The Message of the Wise Men

This is Fifth in a series of five about the messages that God sends to us through the Christmas Season.  The first four are still available for reading on my blog.

***************

The Message of the Wise Men

“Where is He who has been born King of the of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” Matthew 2:2

Almost everyone knows the story of the star shining over the stable in Bethlehem where Jesus was born.  While it’s a wonderful story regarding the birth of our Savior, there is more to it than that.  It brings up many questions; where did the star come from; why was it so big and is it even true?  The scriptural truth is that there was no star over Bethlehem on the night Jesus was born.  However, a great star appeared to some Wise Men in the Far East on the night Jesus was born. It signified that the King of the Jews was born. 

Tradition shows that the wise men came at time of Jesus birth, however this is not true; they came at a later time; possibly a month to over a year or more later.  We know this from ancient studies and charting of the stars.  We also know that these Wise Men had to travel, many months or years by camel, to reach Bethlehem from the Far East.

Some traditional views say there were three wise men, but no one really knows how many there were; only that three gifts were mentioned.  We also know they followed a Star.  Bible scholars as well as scientists have studied this phenomenon for uncountable years and all have different opinions and possibilities.  However, if you believe the Bible to truly be the Word of God, there is no doubt in my mind that it happened the way the Bible says it did. 

One source, the Bible itself, may hold one clue.  In Numbers 24:17 (NLT) is a prophecy that God told Balaam speak:  “I see him, but not here and now. I perceive him, but far in the distant future. A star will rise from Jacob; a scepter will emerge from Israel.”  This scripture tells us some interesting facts; far in the future from Balaam’s time, something was going to occur and a “Star” was going to appear and it would come from the line of Jacob.

In Matthew beginning in chapter one, tells the genealogy of Jesus Christ and part of that is Jacob, grandson of Abraham.  Fourteen generations later, Jesus is born in Bethlehem.  Then, in Numbers 24, it speaks of a scepter, which the dictionary describes as a symbolic staff or wand held in the hand by a ruling king as an item of power and a sense of divinity.  This scepter will come out of Israel.  Written centuries before Jesus was born, totally covered what happened that night in Bethlehem. 

At the time of Jesus birth, there was no mention of the shepherds seeing a star; only about the angel of the Lord and then a multitude of angels all praising God. Apparently, the star did not appear until we read about the Wise Men in Matthew 2, beginning with verse one. These men came from the East which was far away from Bethlehem.  They studied the stars and discovered one star that stood out from the others. This star, which they called “His Star”, proclaimed a King was born in Bethlehem of Judea.  They left their country and the star appeared to go before them.

They stopped at King Herod’s palace and asked him if he knew of a new king that was born.  Herod was evil and told them to continue their search and come back to him so he could go and worship him.  Herod really wanted to kill the new born King, but God warned the wise men in a dream to go back to their country another way. When the Wise Men didn’t return after a length of time, King Herod sent his soldiers to Bethlehem to kill all the babies under two years old.  This is another clue that by the time Herod heard about it, Jesus may have been closer to 2 years old.

When the Wise Men left Herod, they continued their search and the star went before them until it came to Bethlehem and stopped over the place where Jesus was. The Bible says they came to the house where Jesus was and fell down and worshipped Him.   Their search was ended; it had been a long journey, but they had searched until they found the Child.

This is the Message of the Wise Men, “Search for Him until you find Him!”  Then worship Him!  Friends, we all need a Savior; this whole world needs a Savior.  If you don’t know Jesus as your Savior, search for Him.  He is not hiding, but is waiting for you at this moment.  Call to Him and he will come to you.  It is your heart that needs to search for him and not your feet.  When you find him, He will be with you forever and ever.

May this coming year be one of peace, love and contentment and the joy of knowing the Lord of Eternal Life.                                                                                                                                          Happy New Year



The Night Before Christmas

The Night Before Christmas

T’was the night before Christmas and all through the house,

Not a creature was stirring; not even a mouse?

Wait just a minute; I know it’s not true;

There was one little mouse who appeared out of the blue.

It was not quite Christmas; I was alone in the house

Except for my cat, who I know smelled a mouse.

