Living By The Word

"D o not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." (Isaiah 43:18-19)   A heartfelt Happy New Year is my wish to each of my valued social media friends, and I offer special thanks to those of you who faithfully read my devotional posts. As we prepare for the coming of 2025, I pray for good health, bountiful prosperity, and genuine peace of mind for you and your families.   Personally speaking, I have learned that true peace and fulfillment in life are attainable only by the grace of God through a faith-based relationship with Jesus Christ. For those of us who know Jesus as our Lord and Savior, I pray for a closer, more intimate daily walk with Him in the year ahead as we yield our hearts to the transformative power "Christ in us" that Colossians 1:27 calls " the hope of glory."   As...

  “ For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,   not of works, lest anyone should boast. ” (Ephesians 2:8-9) As the New Year approaches, that Christmas tree is looking lonely and abandoned. The beautifully-wrapped presents that had been piled underneath have been opened, and the mounds of wrapping paper, ribbons, and packing materials have been deposited in the garbage heap. As you reflect on the Christmas just past, I hope you and your family members greatly delighted in opening those gifts, but, more importantly, that you joyfully appreciated the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of the Savior who came to deliver mankind from the penalty of sin.   Members of my generation may recall the well-known advertising slogan “the gift that keeps on giving,” a catch phrase dating back many years that was once used successfully by various companies to promote and sell their products, especial...

  “ And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed.” (Luke 1:45-48) In the Christmas story told in Luke’s Gospel, we see in Mary, the earthly mother of Jesus Christ, an example of faith that we should seek to follow. Sent by God to tell the young virgin that she’d been chosen to give birth to the Son of God and the Savior of mankind, the angel Gabriel said: “ Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name  Jesus .  (Luke 1:30-32) Responding to her obvious question of how that could be, Gabriel explained that Mary, who had never known a man intimately, would be overcome by the Holy Spirit and overshadowed by “the power of the Highest.” (Luke 1:35) Mary’s obedient answer to this shocking announcement showed a ...

  “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:14) Christmas is regarded as the season of peace on earth, glad tidings, and goodwill toward men that the lowly birth and merciful earthly mission of Jesus Christ made possible. However, as we clearly see in the news headlines of the day, this evil world that has been under Satan’s dominion since sin’s entry is anything but a place of peace and tranquility. There is no peace on earth apart from a personal, faith-based relationship with Christ through whom God’s grace flows and His gift of eternal life is given. Jesus said “ that   in Me you may have peace.   In the world you w ill have tribulation; but be of good cheer,   I have overcome the world.”   (John 16:33) Not the fleeting pursuits of this world but the presence of Christ in our hearts brings lasting peace.   “ Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you...

  “Blessed is the man who trusts in the  Lord , and whose hope is the  Lord .” (Jeremiah 17:7) Christmas is the season of hope! As Christians around the world celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ, we can rejoice in the hope that is ours because the Son of God chose to set aside His heavenly glory, enter humanity, and, in obedience to His Father’s will, fulfill a divine purpose. Because of Christmas, believers have a present and eternal hope without which our earthly lives would be meaningless and devoid of purpose. The world was hopelessly lost in sin, dead spiritually, and doomed to an eternity apart from our righteous Creator, when God demonstrated the greatest love imaginable by sending the incarnate Christ to live a sinless life among us and to die for us so that we might have forgiveness of our sins and the blessed assurance of abundant and everlasting life. “ For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the  Lord , thoughts o...

“ For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given…And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. ” (Isaiah 9:6) We all have different perspectives, and if you ask folks what Christmas means to them personally, you’re likely to get a wide variety of responses. Putting aside its commercialism and maddening frenzy, Christmas is a season of wonders. Enduring symbols of this time of wonderment are beautifully-wrapped gifts, brightly-illuminated trees, carefully-prepared feasts, well-rehearsed church plays and cantatas, beautifully-inspiring nativity scenes along with cheery expressions of goodwill among men. Dearly beloved Christmas traditions help to preserve the past and give rise to precious new memories. Above all, however, our focus at Christmas should be to honor and adore Jesus Christ, our glorious Redeemer whose name is called “Wonderful.” “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they sha...

“ Oh, sing to the  Lord  a new song! For He has done marvelous things…Shout joyfully to the  Lord , all the earth; Break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises. ” (Psalm 98:1, 4) “Joy to the world, the L ORD is come! Let earth receive her king.” Capturing the glorious essence of Christmas, the lyrics of this beloved carol, inspired by Psalm 98 and penned by English minister Isaac Watts in 1719, ring out praises to the L ORD Jesus Christ as an expression of the abounding joy that fills our hearts as Christians. We should be overcome with rapturous joyfulness and rejoicing when we are reminded of why the incarnate Christ came to earth, born of a virgin in a lowly stable in Bethlehem. Jesus faithfully fulfilled His redemptive mission to free us from the penalty and punishment of our sins so that we could have salvation and life, abundant and everlasting! “ But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfu...

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten   Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.     For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:16-17) This Christmas season, let’s keep firmly in mind that the Son of God Jesus Christ was sent into the world as God incarnate, both God and man, on a mission of mercy. Having faithfully completed His redemptive task, Jesus told His Father in heaven, “ I have glorified You on the earth.   I have finished the work   which You have given Me to do. ” (John 17:4) During the course of His three-year earthly ministry, Jesus performed many miracles that demonstrated His deity. Christ also taught powerful lessons of love, forgiveness, and compassion to guide humanity in our relationships with each other. And the L ORD set the supreme example of how to live in ways that please God and magnify His glory....

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)   With the appearing of its beautiful blossoms annually, this treasured Christmas cactus has faithfully heralded the coming of the season of celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for as long as I can remember. This beloved houseplant brings to my mind fond memories of my dear mom, the late Willie Mae Ray, who gave it to me as a precious gift many years ago.   “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions (mercies) fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23)   The regularity of its blossoming around Christmas time each year also reminds me of the great faithfulness of Christ to accomplish His earthly mission to redeem humanity from sin and to give everyone the opp...