Everybody Loves A Gift

Christmas was just over a month ago, our tree is down and the decorations have been put away since the first of the year.  All the gifts that didn’t fit have been returned and the others are being used.

When I think of Christmas, or anytime we give gifts, I often wonder if the recipient is using the gift.  It is no fun giving a gift that is unwanted or not needed, because it won’t be used.  

The Spirit of God gives us gifts.  Our scripture passage today says that the gifts are given, “for the common good”, or as the New Living Translations says, “so we can help each other.”  We do not get every gift.  The Spirit of God determines which ones he gives and to whom.  The important thing for us to do is USE THE GIFT we have been given.

If you are trusted with the gift of prophesy and don’t share the word God has given you, you won’t help the person God sent you too.  If you can interpret tongues yet keep silent, the message God wanted shared will not be revealed.

When it comes to the gifts of the Spirit, God is a great gift giver.  He will give you the exact right gift.  He does not make mistakes.  Use your gift or gifts.  Don’t be afraid of them.  Use your wisdom or knowledge for his good.  Heal people he sends you to heal.  If you can perform miracles, do it for His glory.

We tend to see the works of the Holy Spirit as taboo in North America, but remember God has not changed. The same God we read about in the pages of scripture is the one we serve today!  So, pretend it’s Christmas morning.  Unwrap your gift and start using it.

Read today's passage here.  1 Corinthians 12:4-11

Jesus is Crucified

It’s horrifying to think human beings would treat other human beings in such a way!

We’ve all heard the story, and been sickened by the thought of such a good and gracious man being treated with this extreme cruelty. The books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John all describe the event. One may describe a more detailed account of Jesus’ demise but the prophecy in Psalm 22 written hundreds of years before the Romans came to power is undeniable.  

Prophecy                                                                                                                  Fulfillment

Messiah would be forsaken (verse 1)                                                                  Matthew 27:46

The Messiah would be mocked (verse 2)                                                            Matthew 27:45-46

The Messiah would be poured out like water (verse 14)                                    John 19:34

The Messiah would be thirsty (verse 15)                                                            John 19:28

The Messiah would be crucified by non-Jews                                                    Matthew 27:27-31

The Messiah’s hands and feet would be pierced                                                 John 19:34, 20:25-29

The Messiah’s executioners would gamble for his robe (verse 18)                    Matthew 27:35

This Psalm 22 of David, prophesied the Messiah would be crucified when crucifixion as a state punishment had not yet been invented. This is no coincidence. Fulfilled prophecy is one of the most stunning features of the Bible, one that sets it apart from any other Holy Book.

As Christ followers, we may not need to be convinced of the authenticity of the Holy One, but it is this gift of fulfillment that offers us the evidence and courage to speak to others in his name.

Jesus' walk on this earth was pre-determined, deliberate and purposeful. Let us continue to believe and guide seekers of truth and peace to the cross. The cross, where He laid his body down for us.

Thank you Jesus!

                                                                                                                          Written by gail

Read/Listen to Matthew 27:32-44

Now is the time to Break Free

Many years ago, at a women's Bible Study, I began my personal relationship with Jesus.  It was my first in-depth study, one requiring 5 days of homework and reading scripture. Looking back I can see God's hand all over this experience. The study was by Beth Moore and it was called, "Breaking Free."

I will never forget this study and have shared it a number of times since, with other women who were in the same place I was at that point my life; broken, alone, lost and hopeless. I was poor in spirit, a prisoner chained to an empty life. The key verse for this entire study was Isaiah 61:1-2.

The words in Isaiah were fulfilled by Jesus and told in the text for today by Luke. As we spend this final week studying about repentance and prayer and the Holy Spirit, these words speak to me and remind me of the days when God used 9 women at my study table to encourage and teach me how to embrace Jesus Christ as Savior.

The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
  because he has anointed me
  to preach the good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for
  the prisoners
  and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.  (Mark 4:18-19)

I will never be the same again and I thank God for that.  Where are you right now? Do you need someone to come alongside you to help you through a rough patch, or do you need a mentor to show you the way to Jesus? I would love to speak with you. Send a confidential message to me here.

These past weeks as we studied the Book of Joel we learned repentance is forgiveness and restoration. We learned that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:13). It is about time we take this message seriously. It is time for a revival in our land.

Luke 4:14-21

2 Timothy 3:16-17

Teaching

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 

Envision the Holy breath of God, exhaling His own words through the air into the heads and hearts of the scripture writers. Through them the Lords message was placed onto common scrolls transforming simple parchment into sacred documents from Heaven. What an honor to have been chosen by God as a vehicle for expressing His love.

Those writers were common folk, as are you and I. They became teachers as they discovered God’s design for themselves. Throughout the ages, their writings have impacted and changed the course of history.

We do not have to be teachers by profession to be instructors in the way of an honorable life. Others learn from us by our every word and action.

Romans 12:5 speaks of those in Christ belonging to each other. Our spiritual gifts are expressions of the Holy Spirit. I recall being stirred to reality a couple years ago when one of our young Pastors delivered a message on spiritual gifts, he summarized them as follows:

Prophecy         bringing the message of God to his people

Service            always seeking needs

Teaching         helping people understand biblical truth

Exhortation     an encourager-build people up

Giving             give freely to others to bring glory to God without recognition

Leader             get people organized and focused on God’s plan

Mercy             compassion, kindness, empathy-drawn to the hurting

Though I AM a teacher by vocation, I see that teaching is not necessarily my spiritual gift. Perhaps I am teaching in order to use my spiritual gifts to reach others who may not have otherwise been reachable. What are your spiritual gifts, and how are you using them to reach and teach; to change the course of history for yourself, and for others?