I rose up from my chair; around the corner I peeked

Took a quick look and started to shriek.

My cat’s tail was whipping as he lay on the floor;

He kept sniffing and looking at my stove’s oven door.

As I stood there staring, beady eyes appeared,

Above the stoves drawer was a sight that I feared.

I shrieked once again and ran out of the room;

And quick as I could I picked up the broom.

I first called my husband who was working that day;

There’s a mouse in the house, “I may pass away.”

I then called my sister, “I am trapped in my house.”

What’s wrong?” she asked. “We have a mouse!”

“Oh, no,” she said, “Just stay on the phone.”

Feet in chair, till my husband got home.

He did what he could to catch that nasty mouse,

He chased it this way and that, all over the house.

“Buying a trap,” he said, as he walked out the door,

Just then that mouse began running all over the floor.

Gracie, our cat was running hot on its trail,

While I, with feet in the air, let out a loud wail.

My husband came home and with help from the cat,

Finished that mouse with a broom and a bat.

We were all exhausted and I was suffering from trauma

So we readied for bed after all of that drama.

We climbed into bed and pulled up the covers

We each said our prayers and kissed one another.

And I heard him exclaim as he rolled over in bed,

Sleep well, my darling ...... the mouse is dead!

 

 

 

 

The Message of Jesus Birth

The Message of Jesus Birth

             “Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields,                  

keeping watch over their flock by night.”  Luke 2:8

Almost everyone knows the story of the birth of Jesus Christ, Savior of the world.  We know how and why Jesus and Mary traveled to Bethlehem and how Jesus was born in either a stable or a cave.  We know it was a place where animals stayed because the Baby Jesus was placed in a manger.  While it’s a wonderful story regarding the birth of our Savior, there is far more to it than that.

If you really want to think deeper on this, imagine being in a place where animals stayed.  The smell was surely heavy with animal dung.  I’m sure fresh hay was put in an empty manger and no doubt covered with some kind of covering, and this newborn was wrapped in swaddling clothes.  It must have been cold and probably all they had to cover themselves for warmth, was a cloak.  I often wondered if someone from the village came to help deliver Jesus or did inexperienced Joseph help Mary to deliver the Child.  It was surely a traumatic event in the life of a teenage girl and a man who knew he had not fathered this baby. 

Mary and Joseph must have tried to settle down for the night when they heard a commotion outside the entrance.  They must have been frightened, because robbery was a common thing in those days, although this young couple certainly had nothing of value.  There must have been some conversation between Joseph and the shepherds before they entered the place where baby Jesus lay. Perhaps the shepherds told them what happened out on the hillside.  The shepherds were excited as they related the event that brought them to see the Baby. 

 “Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger. Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”   Luke 2:9-14 

 

There is no mention of the shepherds seeing a star; apparently the star did not appear the night Jesus was born and we hear nothing about its appearance until we read about the wise men, whose story will be told next week.

 

The one thing they did was to see the Babe themselves and everything was just as the angel had told them.  They told everyone they saw about the angelic visit and the baby that was born.  When they returned to the fields, they were praising and glorifying God.  This is what really happened the night Jesus was born.  Movies, books, pictures and Christmas cards give a different story of a stable; shepherds and wise men all kneeling around baby Jesus and a big star shining down on the stable.  It makes a lovely picture, although not a true one. 

Let’s look into the Old Testament at the prophecies that were fulfilled when Jesus was born.  Isaiah 7:14 tells that Jesus mother will be a virgin, Micah 5:2 says the Jesus would be born in Bethlehem; Genesis 49:10 tells us that he would come from the tribe of Judah.  Prophecy also tells of his life, death by crucifixion, resurrection and ascension into heaven. These things were foretold hundreds of years before Jesus birth.  These are just a few of many prophecies in the Bible that came true with the birth of Jesus.

Now, let us go deeper into the Message of Jesus Birth.  The message is this:  God sent his son, Jesus to save the world and set sinners free!  John 3:16, “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.”   This is the message of the birth of Jesus Christ. 

