Saturday, December 24, 2011
His name is Jesus
"And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." - Matthew 1:21
"For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." - Luke 2:11
"Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." - Philippians 2:9-11
"Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." - Acts 4:12
The gifts
under the tree
seem unnecessary
whether there is little
or much to give
and or receive
The gifts
are not important
If there is little,
we become desolate
If there is much,
we become proud and arrogant
We share and show
our love for another
but what have we to give
to Jesus?
Does He have need of material things --
toys or clothes or books
I think not.
It is love
and compassion
patience,
kindness,
comfort,
goodwill to another
He looks into our hearts
in the midst of wherever we are
He knows who we are
and what we are
He desires us to know Him.
There is no amount of good
we can ever do or achieve
to obtain the gift
of love
Jesus freely offers
We have only to accept
Accept, believe, obey, trust, love.
Love.
Trust.
Hold onto the promises.
Never forget,
Never let go.
Remember the baby
It is God
who chose to come
to earth
to be for me and you --
among us
to bring us new new life
to save us from our sins
Love Him
Trust Him
Never cease to remember
who He is,
the Mighty King
Jehovah Jirah,
Our All in All
Never lose sight of
His Glory,
of the Love
He has for you,
He has given us.
Do we owe Him any less?
Not as an obligation,
but of love.
Love and reverence,
Love and joy,
Love and trust.
He is worthy.
Trust Him.
There is nothing we can do
ourselves.
There is nothing we are
or can ever hope to be
without the Lord Jesus -
our lives are incomplete.
Without Him, we cannot
accomplish His purpose.
Remember
Always remember
It is His love for us
that is the true gift
of all
Our response
is our love for Him
Be it ever true,
full of faith
and hope,
but most especially,
full of love.
"For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." - Luke 2:11
"Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." - Philippians 2:9-11
"Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." - Acts 4:12
The gifts
under the tree
seem unnecessary
whether there is little
or much to give
and or receive
The gifts
are not important
If there is little,
we become desolate
If there is much,
we become proud and arrogant
We share and show
our love for another
but what have we to give
to Jesus?
Does He have need of material things --
toys or clothes or books
I think not.
It is love
and compassion
patience,
kindness,
comfort,
goodwill to another
He looks into our hearts
in the midst of wherever we are
He knows who we are
and what we are
He desires us to know Him.
There is no amount of good
we can ever do or achieve
to obtain the gift
of love
Jesus freely offers
We have only to accept
Accept, believe, obey, trust, love.
Love.
Trust.
Hold onto the promises.
Never forget,
Never let go.
Remember the baby
It is God
who chose to come
to earth
to be for me and you --
among us
to bring us new new life
to save us from our sins
Love Him
Trust Him
Never cease to remember
who He is,
the Mighty King
Jehovah Jirah,
Our All in All
Never lose sight of
His Glory,
of the Love
He has for you,
He has given us.
Do we owe Him any less?
Not as an obligation,
but of love.
Love and reverence,
Love and joy,
Love and trust.
He is worthy.
Trust Him.
There is nothing we can do
ourselves.
There is nothing we are
or can ever hope to be
without the Lord Jesus -
our lives are incomplete.
Without Him, we cannot
accomplish His purpose.
Remember
Always remember
It is His love for us
that is the true gift
of all
Our response
is our love for Him
Be it ever true,
full of faith
and hope,
but most especially,
full of love.
Cathy Orrick Luders
(c) 12.21/22.2011
(c) 12.21/22.2011
"Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him. If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and glorify Him immediately. A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, (that) you also love one another." - John 13:31-32, 34
"(for) the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God. I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father." - John 16:28
Monday, December 19, 2011
Love ... the greatest Light
In Isaiah 9:6, it says "Authority rests upon his shoulders" or in the New King James version, "And the government will be upon His shoulders." In this morning's devotional reading by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, he tells us the bearing of this authority, the right of the one who rules, begins in the manger - it begins where the eternal word of God assumes human flesh - when God Himself becomes human, in the form of a baby, in the name of Jesus.
God's promises are everywhere in the Scriptures. He provides signs of His coming to earth as one of us, to be among us, and signs of His rejection and dejection among the peoples He proposed to save.
We don't listen. Many Jews refused to hear, refused to believe and obey when they did hear, neglected all but their own selfish desires and reasoning. So, God's Word given to another - the Gentiles, strangers in a foreign land. And many heard and many believed and many obeyed. But there were also among them, many who refused to hear, refused to believe and accept, refused to be obedient.
God, creator of the universe - the heavens and the earth.
God, the Son, who is born for us, the Son given to us, to save us from eternal hell to everlasting life.
God, the holiest of holies, whose divine Spirit dwells within us upon our acceptance of Jesus, He, the babe, the Christ Child, whose birth His followers celebrate at Christmas.
God, Our Father
Jesus, His Son, Our Lord and Savior
The Holy Spirit, Our Comforter
These three as One, in the beginning, throughout time, in the end.
The Word was. It is. It shall forever be.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
"There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through Him might believe. He was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that light. That was the true light which gives light to every man who comes into the world.
"He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name; who were born, not of blood, but of the will of the flesh, not of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:1-14)
And love.
Love ... the greatest Light
"the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us" (Romans 5:5b) ... Jesus. He is the Light of the World.
"If we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin." (1 John 1:6-7)
"And now abide faith, hope, love, these three, but the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:13)
Love
is of God,
from God,
God's Love
came down
to earth
as a human baby, His Son,
the Light of the World
God's Love
Jesus
God's Love
The Spirit within us
God's Love ...
the greatest Light,
the greatest gift,
promised, foretold, fulfilled, and to return.
JESUS!
God's promises are everywhere in the Scriptures. He provides signs of His coming to earth as one of us, to be among us, and signs of His rejection and dejection among the peoples He proposed to save.
We don't listen. Many Jews refused to hear, refused to believe and obey when they did hear, neglected all but their own selfish desires and reasoning. So, God's Word given to another - the Gentiles, strangers in a foreign land. And many heard and many believed and many obeyed. But there were also among them, many who refused to hear, refused to believe and accept, refused to be obedient.
God, creator of the universe - the heavens and the earth.
God, the Son, who is born for us, the Son given to us, to save us from eternal hell to everlasting life.
God, the holiest of holies, whose divine Spirit dwells within us upon our acceptance of Jesus, He, the babe, the Christ Child, whose birth His followers celebrate at Christmas.
God, Our Father
Jesus, His Son, Our Lord and Savior
The Holy Spirit, Our Comforter
These three as One, in the beginning, throughout time, in the end.
The Word was. It is. It shall forever be.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
"There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through Him might believe. He was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that light. That was the true light which gives light to every man who comes into the world.
"He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name; who were born, not of blood, but of the will of the flesh, not of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:1-14)
And love.
Love ... the greatest Light
"the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us" (Romans 5:5b) ... Jesus. He is the Light of the World.
"If we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin." (1 John 1:6-7)
"And now abide faith, hope, love, these three, but the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:13)
Love
is of God,
from God,
God's Love
came down
to earth
as a human baby, His Son,
the Light of the World
God's Love
Jesus
God's Love
The Spirit within us
God's Love ...
the greatest Light,
the greatest gift,
promised, foretold, fulfilled, and to return.
JESUS!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)