.....Knockout King: Sign Of The End Times!

Have you heard of the new "game" spreading across our nation? It's referred to as "Knockout King." An article appearing in the Chicago Tribune describes it like this:

The rules of the game are as simple as they are brutal. A group - usually young men or even boys as young as 12, and teenage girls in some cases - chooses a lead attacker, then seeks out a victim. Unlike typical gang violence or other street crime, the goal is not revenge, nor is it robbery. The victim is chosen at random, often a person unlikely to put up a fight. Many of the victims have been elderly. Most were alone.

The attacker charges at the victim and begins punching. If the victim goes down, the group usually scatters. If not, others join in, punching and kicking the person, often until he or she is unconscious or at least badly hurt. Sometimes the attacks are captured on cellphone video that is posted on websites.

A Deadly Game

A 72-year-old retired schoolteacher and his wife were passing through an alley where a group of youths were gathered when a young man from the group rushed at them suddenly. As most any husband would, Hoang Nguyen stepped in front of his wife. He was beaten to death moments later in broad daylight. According to his wife, he died begging for mercy. His story is but one of many.

The mayor of St. Louis, Missouri literally drove up on a victim of this "game" and is said to have heard from several mayors who've seen evidence of it occurring in their locales. Criminologists agree that versions of this "game" are playing out in a host of locations.

How sad is it that one can't walk down the street today and feel safe? In many areas of our nation, the idea that one might be mugged walking down the street is commonplace. But to have to be on the defensive that someone is going to attack you with no motive other than to hurt you? Truly, humanity has lost its way.

The Prophetic Connection

Jesus Christ said the last days would be as they were in the days of Noah, which Scripture tells us saw the earth corrupt and filled with violence (Luke 17:26, Genesis 6:11). In addition, He said, "And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold" (Matthew 24:12).

If "Knockout King" isn't symptomatic of an inhuman degree of coldness in the hearts of its participants, I don't know what is.


Keep looking up! Our redemption draws near!

.....Daring To Stand For Truth!

"Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle." - 2 Thessalonians 2:15

The nearer we draw to the heart of God the less taste we will have for controversy. The peace we know in God's bosom is so sweet that it is but natural that we want to keep it unbroken to enjoy as fully and as long as possible. The Spirit-filled Christian is never a good fighter. He is at too many disadvantages. The enemy is always better at invective than he will allow himself to be. The devil has all the picturesque epithets, and his followers have no conscience about using them. The Christian is always more at home, blessing than he is opposing. He is, moreover, much thinner-skinned than his adversaries. He shrinks from an angry countenance and draws back from bitter words. They are symbols of a world he has long ago forsaken for the quiet of the kingdom of God where love and good will prevail. All this is in his favor, for it marks him out as a man in whom there is no hate and who earnestly desires to live at peace with all men. In spite of his sincere longing for peace, however, there will be times when he dare not allow himself to enjoy it. There are times when it is a sin to be at peace. There are circumstances when there is nothing to do but to stand up and vigorously oppose. To wink at iniquity for the sake of peace is not a proof of superior spirituality; it is rather a sign of a reprehensible timidity which dare not oppose sin for fear of the consequences. For it will cost us heavily to stand for the right when the wrong is in the majority, which is 100 percent of the time.

It is easier to excuse ourselves from religious conflict than to assert the truth in a Spirit-emboldened manner. But there are times when we are God's strategically-placed person. We speak and live as His representative.


Lord, You know that my inclination is to flee from controversy and confrontation. O Lord, show me when to confront and enable me to do it for Christ's sake.

.....The Real Meaning Of Christmas!

It's that time of year again. December has come and with it all the joys of Christmas. But what is the real meaning of Christmas? Is it the gifts under the tree, the lights in the windows, the cards in the mail, turkey dinners with family and friends, snow in the yard, stockings hanging in the living room, and shouts of "Merry Christmas" to those who pass us in the streets? Is this really Christmas?

For many people, Christmas is a time of sorrow. They don't have the extra money to buy presents for their children, family, and friends. Many are saddened at Christmastime when they think of their loved ones who will not be able to come home for various reasons. Turkey dinners may be only a wish and not a reality for some.

