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Over the weekend I learned of a death in my family and also a death of a friend.

Father, I ask that you lift up the families and friends of those who die. Let us remember that when one of your children dies that they go to a much better home to be with you Lord.

Psalm 91:1-2 NIV
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord,“He is my refuge and my fortress, my God,in whom I trust.”

2 Corinthians 5:6-8 NIV
Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

There are a few books of the Bible that do not get studied often. Nahum was a prophet that little is known about. His book is short, but contains some powerful words concerning God's strength. Here are a few verses from Nahum chapter 1 in the NIV.

Verse 3:
The Lord is slow to anger and great in power; the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet.

Verse 5:
The mountains quake before him and the hills melt away. The earth trembles at his presence, the world and all who live in it.

Verse 7:
The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him

I hope everyone is enjoying this day that the Lord has made! Let's take a look at a few verses from another little known book: Habakkuk. The book was written as a conversation between God and the prophet.

The Lord is speaking to Habakkuk, giving him a revelation concerning the Babylonians impending destruction of Judah. The following verse tells us that when God's work is done the earth will be filled with the knowledge of His power.

Habakkuk 2:14 NIV
For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.

Habakkuk responds with a prayer to end the book. Here are the last verses.

Habakkuk 3:18-19 NIV
...I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.

There will be a small break from the devotional material. God willing, it will begin again on May 19. God's blessings on all of you while I am away. Prayers for my safe journey are welcome.

Let's go into this break with a few passages from two other books of prophecy: Zephaniah and Zechariah

Zephaniah 3:17 NIV
The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.

Zechariah chapter 9 includes a prophecy of the events of Palm Sunday.

Zechariah 9:9 NIV
Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Zechariah also prophesied about the time when the Lord comes to reign.

Zechariah 14:9 NIV
The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name.

The Christmas story has been put on my heart today. So in the middle of May, hear is the story of the birth of our Savior as written in Luke chapter 2.

Luke 2:1-20 NIV
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.

Keeping with the Christmas theme, let's look at the words of Matthew chapter 1 concerning the birth of Jesus Christ.

Matthew 1:18-25
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.”
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”– which means,“God with us.”
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

John used very different words to "introduce" Jesus to the world. In John Chapter 1 Jesus is referred to as the Word. John tells us that the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. I hope these words give you the same sense of joy and marvel that they give me each and every time I read them. Let me first reference Revelation before getting into John chapter 1.

Revelation 19:13 NIV
He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood and his name is the Word of God.

John 1:1-18 NIV
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God– children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying,“This was he of whom I said,‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’” From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known.

The Gospel of Mark begins to tell the story of Jesus at the time of His baptism.

Mark 1:1-11 NIV
The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

It is written in Isaiah the prophet:

“I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way”–
“a voice of one calling in the desert,‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’”

And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
John wore clothing made of camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And this was his message:“After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven:“You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

Let's conclude our celebration of Christmas in May, by looking at the story of the Magi visiting Jesus. It has been debated how important these men were and exactly when they showed up. But, we know for sure they came from a long way off to praise their King.

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked,“Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born.“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied,“for this is what the prophet has written:

”‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’”

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said,“Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 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 and of incense and of myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
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Enjoy a blessed holiday weekend. Be safe!

It seems that several posts have been deleted in the beginning of this thread. The link to the MySpace page is gone, so for those of you who are interested, here is the link.

www.myspace.com/live_in_the_lord

The world seems to care very little about the hazards of sexual immorality. You can find examples of adultery very easily on television, in print and on the internet. It is so pervasive, that I doubt a person alive can claim to be above the struggle with this sin in one form or another. The Bible makes it clear that sexual immorality is not acceptable and we will spend this week looking at various passages.

Exodus 20:14 NIV
“You shall not commit adultery.

Jesus spoke out against adultery in Matthew 5.

Matthew 5:27-28 NIV
“You have heard that it was said,‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Paul gave advice in Romans 13.

Romans 13:13-14 NIV
Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

Proverbs chapter 5 gives us the brilliant words of Solomon and his

warnings against adultery. Read it carefully and enjoy the artistic

words. But most importantly read that adultery can lead to utter

ruin.

