The Stem of Jesse

Trust is built on faithfulness.     When a person faithfully shows that he can surely be trusted to keep his word, people began to trust him after experiencing his trustworthiness and truthfulness.     That usually takes getting to know the person over time.

God knows that we live in a world full of deceitfulness, selfishness, lies, greed, and all sorts of untrustworthiness.     God fully realizes that as we repeatedly experience untrustworthiness in all sorts of people, we soon become suspicious of their motives and careful about dealing with just any ol’ one.     In signing contracts we realize we need to look at the fine print at the bottom.     In buying products, we look for flaws of poor workmanship and materials.     We even wonder about trustworthiness in God.

Because of all that, some people say, “As you get older, you get wiser.”     But, that’s not always true.     Even older people with lots of experience will fall for all sorts of deceptions.

But, as God deals with this sinful world, He wants us to look at piles upon piles of proof that He truly is the LORD and God who will judge us some day for all of our actions and faith — or lack of faith.     God wants us to become very sure of His love and trustworthiness, so that we will willingly and strongly live by faith — no matter how tough our earthly circumstances.     Just as we look for quality material in a product we want to buy, we can look for quality material in God Almighty.     He is not some hunk of wood — some idol or fabrication of man’s mind.     The LORD is the true God, our Creator and Sustainer.     So, it’s only wise to live by that truth.

One of God’s proofs of reality and quality is His ability to keep His word.     God’s prophecies do come true.    One example is the prophecy about Jesus’ coming, as found in Isaiah 11:1-5.     Here we can see how Jesus life was described 700 years before He was born.     No other “god” can even come close to fulfilling a prophecy like this.     See Jesus in these words,

Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse,   
And a branch from his roots will bear fruit.   
And the Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him,   
The spirit of wisdom and understanding,   
The spirit of counsel and strength,   
The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.   
And He will delight in the fear of the LORD,   
And He will not judge by what His eyes see,   
Nor make a decision by what His ears hear;   
But with righteousness He will judge the poor,   
And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth;   
And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth,   
And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.   
Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins,   
And faithfulness the belt about His waist.

Through Isaiah Jesus is described, and as one reads the gospels, one can see how all of these descriptions were true in Jesus.     Jesus was noted for His wisdom, understanding, counsel, and strength.     People were in awe of His knowledge of the LORD.     Jesus knew how to interact with people because He knew what was in their past and in their hearts.     Therefore, He did not judge them by what anyone could see or hear — but He rightly judged by what was true in their innermost being.    

Jesus was hated by the religious leaders because He struck them with the rod of His mouth.     He got right down to the nitty-gritty of their wickedness, and they hated Him for revealing their sins.    

So, what does Jesus’ word reveal about our hearts and minds?     Do we reject our Lord and Savior because He reveals our sins?     Or, do we see His loving offer of forgiveness and righteousness through faith.     Do we see how He can be trusted to love and forgive us, because He has kept His word of prophecy?

He did all this for us.     Now, what can we do for Him?

As we rejoice in the sacrificial love of the Almighty, we say,  “Hallelujah!     My Lord, You alone can be trusted in all of Your word.     Your promises are sure and Your love is pure.     Strengthen me in Your truth, that I may have the courage to honestly live for You.”

Love,  
Margaret

A devotional to glorify the LORD of lords and King of kings…

**************

December 27, 2009

He makes all things NEW!

Friends, this has been a tough year.  Many are losing heart and many have lost heart  -  each with his or her own personal discouraging situation(s).  But there is hope in hard times.  There is hope when things look bleak.  There is hope when you feel broken, lost and alone.  There is hope because He makes all things NEW!

Please take a moment to visit needhim.org.  Read through the website and ask yourself the question, “Do I need him?”  I would suggest YES.  We all need him.

Hang in there friend.  You have a hope, a future and a destiny.

Much love to you this day.

Sincerely, blog editor,

Steven Joseph
promotionsforLIFE.com
Coming soon: politicsforLIFE.com

Be mine all the time..

never cross the line..

I`m a one man woman..

I don`t share what`s mine..

never settle for less..