There is no other way to be in heaven when you die, except to believe that Jesus is the Son of God and confess our sins, asking Him to forgive us.  The Bible says we must be “born again” and that means that after we invite Jesus into our spiritual heart, we change the way we lived in the past.  We put aside the worldly things that have kept us in place of discontent and unhappiness and turn to trusting in the Lord who gives us joy and strength.  You can receive this new life right now by asking Jesus to come into your life and heart.  This is the best Christmas gift you’ll ever have and it lasts for eternity.

Merry Christmas

 

The Message of the Tree

This is Third in a series of five about the messages that God sends to us through the Christmas Season.

 The Message of the Tree

“For you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace; the mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing before you, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.”   Isaiah 55:12

God created trees as part of his plan and as with all his creation, they also praise him.  I love trees and am always amazed at their changing through seasons.  You may think all trees are green, but riding along a road, you will find they are such a variety of green that you can’t describe the true color. In the fall, the colors are so amazing, you may wish you were an artist to capture it on a canvas.

However there is one tree that does not change year around and that is the fir tree.  The Psalms even speak of fir trees: “Where the birds make their nests; the stork has her home in the fir trees.” (Psalm 104:17)  God knew the importance of the trees and throughout the Bible they are mentioned many times, such as the ‘Cedars of Lebanon and the use of making musical instruments.  In the early 1800’s, Germany being one of the first, began decorating trees with fruit, candies and candles, and putting them in their homes. Eventually the practice moved to Canada and then to the United States.

It soon became a tradition to have Christmas trees in homes around the world.  The star on the top represents the birth of our Savior and a tree top angel reminds us of the angel’s proclamation of Jesus being born.  Any other reason to have a Christmas tree is strictly a decorating idea. There was a period of time that Christians were told it was evil to have a tree in their house. It came from a scripture in Jeremiah 10:3-4, “For the customs of the peoples are futile; for one cuts a tree from the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the ax. They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with nails and hammers so that it will not topple.”  Now the problem was that they didn’t read on, because in verse 5, scripture tells us to not be afraid because they can’t do any evil. 

Christmas Trees are not idols, nor are they evil; they are a tradition that brings joy to children and adults as well.  The tradition is for us to enjoy God’s creation of the fir tree and sing carols and traditional songs.  I don’t see that singing I’m ‘Dreaming of a White Christmas’ is wrong.  All carols we sing were written by men; not God.

I want to share a poem written in the 1800’s by Joyce Kilmer.

Trees

I think that I shall never see, a poem lovely as a tree

A tree whose hungry mouth is pressed against the earth’s sweet flowing breast;

A tree who looks at God all day, and lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear, a nest of Robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain; who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me, but only God can make a tree. 

I have loved this poem since my mother read it to me as a child.  I do not worship trees and I don’t know of anyone who personally does.  God gave us trees for many uses and one is to enjoy.  So as you decorate your tree this year, remember that God is sending you a message and it is this; we should be filled with joy, clapping our hands and singing praises to God our Father, for sending us his Son, Jesus Christ.  God has created all things for our pleasure, even the fir tree.

 

 

THE MESSAGE OF THE GIFTS

This is second in a series of five about the messages that God sends to us throughout this wondrous Christmas Season. 

The Message of the Gifts

 “And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.”                                                                                                  Matthew 2:11 (ESV)

This time of year is noted as part of celebrating Christmas.  We wander through stores, search the internet and use our skills to make gifts for others.  We tend to spend money we don’t have; use credit cards, or whatever it takes to find the perfect gifts for family, friends and co-workers.  Why do we do this?

Gift giving originally was part of honoring God.  From the days of Adam and Eve, “By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.”   Hebrews 11:4 (NKJV) We read where Abraham gave gifts and so on through the Bible gifts were given; not only to honor God, but to others.

When we come into the Christmas season, we think more about the visit of the Wiseman after the birth of Jesus.  They came bearing gifts for the newborn King.  Those gifts were very costly and truly fit for a King, but that is not why we give gifts at Christmas.  As Christians, we give because it is a way to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  For those who are not Christians, they give just to give; they have parties, drinking and carousing just for the fun of it.

