Scripture Treasures

And we know that ask things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose ~ Romans 8:28 This is not saying that if we deliberately go out and sin, it will work for our good. Sin is always sin in God’s eyes, and until we repent, God will not do good for us, for through our sin we are estranged from Him. The one who loves God is not living against God, but is living under the power of the Holy Spirit. What this is saying then, is when we go through trials and persecutions, all these things are working through His Holy Spirit, and God will put them under His will for the good of that one. Our purification is in process through these things. It is through these trials, tribulations, experiences that God makes us ready for His purpose for us. God is a life-changing Agent, and for us to be the person He created us to be, we must grow, we must be refined, we must become more like Him. It will be hard for us, and many times what we go thr

Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble ~ Psalm 119:165 Great peace, the author writes, resides in those who love God, for to love God is to love His laws. Peace comes from submission and obedience, for when we follow what Christ has in mind for us, we will have less tendency to wander into the “clouds of darkness” we read about yesterday. We sometimes think of obedience as control, “you do what I say!” type of control. God does not want that type of obedience. God’s love, and our love for God, lead us to desire what He desires, to follow where He leads, to listen to His voice above others. We, unfortunately, have an early tendency toward disobedience. A young child, at the age of six to eight months will decisively know they may not like a new food introduced to them, and they will close up their little mouths in objection. Soon, they will begin with tantrums, expressing they have their own mind and can make their own decisions, against what

As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness ~ Ezekiel 34:12 When I lived down East, in New Harbour, Nova Scotia, the fog at times would come in so thick one could barely see five feet in front. The fog was literally like a wall around the area! If you lost something out in the yard on a foggy day you had a lot of searching to do, for you could not visually see it. This verse reminded me about New Harbour’s fog. Ezekiel writes that God will look for us in the places that are cloudy and dark, and He will rescue us. We know Ezekiel is talking to the Jews which were spread throughout Babylon, and for them it was a time of great affliction. Taken from their homes and land, made prisoners in another land which was not God’s chosen land was a terrible time for them. The promise, for them and for us, is God will look for us, even though

Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken ~ Psalm 55:22 This psalm may be self talk David is using, or, it may be applied to someone else. It is in fact, applicable to anyone who may read it: cast your cares on the Lord. I used to think I was strong; I could do it myself and I didn’t need anyone to help me. I could solve my own problems and issues! To not do so, in my mind, meant weakness, and that I would never consent to being – weak. In fact, though, that was exactly what I was! Actually, it takes strength to hand over our worries to God, to trust in Him to deal with them in what way He will, not in what way I want. We are to look to Him to enable us to bear up under whatever load we are carrying, for it is with His help we do so. When I give over my “stuff” to Him, when I trust that He will not give me more than I can handle, then I can trust that all will be sufficient in Him. It may not feel like it, and I may have questi

On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route ~ Matthew 2:11, 12 Years ago I was told the only significance to the gifts the magi brought to the baby Jesus were because of His Deity, His Royalty, and His impending human death. Most certainly, that significance is there. It is also assumed Jesus was still a baby, but more likely He was about two years old. An indication to this arises from King Herod who chose to kill children two years and under. The gifts the magi brought were in fact of inestimable value in their world. They brought gifts worthy of a king. It matters not how valuable the gift is, though. They wanted to honour Him through their worship, and so came to Him, showing He was the object of their worship. They

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men ~ Luke 2:13, 14 The shepherds, upon hearing this announcement must have stumbled over themselves in great joy, shouting, “To us lowly shepherds, a choir of angelic hosts have sung the song for us to hear; a song our world has been waiting many centuries to hear.” And upon the choral sound their hearts were filled with hope, and they ran off to see “this thing which has come to pass.” How many of this type of message has been sent to us! Have we found Christ as these humble shepherds found Him? Spending Christmas without Christ is sorrowful! Rev. Moore wrote that such a Christmas is a Christmas of sad tidings…the anniversary of a despised and wasted birthright. Had Christ not come, there would be no hope, no Church, no hospital or orphanage, no comfort for the dying and no dream of peace. May Good Will and Peace be

And  the  angel   said  unto  them,   Fear   not:   for,   behold , I  bring   you  good  tidings  of  great   joy,   which  shall  be  to  all   people.   For  unto  you  is  born  this  day   in  the  city  of  David  a  Saviour,   which   is   Christ  the  Lord. And   this  shall be a  sign  unto  you;  Ye shall  find  the  babe  wrapped in swaddling  clothes ,  lying   in  a  manger.