Jesus looked at [the rich young ruler] and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” (Luke 18:24-25, NIV)

Singapore is a great country to reside in – it truly is. I can say this because I’ve lived in Shanghai for nearly two years. We take pride in our credible and proven governance of meritocracy – where, by dictionary definition, “people [are] selected on the basis of their ability”. In other words, if you do well enough, you’ll probably get by. However, I’d like to think that meritocracy is poisonous, especially for a Christian making an honest attempt to live his life relying on God.

I’ve always lamented about the overly rigourous and demanding education system here. A young student is forced, whether voluntarily by his own will or involuntarily by unhealthy peer pressure, to do well in Singapore. Sadly, sometimes it’s not about doing well for his own good, but about doing better than someone else. We have produced countless outstanding people because of how (insanely) competitive we are. After all, it’s a known fact that Singapore’s greatest resource is her people.

Hence, existing in an environment as such, we have been continuously engineered to believe that we just need to do well enough, and we’ll be able to get what we want – chiefly wealth and status amongst others. Unfortunately for us, we have also allowed this secular mentality to creep into the Church and worse, into our walk with God. More often than not, we’d rather sort ourselves out first before going to God rather than going to God first to get sorted out.

We approach God thinking that if we have ticked the checklist boxes of praying, doing quiet time, worshipping, reading the bible, etc., we’d be accepted and be presentable before God. How scarily distorted that can be! Having a checklist may not be wrong, don’t misunderstand me, but it is severely inadequate.

A classic example is how we typically go to God in prayer only when we take our exams with insufficient preparation or when we commit a major mistake at work. It’s like we consider getting God involved only when matters are completely out of our control and domain of influence. Or sometimes when we ask for good results or work promotion (or even dating success), we use “I promise I’ll spend more time with You, Lord” or “I promise I won’t visit those sites again anymore, Lord” as stakes, thinking that it may actually move God to accede to our “requests”.

How dangerously misconstrued that is!

In a society where meritocracy calls the shots, we start to tattoo in our hearts and minds, “I CAN DO IT“. Great optimism and confidence, don’t get me wrong. But it may lead to one thing – that “GOD CAN DO IT” will slowly and steadily be obliterated from our operating system. We need to be extremely cautious because this swelling pride can mislead us – from trusting in God to trusting in ourselves. We constantly wage war between societal and biblical reality.

Now, may I beseech you to be alert and to quicken your spirit to this, that you do not draw confidence in your flesh but in God. Don’t become complacent when you exit an exam hall after a good paper because it doesn’t mean that you seeking God ends. In the same way, don’t become overly concerned about beefing up your resume just to raise your chances of getting a good job. Place not your confidence in yourself but in our faithful God who never fails to deliver! Be excellent but not wrongly/overly-confident.

For those with average grades, do not be discouraged – our God can operate with Bs and Cs (and even Ds and Fs!) and still give you success and a good future, only if you seek Him wholeheartedly. For those with soaring on societal favour and success, do not get complacent thinking that all these achievements arrived by your own merit – God can give but He can also take away, and what we are constantly challenged to say is, “Blessed be Your name”. Keep your eyes on Jesus, my friends!

Perhaps this is why the apostle Paul declared quite famously in 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV),

“But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.‘ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

When we rely on ourselves, we may fail. But when we rely on God, He will deliver! Let us declare that we can’t and that God can!

December 24, 2009

Merry Christmas from Steven Joseph, promotionsforLIFE.com, David Archuleta and FOX News.  Two videos enclosed.

There is perhaps no better way to say Merry Christmas than with a song of Praise to the Maker of all things.  Humble vocalist David Archuleta does just that singing the words Gloria in Excelsis Deo, translated: GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST!  (Videos follow this text.)

Jesus, Mary & Joseph

When David sings songs of faith, his true colors shine forth.  And why shouldn’t they?  All of us are created to worship the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, the person and God-man Jesus the Christ.

Thank you David for sharing your gift of song with the world.  Thank you FOX News for taking the time to tell the Truth in an ever-increasing dark world.

And thank you family and friends for years of support and encouragement with my life and with promotionsforLIFE.com.

Happy Birthday Jesus!  To all, a very Merry Christmas indeed!

Sincerely,
Steven Joseph
Editor of promotionsforLIFE.com

David Archuleta – Angles We Have Heard On High
Fox & Friends
Music starts at 1:10 minute mark
Download “Flash” if you do not see video images.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to give us LIFE & Freedom
Judge Napolitano Shares the CHRISTmas Gospel
While Hosting the Glenn Beck Show.
Gospel picks up at 1:45 minute mark.