Psalm 22

Prayer is Crying

The amazing Bible is set apart from any other book for many reasons, one of them being fulfilled prophecy. In this psalm alone, hundreds of years before the Romans came to power, David prophesied that the Jewish Messiah would be crucified. The details he included are incredible. Check this out for yourself:

Prophecy                                                                     Fulfillment

Messiah would be forsaken (verse 1)                           Matthew 27:46

Messiah would cry out in darkness (verse 6-8)             Matthew 27:45-46

Messiah would be mocked (verse 6-8)                         Matthew 27:39-40, 43-44

Messiah would be “poured out like water”                    John 19:34

(verse 14)

Messiah would be thirsty (verse 15)                            John 19:28

Messiah would be crucified by non-Jews                     Matthew 27:27-31, 35-36

“dogs” (verse 16)

Messiah’s executioners would gamble for                    Matthew 27:35

His robe (verse 18)

Jesus cried out to the Father, just as we do. His pain was real as ours is. God allowed him to go through intense agony for a far greater cause, as he does with us. The difference is that the pain of Jesus was to save us…......wait, isn’t that the reason for ours as well? Are not the burdens and struggles we face similar to those of our savior? God waits for us to cry out to Him as Jesus did. He longs for us to seek his love and mercy through all our trials, so go ahead and cry out to Jesus! He's "been there, done that." He understands.

Read/Listen to Psalm 22

Listen to Cry Out To Jesus by Third Day

Joel 1:1-12

The presence of bugs will usually cause us to change our ways.  If I see ants in the kitchen all I have to do is look and most likely some of the dog's food spilled over onto the floor and drew the ants inside for a meal.  If I suddenly notice an abundance of mosquitoes buzzing through the house there is most likely a window open or a screen torn somewhere allowing their entrance.  Bugs are a nuisance and we do everything we can to avoid living with them.

The text for today is about locusts, which were very prevalent in Biblical times.  According to National Geographic they occur in many parts of the world, but today locusts are most destructive in sustenance farming regions of Africa. The story of the swarming locusts in the Book of Joel is factual, and also a prophecy from God to His people.  Joel was warning his people to turn to God and stop their sinful behavior or something even worse than locusts would befall them.

Where are the swarming locusts in your life? What is threatening your well-being and very future? Is there sin permeating your happiness and robbing you of joy? A question posed in the Serendipity Study Bible I find worth pondering. Is this plague a punishment for sin, or a test of faith?

Read Joel 1:1-12 text here.

1 Corinthians 14:1-12

1 Corinthians 13 ends with, "...and the greatest of these is love."  Of all the Spiritual gifts a believer is given, the greatest is love. Chapter 14 moves us toward two gifts--Prophecy and Tongues.  Years ago at a prayer meeting at church someone in the congregation began speaking in tongues.  As a new believer, I did not understand what was going on.

Thankfully the pastor who was presiding stopped everything and asked if anyone was able to translate.  There was someone who spoke up and shared the meaning of the foreign conversation.  Pastor then explained that anytime someone speaks in this manner there must be someone present to interpret. He explained to us about the gift of tongues, how it is a special communication between the speaker and God.  He also talked about other gifts that are meant to promote and lift up the body.  Those with the gift of Prophecy edify the church, promote the Word and educate believers.


"Go after a life of love as if your life depended on it—because it does."  (1 Corinthians 14:1)  Aren't those great words to hear?  No one can live without love.  Think about it, name off the different types of love in your life.  Who and what do you love?  Do you love a spouse, child, sibling, friend, or pet?

Can you imagine life without that loving relationship, the companionship, and special feelings that love gives?  Isn't that why, when a loved one leaves us it hurts and makes us wonder if we will ever be the same?  "And the greatest of these is love."

Read the text for today in the Message translation at Biblegateway here.

Out of Egypt I called my Son -- Matthew 2:7-15

Herod then arranged a secret meeting with the scholars from the East. Pretending to be as devout as they were, he got them to tell him exactly when the birth-announcement star appeared. Then he told them the prophecy about Bethlehem, and said, "Go find this child. Leave no stone unturned. As soon as you find him, send word and I'll join you at once in your worship." (Matthew 2:7-8)  Isn't this amazing to you?  Herod read and believed the Scriptures, or was he just taking precautions and protecting his throne.

This entire story is fascinating.  The scholars from the east were not fooled, especially after their dream instructing them not to report back to Herod.  Then Joseph was told by an angel to take the child and his mother and run.  Joseph obeyed.  The dream of the wise men, and then the angel in Joseph's dream were instruments of God used to fulfill God's will.  The fact the magi and Joseph complied saved the child's life.

How many times do I feel a nudge in a dream or a compulsion to do something counter to my usual behavior?  Thinking back I can identify a number of instances when God was orchestrating my steps.  I always have the option to disregard these nudges, but I don't have a peace about things if I exercise this option.  It is so exciting to recognize God's hand in my life; or is it my life in God's hand?  Works either way doesn't it.

To read the text for today go here.