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 guest room available for them ~ Luke 2:6, 7 Every year we turn another year older, and most of us celebrate that day, thinking it rather important, as it is “our” day. This birthday, the one we have chosen to celebrate on Christmas Day, was history making, world changing, peculiar above all other birthdays. It was the greatest event, yet it was measured small by what was outward and worldly. This event took place in a small village, in a small room; a child born to a poor couple relatively unknown other than this was the place where they had to come to obey the decree of Caesar Augustus. He, this child, was wrapped in swaddling clothes, Joseph’s wrap he wore around his waist to cover him if he died enroute. This was an indication of what was to ahead for Him, this child, and the sacrifice He would wi

But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship ~ Galatians 4:4, 5 Jesus – “born under the law, to redeem those under the law.” Do you ever consider what those words mean? Jesus came, primarily to save the Jewish people. The Pharisees had 613 laws they were accountable to follow, there were the laws of Moses, or the Torah. In addition to these laws, the Pharisees added more in the hopes of “building a fence” around the Mosaic law so that people would not even closely sin before God. The Pharisees themselves could not even keep these laws, yet they strove to place mankind under human extensive legalistic terms. When someone failed, they were even more deeply ostracized. This is the law Jesus Christ was born under, as was every other child. This is the government Jesus came to redeem us from. We are now under the “law” of grace! Jesus Christ was born and willingly

Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them ~ Luke 1:68 This is Zechariah’s song to God. He states God has redeemed His people, but that has not yet come about. God is about to redeem, as He has given His pledge that He would redeem and send the Messiah, or “the Redeemer.” Though John could not speak, he most certainly could hear, and knew Mary had spent at least three months with him and his wife Elizabeth, and therefore would have heard their conversations. Not only that, but the angel of the Lord had told him that this child, John, would come before the Lord, to make the way ready, so Zechariah knew the time was coming close. His new-born son too, would serve as a forerunner to the Lord, for now that “John the Baptist” had been born, he was already the preparer of the way for the Messiah. This, then, is a prophetic word concerning the faithfulness of God to come in human form and to Redeem in spiritual grace. As Zechariah pra

He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end” ~ Luke 1:32, 33 How misread were the prophecies of the Old Testament about the Messiah! They concentrated on the words, “reign”, “kingdom”, and “great”, but did so in earthly terms. For the Hebrew/Jewish people, the Saviour would tear down the tyranny of the oppressor through battle and victory of the physical nature. One land, one kingdom, one King, would lead their people to end forever their subjection to Gentile leaders. Mary may have understood this differently, for as I wrote yesterday, the name Jesus emphasizes the moral and spiritual purpose of God, pointing away from any earthly and literal kingdom. David’s throne was feeble, and it was defeated when leaders disobeyed their God. Jesus would not rise to power through military power, or political change, nor by earthly favo

But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus ~ Luke 1:30, 31 What an amazing revelation and amazing responsibility Mary received! What thoughts ran through her mind, and what thoughts did not? Did she stop to think, “I could be stoned for saying yes to this request,” or, “what will Joseph think, or my neighbours…what will my parents think?” “Will I be shunned by all who know me?” Those thoughts, if they entered her mind at all, did not seem to affect her decision. In fact, she did not respond further than to ask how this could be as she did not “know” a man. Immediately she answered, “I am the Lord’s servant” (Luke 1:38a). Most certainly, Mary was known before God, for she is called by name and she had found favor with God. Even the name of her child was given, previously unknown through the prophetic. This child would be known as Salvation, Life, Pardon, and Triumph.

Shout for joy, you heavens;     rejoice, you earth;     burst into song, you mountains! For the Lord comforts his people     and will have compassion on his afflicted ones ~ Isaiah 49:13 The writers of Scripture at times make the heavens and earth seem as though they have personhood and personalities. Isaiah here uses Scripture by way of the heavens and earth to express thankfulness for all the benefits received from God. The reason for the thanksgiving is because God comforts His people and will raise up the poor in spirit. Though it may not be a direct prophecy about the coming of the Messiah, it is a statement about the promises which He, Jesus, fulfills for those who are called His people. Jesus Christ came to bring peace, hope, love and joy, to heal the injured, and to strengthen the lowly. Born in humble beginnings, by becoming Incarnate and taking on our flesh, having suffered by bearing our stripes, He knows compassion and how to comfort our mortal beings. There

In that day they will say, “Surely this is our God;     we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in him;     let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation” ~ Isaiah 25:9 This is a waiting for God in a time of darkness. The Assyrians conquest of Israel spread terror and dismay amongst God’s people. It meant the extinction of life as they had known it, both nationally and personally as they were now a conquered people, all liberty removed. It often meant separation from homes and families, and complete submissiveness to a foreign ruler. In those dark hours all “true-hearted men waited for God” (H. P. Liddon, D. D.) He had delivered them before, many times, through Moses and the deliverance from Egyptian slavery, and then King David whom had conquered Israel then leaving the kingdom in the wise hands of leadership to Solomon. The God of the past would be the God of the present and the future. The God who had delivered previously would deliver again.

