The Present of His Presence!

Matthew 1:24 "And she shall give birth to a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He himself will save His people from their sins."
John 1:14 "And the Word, entering a new mode of existence, became flesh, and lived in a tent (His physical body) among us. And we gazed with attentive and careful regard and spiritual perception at His glory, a glory such as that of a uniquely-begotten Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."
--both verses from Kenneth Wuest expanded translation of the New Testament

I often get into a panic mode at Christmas as I think that possibly my gifts to others won't be "good enough," whatever that means. But during this time, most of the people I bought for probably have more than enough anyway. Gifts sent overseas to the truly needy are the most meaningful to me. I just found out that three little kids in Zimbabwe received the shoeboxes we sent them through a great program called Operation Christmas Child sponsored by Samaritan's Purse. It is a simple idea: fill a shoebox with gifts for an impoverished child in a 3rd world country. It is easy and satisfying to do.
I encourage any who read to check into it next year. You will be blessed in participating.

But back to presents, how many will be disappointed with what they receive in just a day or two? Many will, and it will be evidenced by the number of people crowding the store for returns and exchanges on December 26. All this build up for material things and the gifts may temporarily make you happy, but there is always a letdown when the holiday is over.

I can think of a much more meaningful present. This is one that will never be returned by any who receive it. What's more, it comes without cost (for us, at least.) This gift was so expensive, it cost the giver His life to pay for it. This gift will outlast any Christmas gift given by men on this earth. Have you guessed it yet? It is the gift of God in sending His Son in the form of a baby. But Christmas is not just about the baby lying in a manger. No,it is much more than that. The baby grew up and gave Himself as the costliest present ever upon this earth.

"Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift!" II Corinthians 9:15

No wonder the Magi from the east brought Him the gifts they did: Gold, for they recognized He was Deity. Frankincense for the gift of worship the baby Messiah, used also in Jewish sacrifices in the years preceding. And finally myrrh was given for anointing His body, which would be beaten and bruised beyond recognition in thirty-three short years. These were truly gifts fitting for the King. (Matthew 2: 10-11)

This gift is given without regard to the merit of the one who receives it. It is not something we can ever pay back, either. It comes without strings attached for us the receiver. (Ephesians 2:8-9)Though when one recognizes the unfathomable value of this gift, it will induce the receiver to humbly give God full control of his or her's life. If we know the perfection of this gift, we can also trust the Perfect Giver to make something good out of our messed up, broken down lives.

One of the innumerable benefits I thank the Giver for today is this special promise that is made to all who takes the gift. It is the gift of His abiding presence, forever dwelling with us. If we get to know Him through His Word, the more we can abide in return with the One who gave everything to buy us back for Himself. His abiding Presence is what we need so desperately in these days of confusion, chaos and economic downturns. This is One gift that will keep on giving, from the minute it is received right into eternity.

Jesus says to His gift recipients in John 10:28-29: "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand."

See? No returns on this one!! But if that were not enough, He also promises that He will always be with us, no matter what we have to face in this life.

John 14:1-3 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you, I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."

Since Jesus returned to the Father, He has been fixing magnificent palaces for His gift recipients in heaven. When the Father says the time is right, He will be coming like a thief in the night for all those who took advantage of His saving grace.

Are you in Christ today? Then no matter what you are facing: illness, financial difficulties, the loss of employment, the grief over death of a loved one, persecution, no matter what, here is what our Good Shepherd promises to all who take the gift of salvation:

Psalm 23:6 "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever."

If you have yet received Jesus the Savior, I urge you not to put it off one moment longer. For He will soon come for us, His children, and you do not want to be left behind.

Isaiah 1:18: " 'Come now, and let us reason together,' says the LORD, 'Though your sins are as scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.'" That is for anyone, anywhere, at any time.

Psalm 116:13 "I will take the cup of salvation, And call upon the name of the LORD."

Receive Christ today, and I promise you there will never be a letdown or disappointment.

Change is Coming... Let's Wake Up for the Warning!

Today, flash flooding overwhelmed some parts of our city. Cars were submerged suddenly on their way into town without warning. Railways flooded with muddy debris and were knocked out of commission, at least temporarily. Tornado warnings were issued for parts of our viewing area. In fact one was scheduled to go right over my parents home, which thankfully broke up before reaching them. It could have been much, much worse.

