August 2  2008

The Dedication of Christ

By: Timothy E. Davis

 “The child’s mother and father marveled at what was said about him.  The Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother,” this child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel , and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.  And a sword will pierce your own soul, too.’ Luke 2:33-36 (TLB)

  Mary and Joseph have gone to the temple to dedicate Jesus to the lord.  It was required by the law of moses that every firstborn son be dedicated to Jehovah.  Even though they knew of the future of their son, and who he was going to grow up to be, they still followed the Jewish laws on circumcision and female purity after the birth of a child.

 Surely their hearts would have been brimming with pride; hearing such glorious things being said by the prophets and their little baby, just eight days old.  The tiny Redeemer, messiah, King of kings, and the son of almighty god.

 But Mary also received the news that she would lose her first born son in a terrible and painful way. (A sword shall pierce your own soul, too. Luke 2:35 (TLB)    This foreshadowed the agony of Christ on the cross, as mary stood there and watched the life slowly fade from her tortured and abused son's Murder.  even as she wept, she took comfort in knowing his kingdom was not ending, but would extend for eternity.
 

Jesus bought your freedom at a great price.  Your forgiveness and right standing with God was paid for with his lifeblood.  It soaked into the arrid ground of Mount Calvary almost 2008 years ago, and has been cleansing the hearts of believers ever since.  There is one who stands between us and Paradise.  He is the Son of Almighty God, Jesus Christ.  Won't you ask Him to forgive your sins today?  You have no promise of tommorow.
 

 Daily Manna July 9

 

Walking Deep In The Shadows

By: Timothy E. Davis

 

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."   Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

 

  Our lives are not guaranteed to be trouble free. You did not sign a contract with God in which He promised to only send you wine and chocolates.  To borrow from an old seventies song, Jehovah never promised you a rose garden. We will all  have seasons when we must walk in the dark and deep shadows.

We will feel abandoned by our King, alone, and uncertain.

 

But He has given us a promise for all eternity.  A promise that never expires, a covenant never to be altered.  In  Deuteronomy 31:8,  we are told "The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed."   No, the Master has not promised we will never have to walk in the long, dark, shadows, but He has given His inalterable Word we will not be walking through them alone

    

 

   Jesus: The Key to Eternal Life

By: Timothy E. Davis

                                            
"I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am
alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death
and Hades."  Revelation 1:18 (NIV)

I think everyone has shared the experience of standing
in the rain, at night, going through the keys,
desperately trying to find one that fits the door.
You may have a lot of keys that look like the door
key, but they do not fit.  There is only one key that
is the right key, and, once you find it, you do not
have to look anymore.

Christ is the key to the gates of Heaven.  We are
issued this key after we do two things.  First,
accepting Messiah's death on the cross as the free
gift that reconciles us with the Father, and washes
away all our sins, with the blood of Jesus.  Secondly,
we must accept the Master's broken and beaten body, as
the clothes that cover our sinfulness.  Once these two
things are done, our standing with the Father is
reconciled, our sins are remembered no more. 

God scatters them as far away as the east is from the
west, and no longer sees us as sinners who anger him,
but as children that love him. Then we know that we
hold the key to the riches and glories of Heaven, and
we can stop wasting time with all the keys that don't
fit.

                                   


     
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                            

   

 

 

 

 


 


 

                                                                                                                         

 

        

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                         

Wasting God’s Blessing: Abusing Our Freedom

        By: Timothy E. Davis

 

“Finally, I stood before the Lord in great embarrassment; then I fell to my knees and lifted my hands to the Lord, and cried out, O my God, I am  ashamed; I blush to lift up my face, for our sins are piled higher than  our heads and our guilt is as boundless as the heavens.”  Ezra 9:5-6 (TLB)

 

The words of the Holy Spirit, spoken through Ezra thousands of years ago, ring with such an eternal truth that they seem as fresh as today’s newspaper.  In the United States, indeed, our sins are piled higher than the mountains, and idolatry has replaced the Master as an object of worship.  But not idols such as golden calves and wooden statues.  We worship at the altar of Celebrity.  We worship at the altar of wealth.  And we worship at the twin altars of pride and arrogance.  Even many churches are filled with members worshiping these idols, instead of the Lord Almighty.

Oh, how I long for a modern day Ezra to step up to a microphone, in humbleness and shame, and cry out to God to heal our sin polluted land.  How I long to see a national leader fall on their face before our Master, and beg forgiveness of its citizens.  Our football stadiums are packed every Saturday, while many churches are practically empty each Sunday.  Oh, what mighty blessings would God give to a President that takes to his knees, rips his shirt, and falls facedown before the Lord of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and cries pardon for his own sins and those of his people?  We know the Lord longs to give his children good things. 

 We do know this will be literally true one day; that at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow and each tongue will confess that Jesus is the Son of the Living God. We should stop bowing down to the sewage Hollywood is exporting to us. More people know about Lindsay Lohan’s latest trip to the drug and alcohol rehab center than could name a single prophecy concerning the coming of our Messiah, Jesus the Christ!   We should remember that all the gold in the world, will not buy you into Heaven. All your gold is like sewage to God; yet you lie, steal, and cheat to get even more.   Even your church membership card, Ordination Certificate, or Minister’s License will not do it.    Blood was poured out to get you into Heaven, and only that blood, and NOTHING ELSE, will open the gates. Anything else is a waste of God’s Blessing.   For most, it will be far too late when they realize that they have soiled the freedom Jesus died to give them.   

Copyright 2007 Spotless Lamb Ministries, Inc.  For Copyright Notice, permission to reprint, and ways to support this Christian ministry, please visit www.spotlesslamb.org 

 

 

 

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