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,     though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me     one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old,     from ancient times” ~ Micah 5:2 In this time in history, there were two Bethlehem towns. One was in the tribe of Zebulun, much to the north. This town of Bethlehem Micah prophecies about was small, in fact too small to be counted by the clans of Judah, and was to the south east of Jerusalem. The name Bethlehem means “House of Bread” and “fruitfulness” and apparently, though it deals with oppression in our modern age, it is still a fruitful place. It is from this “too small to be counted” place where Jesus was born in the lowly stable. Out of weakness comes strength. Out of humble beginnings come the King of Eternity. From the birth of a tiny baby comes the beginning of time. He who came forth was a part of God’s plan, His Divine Will, and was to be its Ruler. When we are weak, it is His

For to us a child is born,     to us a son is given,     and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called     Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,     Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace ~ Isaiah 9:6 God not only speaks, but He cries out in the darkness from the mouth of a tiny babe. It was part of His eternal plan that He should be revealed through a Child. And this Child is the good news of God, for when you see Him you see the Father. Through Him, this Child, you know the Father, love the Father, and obey Him and find you are loved by Him. When you receive Him, you receive the Father who comes to dine with you and sit at your table. And He offers Himself in what seems defeat in the greatest suffering, misery, pain, and death. He takes the nails, thorns, spear, contempt and hate all for us that we might not be lost to God’s purpose for us. By His own blood He loves us. At His birth the world began a new life.

“The days are coming,” declares the  Lord ,      “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely      and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved      and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called:      The  Lord  Our Righteous Savior ~ Jeremiah 23:5, 6 The days mentioned in Jeremiah were a far off, undefined future. It would be a day when the kingdom would once again rest in the house of David. Israel now had no king, they were in bondage in Babylon, and their king had been captured along with the elite of the land, and all were far away from their homeland. Jeremiah’s words are words of hope, for though all seemed lost now, the future held the promise of a new branch which would save them. The imagery is of an enormous tree cut down, but a few years later a small, new twig can be observed growing from what remains of the massive tree. This new branch will reign as King and wi

“I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty ~ Malachi 3:1 Malachi was a prophet from the Old Testament times, somewhere during the time of 445 and 425 B.C. For us Christians, he is considered the last prophet before the arrival of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ the Messiah. Isaiah had foretold of this same messenger in 40:3: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God”. Luke 1:76 then confirms this in the birth of John the Baptist. This verse is considered as one of several of the most Messianic verses in the Old Testament, and this verse in particular is considered one of the “most brilliant and revealing prophecies of Jesus Christ in the whole Bible” (Coffman). In our day, we still have voices which declare Jesus is the Messiah, the

And through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me ~ Genesis 22:18 This verse is talking about a natural seed, which includes a spiritual seed for all families on earth. It is God’s covenant promise to Abraham and to those who follow Him as the One True God. Abraham was not the head of mankind such as Adam or Noah was, but he is the head of the new spiritual and physical family of the Hebrew people, and us as followers of Jesus Christ, as we have been adopted into God’s family from the Gentile nation. God promises His blessings to all nations and people if they would follow and obey Him. It is also an anticipation of Jesus Christ through the Jewish people. I am reading an article which states there has been a rise in anti-semitism in the US over the last five years. Apparently, anti-semitic attacks this past year have killed more Jews than any year in decades (Dennison Forum). We need to pray for our Jewish neighbours, for it is through

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel ~ Isaiah 7:14 There had never been a virgin birth before Mary conceived, nor after. But this is the miracle of God! Foretold long before the angel came to visit Mary, this prophecy had been written. I wonder if Mary knew about it? Would that have made a difference in her response as the angel told her she would carry a child from the Holy Spirit of God? Is that why she so readily agreed to this impossibility? Somehow, I don’t think it made a difference whether Mary knew this prophecy or not. It was her faith, her love for God, her devotion to what was good and right, and her obedience that made all the difference. She was the chosen one for a reason. And through her we are now all chosen to witness our own miracles of life. We too participate in what God deems for this world, and we too are used to bring about His good will. What sign do you receive? When yo

The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him ~ John 1:9, 10 I don’t like to be in closed, dark places. My heart pounds and my senses scream out for any kind of light to give explanation to what I may hear, touch, or smell in the darkness. When light is restored, so is my equilibrium! But the light I most often come into is light which illuminates from a man-made lightbulb. I think I am in the light, but the truth is, it is illumination which comes from a false source. The true light which calms my heart is the Light of Christ, for from Him comes the wisdom I so need to make it through each day, and sometimes through each hour of each day. Only in Him can what is false be shown, only in Him can I comprehend what truly has meaning, and only in Him can I find hope to lead me out of my darkness. John declares a truth which still stands: the world did not recogni