Share these videos with your family and friends.

]]> http://promotionsforlife.wordpress.com/2009/12/25/healthcare-bill-is-a-deathcare-bill-a-word-from-lou-engle/ Fri, 25 Dec 2009 05:25:09 +0000 promotionsforLIFE.com http://promotionsforlife.wordpress.com/2009/12/25/healthcare-bill-is-a-deathcare-bill-a-word-from-lou-engle/

December 22, 2009

Healthcare Bill  is a Deathcare Bill – A word from Lou Engle Edited by promotionsforLIFE.com

Everyone’s desire is that the 30 million uninsured in America have access to affordable healthcare.  However, this cannot be done at the expense of innocent pre-born children.

Abortion is not healthcare.  It kills infants and wounds women; and no American citizen should have to pay for it.  Let millions of federal dollars be released to faith-based initiatives and charities that assist unwed mothers and fund adoption services.

TheCall Founder & TheCall to Conscience President Lou Engle

Concerning Sen. Bob Casey’s amendment and Sen. Ben Nelson’s compromise on LIFE, Lou Engle writes… [Nelson] sold out American children for more money for Nebraska.

No true pro-life leader can ever compromise on life.  Ezekiel 22:12-13 says, “In you they take bribes to shed blood; you take usury and increase; you have made profit from your neighbors by extortion, and have forgotten Me, says the Lord GOD.”

The people of Nebraska and the rest of the country will not forget these actions.  The shedding of the blood can never be a solution to the great social problems of our day.

We reject and renounce Casey’s and Nelson’s compromised amendments, as well as the compromised statements of support for them by so-called Evangelical Leaders, who cling to the weak and absurd argument that this bill will lessen the number of abortions.

What federally funded healthcare will do is make abortion readily accessible and significantly less expensive.

We call all pro-life leaders and citizens to stand unflinchingly against this historic legislation and this great injustice of our day.

Lou Engle
President, TheCall to Conscience
reply@thecalltoconscience.com

thecalltoconscience.com

Do you ever hear Satan and his temptations calling your name?

Wouldn’t it be amazing to say that not only have we heard him calling but that we have also rejected him every time?  The reality, though, is that none of us are strong enough to resist temptation each time that it strikes.

Thank our wonderful Father that He is always with us.  Look at what He says through Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:13.

“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.  God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

Isn’t this verse awesome?  It’s personally one of my favorites because it reminds us that God is always with us.  You may read this verse, though, and ask, “If He’s with us, why doesn’t He stop us from sinning?”

God wants us to learn to look to Him for the way out.  If He just gave us the way out each time, how would we ever appreciate each time that he saves our life from sin?  How could we ever gain the confidence needed to have a face-off with Satan?

Instead, look at each time of temptation with this verse in mind.  Remember that you have the ability to overcome it–God tells us that–and He is standing in the corner coaching us in the ring against temptation.  We have to listen to God in order to know just the way to win the fight.  In the fight, though, we are able to gain the confidence in ourselves that, with God, we can overcome any temptation.

Let’s become Rocky Balboa in the fight against Satan.  With God’s help, let’s fight like the Italian Stallion.

This time of the year the virgin birth of Jesus Christ is questioned the most.  The argument is always the same – the virgin birth of Jesus Christ must be a fraud, because virgin’s can’t conceive and give birth. 

The argument continues- If the virgin birth couldn’t happen then Christianity is just a regular feel good religion.  Jesus might just have been a human born to an unfaithful mother, but He wasn’t God in the flesh.  

 If He was just a “good” human being and not God then we don’t have to submit to His life, His death, or His commission to us.  What a relief.  We can make God to be what our own likeness desires. 

If the virgin birth didn’t or couldn’t happen then Christianity is just an easy house of cards, that can’t withstand a man’s breath. 

What critics of the virgin birth of Jesus fail to realize or openly admit is that a woman who is a virgin can give birth to a child today.  Artificial insemination is the virgin birth god of modern science.   Remember that scientists have used no intelligence in the development of this technology – they just use chance experiments.

Furthermore,  scientists are close to completing technology where a  stem cell can be taken from a woman and developed into a sperm.  This sperm in-turn can be used to impregnate the woman.  No need for a male anymore!  Again, no intelligence has been used to develop this technology. 

