The most important announcement ever!

Brothers and sisters this will be my last devotion until January 10th of 2013! I have a busy plate ahead of me and would appreciate your prayers. Youth trip to Gatlinburg for a conference. Christmas! A mission trip to Ecuador to witness to an unreached people group. I will be praying for you and your families that you a have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year!



I want to leave you though with the greatest announcement ever. You find it in the bible in Luke Chapter 2 and verse 11:



Luke 2:11



11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.



Can you think of another announcement that has been more important than this in history? I can't. This is the only hope of this sin scared world that we live in. God sent His Son as a gift for us, to take our sins and die on that rugged cross for you and I! Please share this announcement this Christmas and all through the New Year. After all that is what we are celebrating right?



Tom

Reaching the World for Jesus.

In the bible Jesus tells us to reach to three places with the gospel:



Acts 1:8

8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”



Jerusalem is our home town. Judea and Samaria is our surrounding areas like our state and United States, and then Jesus also said the end of the earth which means around the world! Think about that. Are you reaching the whole world with the gospel of Jesus Christ? You may be thinking "How am I suppose to do that?" When you are active in missions you are doing this! In your home town you should be a witness for Jesus at all times. In your home, at work, at play, at you children's ball game, at the store or wherever! Talk about Jesus and behave like He expects you too! In your state or in the United States support you churches mission program by service and by giving financially. For example in a disaster go volunteer to help. In the rest of the world support missionaries who are giving their lives to spread the gospel. Pray for them and support them financially. When you do you are also taking Jesus around the world in Missions. You also can go serve as their are opportunities all around the world to go on short term mission trips. Use a vacation week and go on a mission trip...it will change your life! I have been on a couple to Haiti and Ecuador and I will never be the same!



Here is the problem, many of us think someone else is suppose to do missions around the world. Wrong answer! It is our job along with others. It comes down to serving self or serving God! I will close with words from Paul, let them sink into your heart and think about those who will go to hell without Jesus.



Romans 10:12-15



12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:



“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace,

Who bring glad tidings of good things!”



Tom

Key for Joy in life!

Do you feel blessed? Doesn't really matter if you feel like it or not you are. If you have a roof over your head, food to eat, and clothes to wear, you are in the top 10% in the world of being rich! Wow! But being rich doesn't make you blessed, being right with God is what makes one blessed and joyful. That is why those who follow our Lord and serve Him faithfully can give God glory no matter what their circumstances are, even in death. They fear the Lord and love Him! Read this Psalm, it is awesome!



Psalm 112



The Blessed State of the Righteous

112 Praise the Lord!



Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,

Who delights greatly in His commandments.



2 His descendants will be mighty on earth;

The generation of the upright will be blessed.

3 Wealth and riches will be in his house,

And his righteousness endures forever.

4 Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness;

He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.

5 A good man deals graciously and lends;

He will guide his affairs with discretion.

6 Surely he will never be shaken;

The righteous will be in everlasting remembrance.

7 He will not be afraid of evil tidings;

His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.

8 His heart is established;

He will not be afraid,

Until he sees his desire upon his enemies.



9 He has dispersed abroad,

He has given to the poor;

His righteousness endures forever;

His horn will be exalted with honor.

10 The wicked will see it and be grieved;

He will gnash his teeth and melt away;

The desire of the wicked shall perish.



Do you fear the Lord and do you follow His Word? This is key to having a joyful life in this old sinful world!



Tom

Where was God at school shooting?

Mike Huckabee explains this as well as anyone could. Please take time to watch this short video and then ask yourself are you inviting God into your life or are you asking him to leave?










Forgive us God for we have sinned as a nation. Help us to revive our souls and ask you to lead us again!



Tom

Do others know you are a disciple of Christ?

This is a very simple and easy devotion to understand! God's Word has made it very clear that we are to love others....no exceptions! Even our enemies!



Matthew 5:43-48



Love Your Enemies

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.



But Jesus let's us know that if we are followers of Him that we must love one another as it will be a sign to others that we are His by our love!