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made ~ John 1:1-3 I just read the literal translation from German into English by Hyde Flippo three of the original verses of Silent Night. The third verse goes like this: Silent night, holy night, Son of God, oh how laughs Love out of your divine mouth, For now the hour of salvation strikes for us. Christ in Thy birth! Christ in Thy birth! The hour of salvation, planned from the beginning of time, came forth in a tiny babe at the appointment of God the Father. That baby was the Word; He spoke and the world was created, then later as a man He spoke again and the seas were stilled, the lame walked, the blind saw, the heart was transformed. As we draw closer to Christmas morning when we celebrate the birth of our Saviour, let us keep in mind what is truly important, our salvation. Jesu

You are a lion’s cub, Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness—who dares to rouse him? The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his ~ Genesis 49: 9, 10 This verse is interpreted of the Messiah, the son of David. He is compared to a young lion for his strength, his courage, and generosity, yet he has come to maturity as well. The time will come when the young cub will be as an old lion whom has arrived at his full strength. A full-grown lion is fierce, and dangerous to rouse when laid down. The kingly power is attributed not only to the lion, but to Christ, the Messiah. For He is the strongest, He is the mighty Saviour, His powers challenge all the powers of darkness as He vanquishes all enemies, leading “captivity captive”. Who will be able to stand before Him once He is angry? From Him the scepter sha

But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life ~ Titus 3:4-7 The kindness and love of God our Saviour is wrapped up in more than swaddling clothes, His divine outcome for us is wrapped up in the stripes He bore, and the nails which pierced Him, all for our sake. This is the mercy of God in all its fullness, that we did not have to do, but that He did for us! We cannot earn our way into God’s love, or into His kingdom, we cannot work our way into heaven. God loved us before we loved Him, God sent His Son that we might come before Him without shame or stain. When my children, and then consequently my grandchildren were born, they did not have to

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me’ ~ Matthew 25:40 Jesus’ followers had understood they had often ministered to their brothers and sisters in Christ, it was a given they would aid the poor and suffering saints. What they did not comprehend was that in their doing for their Christian brothers and sisters they were doing a personal service to Christ himself. This verse does not stand by itself, however, for the surrounding verses (31-46) talk about what was done for the saints which represented the doing for Christ himself. It is good that we minister to each other in Christ. It also shows the equality and acceptance of Jesus. For, though He is encouraging the care for those who need it by the wealthy, or the more affluent, so He cares for those who are the more needy. There is none who escape the love and vision of Jesus – wealthy and affluent, or the poor and downcast. All are equ

Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil so that I take part in wicked deeds along with those who are evildoers; do not let me eat their delicacies ~ Psalm 141:4 Interesting, isn’t it, how we may read this verse? Upon first reading, we might think God would actually allow our heart to be “drawn” toward what is evil, or what is against His righteous Being. God does not, nor ever will, be a positive influence in leading us toward that which is wrong. Perhaps more what the psalmist is saying is “do not place me in circumstances where I might be tempted, do not leave me to myself, and do not allow any improper influence to lead me astray.” Yesterday, I talked about our heart, and how it must not be divided, how it must be guarded, for from our heart come our desires, evil or good. When we allow our heart to lead us without God’s good guidance, we will partake in those things which will draw us away from Him and toward those things called wicked in His sight. Then, without this

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God ~ Matthew 5:8 Our heart is the region in which purity is found, for our heart is where our desires, affections, or our sin, is located. Those whom have a pure heart have a heart devoid of hate, or greed of gain, and of lust and want. Our heart will determine our outcome – for good or for evil. Jesus said we must guard our heart, and it is so. We are to ensure on a daily basis, sometimes an hourly one, that our thoughts and intents are for good for self and for others, and especially toward God. All we do in work, in our free time of enjoyment, in community with one another, must be guarded so that we do not live with an undivided heart. Our hearts must reflect the inward light of Christ. We do know we see only partially, “through a glass”, and our hearts are not perfect, we allow God’s Spirit to work in us and through us, and one day, we will be perfected in Christ. Until then, in that glass, we behold “the glory of the Lord.”

Let all your things be done with clarity ~ 1 Corinthians 16:14 This verse belongs directly to the verse above it, which calls us to stand fast in the faith, to be strong, like ‘men.’ So, really, we are to watch and be clear in all we do, all we say, all we think. We are to watch our relationship with God and be clear in His majesty, His relationship with us, that he is our Father, our Saviour, our Redeemer. We are to watch and be clear that we are never led astray to think of God as a mere ‘play toy’ in the sky, at the ready to bend to our command. We are then to watch and be clear in our prayer time…that we are seeking His face before we seek His hand, that we grant to him the honour and awe he is due, that we acknowledge he knows all things, is in all things, is above all things, and he knows what is best for all things, especially you and me. And, we are to be clear and watchful for our soul. Listen to the still small voice within, be clear that what we listen to and watch,