Yet, Christmas can be a season of great joy. It is a time of God showing His great love for us. It can be a time of healing and renewed strength. You see, Christmas is when we celebrate the birth of the Christ child. God sent His Son, Jesus, into the world to be born. His birth brought great joy to the world. Shepherds, wise men, and angels all shared in the excitement of knowing about this great event. They knew this was no ordinary baby. The prophets had told of His coming hundreds of years before. The star stopped over Bethlehem just to mark the way for those who were looking for this special child.

Why did He come? Why did God send His son to this sometimes cruel and hard world? He sent Jesus to us so that one day, He would grow up to become a very important part of history. His story (history) is one of truth, love, and hope. It brought salvation to all of us. Without Jesus, we would all die in our sins.

Jesus was born so one day the price could be paid for the things we have done that are wrong. The Bible says that all have sinned. We are all born with a sin nature. We do things that do not please God. Through the sins of Adam and Eve, we have all inherited that sin nature. We need to have that removed. The only way is through Jesus. Jesus came so He could die on the cross for ALL of our sins. If we believe that Jesus died for our sins, we can ask Him to come into our hearts and forgive us. Then, we are clean and made whole. We can know that heaven is a place where we can go to when this life is over.

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." - 1 John 1:9

We can truly be happy at Christmas! No matter what may be happening, we can know that we are His children. We then become sons and daughters of God. Heaven will be our home one day.

Look at Christmas in a new way this year. This is the year to invite Jesus into your heart. You will then have a "Merry Christmas." The joy and peace you will receive will last all year as you look to God for all your needs to be met.


Jesus Is The Reason...Rejoice!

.....Merry Christmas!

Lord, during this season when we celebrate the birth of Your Son, help us to show kindness to all those who cross our path, and let us show tenderness and unfailing love to our family and friends. Make us generous with words of encouragement and praise. And, help us always to reflect the love that Christ Jesus gives to us so that through us, others might find Him...Amen!

.....A Shepherd’s Story!

"Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us." And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them." - Luke 2:8-20

I was just a kid when it happened, barely old enough to be out in the fields with the older shepherds. For the first time, my dad had said that I could stay with them all night. I was so excited! It was around the time of the Fall Feasts and we were tending the Temple flocks in the fields outside of Bethlehem. Later, people would try to say that the story I’m about to tell you took place in December, but that’s crazy because nobody would have had their sheep in the open fields that far into winter. It was too cold and a sudden storm could put them all in grave danger.

No shepherd could afford to take that risk even with ordinary sheep, and these sheep were different from all others. The priests bred them especially for use as sacrifices in the Temple. Because of this, they had to be perfect, not a spot or blemish anywhere on their bodies. These were lambs whose only purpose in being born was to die as an offering for the sins of the people. They were very valuable and watching them was important work.

You see, sheep are prone to wandering. It’s the shepherd’s job to keep track of them, and to bring them back when they stray. We also keep the predators at bay, the wolves that would sneak in among the flock and carry the weak ones off. We’re responsible for them, and it’s our job to see that none are lost.

After dinner we were getting the camp ready for the night, making one last check to be sure that all the sheep were accounted for and weren’t being distracted by the torch light from the constant stream of visitors in the distance heading for the town.

Bethlehem was more crowded than I’d ever seen it because the governor had called for a census and everyone in Israel who was descended from King David had to come here to register. David had lived almost a thousand years earlier, and had four wives, so you can imagine how many descendants he had, and they were all coming to Bethlehem. Our little town was filled to overflowing and some had given up even trying to find rooms.

That’s another good reason this story couldn’t have happened in the dead of winter. People just couldn’t travel then, it was too cold and wet to camp in the fields along the way. Remember, some had to travel several days, all the way from beyond the Galilee up north, to get here.

I remember that we’d just settled down by the fire when an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to us from out of nowhere. I was terrified! I’d never seen anything like it. But I wasn’t the only one. Even the seasoned veterans were scared. But the angel spoke to us and said, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger."

