What Comes Next?

Matthew 2:1, 13 & 19-20 "After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem...When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him...After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child's life are dead."

Ok, so maybe I have crammed several years of events into one little paragraph but the Bible squeezes them all into one little chapter.  Once the presents are opened and the wrapping paper cleaned up, the pumpkin pie eaten and the ham or turkey leftovers dwindle down, it is so easy to lose sight of what we just celebrated.  The most important birthday ever should not just be specially remembered for simply one or two days...most theologians will tell you that the Magi did not visit for probably more than two years later so why is it most of us only remember what Christmas is truly about during December?  Maybe we need to uproot our way of thinking the way Joseph had to uproot where they lived.  He was running from a jealous king but we may need to "run" from some worldly ways, thoughts and values.  We need to find ways every day to hold on to the special feelings of Christmas time, the warm fuzzies, the giving natures, families worshiping together...and so much more!  We need to implement these into our every day lives throughout the whole year so that we are always living with Christ first and foremost.  We would find that many things would become so unimportant in the real "scheme" of things if we were to really begin living for God, if we put Him before all others.  So what comes next after all the carols have ended, the cookies have been eaten and the twinkling lights come down for another 11 months?  How about more of the same?  More gift giving, more family time, more worshiping?  How about more living to please God?  After all, He has given the ultimate gift and wishes to keep on giving to us...and He really does not ask for a whole lot from us.  Please join me in prayer:

Heavenly Father,
You have given us the most awesome and priceless gift possible: Your Son!  We are not worthy however we humbly come to You with thanksgiving in our hearts and Your glory on our lips.  Please help us to always keep the Spirit of what is so special at this time of year in our hearts, minds and souls all year through.  Keep us on Your path even when that means taking ourselves away from what is familiar.  Lord, we come to You weekly here and daily in our hearts and thank You for all of the healing You have already granted to Summer, Kayla, Ally and Sharon, with Your help they are making progress that medicine cannot understand or take credit for.  We ask that You please continue Your amazing grace and healing in their lives and in the lives of all who are in need of Your touch that we may be individually naming now.  God, we thank You for our nation's service men and women, without them we would never be able to enjoy all the freedoms, priviledges and liberties that we do.  Please grant them protection through Your covenant promises and provide them with the inner peace and strength they need in order to do what they do.  We ask that all these may be given according to Your will and in Jesus precious name.  Amen.

Have a blessed weekend and week ahead!
Love through Christ,
Niki

Blessed Christ Mass Wishes

I want to apologize that I am a bit behind on my emails, we are on vacation and I had every intention of waking up yesterday morning and sending out my belated Friday verse, my Saturday thoughts and also a Sunday verse...however we woke up to no power due to a tree on the wires...I need to start cooking Christmas Eve dinner here shortly however I would like to share my thoughts on what today and tomorrow and this whole Christmas celebration mean to me.  Please pardon me for I am sure this is going to get lengthy although I am kind of making up for lost days here!  >WINK<

Luke 2:1-20 "In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.  (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)  And everyone went to his own town to register.  So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.  He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.  While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.   And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."  Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."  When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."  So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.  When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.  But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.  The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told."

I wanted you to read the whole Christmas story...so, if you have skimmed over the familiar words to get to this part please take an extra minute or two now to slowly read the story and open your heart to let every word settle in there.  Did you read it?  Imagine this dark world where every mistake meant burnt offerings and the blood of animals sacrificed in order to obtain forgiveness, hundreds of years of living with sin meaning certain death and then the Light arrives!  The Savious is born, just as Isaiah had prophesied - He came and became man to save us all!  Jesus is born and we no longer live in fear, darkness and desolation...we have hope, faith and the promise of eternal life in paradise!  Christmas is not just a time of presents and "what's in it for me", it is a time of giving because God has given us the perfect present and in our thankfulness and praise we should want to give to others as we reflect His love.  Christmas is not just about stuffing ourselves with good food and great desserts, it is about celebrating the most important birthday in the history of time!  As Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart, I encourage you to ponder the true reason for the Christ-Mass celebrations and let them keep you in a praiseful and glorifying mindset today, tomorrow and all through the year!  Please join me in prayer:

Heavenly Father, 
We want to thank You for all You have given to us, life, love and salvation among millions of other blessings!  Lord, every day, but especially today and tomorrow, help us to keep alive within us the true spirit of Christmas.  Please guide our hearts to what is important and wonderful and awesome about this precious Christmas celebration...You!  God we truly want to give all glory to You as we remember that You sent Your Word to become flesh that we may join You in heaven when You call us home.  Father, we ask that You please grant healing and comfort to all those in need but especially our sisters in Christ, Summer, Kayla, Ally & Sharon.  Thank You for all You have already granted them and please continue Your grace and glory in their lives.  God please grant our service men and women a very blessed and holy Christmas, fill them with Your love as they sacrifice to protect us.  Lord I also ask that You may please grant a special blessing of comfort, favor, peace and protection to all who may be reading these words that You have deemed to allow me to type.  I thank You greatly for each and every one of them and for the honor and blessing of You allowing me to serve You by sharing Your love with them.  We ask that all these things may be done according to Your perfect Will and in Jesus precious name.  Amen.

I wish you and your families all a very blessed and holy Christ-Mass!
Love through Christ,
Niki

God Has Had It All Planned

 

Matthew 1:18-21 "This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.  Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.  But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

 

Joseph must have felt so many emotions leading up to and resulting from his dream.  I can only imagine what kind of pity party he could have sunk into asking himself, "Why me?"  He could have dwelt on how insignificant and alone he felt, or how unfair life is, or how hard his road was going to be...but I don't think he did.  He stuck around!  He did not discreetly leave Mary, he did not lay around all day and whine, he did what he needed to do in his role no matter what it was that God had chosen for him to do.   I believe God would not have chosen Joseph for Mary's husband if he was going to sink into a dark, sour attitude whenever it turned out his pledged wife was found to be with child and they hadn't had their wedding night yet!  I know that God has given us free will to make our own choices but I also know that He is all knowing and so already knows what choice we are going to make.  I also think this a determining factor in what path God places you on, what talents He gives you, what timing He uses and what people He surrounds you with.  I don't know how theologically correct this all is, I just know that in my heart I believe we can learn huge humility lessons from Joseph in accepting God's plan for our lives, in placing our complete trust in Him that His will for our lives is perfect and part of a much bigger picture and in letting God take care of all the important stuff so we do not need to fall into a pity party.  I heard something on the radio about how we are equipped to handle what life throws at us today, it's usually when we start to fret over what tomorrow will bring that we begin to feel overwhelmed.  So let's focus on today, let's quiet our hearts and listen for God to tell us what He has planned and let's accept that His plan is right for our lives and He will be here with us for every single step of our journey.  I have a new sister in Christ I am adding to our prayer list, she needs prayers for healing, for comfort for strength and for financial means to afford her medicine and provide for her family.  Please join me in prayer:

Heavenly Father,

We thank You for Matthew 1:19 which shows us that Joseph was human with doubts just as we all are.  We thank You as well for quickly letting us know that he did not dwell on that thought long because You sent Your angel to him in his dreams to reveal Your perfect plan for his life.  When we feel alone, afraid, disappointed or insignificant please help us to remember that everything has a reason and that we will learn and grow from the tough times and that when we keep our faith in You and Your promises that all the bad will eventually result in good.  Lord we continue to ask for Your healing hand in the lives of Summer, Kayla, Ally, Sharon and all others whom we have in our hearts at this moment.  We thank You for the healing that we can see already happening and we praise You for the healing that we cannot see as well as the healing that You continue to work in them.  Father we thank You for all of our armed forces and service men and women around the world, we thank You that they are willing to put their lives on the line to protect ours.  We ask that You grant them all protection, favor and blessings.  God I also ask personally that You may bless and protect every one who may be reading this message which You have allowed me to write.  Please pour out Your favor in their lives and grant them Your peace.  In Jesus name we ask that all this may be done according to Your perfect will.  Amen.

 

Have a blessed week and if you will be unable to read next weekend's message please also enjoy a very blessed Christmas!

 

Love through Christ,

Niki

That Kind Of Faith!

Luke 1:35-38 "The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God."  "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her."

