This was what I got for Christmas!! I was very surprised:)
I love my gift!!
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Bro.Paul chappell
MAKE ROOM
Bro. Paul chapell
Monday, Dec 24, 2012
"And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn."
Luke 2:4–7
Because of the census that had been decreed by Caesar Augustus, when Joseph and Mary reached Bethlehem, after a long and difficult journey of some eighty miles, they could not find anywhere to stay. Travel was quite demanding in Bible times, and there was nothing like the widespread system of accommodations for travelers that we take for granted today. There would have been only a few places for visitors to stay, and there was no room in the inn.
Of course, this initial rejection was symbolic of the reaction of the world to Jesus. They did not receive Him or His message. His brothers did not believe Him until after the resurrection. The people of His hometown tried to kill Him after His first sermon in Nazareth. The Jewish leaders rejected His message and conspired to put Him to death.
But the tragedy of the full inn can easily be repeated in our own lives as well. While we would never knowingly turn Jesus away from staying in our homes, we can allow ourselves to become so busy—often with things that are right and good—that we simply have no room in our thoughts or schedules for spending time with Him. Make time during this Christmas individually and with your family to focus on Jesus and thank Him for coming to save you.
Luke 2:4–7
Because of the census that had been decreed by Caesar Augustus, when Joseph and Mary reached Bethlehem, after a long and difficult journey of some eighty miles, they could not find anywhere to stay. Travel was quite demanding in Bible times, and there was nothing like the widespread system of accommodations for travelers that we take for granted today. There would have been only a few places for visitors to stay, and there was no room in the inn.
Of course, this initial rejection was symbolic of the reaction of the world to Jesus. They did not receive Him or His message. His brothers did not believe Him until after the resurrection. The people of His hometown tried to kill Him after His first sermon in Nazareth. The Jewish leaders rejected His message and conspired to put Him to death.
But the tragedy of the full inn can easily be repeated in our own lives as well. While we would never knowingly turn Jesus away from staying in our homes, we can allow ourselves to become so busy—often with things that are right and good—that we simply have no room in our thoughts or schedules for spending time with Him. Make time during this Christmas individually and with your family to focus on Jesus and thank Him for coming to save you.
Today's Rooted Principle:
Make room in your heart and life for Jesus, not just at Christmas but throughout the year.
Bro.Charles swindoll
December 24, 2012
Looking at the Big Picture . . . and Finding Hope, Part 1
by Charles R. Swindoll
by Charles R. Swindoll
Before you read again on the birth of Jesus, it might be best for you to lay it aside and start from scratch.
The Christmas story has been so sanitized and romanticized over the centuries that even Hollywood---as jaded a culture as can be found anywhere---fails to capture the gritty pathos that surrounded Jesus's arrival. Truth be told, even some churches annually idealize the birth of our Savior. Yet it was anything but ideal.
Without question, 6 BC was a lousy time to live in Judea. Herod the Great had seized the throne of Israel through bloody intrigue and with political support from Rome. Then, once in power, he guarded his stolen title, "King of the Jews," so ruthlessly he even put his own sons to death when any of them posed a significant political threat. Macrobius, a fifth-century writer, recorded, "When [Caesar Augustus] heard that Herod king of the Jews had ordered boys in Syria under the age of two years to be put to death and that the king's son was among those killed, he said, 'I'd rather be Herod's pig than Herod's son!'"1
Caesar's comment illustrated the sad irony of Israel's condition. Herod, though not really Jewish, pretended to be a pious religious Jew by eliminating pork from his diet, but he indulged an insatiable appetite for power. He built a magnificent temple for the God of Israel---an architectural wonder in its day---and gave its administration to one corrupt high priest after another. He taxed Jews through the temple in keeping with the Old Testament Law and then used the proceeds to break the first commandment, building cities and temples in honor of the emperor and his pantheon of Roman deities.