Suddenly the star filled sky opened up and a great company of angels appeared with him.  They were all praising God and singing, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"

There’s no way I could even begin to describe the sound of that choir. A couple of times later in my life I heard the musicians that rich people hired to help them celebrate when their first son was born, but not even the wealthiest King could have afforded a choir like this one. The music caused us to lift our faces and our hands to the heavens. It filled our ears and our hearts and was by far the most beautiful sound I ever heard in all my life.

When they faded away and left us we just stood there for a minute looking at each other, our eyes filled with wonder, tears of joy streaming down the weathered cheeks of my father and his friends. They’d of course heard all the talk about a Messiah, but none of them ever expected to see Him. And now, not only would we see Him; we would be the first! One minute we were finishing up a long shepherd’s day just like always, and the next we were witnessing the invasion of Earth by Heaven itself. Eternity had entered time and the Son of God had become the Son of Man, almost right before our eyes. This had been my first day as a real shepherd, and there would never be another one like it. Mindful of our responsibility, we left a couple of our number to watch the sheep, and the rest of us took off for Bethlehem in search of the sign the angel had told us to look for. And sure enough, in a stable behind the inn at the edge of town, we found them.

A man with the clothing and calloused hands of the working class stood protectively over a radiant but obviously exhausted young woman who didn’t look much older than I was. In the manger before her was a baby, a normal looking healthy baby boy. "Can this be what God looks like," I thought, "He’s just a baby." Like most people, I expected that if I ever saw God He’d be a giant Warrior King with a huge sword and a menacing look. This baby looked so fragile.

Others were beginning to gather around as well, because we’d shouted at everyone we saw on the way in to follow us. Now we told them the whole story of what we’d experienced in the field with the angel and the choir, and that we had come to town to see for ourselves if what we heard was true. They were all amazed and couldn’t stop talking about it, but the new mother just sat there with her baby as if she was soaking up every detail of this most blessed of all blessed events. I’ll never forget the look in her eyes or the expression on her face.

Having seen the proof the angel told us to look for, we went back to our flocks, praising God and giving Him Glory, and thanking Him for letting humble shepherds like us be the first to see the Christ child. It was ironic, wasn’t it, that we who spent our lives tending lambs born to die for the sins of the Temple worshipers, should be the first to see The Lamb, born to die for the sins of the whole world.

The man, who I found out was named Joseph, and the woman Mary stayed in Bethlehem through the winter. Remember, I said that no one travels voluntarily after late fall, especially heading north with a new born baby. They found a house and settled in.

Sometime later there was a big fuss as a caravan of rich priests called Magi arrived from Parthia, a country near Israel that had been part of the Persian Empire. They called the baby the King of the Jews, gave him expensive gifts and money, and bowed down before Him to worship. Somebody said the Magi had been waiting for this time since the Hebrew Prophet Daniel had told them about it 500 years earlier. They had handed the secret down from father to son through all that time. People even said the money was Daniel’s personal gift to the Messiah.

After the Magi left, things were quiet again for a few days, but then Joseph suddenly took Mary and the baby away secretly in the middle of the night. The next morning Herod’s soldiers swept into town, searching from house to house, killing all the male babies. They were looking for Him because Herod didn’t want any competition for the throne, but He was gone. We heard that Joseph had been warned in a dream and had taken Mary and the baby south to Egypt where they could hide from Herod. It’s a good thing those Magi had come. Their gifts paid for the family’s escape and their stay in Egypt.

The next time I heard about the baby was 30 years later, after we had both grown up. People were talking about a prophet named Jesus from Nazareth. They said He might be the Messiah. I remembered that Joseph and Mary had come from there, and so I decided to investigate. Walking north for several days I finally found Him by the Sea of Galilee and as I listened to Him speak, my heart was filled with hope. I especially liked how He called Himself our shepherd. He promised to keep us from wandering, and to protect us from predators who would try to steal us away. And He swore that He’d never lose a single one of us, just like we promised the owners of the sheep we watched. I knew in my heart He really was the Messiah.