 Giving gifts at a time of celebration began with the Jewish Feast of ‘Purim’ and is still honored by Jews today.  In the book of Esther in the Old Testament, Queen Esther’s husband, the King of Persia set the Jews free after an evil plot to kill all of them.  This celebration is in memory of their freedom and was part of feasting, music and gift-giving to each other and to the poor.  You can read about this in Esther, Chapter 2.

God believes in ‘gifts’ because the Bible tells us that God, the Father has given many spiritual gifts to us, his children.  Some ignore these gifts, but praise the Lord for those that are open to using the Gifts God gave to them. In Matthew 7:11, the Bible tells us how much God wanted you to have his gifts:  “So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.”

Now, back to the question above, “Why do we give gifts at Christmas?”  For some, it’s to show off by giving the most expensive gifts, and for some, they give because it’s expected by them.  While others search and search to find the ‘right’ gift that they think the recipient would like to have; some just give without thought.  Many agree that homemade gifts are the best, because it takes effort, thought and time to make them.

The truth is, that giving to those who can’t return the favor is really part of God’s plan, because it honors Him.  There are many organizations such as ‘Toy’s for Tots’ that need your help, or places like the Salvation Army.  Perhaps your church has a program to give Christmas boxes, or a family you know of that needs help.  There is no greater feeling than helping others.  Let your heart guide you this Christmas even if you don’t have much to give.  God is honored with all of it, big or small.

As for me, I love my family so much and I find such joy in giving to them of what I have. The greatest gift I can give is my love and my prayers to each of them and to my friends as well.  I would encourage you to think carefully about what gifts you are planning on giving this year.  Sending a card with kind words to those who are bound in their homes, or those far away, is a gift of love. Find someone to share with, of what God has given you.

The message of gift-giving is, or should be, all about sharing the Love of God.  Happy giving!

The Message of the Bells

This is first in a series of five about the messages that God sends to us through the Christmas Season.  I sincerely hope you read all five because it will give you an in-depth look at why we do the things we do during this wondrous season.

The Message of the Bells

“On that day even the harness bells of the horses will be inscribed with these words:
 HOLY TO THE LORD.”     Zachariah 14:20 (NLT)

With the Christmas season comes the ringing of bells, from music blaring from speakers everyplace you go to the Salvation Army ringing their bells on every corner.  Some people don’t like it, but I love to hear the bells ringing.  If you think about it, bells are telling you a story.  Why don’t you sit back and relax and listen to what they are telling you.

For some people the bells are saying, “Christmas is coming, Christmas is coming”!  To others they might sound like, “Buy presents; buy presents” and others may hear, “Spend more money; spend more money”.  Children listen to the bells and they hear, “Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus”.  What a variety of stories the bells tell.

We can all agree that the bells are announcing a coming event.  As Christians there is only one story they ring out and one thing they announce and that is “Jesus is coming; Jesus is coming”.  Traditionally the bells are rung to tell of the Christ Child’s birth and continue today.  However, there are many different kinds of bells and the message that they tell.

Church bells came into use as early as 400 AD and gradually over the years became a tradition for most Christian faiths.  Today church bells ring to call people to worship; at times they ring for funerals and especially at Christmas to remind people of the coming of the Savior.  Other bells give out the message that there is a fire or other drastic problems. In Victorian times, it was very fashionable to go carol singing with small hand bells to play the tune of the carol. Sometimes there would only be the bells and no singing! Hand bell ringing is still popular today and bells are rung during Christmas holidays to announce the arrival of the season.

Little bells attached to the door of a store, send the message that someone has entered their shop.  Of course there are the hand bells that ring out full harmonious songs.  Others join in with orchestras and choirs around the world.  Listen to the stories these bells are telling us to proclaim the birth of Christ.

Many Christmas carols proclaim bell ringing: “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”, “Ring Out Wild Bells”,  “The Carol of the Bells”, and “The Coventry Carol”.  Then it flows into the secular songs: “Silver Bells”, “Jingle Bells”, “Ring out the Old” and “Jingle Bell Rock”.  I’m sure there are many more. 

One of my favorite Christmas Carols is “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”.