The larger Roman Empire---bounded on the west by the Atlantic . . . on the east by the Euphrates . . . on the north by the Rhine and Danube . . . and on the south by the Sahara Desert---was as vast as it was vicious. Political intrigue, racial tension, increased immorality, and enormous military might dominated everyone's attention and conversation. Judea existed under the crush of Rome's heavy boot. It was a time of unprecedented economic and political advancement for the rich and a time of horrific oppression for everyone else. By the first century BC, a dark cloud had settled over Israel, blocking any ray of hope.
The first Christmas, all eyes were on Augustus---the cynical Caesar who demanded a census to determine a measurement for increasing taxes even further. At that time, who was interested in a young couple making an 80-mile trip south from Nazareth? What could possibly be more important than Caesar's decisions in Rome . . . or his puppet Herod's edicts in Judea? Who cared about a Jewish baby born in a Bethlehem barn?
God did.
The Christmas story has been so sanitized and romanticized over the centuries that even Hollywood---as jaded a culture as can be found anywhere---fails to capture the gritty pathos that surrounded Jesus's arrival. Truth be told, even some churches annually idealize the birth of our Savior. Yet it was anything but ideal.
Without question, 6 BC was a lousy time to live in Judea. Herod the Great had seized the throne of Israel through bloody intrigue and with political support from Rome. Then, once in power, he guarded his stolen title, "King of the Jews," so ruthlessly he even put his own sons to death when any of them posed a significant political threat. Macrobius, a fifth-century writer, recorded, "When [Caesar Augustus] heard that Herod king of the Jews had ordered boys in Syria under the age of two years to be put to death and that the king's son was among those killed, he said, 'I'd rather be Herod's pig than Herod's son!'"1
Caesar's comment illustrated the sad irony of Israel's condition. Herod, though not really Jewish, pretended to be a pious religious Jew by eliminating pork from his diet, but he indulged an insatiable appetite for power. He built a magnificent temple for the God of Israel---an architectural wonder in its day---and gave its administration to one corrupt high priest after another. He taxed Jews through the temple in keeping with the Old Testament Law and then used the proceeds to break the first commandment, building cities and temples in honor of the emperor and his pantheon of Roman deities.
The larger Roman Empire---bounded on the west by the Atlantic . . . on the east by the Euphrates . . . on the north by the Rhine and Danube . . . and on the south by the Sahara Desert---was as vast as it was vicious. Political intrigue, racial tension, increased immorality, and enormous military might dominated everyone's attention and conversation. Judea existed under the crush of Rome's heavy boot. It was a time of unprecedented economic and political advancement for the rich and a time of horrific oppression for everyone else. By the first century BC, a dark cloud had settled over Israel, blocking any ray of hope.
The first Christmas, all eyes were on Augustus---the cynical Caesar who demanded a census to determine a measurement for increasing taxes even further. At that time, who was interested in a young couple making an 80-mile trip south from Nazareth? What could possibly be more important than Caesar's decisions in Rome . . . or his puppet Herod's edicts in Judea? Who cared about a Jewish baby born in a Bethlehem barn?
God did.
(to be continued tomorrow)
Merry Christmas!!!
Merry Christmas everyone!!!!
We have had a wonderful Christmas today !!!
It's fun baking and enjoying the lights and opening presents.
The real reason we are celebrating is Jesus!!
without him there would be no reason to celebrate.
when he came he brought light and hope to a very dark world.
I'm so thankful that he came to save us from our sin's and one day very soon we will live with him in heaven forever.
Luke 2:11 KJV
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
Thank you Jesus for coming into the world to save us from ours sin's.
thank you for saving my soul and changing my life!!!
I hope everyone has a wonderful day!!!
We have had a wonderful Christmas today !!!
It's fun baking and enjoying the lights and opening presents.
The real reason we are celebrating is Jesus!!
without him there would be no reason to celebrate.
when he came he brought light and hope to a very dark world.
I'm so thankful that he came to save us from our sin's and one day very soon we will live with him in heaven forever.
Luke 2:11 KJV
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
Thank you Jesus for coming into the world to save us from ours sin's.
thank you for saving my soul and changing my life!!!