Later, I was there in Jerusalem when He was executed. As He breathed His last, I became convinced that I’d see Him again just like He promised. Three days later I did see Him, and knew that all of the angel’s promises had come true in the life, death, and resurrection of the Baby from Bethlehem. He wasn’t the King we expected, but He was the One we needed. He was our Savior, our Messiah.

Looking back on that night, I realize that many will never understand what happened there. I was an eyewitness and I barely understand it myself. But I know this. On that night in Bethlehem a group of shepherds became sheep, and the Lamb of God became our Shepherd.

Merry Christmas!

.....The Choice!

The question has been asked so many times that has morphed from a question into a challenge; "How can a merciful and loving God condemn people to eternal torments in hell?"

The question is not just posed by atheists and skeptics, but also by some sincere, but woefully uneducated Christians. The argument has some merit on the surface. God is love. All men are created with a sin nature.

Since, by definition and design, all men are sinners and our Creator God is love, it logically follows that a loving God who created sinners would be unjust in condemning them to hell for being what they are.

God is the Righteous Judge. If He is so righteous, it seems logical that He would take into account the mitigating circumstances.

Especially since the chief mitigation is the fact it was the Righteous Judge that created the unrighteous sinner and that unrighteousness is the default condition of man. That cannot be stressed strongly enough.

The default condition of mankind is that of utter depravity. People are not born good and then learn bad things. It is precisely the opposite.

There is a common canard in our society that dictates that racism, for example, is learned behavior. A 'learned behavior' is something that has been taught to someone, or a way of thinking that they did not come up with themselves.

The prevailing worldview is that children who grow up to be racists are taught to be racist as a child. In this view, unless a child is taught to be racist, he will grow up to be 'color-blind' so to speak.

An article posted on the American Psychiatric Association's website attempted to argue against racism as a 'mental illness', claiming that racism "is mainly a product of learned behavior," and "a majority of explicitly racist persons do not have any psychopathology."

I don't know if racism is a mental illness, but I know that racism is not something that children are taught. It is something that they must be 'untaught'.

Children are racist by nature. Studies conducted that put one black pre-schooler into a classroom full of white pre-schoolers showed the white pre-schoolers abused, ostracized and teased the black kid corporately, that is to say, they did so as a group.

Reversing the situation produced the same results; the black kids abused, ostracized and teased the white kid, again corporately. Were all these pre-schoolers taught to be racists?

Moreover, who taught them to be abusive? Who taught them the principles of boycott, or ostracization?

These are fairly advanced principles for pre-schoolers - it took Jesse Jackson a lifetime of effort to fine-tune them into the social weapons they are today. Where did these kids learn to be racist?

Any school teacher will confirm that children are not only racist, they are mean. Kids are really small terrorists without advanced weaponry or a cause. And we were all kids.

If we reach back far enough into our memories, it is fairly obvious that the cruelest people we ever met were our own classmates.

Everyone remembers that one kid who was taunted unmercifully, (maybe it was you) because of their skin color, their religion, their social status, or some other characteristic that made that kid different. (I remember a kid we all teased because he was ugly.)

I was teased unmercifully because I had no hand-to-eye coordination. When we would choose up sides to play baseball, the two team captains would choose their players until they got to me. Then they'd fight over who got 'stuck' with me - as if I wasn't there.

My nicknames were alternatively, "Easy Out" and "Butterfingers" - two terms that make me cringe to this day.

Children have to be taught not to hit each other, bite each other, they have to be taught not to steal, to show respect, not to lie, etc.

Prisons are full of folks who blame their upbringing for their shortcomings. That's a cop out. Children needn't be taught bad values because 'bad' is their default state.

Prisons, as rehabilitation centers, attempt to teach 'good' values - or the word 'rehabilitation' is meaningless.

A long example to prove a short principle; We are born sinners. Evil is our default condition. It is goodness that is the learned behavior.

To return to our original premise, if a loving God created us without a spark of goodness, then how could He then condemn us to an eternity of torment for being what He made us to be - and still call that 'perfect justice'?