Yesterday I watched a fifteen minute You tube video of the disasters that had occurred in just this past month of June alone around the world and it was really eye opening, to say the least. It also was heart breaking, thinking of all the people who had lost either their life or their home in the wake of up-stepped natural disasters. You can find it on the first of two video links posted at this blog link:

http://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2013/07/09/2013-unprecedented-natural-disasters-june-retrospective/

I saw a microcosm of suffering in my hometown today. Now multiply by what has been happening all over the world, not just in 2013, but in the last decade or so, although each year it seems to be getting incrementally worse. I would love to just ignore it and say life will go on as usual. The Bible doesn't have good news for those who are just trying to be good people and are hoping for the best, somehow thinking that this world will get better and better. No, He does not, but God made an easier and better way, completely devoid of any human good works. Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 4: 4-5.

In the face of natural disasters, there are tough questions that deserve an honest answer. But before you raise a fist in anger at God for what's happened, did you ever think that somehow God may have allowed these things to wake people out of slumber, maybe even you, so that they could possibly seek after Him now, before things get even worse? I love what Paul proclaimed as part of his speech to the Greeks in Acts 17: 26- 27 when he found their tomb to the Unknown God:

"And He (God) has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us." {emphasis mine}

Jesus talked about terrible events in the last days being the beginning of sorrows. (Matthew 24: 8)Sorrows over what, you ask? The evil in this world will not be permitted to go on like this forever. Sin was already paid for and judged at the cross of Calvary around 30 A. D. But the problem of evil has not been dealt with in finality. Evil is what caused the plague of sin in the first place. It was found in God's enemy, Lucifer, when God replied to his proud look in Isaiah 14: 12-14 and his five "I will's."

"How you are fallen from heaven,
O Lucifer, son of the morning!
How you are cut down to the ground,
You who weakened the nations!

For you have said in your heart;
I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mound of the congregation
On the farthest sides of the north;
I will ascend above the clouds,
I will be like the Most High."

Isaiah 14: 12-14

Lucifer had not only sinned, but now had introduced evil into the world.

In the Chronological Study Bible put out by Thomas Nelson I have learned much this past year. As I read through its clear arrangement of Israel and Judah's history, I have reached the part where the prophet Jeremiah had to preach a most unpopular message: His beloved country was going down. Other prophets told people the things they liked to hear, that certainly they would not be destroyed. Jeremiah was God's man, though, and he could not prophesy lies. He was the "weeping prophet" because he knew that King Zedekiah would be carried away captive with his eyes taken out by the Babylonians. Israel's capital, Jerusalem, would go under siege for all her years of rebellion and idolatry against her God.

Jeremiah wrote of terrible times coming as the siege by Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon neared. But his writing could also foretell of the times that are coming now. For we cannot undo the prophetic clock. It started ticking when Israel became "reborn" as a nation on May 14, 1948, which also was prophesied clearly in Scripture, after 2,000 years of dispersion to the four corners of the earth. (See Isaiah 66:8)

Jeremiah declared in Jer. 30: 23-24:

"Behold, the whirlwind of the LORD
Goes forth with fury,
A continuing whirlwind;
It will fall violently on the head of the wicked.
The fierce anger of the LORD
will not return until He has done it,
And until He has performed the intents of His heart.

In the latter days you will consider it. {emphasis mine}

I propose, along with many others who know much more than I do, that we are in those latter times now. The birth pangs, which signal Christ's return for His Church and His ultimate judgment on evil are at any moment ready to come to fruition. There is no time to be on the fence. Whose side will you be on? Christ has already made a way for you by His Finished Work on the cross. If you listen to the world, Christ could come for His church and you will be left behind to suffer the wrath of God on this unbelieving planet. While you may still believe on Him at that point, you will have to undergo trouble then like never seen in this world before, which is called the time of Great Tribulation. You can skip all that though by believing in Christ now and being a part of His Church today.

God spoke to Israel also through the prophet Amos, but He also speaks to us now:

"Prepare to meet your God, O Israel!" Amos 4: 12a