“I heard the bells on Christmas Day, Their old familiar Carols play,

And wild and sweet the words repeat; of peace on earth, good will to men.

I thought as now this day had come, the belfries of all Christendom.

 

Had rung so long, the unbroken song of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head; “There is no peace on earth,” I said,

“For hate is strong and mocks the song, of Peace on earth, good will to men.”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep; “God is not dead, nor does He sleep;

The wrong shall fail, the right prevail; with peace on earth, goodwill to men.

”Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: God is not dead; nor doth he sleep!

The Wrong shall fail, the Right prevail, with peace on earth, good-will to men!”

The words to the above song is written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in 1864 during the Civil War.  Today, we live with wars on every side of us.  Here in our own country men are trying to determine who is on the right side and who is on the left.  Around the world people are being killed and families destroyed.  This poem is as true now as when it was written. 

As in the days of Zechariah, let our hearts be inscribed with the words, “Holy to the Lord!”  The message of the Bells is still “Holy to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords”, because “Jesus is Coming!”

 

Thanks-Giving

Thanks-Giving

“But I will sacrifice to you with the voice of thanksgiving;

 I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.”  (Jonah 2:9)

    Like everyone else, I’ve been thinking about Thanksgiving Day approaching.  Most years we set around the table and say what each of us is thankful for.  Typical thanks are for family, friends, loved ones, etc.  However this year I really have searched deeper into my heart on what Thanksgiving really means. 

What I found was amazing.  Almost everything I found about thanksgiving involved the last half of the word and that is Giving.  It includes sacrifice and generosity to God and to others.  The above scripture says it well; Jonah sacrificed to God with thanksgiving. 
 
We see in Psalm 50:14 that we should “Offer to God thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High.”

What this means is to give God thanksgiving and then give Him sacrifices and tithes.  This is called a ‘thank-offering sacrifice’ as is written in Leviticus 7:12.

We are told all through the Bible that God wants us to prosper. Why does he want us to prosper? So we can give and help others.  Now you may be thinking that God hasn’t prospered you and you don’t understand it.  Perhaps it’s because of the way we handle things.  This is how it works: first you give God thanksgiving, then you give from what you have and after that God will begin to prosper you.

2^nd Corinthians 9:11 explains it further, “Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God.” How great is this?  When we give to others then they can also praise God with thanksgiving.

This is a true story.  A young couple and their two children who lived nearby our church were very poor and didn’t know where their next meal was coming from, came to our Food Pantry.  Soon they began attending church and gave their hearts to the Lord.  They had almost no money, but began receiving food stamps.  Out of their love of God, they began tithing from their food stamps.  They brought a portion and gave it back to the food pantry.  The father found a job and soon moved his family into a decent home and had a car given to them.  They prospered and continued to offer thanksgiving to God. 

After some time they chose to do other things and quit giving to God; not only their tithes, but their time and talents.  Within a very short time they lost their home, jobs, and car. It wasn’t long and they were back where they started.

I’m not saying God punished them by taking things away; they did that to themselves.  However, there is a plan that God shows to us in Luke 6:38, “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over.”  

He also shows us that when we give him praise and thanksgiving, we can ask him for what we need.  Look at this in Philippians 4:6, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”

Thanksgiving flows back and forth to God and from God.  So on this time that we celebrate with family and friends, let us “Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving” Psalm 147:7

Let us “Give thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5:20  

Don't Eat Yellow Snow

Don’t Eat Yellow Snow

“Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.”  Psalm 51:7 (NLT)

It never failed for my mother to caution me to never eat yellow snow.  The way she said it put fear in my heart than I would probably die if I ate yellow snow.  I don’t think she ever told me why, but I knew it was really bad!  So I never did eat it, thankfully.  I also never ate snow with little black things in it, which was soot from the coal furnaces.  However, white snow was clean and pure in those days and we all enjoyed it.

 
Sin reminds me of something I shouldn’t consume because it might kill me; like yellow snow.  The Bible tells us that “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” [Romans 6:23] What does this have to do with snow?  The above scripture explains it all; if we ask God to forgive us, he does it immediately and purifies us by washing us clean and here’s the big TRUTH – He makes us “whiter than snow!”