It is worth noting that the only inherently evil creation in the corporeal (physical) world is humanity. Animals aren't evil by nature. They do what comes naturally.

Sin isn't a learned behavior. It is something that must be unlearned. The degree to which a human being 'unlearns' selfishness, cruelty and sadism becomes the measure of his goodness. Provide the right set of circumstances, say, New Orleans after Katrina, and humanity reverts to type.

Doctors murder patients to save themselves. People with no criminal record become looters. The strong prey on the weak. Right and wrong, as social concepts, essentially evaporate.

Man was created in God's image. He was created with the ability to discern between right and wrong, and was also created with the ability to choose which path to take.

This planet is the only place in God's creation where evil is permitted unfettered operation. Theologians call it the 'cosmos diabolicus'. It is enclosed by an atmosphere which keeps evil from escaping out into the universe.

When Satan came to present himself before the Lord, "And the LORD said to Satan, "From where do you come?" So Satan answered the LORD and said, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it." (Job 1:7)

It is Satan's domain. When Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, he offered the Creator of the Universe a bargain:

"Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me." (Matthew 4:8-9)

Although Jesus is the Creator (and Satan knew it) the 'cosmos diabolicus' was Satan's to offer.

So, again we return to the central question: "How could a loving God condemn us to eternal torment for being what He made us to be?"

A lion who hunts down and kills an injured wildebeest that can't keep up with the herd isn't doing evil because he selected the weakest and most vulnerable prey. That's what he was created to do. He has no other choice.

And THAT is where God's perfect justice comes in. We DO have a choice. We were created specifically to that single purpose. So that, when given the choice, we could then choose God.

God's perfect justice demands that there be some provision of salvation for those who choose Him - or He could impose no penalty for those who choose to reject Him.

Jesus Christ is God in the flesh. Therefore, man has a choice between 'good' (God) and man's default nature of evil (self). Jesus Christ represents God's perfect justice.

Having defeated the sin nature by living a perfect life, He was uniquely qualified to pay the penalty perfect justice demands, because no created being could earn the currency necessary to pay the price on their own behalf.

Each of us is acutely aware of our sin nature. We spend a lifetime seeking to overcome it, and in so doing, learn that it is impossible. We then are confronted with a choice.

We can choose Heaven by humbly accepting the offer of Pardon extended to us, knowing it is not something we earned, cannot earn, and cannot buy or steal.

Or we can choose hell, the place prepared as the eternal repository for sin after this cosmos diabolicus is destroyed at the end of human history.

The earth will have served its purpose as a confinement area for sin, and having served that purpose, "...the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat." (2 Peter 3:12)

After Satan is banished to hell and sin is contained, the cosmos diabolicus gives way to "...look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells." (2 Peter 3:13)

God doesn't condemn us to hell. He condemns sin. But in His mercy, He provides a way for us to shed our sin nature through the regeneration of salvation.

But we are the ones who make the final choice. It is indeed perfect justice that the condemned be given the choice - while still in their sins - of where they will spend eternity.

Having expressly provided the choices to us, it would be utterly unjust of God to ignore the choice we make.

God is just, so He honors the choice we make.


Praise Him!

.....To Our Shame!

While millions of people in the world are living in abject poverty, sleeping on the ground, and starving to death, greed runs rampant in the United States of America. We call ourselves a Christian nation while acting like a pack of wild dogs over a freshly killed carcass. Black Friday, as the day after Thanksgiving is now called, has turned into a fiasco brought on by money hungry corporate executives and their willing cohorts, the American shoppers. From just one news source I noticed these headlines the day after Black Friday:

-Shopper pepper sprays 15 other shoppers

-Competitive shopping turns into chaos

-Girls punching each other over Yoga pants

-Mayhem over $2 waffle maker

-Two women injured in brawl

-Woman shot, robbed after midnight shopping trip

-Police use pepper spray to break up melee

-Grandfather smashed to ground as he tried to protect grandson from crowd

-Police Taser customer

-Gunfire erupts at mall

Now let me see if I understand this. Thursday, the 24th, was Thanksgiving Day. Friday, the 25th, (the very next day) was Black Friday. On Thursday we should be:

Thanking God for all our many blessings, i.e. -

-Living in a free country

-Freedom to worship

-Our families (spouse, children, parents, siblings, etc.)