John 13:34-35



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



Wow! I don't know about you but I have work to do in this area. It is easy to love those who love me back but the ones who get on my nerves or whom I just don't like very much, well those are tough to love! According to Word of God I don't have a choice. With God's strength I can do it, the question come is though am I willing?



Think about this today! Through your love do others know you are a disciple of Christ?



Tom

Proclaim Jesus!!!!

What keeps us from talking about Jesus in most of our conversations? I mean think about it...He has saved our souls from hell if we have trusted in Him as Savior. We seem to talk about all kinds of things daily....the weather, politics, sports, hunting, fishing, each other (gossip), clothes, jewelery, and the list goes on and on. But we find it so difficult to talk about the most important aspect of our life....Jesus. It is very sad when you think about it.



Look at these verses. In the Exodus verse God is talking to Israel, his chosen people. In 1 Peter verse God is talking to those of us who have accepted His Son Jesus as Lord and Savior.



Exodus 19:5-6

5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. 6 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”



1 Peter 2:9

9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;



Have you ever noticed the promises that God made to His chosen people, the Jews, are now promised to us the redeemed Gentiles! A priesthood, a holy nation, and His own special people! Wow think on that for a moment! How do you think we are doing in the holy nation part? Yeah me too....not very good at all!



What I want you to grasp here though is this....the bold writing in the 1 Peter verse:that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;



Those who trust in Jesus are to PROCLAIM Jesus who called out of darkness into His marvelous light! Are we? Am I? Are you? When we think about what Jesus did on that cross for us...taking our sin upon himself...why in the world are we not talking about it to others. If we love people we will tell them. Eternity is on the line. Heaven or hell. God has left the proclaiming of His message up to us!



Brothers and sisters think about this today and get to opening your mouth...it is of utmost importance!



Tom

Is your faith stronger than Gideon?

As I read about Gideon, I asked myself "Is my faith stronger than Gideons?" Do I trust God at His Word or do I need signs from Him? What about you?



Judges 6:1-24



Midianites Oppress Israel

6 Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years, 2 and the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of the Midianites, the children of Israel made for themselves the dens, the caves, and the strongholds which are in the mountains. 3 So it was, whenever Israel had sown, Midianites would come up; also Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them. 4 Then they would encamp against them and destroy the produce of the earth as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep nor ox nor donkey. 5 For they would come up with their livestock and their tents, coming in as numerous as locusts; both they and their camels were without number; and they would enter the land to destroy it. 6 So Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord.

7 And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried out to the Lord because of the Midianites, 8 that the Lord sent a prophet to the children of Israel, who said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I brought you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of bondage; 9 and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you and gave you their land. 10 Also I said to you, “I am the Lord your God; do not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.” But you have not obeyed My voice.’”

Gideon

11 Now the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites. 12 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!”

13 Gideon said to Him, “O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.”

14 Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?”

15 So he said to Him, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”

16 And the Lord said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.”

17 Then he said to Him, “If now I have found favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You who talk with me. 18 Do not depart from here, I pray, until I come to You and bring out my offering and set it before You.”

And He said, “I will wait until you come back.”

19 So Gideon went in and prepared a young goat, and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour. The meat he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot; and he brought them out to Him under the terebinth tree and presented them. 20 The Angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And he did so.

21 Then the Angel of the Lord put out the end of the staff that was in His hand, and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and fire rose out of the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. And the Angel of the Lord departed out of his sight.

22 Now Gideon perceived that He was the Angel of the Lord. So Gideon said, “Alas, O Lord God! For I have seen the Angel of the Lord face to face.”

23 Then the Lord said to him, “Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die.” 24 So Gideon built an altar there to the Lord, and called it The-Lord-Is-Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.



As we see in verse 16 God told Gideon plainly that He would be with Gideon. But Gideon still needs a sign to carry out God's will. Actually if you read on you see Gideon needed several signs from God to carry on the work of God. This is not a good thing my friends. Jesus rebuked the Jews for needing signs and wonders to be performed so that they would trust in Him. God's word tells us He will never leave nor forsake us and that should be all we need!



Hebrews 13:5

Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”



So this morning my friends, do you serve God and witness for his without question or do you need a sign to do so?



Tom