on what they needed to do to be spared. On that first Passover, they put the blood of a lamb, slain as a sacrifice, on the side posts and top of their doors. Only in this way would the firstborn in that home be spared. Any home that did not have the blood on the door would be visited with tragedy and death. Not just any lamb would do. It had to be flawless and without blemish in order to be acceptable. There is no clearer picture in the Old Testament of what Jesus would do in the New Testament.

From the beginning of His ministry, Jesus was God's perfect sacrifice whose blood would cleanse our sins. “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). The event pictured at Passover was fulfilled in reality on the cross. There the blood that purchased our salvation was shed. There the final sacrifice was made, paying the debt that we owed in full. It is very fitting that the arrival of Jesus was announced first to a group of shepherds. When God sees the blood of the Lamb on our hearts and lives, the sentence of death that is rightfully upon us because of our sin is stayed. We get mercy rather than justice.

And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

Luke 2:17-20

The overwhelming news that the shepherds received from the angels took them out of the fields into Bethlehem. There they looked until they found the Savior, lying in a manger because Joseph and Mary had nowhere else to go. After the shepherds verified what they had heard, they could not contain the news. They told everyone about the amazing thing that had happened. That is the way we are supposed to be. Rather than being silent followers of Jesus Christ, we are to be witnesses for Him. If we love Him as we should, this will not be a difficult chore; it will be a happy privilege. J. C. Ryle said, “Love to the Lord Jesus Christ is no hidden, secret, impalpable thing. It is like the light—it will be seen. It is like sound—it will be heard. It is like heat—it will be felt. Where it exists, it cannot be hid. Where it cannot be seen, you may be sure there is none.”

The good news that we have to share with the world is the same message that the angels gave to the shepherds. There is hope for salvation in Jesus Christ. Every person we meet needs to hear that message. Every day we have opportunities to share the good news with others. This is God's plan for reaching the world—that our overflowing love will cause us to speak. “For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead” (2 Corinthians 5:14).

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

Matthew 2:1-3

The arrival of Jesus was a source of great joy for the shepherds who heard it announced by the angels. It was a comfort and fulfilled promise to Anna and Simeon who saw Jesus when His parents brought Him to the Temple for dedication as required by the law. It was something for Mary to keep and remember for years to come. It was a promise of hope to wise men who saw His star and came to find Him. Yet to Herod and many people who lived in Jerusalem, the glad tidings of Jesus' birth did not produce hope or joy or peace. Instead it produced turmoil, confusion, and even anger.

The response people have to the good news of the gospel is directly dependent on the condition of their hearts. Those who rejected Jesus in His day have many descendants. We should not be surprised that people refuse the offer of salvation in Jesus Christ. Alexander MacLaren said, “Offer men the smaller gifts, and they will run over one another in their scramble for them; but offer them the highest, and they will scarcely hold out a languid hand to take them.”

Our responsibility is not to produce results, but to faithfully proclaim the good news and leave the responses up to God. It is also our responsibility to live in such a way that we are good examples of the difference that Jesus has made in our lives. He told us, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me. Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.

John 1:43-46

One of the reasons people had a hard time believing that Jesus really was the promised Messiah is that He did not conform to their expectations. In their minds, the Messiah would be a conquering hero who would triumph over Rome and lead Israel to freedom and independence as a nation. Even after the crucifixion and resurrection, the disciples still expected that. The last question they asked Jesus was, “Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). He answered simply, "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power" (Acts 1:7).

God often works in ways we do not expect to accomplish His purposes. In fact it pleases Him to do so. For instance, when Gideon gathered a large army, God had him send most of them home. God wanted there to be no doubt that the victory was His. Paul wrote, “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty” (1 Corinthians 1:27).

Our responsibility is to conform our expectations to what God says rather than expecting Him to conform to us. He is the eternal and unchanging standard of truth and holiness. If He chooses to have good things come from Nazareth, it is not our place to refuse to believe. The Bible gives us everything God knows we need for life, and we should guide both our thinking and our conduct by it, regardless of what others expect or think.

I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.

John 10:14-17

General Charles “Chinese” Gordon became a national hero in both England and China when he led the imperial forces to victory over the Taiping Rebellion during the Second Opium War. Unlike many Western officers, Gordon was honest, full of integrity, and refused the bribes and outright theft that had enriched many others. So despite his military success, he returned to England after the fighting a very poor man. The only thing he had of value was a gold medal he had received from the emperor of China. On his return to England, when he learned of a famine that had struck the region of Coventry, Gordon scratched out the inscription on his medal so no one would know who had sent it, and donated it anonymously to the relief fund. He later told a friend, “This is the secret of bliss—to give away your medal.”

The story of Christmas is the story of Jesus sacrificially giving up all the glory of Heaven to come and be our Savior. But the story of Christmas does not end with the manger, the shepherds, or the wise men from the east. It is also the story of His laying down His life, willingly surrendering to one of the most cruel and humiliating executions ever devised by man. Even more, it is the story of the perfect and sinless Son of God taking on the weight of the sins of the world, suffering the rightful punishment we deserved in our place. Jesus did all of that because to Him we were worth the sacrifice.

And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

Colossians 1:17-20

In the 1960s Don and Carol Richardson went to New Guinea as missionaries. The Sawi tribes among which they worked viewed treachery as a virtue. Richardson later recounted that when the people in the tribe first heard the story of the arrest, trial, and crucifixion of Jesus, they thought Judas was the hero. He prayed for a way to understand their perspective and better explain the gospel to them. A breakthrough came in a surprising way. Two of the villages near the mission outpost had been feuding for some time. When Richardson urged them to cease fighting, he observed a unique ceremony. One man from each of the villages took his own son and gave him to a man from the other village to raise as his own. One of the men told him, “It’s impossible to have peace without a peace child.” Richardson used that metaphor to show them reason for Jesus coming into the world, and many of them responded to the gospel.

Jesus was God's “peace child” given to a sinful world that was at enmity with Him. He is the reason the angels declared “peace on Earth” when they announced His birth to the shepherds. Man has no hope of peace with God apart from Jesus Christ. “For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us” (Ephesians 2:14). The world may reject the Lord. They mock and criticize those of us who have accepted Him as Savior. Their refusal to accept the Prince of Peace is the reason that the world has no peace. Jesus is the only source of peace.

Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy; When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also. Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

2 Timothy 1:4-7

There are certainly many things in our world about which we could be afraid. There is political and economic uncertainty, there is an ongoing global pandemic, there is strife and division between groups of people, and there are broken relationships all around. The Lord does not tell us that there are no problems or difficulties, in fact Jesus said exactly the opposite. “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof” (Matthew 6:34). But despite the troubles, we are not to live with a spirit of fear. A constant dread, worry, and trembling at what might happen is not from God, but from Satan.

If we are trusting in God's power, we have no reason to worry about the problems that may come. It does not mean that we will not get sick, face persecution, or suffer financial hardship. Instead it means that we will never be separated from the love of God and can trust Him completely to do what is best. If we are living in His Spirit rather than the spirit of fear, nothing will be able to deter us from walking as God commands. Jonathan Edwards wrote, “True boldness for Christ transcends all; it is indifferent to the displeasure of either friends or foes. Boldness enables Christians to forsake all rather than Christ, and to prefer to offend all rather than to offend Him.”