-Roof over our head

-Our job

-Our means of transportation (car, etc.)

-Our health

-Clothes on our back

-Friends

 -Neighbors

-Our “needs” provided

-Many of our “wants” provided

-The food we eat

-Modern medicine

-And on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on

BUT the very next day, Friday, right after thanking God for His unlimited blessings, it is all forgotten, and we are overwhelmed with greed. Grown adults (tongue in cheek) act like vicious, spoiled children. What happened!

Frankly, I don't think the above scenario is true at all. People don't thank God for their many blessings, and then go shopping the next day and become a riotous mob. I certainly give credit to those, who the day before, were thankful for their many blessings, thankful for what Thanksgiving Day truly represents, and will carry that thanksgiving attitude all through the year. The problem rests with those who are not thankful, think the world owes them a living, and have no feelings for anyone other than their own selfish desires.

For those of you not living in this country, I would like to say that not everyone here is a greedy, unthankful idiot. There are many good people in our country who I am sure feel the same way I do, and that is; ashamed at what some of us have turned into. Many in this country are God-fearing and respectful of their neighbor. There are even many who may not be God-fearing, but they are at least respectful of their neighbor. Unfortunately, there are many others who are neither. They care for no one but themselves. So what is the problem? How has this happened? The problem rests with the heart of man.

The Lord God said through the prophet Jeremiah -

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?" - Jeremiah 17:9

Unless the heart of man is changed, deceitfulness and wickedness will rule his actions. Jesus said -

"There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man." - Mark 7:15

The Lord says through the Apostle Paul (and the Psalmist) -

"As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one." "Their throat is an open tomb; with their tongues they have practiced deceit"; "the poison of asps is under their lips"; whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness." "Their feet are swift to shed blood; destruction and misery are in their ways; and the way of peace they have not known." "There is no fear of God before their eyes." - Romans 3:10-18

We did not used to be, as a whole, a nation of savages, but when we began removing God from our schools (via court actions) and every other vestige of our lives, a vacuum was created. When a vacuum is created, something has to fill that space. "Why?", because the heart of man is naturally drawn to wickedness. Without God to fill that void, man is drawn to self-indulgence. When there is no interest in God, there is no concern for the welfare of others. When asked by a scribe, "What is the first commandment?" Jesus responded as follows -

"Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." - Mark 12:29-31

Jesus said to His disciples -

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." - John 13:34-35

True love for one another can only come from the Lord God. When one has the love of God in their heart, there will be love, respect, and concern for others. He/she will not act like two hungry dogs fighting over one food dish. However, without this love within us, controlling our mind and emotions, we act like animals. The result is "the strongest survive" on Black Friday.

In 1963 the United States Supreme Court sided with Madeline Murray O’Hare (8 to 1) to ban Bible reading from the public schools. Since then, with the aggressiveness of the ACLU, every area of our lives has been affected by the removal of God and anything that is remotely attributed to Him. We are now reaping the rewards of a school system with no Godly influence. Children and grand-children who have never heard anything from the Bible are now adults and demonstrating what happens to a nation that removes God's Word from its citizenry. God helps us, because it is only going to get worse.

May we seek You always!

.....The Last Christmas?

Whether you're following commentaries by prophecy scholars on the nearness
of the rapture or predictions by financial experts on the nearness of our
economic downfall, the message is the same. This could very well be the
last time we celebrate Christmas as we've come to know it.

And that's a good thing. Because for many, Christmas has become little more
than an annual exercise in spending money we don't have to buy things they
don't need for the people on our list, some of whom we don't even like. Add
to that the sad fact that this year millions of American families are doing
this from homes they no longer own and you can see the level to which the
world has sunk.