Thank God no intelligence was required because if intelligence was used it would clearly show there is a God. 

Artificial insemination could have taken place successfully in Jesus’ day.  Historical records give no evidence of this.  Plus, there was no “need” for artificial insemination during that time. (I don’t think there is a need for it today, but that is another thought).

Modern man looks at the ancients as stupid neanderthals.  However, there are many ancient technologies and accomplishments that we today still can’t figure out today. 

One thing scientists haven’t been able to do, even with their intelligence capabilities fully working is to create a sperm cell out of nothing or even out of the dust of the ground. 

This is something only God can do. 

Scripture says Mary was impregnated by the Holy Spirit.  Jesus Christ is God in human flesh.  There are a few folklore stories of god-like characters being birthed by a virgin, becoming human, and dying.  These stories don’t make the birth and life of Jesus Christ folklore.

The difference is Jesus Christ lived a human life and came to take the penalty of man’s sin.  His purpose was not to live a divine life on earth, free from the human struggle. 

His purpose was to live a human life that was in the muck and mire of a fallen, selfish, destructive world.  A world dissolved in man’s sin. 

He wasn’t born to make history – for man’s history is usually wrong. He was born to redeem history – to redeem man.   He lived to die.  A virgin is one who has kept themselves pure.   The virgin birth is a picture of what God has come to do -redeem our purity, our holiness.

December 21, 2009

Original story posted on politico.com
Original title: Watchdog sues administration for info on lobbyist meetings

Larry Klayman, founder of Judicial Watch and Freedom Watch, sued the Obama administration in federal court today to disclose information on its meetings with health industry lobbyists. Klayman brought the suit under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, which he says requires disclosure of the records.

“It is widely known that President Obama and his surrogates have been holding behind closed door meetings with health care industry lobbyists, cutting deals to win passage of his health care legislation. This conduct falls within… Original and Source Here.

Promoting Integrity, Transparency and Accountability in
Government, Politics and the Law

]]> http://promotionsforlife.wordpress.com/2009/12/22/healthcaredeathcare-bill-vote-christmas-eve-how-should-you-respond/ Tue, 22 Dec 2009 06:16:15 +0000 promotionsforLIFE.com http://promotionsforlife.wordpress.com/2009/12/22/healthcaredeathcare-bill-vote-christmas-eve-how-should-you-respond/

December 21, 2009

Healthcare/Deathcare bill vote Chrismas Eve – How should you respond?

Friends – It is clear that Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, both in the back pocket of Socialist President Barack Hussein Obama, do not want your Representatives to hear from YOU.

The reason that the three of them are doing everything possible to push the deathcare bill, full of lies and deceit, into a final vote on Christmas Eve, is that they do not want your Representatives to get outside of the plastic bubble that is Washington DC into the REAL world which is your pocketbook and your American ideals.

They know that if Representatives go home on Christmas break, they will hear directly from YOU not to pass the bill.

Senator John Barrasso “As a physician practicing medicine and taking care of people in Wyoming for 25 years, I have great concerns about this bill or at least what we know for sure is in it, which is $500 billion of cuts in Medicare to our patients who depend on Medicare, and that's a system we know to have gone broke."

Not only that, Wyoming Representative Barrasso reports that the President is so desperate to stamp his “Mission Accomplished” on anything that slightly resembles a deathcare healthcare bill, he is willing to see the disastrous bill signed without further debate by the House and Senate.

This, of course, will be out-of-step with protocol, yet President Obama seems to see himself as above protocol, as evidenced by his world-wide “America Sucks” tour and his ever-increasing attempts to mug on world-wide platform stages.

Yes friends it is clear, President Barack Hussein Obama does not have the American people’s best interest at heart.  He is obviously still in campaign mode, trying to win the world-wide vote for global dominance.

Now if only he could get those pesky freedom loving Americans out-of-the-way.  How to do that?… How to do that?…

I know!  Let’s “fundamentally transform” America!  Thanks Barack!  What a great idea!

Via Fox News, Barrasso presented a list of items that showed that, surprise – surprise, the President lied to the American people.   A list friends – a list.  Not one or two areas, but a list.  (I am trying to secure transcripts or video to share with you as soon as possible.)