Proverbs Chapter 5 NIV:
My son, pay attention to my wisdom, listen well to my words of

insight, that you may maintain discretion and your lips may preserve

knowledge. For the lips of an adulteress drip honey, and her speech

is smoother than oil; but in the end she is bitter as gall, sharp as a

double-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps lead

straight to the grave. She gives no thought to the way of life; her

paths are crooked, but she knows it not.
Now then, my sons, listen to me; do not turn aside from what I say.

Keep to a path far from her, do not go near the door of her house,

lest you give your best strength to others and your years to one who

is cruel, lest strangers feast on your wealth and your toil enrich

another man's house. At the end of your life you will groan, when

your flesh and body are spent. You will say,“How I hated discipline!
How my heart spurned correction! I would not obey my teachers or

listen to my instructors. I have come to the brink of utter ruin
in the midst of the whole assembly.”
Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well.
Should your springs overflow in the streets, your streams of water in

the public squares? Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with

strangers. May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the

wife of your youth. A loving doe, a graceful deer— may her breasts

satisfy you always, may you ever be captivated by her love. Why be

captivated, my son, by an adulteress? Why embrace the bosom of

another man's wife? For a man's ways are in full view of the Lord,

and he examines all his paths. The evil deeds of a wicked man

ensnare him; the cords of his sin hold him fast. He will die for

lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly.

In 1 Thessalonians, Paul writes to tell us ways we can live to please God, avoiding among other things, sexual immorality. He also writes about the salvation we have with the acceptance of Jesus Christ as our Lord.

1 Thessalonians 4:3-8 NIV
It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.
Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.

1 Thessalonians 5:9-11 NIV
For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

In Galatians chapter 5 we hear the good news of the Holy Spirit being on our side in the fight against our sinful nature. When you accept Christ Jesus as your Savior, you receive the Holy Spirit as your guide. So, live by the Spirit and gain the good fruits that are freely offered. Love, joy and peace be with you. Amen!

Galatians 5:16-26 NIV
So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
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Have a blessed weekend. Praise God!

Happy Monday! Over the weekend God lead me to the Psalms. In particular Psalm 51. I would guess many of you have said or probably sung variations of this Psalm in your worship. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord!

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me!

Psalm 51 NIV
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.
Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you. Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. In your good pleasure make Zion prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem. Then there will be righteous sacrifices, whole burnt offerings to delight you; then bulls will be offered on your altar.

Yesterday we saw King David confess his sins in the Psalms. David asked for a pure heart and for help from the Holy Spirit. He asked for forgiveness and salvation. Now you ask; is it that simple? Confess to God, ask for forgiveness and then just expect to receive it freely? Is it really that easy? Yes of course and it is confirmed in these words from the Prophets Ezekiel and Isaiah.

Ezekiel 18:30-32 NIV
“Therefore, O house of Israel, I will judge you, each one according to his ways, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!

Isaiah 55:6-7 NIV
Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

The book of 1 John also tells us about forgiveness and salvation that can be found in Christ Jesus. Thank you Jesus for showing us the light. Amen! Let's walk in the light with Jesus.

1 John chapter 1 NIV
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched–this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.
We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.

I find that whenever you struggle in life to find the right words, it always helps to seek out an expert. Is there a greater expert on forgiveness and salvation than Jesus? If you find one greater, let me know. Here are a few examples of Jesus words from the book of John.

John 6:28-29 NIV
Then they asked him,“What must we do to do the works God requires?”
Jesus answered,“The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

John 8:12 NIV
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said,“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 8:31-36 NIV
To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said,“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
They answered him,“We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”
Jesus replied,“I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

I pray that all of you had a great week. Of course the most recognizable verse on love and salvation is John 3:16. Let's look at a few verses before and after this great quote from Jesus. Again and again we read that eternal life is gained through faith in Jesus. Amen!

John 3:14-21 NIV
Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”
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Have a safe and blessed weekend!

Are you feeling the stress of the times? Do you feel like you are at the end of your rope? We can find refuge and rest in our Lord, Jesus.

Matthew 11:28-30 NIV
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

1 Peter 5:7 NIV
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.