For believers it should be a different story, although most of us are
totally unaware of the indescribable events looming on our horizon. These
events should be energizing the body of Christ and causing a massive
reorientation of our priorities and yet current polls indicate that over 90%
of us are still focused on the secular world and the fading illusion of
happiness it offers, rather than the incredible promises the Bible
describes.

Maybe that's because what little we've been taught about the Lord's promise
to the Church is such a watered down version of the truth. Therefore much
of what the Bible says about Christian life here on Earth has simply not
come true for most. And as for its promises for the future, well they're
hardly even mentioned anymore.

What Did You Get For Christmas?

Since it appears that we'll still be here for this Christmas, let's take a
moment to review what the Lord really promised us. This won't be an
exhaustive list but maybe it will help us remember what Christmas is really
about. Think of it as as reminder of the gift He gave us for Christmas.

First and foremost, He came to take away our sins. Just for believing that,
we've been promised that the penalty of eternal suffering we should have to
pay has been canceled (Colossians 2:13-14) and replaced by eternal blessing
in the presence of God (John 3:16).

Because He suffered in our place, we've been made forever perfect in God's
sight (Hebrews 10:14) , as righteous as He is (2 Corinthians 5:21). He came to set
us free (John 8:35-37). The law of sin and death no longer has any claim on
us (Romans 8:2).

That alone should make us jump for joy, but that's not all He did. He came
to take away our worries too. He promised that if we believe in Him, we'll
be adopted into the family of God (John 1:12) and made joint heirs with him
in His inheritance (Galatians 4:4-7).

If we'll just focus on seeking His Kingdom and His righteousness, He'll
provide for all our needs. We should never worry about what we'll eat or
drink or wear because He promised our needs will always be met (Matthew
6:31-33).

But more than just meeting our survival needs, He came to give us an
abundant life (John 10:10). He promised to make everything work together
for our good (Romans 8:28) and that nothing could ever separate us from Him
(Romans 8:38-39 and John 10:27-30).

Although He was rich He made Himself poor for our sakes, so that through His
poverty we could become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9). But He wasn't speaking only of
spiritual wealth. He promised that we could be made rich in every way so we
could be generous on every occasion (2 Corinthians 9:11).

He came to give us hope in times of trouble (John 16:33) and told us to not
be so concerned about this life because it's only temporary. It's the next
life that's permanent and that's the one we should always be thinking about
(2 Corinthians 4:17-18).

He promised to answer our prayers (John 14:13-14) forgive our sins (1 John
1:9) and heal our diseases (James 5:14-15).

He promised that if we stay connected to Him we'll bear much fruit (John
15:7-8) and will perform miracles even greater than His. He said the only
limitation on the things we could do in His name would be our faith in His
promises (John 14:12).

But Wait, There's More!

All these things are just for this life. He also came to give us a future
that's beyond imagining (1 Corinthians 2:9).

He promised to rescue us from the time and place of the coming wrath (1
Thessalonians 1:10), to separate us both by time and distance from the hour of
trial that's coming upon the whole world (Revelation 3:10).

To accomplish this, He promised to meet us in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17), to
change us from mortal to immortal (1 Corinthians 15:52-53) and take us to His
Father's house (John14:2-3) where He'll hide us from God's judgment of
Earth (Isaiah 26:20-21).

He promised to make us into a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9), kings and
priests who will rule and reign with Him (Revelation 5:10), and to create an
entire planet of gold and precious gems exclusively for us. We'll live with
Him there as members of his royal family (Revelation 21:9-27).

We'll be seated beside Him in the heavenly realms so by what He's done for
us he could demonstrate the incomparable riches of His grace in ages yet to
come (Ephesians 2:6-7). No other group of humanity ever has or ever will
enjoy the blessings He's lavished on the Church.

These and many more promises began to come true from the moment of His
birth. It was such a momentous occasion that God dispatched a heavenly
choir to announce His arrival. Hundreds of Old Testament prophecies were
fulfilled to confirm the validity of His promises. All this and more is ours
to a greater degree of certainty than anything else in our life. It's the
the gift He gave us at Christmas.


Maranatha!