How should you respond to the deathcare bill?  First and foremost, pray for God’s will to be done and for God’s justice.  Far be it from us to know the ways of our Great Creator, so pray for His will to be done in the lives of our politicians.  However…

We know that God sides on the side of LIFE. The current healthcare/deathcare bill sides on health rationing, death to the unborn, forced charity and forced tax-payer funding of death to the unborn.  These are Not Christian values and are out-of-step with God’s character.

Pray also for a grand expose to uncover all of the perverted back-room dealings that are being done in secret in Washington – especially as it relates to the deathcare bill.  It is time to clean house, even if this means impeachment, etc.

Second step, contact your Representatives in both the House and the Senate.  My calls last night were unfruitful due to the Switchboard being overloaded and voice mail boxes being full.  Continue to try the Washington switchboards and your local offices for your Representatives.  Tell them you do not want this healthcare bill.

Use these web-forms to contact your Representatives now:

Senate http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

House of Representatives
https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

Use this weblink to specifically target radical Democrats.   Use it and e-mail it to your friends, add it to Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc. scrapthebill.org.

Third step, please let me know if you hear of any public demonstrations against this over-riding of the will of the people, especially in Washington, DC.  As best as I know, the next step in forcing this deathcare bill on U. S. tax-payers is around 7:30 or 8:30 Christmas Eve in DC.

It would be great to see a TEA Party movement or some sort of public display against this tyranny.  If you hear of one (or more) let me know, plan to attend and get the word out.

Steven Joseph, Editor
promotionsforLIFE.com
Coming soon: politicsforLIFE.com

National TEA Party Convention
Nashville, TN February 2010
Spread the Word!

December 20, 2009
Pray:  Next vote 1:00 AM ET.  Related story:  Olympia Snowe confirms vote AGAINST healtcare bill.

The next vote is scheduled in a few hours for 1:00 AM Eastern time, Monday morning December 21, 2009.  Why 1:00  AM you may ask?  Sounds to me like Chicago-style politics prefer to get their dirty work done in the cover of darkness.

In a related story, Republican Olympia Snowe vows her return to sanity by pledging to vote AGAINST the current version of the heathcare bill.  Snowe sites an “artificial and arbitrary deadline of completing the bill before Christmas that is shortchanging the process on this monumental and trans-generational effort.”  Source here.

Pray church pray.  We still have time to derail this deathcare bill brewing behind closed doors.

CONTACT YOUR SENATOR NOW ALERT! I just called the Senate switchboard twice, 202-224-3121, to again voice my desire to see the healtcare bill killed.  On the first call, my Senator’s voice mail was full.  On the second call, the switchboard was busy due to it being overloaded.

My recommendation is to use this web-form link to find and contact your Senators AND keep calling the switchboard all the way up to 1:00 AM.  Leave a message with the receptionist if your Senator’s box is full.  Keep calling all day tomorrow too.  This deathcare bill can and will be killed.

Steven Joseph,  Editor, promotionsforLIFE.com and soon to come politicsforLIFE.com

December 20, 2009
What did Senator Nelson gain for his cave into Chicago-style politics? Excerpt from politico.com

…His objections already had helped kill the government-run insurance option in the bill. He won an agreement that the federal government will forever pick up Nebraska’s share of a proposed Medicaid expansion, a deal worth about $100 million in the first decade, according to a Senate aide. He carved Nebraska’s non-profit insurers out of a proposed industry tax.

And he built new restrictions on federal financing of abortions into the bill, infuriating groups on both sides of the emotional issue and almost certainly touching off a withering fight over the limits when House and Senate Democrats hash out a final compromise.

Already, a leading abortion opponent in the House, Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), is saying he doesn’t think the language Nelson won in the Senate bill goes far enough…

Source: politico.com.  Click here.

Remain prayerful.  Another vote on healthcare bill is scheduled a few hours from now at 1:00 AM – Monday morning, December 21, 2009.  Why 1:00 AM?  If you ask me, it sounds a bit like being up to no good in the cover of darkness.

… and they came to Him from every direction.- Mark 10:45

The impact of Jesus working miracles led to people coming to Him from all directions.  All kinds of people came from all kinds of walks of life just to experience being in the presence of Jesus Christ.  Imagine what a sight tht must have been to witness. Can’t you just see throngs of people rushing and running towards a hillside just outside of the village premises in order to get close to Jesus? That’s what we should see as a result of our works.  People should be clamoring to get close to Jesus because of what they have seen or heard.  Our works should spark someone to seek a personal encounter with the Master.  Let such as this become the testimony of our daily works among those who have yet to meet the Lord.

