Merry Christmas

Luke 1:35

“The Holy Spirit will come on you,

And the power of the Most High will overshadow you.

 So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.

The very Life of God Himself…

Conceived in a young girl.

What a wondrous thing!

1 John 3:1

How great is the Love the Father has lavished upon us

That we should be called children of God

For that is what we are.

The very Life of God Himself…

Conceived in our own hearts.

What a marvelous thing!

He just never seems to stop……

Bringing Life……

His Life….

In us...

Father in Heaven, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit

Thank You for our most precious gift…..

Your very Life in us to pour out through us.

I pray we all be continually filled and poured out today

And evermore.

Amen

The Good News

Acts 8:35

Then Philip began with that very passage of scripture

And told him the good news about Jesus.

“The Good News about Jesus”

I wonder what Philip told him?

Maybe about how he could connect to The Father in a personal way.

Maybe about God’s Love displayed in Jesus’ Life.

Maybe about God’s Love displayed in Jesus' death.

Maybe about God’s Power displayed in Jesus' Resurrection.

Maybe about the reality of being given New Life.

Maybe he talked about being united to the very Heart of God.

Maybe Philip told him about the Freedom that is in Christ.

Maybe it was the Hope of Heaven.

Maybe it was just hearing that The Father had an eternal purpose for him.

Maybe…

Guys…

Have you ever stopped to think...

How much good news there is...

In “The Good News”

Father

I pray You give us all a deep sense of

The Fullness of the Gospel...

Of Your Love for us...

Of Your Life in us.

Amen 

Enabling (In a Good Way)

Acts 2:4

All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit

And began to speak in other languages

As the Holy Spirit enabled them.

O’ Christian,

What would you do?

What would you attempt?

If you knew…..

I mean really knew…….

The very Power of God……

Was with you…… to enable you?

My friend Matt and his wife lay in bed peacefully……

Sleeping restfully, at ease…..

When suddenly…….

BOOM!

The explosion of thunder…..

The Power of God…….

On display in such a way…..

That all peace was………. disrupted.

The Power of God is funny like that.

It can be incredibly…….

Disruptive……

Even dangerous…..

In a good kind of way.

You see, don’t you?

The Wielder of the Power……

Our Heavenly Father…..

He, Himself is……

Disruptive……

Even dangerous……

In a good kind of way.

So again…..

What would you do?

What would you attempt?

O’ Christian

The Power of God is in you……

His Spirit of Power does indwell you…..

For all His Good Purposes.

So then…..

What will you do?

Ephesians 6:10

Finally, be strong in the Lord

And in His Mighty Power

Father, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit,

I pray we all have courage

To exercise the Power of Your Life in us.

Amen

Walk by the Spirit

Galatians 5:16

So I say,

“Walk  by the Spirit and

You will not gratify the desires of the flesh”

Have you ever been so into something……

Playing a sport….

Listening to music…..

Maybe a game you were playing……

You know what I mean don’t you?

Some Labor of Love.

Yeah….

Remember what it was like..…

Immersion……

So that you lost all track of time.

All the struggle around you seemed to fade away.

The work……. of your “Labor of Love”……

Well it was not work at all.

I think that’s what it must be like to truly.…..

“Walk in the Spirit”.

So in tune….

So in the flow of what God is doing……

So caught up in the joy of Life……

His Life….

Being expressed through you…..

So that all the rest……

Well.…..

It simply fades into nothing.

Hey guys,

Let’s do what we do today…..

So that the Spirit of God in us……

Flows out and lives through us.

Let’s Walk by the Spirit.

Father, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit

Take us there.

Take us to that place of fullness

In You.

Help us to feel what it is like to live Your Life….

As we do what we do.

Amen

           

Obedience.......Really?

John 14:15

Jesus said

“If you love me you will obey what I command”

“On the line”

“Set……………Go”

As a basketball coach

I have barked that command to my players thousands of times.

Sometimes they would jump to attention………

Ready to go……

Ready to get it done!

Other times…..

Well other times they seemed to have to think about it…..

To gather up all their resolve…..

To set their minds on what was good…..

To recall their love for the game so that……

So that they might become energized…..

Energized to set aside personal comfort for ………..Love.

It’s tough to be commanded.

It’s tough to be pushed out of comfort.

They didn’t like it a lot.

I don’t like it much myself.

So why then……

Why obey?

Because we are supposed to?

Because it’s our duty?

Honestly…… I need more.

And truly…..

I believe there is a higher calling……

A higher calling that spurs me towards obedience.

Obedience from the heart.

Why obey?

It’s simple really……

Love and Trust.

Guys,

How about it…..

Let’s obey His commands.

Let’s trust Him today so that…..

Christ in us can love through us.

John 15:11

Jesus said,

“I have told you this so that

My Joy may be in you and

Your Joy may be complete.”

All praise be to You Jesus for the Life You have given us

Amen