 

I am amazed & inspired by Mary's faith!  Within the span of 9 short verses Mary goes from being troubled, to being in wonderment of how this can occur to finally being accepting of God's plan.  I like how Mary asks 'how will this be' as opposed to Zechariah's question in verse 18, 'how can I be sure of this?' {when he was being told of Elizabeth's soon to be baby John (the Baptist).}  There is a very different tone to Mary's question, one that may explain a bit into her character...  She wasn't questioning whether the angel was truthful or whether God could accomplish what was being told her, she was just a little curious as to how it would happen.  I cannot even fathom such an act of faith.  If she had found favor with God than I am going to go out on a limb and assume that she was familiar with the prophesy which depicted that Jesus would die on the cross to save the world.  And if that is the case, she just accepted the fate of later watching her firstborn Son die a horrible death on the cross.  Again I tell you, I am amazed and inspired by Mary's faith!  To knowingly and willingly accept that God's will for her life may be great but will also include a lot of pain and suffering.  She accepted this with a praiseful song in verses 46-55, she praised God for His favor and blessings upon her life.  I strive for that kind of faith, the kind of relationship with God where I may willingly accept all He plans for my life and praise His name through it all.  Let's pray together:

 

Dear God,

We thank You for Your precious Son, for Mary and her example of faith and for Your grace and promises for our lives.  Please help us to work towards that kind of accepting, servant-minded faith that Mary shows us in the Book of Luke.  Father, we wish to continue in lifting up praises to Your holy name for the healing which You have already worked in Summer, Kayla, Ally and all others whom we may personally name to You now.  We ask that You may keep restoring Summer, Kayla, Ally, and any other individuals on our minds and in our hearts, granting them Your healing touch, favor and blessings.  Please keep their families strong in You as they watch their loved ones struggle to become victorious over their injuries and illnesses.  Lord we also want to daily remember our service men and women both abroad and here in the US as they put their lives in harm's way to protect ours.   I wish to personally thank You, God, for all who read these messages that You have allowed me the blessing of typing, I thank You for letting me serve You through sharing Your love with my family, my friends and possibly some people whom I've never met that may be reading this on my web site.  Lord please bless and protect them all as they go through their daily lives this week and always, sending forth Your favor before them in all that they do and everywhere they go.  In Your Son Jesus name we ask that all this may come to pass in accordance with Your will.  Amen. 

Have a blessed weekend and week ahead!

Love through Christ,

Niki

Preparing For Christmas

 

Sorry this is so late, I've been working on it since Saturday morning but am typing one handed b/c I slammed my finger into the vault while lifting a box of nickels out - x-ray pending - those also waiting on Daily Verses I appreciate your patience as I work on catching up.  Thanks!

 

Luke 1:28-29 "The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."  Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be."

 

In many ways this is the season of rejoicing, celebrating and overall having a great time...in our church the period from November 15 until Christmas Day is a time of preparing oneself for the birth, the Nativity of our Lord.  We are encouraged to fast, to spend a lot of extra time devoted to quiet time with God, to reflect on what His Son's birth truly means in our lives.  With shopping malls and superstores overflowing with busy, time-crunched consumers it is an easy thing to forget what "The Season" is truly about.  I would like to spend this month reflecting on pieces of the beloved Christmas story.

    I'd like you to imagine Mary, probably a teenaged girl, betrothed to wed Joseph and minding her own business and suddenly she is approached by the angel of the Lord!  I'd be "greatly troubled" too if a heavenly being appeared to me!  Troubled is such a great word here because it could take on several different meanings and it gives us a rather vague picture of who Mary is...but that's so we can dwell not on Mary but on the true main character of this wonderful story; Jesus.  I believe God leaves us a brief description of her because He wants us to focus on His priceless gift...  How many times at this time of year do we feel troubled?  Need to find the perfect gift, need to complete all our shopping, need to clean the house, need to plan the big celebration dinner...  Plenty more "needs" I am certain, but how much time do we focus on what we really need?  To reflect on Jesus birth and what it means for our lives?  I think we'd all feel much less troubled by the worldly "needs" if we make the Christ child our #1 need, especially as we prepare for His coming.  Please join me in praying:

 

Dear Lord, Thank You for coming to save us!  When the busyness of this time of year starts to sweep me up and I feel troubled please help me to remember it's really about You and that if I center my thoughts and dreams on You than all else will work itself out.  We praise Your holy name for the healing's You have already worked in Summer and Kayla.  We continue to beseech Your grace and healing hand in their bodies and their lives as well as Ally's.  Father we also thank You for our country's service men and women who put their own lives at risk to protect ours.  Please bless and protect them each as well as their families.  Finally Lord, I thank You for everyone who reads this, I thank You for allowing me the blessing of passing Your love along to many of my family, friends and maybe even some strangers who may be reading this on my web site.  Please bless and protect each of them as they go about their lives this week, allowing Your favor to go before them in all that they do.  In Jesus name we ask that this all may be done according to Your will.  Amen.

Have a blessed week ahead!

Love through Christ,

Niki