Christmas versus Xmas and Happy Holidays.  It is amazing how shallow and hyper-sensitive the religious right and the conservative right are when it comes to this issue.  Most of them like Focus on the Family, Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly etc only care about “Christ” being in Christmas and really nothing else.

Christ can’t be found in most of their theology, political views, or actions.  However, when it comes to the holidays Christ better be found in Christmas and there is no tolerance for Happy Holiday’s, Xmas, Season Greetings, etc or else the country is falling apart.

These individuals and groups are on a mission to put Christ back into Christmas.  Christmas is a nominal holiday so what does it matter what it is called.  Calling it Christmas instead of Happy Holidays isn’t going to make it anymore Christ-like or make people anymore Christ-like.  It just make these individuals and groups feel good about standing for something that in the end won’t make a difference. 

Making those who want to refer to the day as Xmas or Happy Holidays doesn’t change the heart.   I know of many atheists who are more giving and loving then most of those who call themselves “christians”.   It is easy to talk the great Christian talk of charity and sacrificial giving.  Talk is cheap and makes us all feel good. 

Calling Christmas “Christmas” is for many just a way to give lip service to God while worshiping self. 

Most will give the Christ of christmas a nominal nod of adoration to make them feel and sound religious.  Then they will dive into selfish materialism.  The human spirit of charity last for a couple of weeks making many feel good all over until they get their credit card statement showing how much their charity cost them.

After the holidays it will be back to the status-quo until Easter and Passover season when they can get another hit of the good old religious drug. 

Christmas is a matter of the heart.  There are those who truly celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ not just in word but in action. I know of some families that don’t buy gifts or very few gifts and don’t  allow any of the commercialism to taint what is is all about.  Christmas is about more than just one day out of the year. 

These individual and families don’t see Christmas as an amusement park of feel good emotions and temporary superficial good deeds.  Christmas to them is about being like Christ 365 days a year.   They see His birth not as a gift of the good life but a gift unto death leading to life.   They give to the point of where it hurts, to where it costs them something more than just some money.

Christ doesn’t care what Christmas is called.  Christmas is about more than just one day. It is about a lifestyle.  Christ only cares about who we are in it and that everything we do points back to Him.

My blessings in the gospel? Too many to enumerate (Ephesians 1:3). The greatest blessing to me is the assurance of an eternal abode if I remain faithful (1 Peter 1:3-4; Revelation 2:10).

Not Wanting To Disgrace Her

When a person knows the Lord in their heart, they appreciate God’s forgiveness and almighty authority;  they love others because God has so loved us;  they respect others and show that respect in all their actions.     Joseph knew the Lord in that way.     His respect and honor for his Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer was such that his whole life was guided by doing only what would be pleasing in his heavenly Father’s sight.

Therefore, in considering these things at this Christmas time, we read in Matthew 1:17-18,

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows.     When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.

And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her, desired to put her away secretly.

Joseph knew he was not the father to Mary’s child.     Back in those days, to be betrothed was like our time of engagement.     The marriage was not consummated until after the actual wedding date.     Joseph became betrothed to Mary because she was considered faithful to the Lord and a God-pleasing person.     But, then he was faced with her seeming infidelity.     Getting married to a promiscuous woman was totally out of the question for him.     Joseph’s number one priority was to be faithful to the Lord above all things.

To be faithful to the Lord, Joseph needed to break their “engagement”, but he did not want to embarrass Mary because he did love her with a godly love.    He respected her as a fellow human being.

It seems like God’s word is presenting Joseph’s situation to us this Christmas for our personal consideration.     Do we love our Lord enough, like Joseph did, to sincerely live for God with our whole lives?     Do we want our lives to honor our Savior and show an honest respect for God’s desires for our lives?

Or, do our lives show that we love ourselves and the world more than our Savior?

Where do we put our faith?     Do we trust God to work all things for our good in the end?     Do we trust God enough to live in a way that honors Him?     Are we anything like Joseph  in our faith and trust?

And life goes on.     We have only this short life-span to decide what is truth — what is right and good — does God really love even me?     The whole Christmas story vividly points us in the right direction, if we care to see it.