I hope everyone has a wonderful day!!!
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
God's mysterious plan
December 4, 2012
God’s Mysterious Plan by Charles R. Swindoll
I am the LORD, and there is no other; besides Me there is no god. Isaiah 45:5
There are occasions when we are surprised by God's decreed will . . . like when we get the results back from our physical exam and the MRI reveals a tumor we had no idea was there. . . . Or when the stock market plunges in one day to a ten-year, record-setting low.
It may seem to many that the One who made us is too far removed to concern Himself with such tiny details of life on this old globe.
But that is not the case.
His mysterious plan is running its course right on schedule, exactly as He decreed it.
This world is not out of control, spinning wildly through space. Nor are earth's inhabitants at the mercy of some blind, random fate.
When God created the world and set the stars in space, He also established the course of this world and His plan for humanity.
Think down
Think Down By Paul Chappell Tuesday, Dec 4, 2012
"Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."
Philippians 2:6–8
We aren’t accustomed to the downward mobility that brought Christ to the manger and then to the cross. In fact, our thought processes are the very opposite of God’s.
We think “up.” By our human standards, we want more recognition, more achievements, more praise—more us.
But Jesus thought “down.” He chose more humility, more service, more sacrifice.
We tend to think in terms of self-promotion. But Christ thought in terms of self-emptying: “And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7).
We think of how we can have more self-gratification. But Christ thought of how He could serve: “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).
We think of our comfort. But Christ thought of the Father’s will: “I do always those things that please him” (John 8:29).
Our thinking may bring short-term success, but Christ’s sacrifice bought our salvation.
Philippians 2:5 instructs, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” This Christmas, ask the Lord to help you think the way that Jesus thinks.
Today's Rooted Principle: Look for ways to humble yourself and serve others. It will change your life—and transform your Christmas.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Face to Face with God
December 1, 2012
Face to Face with God by Charles R. Swindoll
God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil. Ecclesiates 12:4
If God says that He will bring every act to judgment . . . I know He will. I don't know His method and frankly, that doesn't bother me. What ought to bother us is that He will do it!
Somehow in God's own timing and in God's own way, He will cause there to be a replay of our lives.
It makes a lot of sense to me that the One who made us has every right to hold us accountable.
We cannot live the life of an irresponsible playboy and get away with it. We aren't free to run wild and wink in God's direction, thinking that, no matter what, the big Teddy Bear in the sky will yawn, pat us on the head, and say, "Everything is going to be just fine." No, it doesn't work like that.
Our ragged-edge journey is headed for a sudden stop. And all alone, standing face to face with God in that epochal moment, we will give an account of the life we have lived.
Sober, serious thought!
God's transforming power
God’s Transforming Power By Paul Chappell Monday, Dec 3, 2012
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
Sir Edwin Landseer was one of the most famous painters of the Victorian era. His talent developed early, and he had the first showing of his work at the Royal Academy when he was just thirteen years old. He was commissioned to do a number of official portraits of the royal family, and even gave private drawing lessons to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. But he was best known for his depictions of the natural settings and life in the Scottish highlands.
One day as he was visiting a family in an old mansion in Scotland, one of the servants spilled a pitcher of soda water, leaving a large stain on the wall. While the family was out for the day, Landseer remained behind. Using charcoal, he incorporated the stain into a beautiful drawing. When the family returned they found a picture of a waterfall surrounded by trees and animals. He used his skill to make something beautiful out of what had been an unsightly mess.
God works in much the same way in our lives. The things that we think of as weaknesses and handicaps can, through His grace, become our greatest strengths —and the very things He uses the most to bring glory to Himself. Rather than wishing that the “stains” in our lives would go away, we should give thanks to God for our infirmities and seek His grace so that even those things can be used for His purposes. God’s grace provides the strength to meet every challenge and overcome every weakness.
Today's Rooted Principle: When you allow God’s grace to transform your weaknesses, beautiful things result.
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