Boxing day [Acts 6/7 ]

The day after Christmas is known as Boxing day in this country and some other countries,so why is it called Boxing day,one of the reasons is connected to tradesmen collecting boxes with gifts in them from satisfied customers, it has nothing to do with the gentle art of boxing.But it is also known as Saint Stephens day, Stephen was the first Christian martyr, we read about him in the book of Acts 6-7. he was one of seven people who were chosen to be responsible for overseeing the practical help given to widows.Many see the seven as the first deacons,the term deacon is given to one who serves, as an office in the church its qualifications were very demanding [ cp 1 Timothy 3 v8 - 13 ].This office and that of elders gave a necessary structure to the leadership of the local church. Now what kind of man was Stephen?, Acts 6 v 5/8 tells us he was a man full of faith ,and of the Holy Ghost and of power. So here we have a mighty man of God, but a humble man, who was willing to be a servant, I believe the greatness of a Christian is shown in servanthood. In serving others we are following in the steps of our Saviour [ John 13 v 4 -17 ] and His defination of true greatness [Luke 22 v26 ]
A prayer.... Dear Saviour help us to be Your servants,to follow in Your footstep, Amen .

No ordinary chid. [ Isaiah 9 v 6 -7 ]

Christ came into an imperfect world, people we are told ,sit in darkness , and in the shadow of death[ Luke 1 v79 ],this is so true of so many places, in this world today. Mybe this applies to were you live, nothing changes in this world, only the setting alters, in the horn of Africa ,death stalks the land as thousands starve to death, in Colombia hundreds of children have been killed by land mines.The angel of death stalks this world, and no one will escape him,sooner or later he will catch up with us, does this fill you with fear?. But consider why Christ came,/To give light......and to guide our feet into the way of peace [Luke 1 v79 ] It is only Jesus who is the light of the world that can deliver us from darkness , and it is only the Prince of Peace ,Jesus who can bring us into the way of peace.If we open our hearts and lives to Him we shall not walk in darkness,and we shall know peace and walk in peace. Remember the babe of Christmas was no ordinary babe ,He came from heaven to earth, He would grow this God child , to become the God man,who through His death and resurrection, would bring life and immortality to all who accept Him as their Saviour.
A prayer..../Dear God on this Christmas day we praise You for Jesus ,Your dear Son,grant that even today many will come to know Him. Amen /

The greatest gift of all. [ 2 Corintthians 9 v 15 ]

It was Clement Clarke Moore who wrote, / Twas the night before Christmas,when all through the house,not a creature was stirring,not even a mouse/. I am sure we all remember the night before Christmas as children and as parents, I most certaintly do,when I was young money was scarce ,as it was for a lot of people. As a parent I remember putting the presents under the tree, of buying a turkey,and preparing it, and indeed cooking it,slowly during the night. All that is a memory now, but a pleasent one,memories are important especially good ones,I suppose that is what Christmas is for many, a trip down memory lane but of course it is more than that .It is a declaration of not Santa but a Saviour , not a mythical pretend person, but a flesh and blood person,called Jesus, who didnt come from a mythical planet but from heaven itself, to bring unto all of us the greatest gift of all, Himself.
A prayer.....Dear God we thank from the bottom of our hearts for Jesus the greatest gift of all. Amen /

Ostacles. [Matthew 15 v 21 - 28 ]

We said yesterday that these wise men possible came from Persia, in other words they travelled thousands of miles.Thousands of miles , this was not in a modern convenience,however we look at it,they took on a tremendous task. But here is the important thing they never turned back, they just kept on going,day after day, over rough and smooth terraine,irrespective of the cost, irrespective of any hardships,they just kept on going.They travelled thousands of miles to find Christ,if men would but seek they would find Christ, like those wise men of old. There may have been many obstacles in thier way,but they just kept on going until they found Him, He was that important to them,nothing was going to stop them, He was the most important person in the world to them.Let me ask the question, how important is Christ to you?,would you be willing to travel even a short journey to find Him?.I dont believe that God puts obstacles in our way, but rather He shows us the obstacles that we have erected,and then gives us the challege, to remove them[ Matthew 19 v21 ]Again let us consider those very wise men, when they set out on their journey ,they overcame every obstacle in order to find Jesus, and the good news is they did.
A prayer..../Dear God we thank You for the wise men for not only were they wise ,but they just kept on going,inspite of the obstacles, help us to follow in their footsteps, in Jesus name Amen /

Not the norm. [ Hebrews 1 v 1 -3 ]

Let us consider the wise men, we dont know how many there were,that is not important,why they came that is the important thing,to find Jesus, that is the most important thing ,not just for the wise men ,but for all of us. It is thought they came from Persia near the site of ancient Babylon , my study Bible declares, that they could have been Jews who had remained in Babylon after the exile , some think that were astrologers.We read in the book of Hebrews 1v1,/Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways/.this is one of these times, many years ago while at Bible college a student called Billy, told how he heard a religious program, which was any thing but sound,but through it he trusted Jesus. This is not the norm, but it is in Gods hands and wisdom, to reach people as He sees fit,the main thing to all this is, He does not lead anyone into error but into truth , and He who is the truth even Jesus as He is revealed in His word.Let me say ,we must, I stress must, stay within Gods revealed truth , the word of God.
A prayer...... Dear God and Father we realize that we cannot tie You down as to how You may choose to work,but help us that we may not be drawn into anything that is in error,in Jesus name we ask this. Amen .

What if?. [ Isaiah 55 v 8-13 ]

The thought struck me what if the wise men had turned and gone home , what if the shepherds had ignored what the angels said? what if, now I know we can apply these words to so many things.What if Mary and Joseph had not wanted a baby,and had an abortion?,yes what if?,what if Herod had been sincere,and surrendered His throne, what if?. What if Christ had not come?. The fact of the matter is,none of those things happened,a lot of people wish that those things had happened.The wise men did not give up,the shepherds did not ignor what the angels told them, Mary and Joseph did not have an abortion, Christ did come, the fact is, nothing can stand in the way and purposes of God . I wonder if you have an, what if?,but God has no what if,s, what He says will come to past, what He plans will come to past,in an uncertain world,we can have faith in a sovereign God,His purposes and plans for our lives will come to pass,it may tarry but it will happen, with God all things are possible[ Matthew 19 v26 ]
A prayer......Dear God ,the what if,s are many in life,they make us feel unsettled, and even dissatisfied, help us to trust in Your certain purposes,in Jesus name . Amen/

Out with the old.[ John 4 v 21- 24 ]

I was listening to the radio in the car today, and a speaker spoke how when Christians visit the church of the nativity,many poor Palestinian Christians,mention how these Christian pilgrims never notice them. I wonder why the place where Moses was buried was kept a secret? [Deuteronomy 34 v 6 ] could it be God did it as a safeguard, to prevent an idolatrous practice coming into place. I ask the question why did people die and kill for Jerusalem? does Bethlehem or Jerusalem matter now?do they matter more than those dear Palistinies, who are ,our brothers and sisters in Christ, I dont believe so.Our Saviour made it clear that Jerusalem lost its significance, when the new covenant came in.[cp John 4 v21-24 ] One just has to read the book of Hebrews, to see that the old has been swept away, the new has come, in the person and work of Jesus, holy places so called are of no consequences now , their use is finished. Visit them if you must, but not as a holy place that we need to defend with our lives, or even preserve, and difinitely not as places we need to kill for.
A prayer...../Dear God we thank You that our relationship is not dependant on so called holy places, or buildings,or priests,or festivals ,or works, but on Jesus ,we ask that He will always take the highest station, praise His name Amen/