As we examine all the ways God has proven His trustworthiness and love, we say,  “Hallelujah!     My Lord, all of Your word is proof of your faithfulness and love for me.     Strengthen me, that I may live for You now and forever.     Lead me in the way everlasting.”

Love,  
Margaret

A devotional to glorify the LORD of lords and King of kings…

**************

December 23, 2009

Per NPR News, the Senate has re-scheduled the final passage of the healthcare bill vote to around 8 a.m. Thursday, tomorrow – Christmas Eve DAY.  Please take action now!

Although this is a much more compassionate time for our Representatives instead of the original 8:30 PM vote scheduled on Christmas Eve — the RUSH of this vote definitely LACKS compassion on the majority of tax-payers who do not approve of this (illegal?) government take-over.

This time-frame also does not show compassion for tax-payers who, at the very least, want to see the whole process thought-through with bi-partisan input and support.

Now before you buy into the lie of the Democratic talking-points that Republicans have brought nothing to the table – think again.

Most of these bills have been written by ???????

You guessed it, nobody seems to know.  It appears to have all been written behind closed doors, in secret by God-only-knows who or what (organizations/special interest groups).

The process has been so secretive that a Watchdog group recently filed a law suit against the Administration.

Whatever happened to President Obama’s campaign promise that health-care reform would take place in the light of day on C-SPAN?  It has not and could not happen.

There has been too much of Chicago-style-gansta-politics pushing this bill through Washington DC.

Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson's 60th Vote $ell-Out.

For example, just ask the State of Nebraska.  Every other tax-payer in the United States is now paying for Nebraska’s Medicaid healthcare.

Yes folks, the State of Nebraska now gets free healthcare paid for by every person OUTSIDE of the State of Nebraska.

The bribe was used to tip the hand of a Pro-Life concerned Nebraskan Senator Ben Nelson swaying his vote into the 60th YES Democrats needed for Deathcare.

Do I sound angry?!  Of course I am angry!  Aren’t you?!

American’s, tax-payers, Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are left with two options and two options only.   First and foremost is to call upon God above for His intervention, if He choses, in this Deathcare government-take-over fiasco.

Second, contact all of your Senators, red, yellow, black, white, purple, blue, orange, whatever — and demand a stop to this corrupt perversion of the American democratic system.

If legally possible, gather all day today Wednesday and Thursday morning and let them know that we reject this outrageous violation of State, business and individual rights.

And if you have the skill and finances to lay a law suit on the now Progressive Uncle Sam,  please prayerfully consider doing it.

Too many lives have been spent, too much blood has been spilt to give our country freedom and to protect our country from tyranny.

How should we respond when the government becomes the tyrant.

Pray church pray — and act.

Steven Joseph, Editor
promotionsforLIFE.com
Coming Soon: politicsforLIFE.com

Use these web-forms to contact your Representatives now:

Senate http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

House of Representatives
https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

Use this weblink to specifically target radical Democrats.   Use it and e-mail it to your friends, add it to Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc.  scrapthebill.org.

TODAY’S VERSE
See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are!
I john 3:1

TODAY’S THOUGHT
I don’t know how John could have contained himself when he wrote this verse. It has to be one of the most celebratory verses in the entire Bible. John understood the significance of being a child of God and implores us to understand it too. With the excitement of a child on Christmas morning John exclaims, “See how very much our father loves us!” Can you see it? There are four points to notice, First, “How very much”. God’s love for us is unfathomable. John wants us to see and examine the concept that God loves us very much, and to really believe it. Second, is the phrase, “Our”. John is getting personal. He isn’t talking about a God beyond our grasp, an impersonal Deity. Rather John is saying that this is our Father, which leads to the third point. God is our “Father”. Not a dysfunctional or absentee parent. He is our loving, faithful and trustworthy Father. Finally, John shares with us that this Father, who calls us His children, also “loves” us very much. Knowing this should change everything. When you love someone and know that they love you, you trust them. You want to be with them. You want to share in their life. I pray that we will grasp with the Apostle John, how wonderful it is to know that the Father loves us. Rest assured, we have been called, “Children of God,” and this is what we are!  