Sin is dirty in the eyes of God and the only way to get rid of it is to ask God to forgive us and purify us.  You may think that God doesn’t hear your prayers because of the life you lived; not true. God is always waiting to hear from you.  In fact, in Isaiah 1:18 he calls you to him, “Come now, and let us reason together," Says the Lord, "Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.” 

How does God wash our sins away?  We are washed clean by the blood Jesus shed for us on the cross.  There is no other way; bleach will not take out the black sin of our life, not any kind of soap or detergent only the blood of Jesus can remove sin.  1 John 1:7 explains it simply, “…the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.”  Now, if you have asked God, the Father to forgive you of your past sins and the Blood of Jesus Christ has washed you spiritually and made you white as snow, there is no way God can see your sin any longer.  In fact He says in Psalm 103:12, “He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.”  And in Micah 7:19, “He will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.”

Our past has been washed away and we are clean; we are forgiven and God has forgotten our sins, so what is holding you back from serving God with your whole heart?  If you are a parent you probably understand this better than many because if your child has done something wrong, you may have let them know they were naughty, but you still loved them and taught them right from wrong, and your love washed it all away and you didn’t keep bringing it up. 

That’s how our heavenly Father is and when he looks at us, we are white as snow.  Many years ago we used to sing this song that explains how God sees you:

I am covered over with the robe of righteousness that Jesus gives to me,  

I am covered over with the precious blood of Jesus and he lives in me.      

What a joy it is to know, my Heavenly Father loves me so, He gives to me my Jesus.  

When he looks at me, he sees not what I used to be, but he sees Jesus.   

                                                           

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                          

His Grace is Sufficient

His Grace is Sufficient

2 Corinthians 12:9
 “He said to me, my grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”

 I was reading a book the other day that had this scripture in it that said, “My grace is sufficient.”  Almost everyone has either read or quoted this many times and I wondered if I could find a study about it.  Most things I read were quite simple; “God’s grace is enough.”  It couldn’t get any plainer than that, but I felt there was much more to it and much deeper so I went to the Source – the Word!

I found that Mercy and Grace go hand in hand. His grace shows up when we can’t do something for ourselves; when we are weak in an area of our lives.  Grace comes when we let God take over. There are many Bible passages that show the weakness of mankind and the power of God’s grace to overcome that weakness.  Why does grace appear?  It’s because of God’s mercy which if given because of his compassion, kindness and love.

I think of Moses when he met God at the burning bush and God told him to go to Egypt and speak to the Pharaoh.  Moses argued with God and said he could not speak well and God told him that he would put the words in his mouth. God was angry with Moses, but in his mercy and grace, forgave him and provided for him.     [Exodus 4:10-12] When Moses was weak, then God’s power could work in him and looked what happened in Egypt.

There are times in all our lives that we feel weak and helpless; that is when God is able to work in us and through us.  I like the way the Living Bible reads in I Corinthians 12:9, “My power works best in weakness”. If you look back over time since you have been saved, you will find countless times that God’s mercy and grace were at work in your life. 

Grace is not a ‘corporate’ thing, but is a personal sign of love between you and God Almighty.  As a person I am not all-sufficient; every day I ask God to help me with issues I cannot control.  Here are a few things you may daily have to face.

1.      Lack of financial provision

2.      Conflict with family, friends or others

3.      When people have failed you

4.      When you have a need

5.      When you are weak in body or in spirit

6.      Uncertainty in the direction you need to go

7.      When you don’t want to surrender to God’s way

8.      When fear overtakes you

9.      When you are discontented

10.  When you feel trapped in a situation

I could go on and on about the need for God’s Grace and Mercy.  There is an old hymn that is titled. “I Need Thee Every Hour”; this is my heart’s cry.  God is there for you and in spite of your failures, he is waiting to fill you with his grace.  We tend to take credit for many things we may accomplish, but the truth is without His grace we are nothing.

God is truly all we need; His grace is sufficient.  The Lord told Paul, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” [2 Corinthians 12:9 (NLT]) Any successes I have accomplished are because of God’s grace and I praise God for His mercy.  Give it all to God and sit back and watch His grace at work.