TODAY’S PRAYER
Dear Father, thank you for loving us and making us your children. What a privilege to know you. What a joy to be your child. My your love fill my heart and guide my thoughts today. In Jesus name.
AMEN

______________________________________________________________

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Everytime I come home from school, my mom and I always get into over the Eucharist and whether or not Christ’s words were meant to be taken literally. I believe that if we have a firm understanding of all the Jewish foreshadowing, of all of the prophecies regarding Christ’s sacrifice, of the parallels between Melchizidek and Jesus, of the Greek words used in John 6, of the responses of the crowd to Jesus’  Bread of Life discourse, the miracle of the Feeding of 5,000 that directly precedes that sermon, the exhortations of Paul in his letter to the Corinthians and the beliefs of the Church fathers, we have no other option than to believe that Christ literally meant that the Bread and Wine were actually transformed into his Body and Blood, which were given up and poured out for us on the cross.

Obviously my mom disagrees in the light of all the evidence that mounts up against a symbolic interpretation. However, she asks, as do many non-Catholics and Catholics alike: granting that his words are literal, how can  a priest who is in a state of mortal sin, more specifically, a priest who has molested children, still have the ability to consecrate the host and perform that miracle?

It’s a good question, and it needs to be answered, and unfortunately, everytime she asks, I never have the answer, so I went searching today, and here is the conclusion I came to:

The question is raised because it is difficult for us to believe that Jesus would let his Body be placed in the hands of such a great sinner. Yet, we shouldn’t be too quick to forget that in the Gospels, Jesus is continually allowing himself to be touched by sinners, by some of the lowliest and most loathsome of people in society. He knew what they had done, yet he allowed himself to be touched by them. The very Apostles who participated in the first Eucharist with him were sinners, would deny him, betray him, doubt him. Yet Christ still gave them the grace to confer this gift of thanksgiving. Jesus even let the most corrupt individuals commit most horrific violence against his body on Calvary so that those who believe in him might live.

It is the same today. We are all sinners. Some of our sins are of a greater degree, of a deeper gravity. Yet, Christ allows us to morally discern whether or not we should partake. The same with the priest. The priest could be the greatest sinner ever, yet, Christ once again puts his body into violent hands for the sake of his flock, which he made a promise to, to give his Body and Blood to us. If Christ did not allow the miracle of Transubstantiation to occur at the hands of sinners, we might never know if what we actually have received is his Body and Blood. Thankfully for us Christ is more loving than that. Believe me, that priest will suffer the consequences for his actions, but Christ will not deny his greatest sacrifice from his flock, whatever the case may be. Christ is faithful, even when we are not.

December 21, 2009

promotionsforLIFE.com posted a blog December 18 titled “There is NO Separation of Church & State.  History in the Re-making.”  As expected, the article drew a differing view.  This is my response.  Important video message from Lou Engle follows response.

Doug – thank you for your thoughtful reply. I may agree with you on some points and disagree on others.

When our government, founded by Christians and atheist alike, begin to ask Christians to do things contrary to our guidepost, the Bible — it is at this point that there is no separation of Church and State.

The actions of governments and the actions of people of faith are intertwined and people of faith in governments must act accordingly in the writing or passing of laws and in the privacy of their homes, churches and/or temples.

The government can not impose on Christians — or on other faiths who believe that ALL life is sacred — and demand us to use our tax-dollars to kill living human babies in the womb or to kill-off grandma and grandpa for financial savings to the country.

The very thought of these two examples is Un-American. Even if the final healthcare/deathcare bill eliminates this verbiage, you can be sure it will come back around in the future, for these tenants are part of the radical Progressive movement currently bullying its way around DC.

The Word of God always trumps man’s laws and His laws MUST influence our government, or cause us to rebel against our government.  Christians, if you doubt my words, please re-read the book of ACTS.

Thank you for writing Doug and for sharing your views. I found them educational and appreciate the time you took to write.

Sincerely,

Steven Joseph, Editor promotionsforLIFE.com
Coming soon:  politicsforLIFE.com
Original post and Doug’s comments here.

Special Video Message from Lou Engle

Tonight the Lord has proven Himself… once again… to be Faithful… that’s His name by the way.

I’ll give more details after the new year about His provision

I said it before and I’ll say it again… I don’t want to marvel at the fact that my Father provided. I want to marvel at HOW He provided.

I want to stand first on the one named Faithful and True.

I am the daughter of a good, good Father.