Casting Light On Christ’s Birth

John 1:1-18 (NLT) In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created,[and nothing that was created was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything] and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. God sent a man, John the Baptist, to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. John testified about him when he shouted to the crowds, “This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘Someone is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’” From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.

Considering the time of the year this is being written (December), I have studied the birth of Christ from the two gospels that record it, Matthew and Luke and it would have been proper to focus on those passages but as you can see above, the passage I used is from John. Being a chronological thinker, I like to put things in perspective and this passage in John seemed to help put the first block in place of Jesus’ birth.

The birth of Jesus was a significant event at that time when it occurred and there was much that happened in and around His arrival. However, from reading this passage, it makes me wonder if we are right in saying Jesus was ‘born’ because He pre-existed before anything was ever created. This was merely Him taking human form to relate to us but He most definitely was not a new creation placed in the middle of humanity as an afterthought to save humanity.

John starts his gospel by stating that the word existed before everything, it was God and it was with God. He then gives the word personality by using the term ‘he’ (verse 2) and we see it transpose itself into a person, the person who created everything, gave life to everything and gave light to everyone. This person is the person of Jesus Christ who He came into the world He created (verse 10) by taking on human flesh and lived among us (verse 14) to reveal God’s glory.

Jesus’s life brought light to everyone and this light shines in the darkness, therefore dissipating it. Is it not interesting that darkness is the lack of light and only comes into existence when light is put out? Jesus in his later years on earth in human form dealt with evil doers by revealing the darkness in their hearts and they could either respond by receiving His correction or running away from it. Light always reveals things shrouded in darkness and so Jesus’ life brings the truth out in our dark world.

As we draw near to the day many Christians chose to celebrate Jesus’ birth, December 25th, let us now dwell on whether we got the date right or if we should be celebrating his birthday on one day or everyday but instead let us use this opportunity to receive the Word of God into our lives so that He can reveal the darkness in our lives and give us a way to be reconciled with His father so that we may have life and life eternal.

If you want a sense of the power or worth of this Word of God, read the passages below:

The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born. Psalm 33:6 (NLT)

He sent out his word and healed them, snatching them from the door of death. Psalm 107:20 (NLT)

Then, at his command, it all melts. He sends his winds, and the ice thaws. Psalm 147:18 (NLT)

The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40:8 (NLT)

The Word of God is true (Psalm 33:4; John 17:17), it is flawless (2 Samuel 22:31; Psalm 18:30; Proverbs 30:5), it is infallible (1 King 8:56; 2King 10:10; Psalm 103:20), it is obeyed by angels and it is eternal (Psalm 119:89,152; Isaiah 40:8; 1 Peter 1:25; Psalm 119:103), it is sweet and delightful (Psalm 138:2), it is exalted above all things (Isaiah 45:23), it is irrevocable (Ephesians 6:17), it is the sword of the Spirit (2 Titus 2:9), it is not chained (Hebrews 4:12), it is living and active (1 Peter 1:23) and It is living and enduring.

There is so much more we can study on the Word and I hope today’s passage has inspired you to seek Jesus Christ who came to live among us and die for us so that we might have the opportunity to be reconciled with His father and be called children of God and have an eternal inheritance no one can ever take away.

In His Loving Service,
ServantBoy

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Our Gift and Inheritance

Numbers 18:1,5,814-16,20,30,32 (NIV) The LORD said to Aaron, “You, your sons and your family are to bear the responsibility for offenses connected with the sanctuary, and you and your sons alone are to bear the responsibility for offenses connected with the priesthood… “You are to be responsible for the care of the sanctuary and the altar, so that my wrath will not fall on the Israelites again”… Then the LORD said to Aaron, “I myself have put you in charge of the offerings presented to me; all the holy offerings the Israelites give me I give to you and your sons as your portion, your perpetual share”… “Everything in Israel that is devoted to the LORD is yours. The first offspring of every womb, both human and animal, that is offered to the LORD is yours. But you must redeem every firstborn son and every firstborn male of unclean animals. When they are a month old, you must redeem them at the redemption price set at five shekels of silver, according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs”… The LORD said to Aaron, “You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any share among them; I am your share and your inheritance among the Israelites”… “Say to the Levites: ‘When you present the best part, it will be reckoned to you as the product of the threshing floor or the winepress”… “By presenting the best part of it you will not be guilty in this matter; then you will not defile the holy offerings of the Israelites, and you will not die.’”

The generosity of God to Aaron and his family of fellow Levites is astounding but as in many blessings, God’s goodness seems to come with great consequences. Why is that?

Testimony Of God

1 John 5:9-15, 20
We accept man’s testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him… We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true—even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

After many days of rest and rejuvenation, it feels wonderful to sit at the feet of God again and write His words. Like I previously said, it is wonderful to have faith but it is essential to know what we have faith in and the only way to know is to seek of God from His word. To know God, we need to seek of God because if all men have sinned, then no man can testify about a holy and righteous God and so the words in today’s chapter ring true that God’s testimony is certainly true and worthy of accepting. We live in Satan’s dominion here on earth and he ensures that we live a life far from the heart of God. Everything about God feels alien to us and therefore we doubt God and trust only man. How can we know the truth and how can we see beyond the cobwebs Satan has woven into this world to prevent us from seeing God in truth and light?

The Reality Of Our Faith

1 John 2:15-17, 22-25, 27
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever… Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also. See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he promised us—even eternal life… As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.

In recent days, I have been exploring the web  to understand what non-believing christians find contentious about the christian faith. As expected, there are thousands of articles and videos that cast doubt on the very existence of God, let alone the christian God and there are many christians who have responded to some of these challenges either successfully or not. Believing is the most critical part of our faith and knowing why we believe is critical as well when we hope to share what Christ has done for us. Questions like the need for a God, the authenticity of the Bible, the worth of a God who does not save people from suffering, etc. are hard questions and because we cannot get an answer, it might cause us to doubt if our faith is correctly placed in the first place. How then can God remind us to hold firm to our faith when we do not have answers to basic issues such as these?

Rejoice in Crisis?

Philippians 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Recently, a dear friend of mine has been challenging me with questions that shake the very foundation of our belief and I in my desire to prove my point wanted to counter rock for rock albeit in a friendly manner. His questions seemed harsh, his arguments sound and his conviction clearly evident in his unbelief and I kept seeking wisdom from the Lord to respond and all I got was calm and quiet. How can Paul encourage us to rejoice always in the face of opposition, challenges and difficulties? Could he not have encouraged us to be hopeful in trying times and rejoicing in good ones?

When we examine the life of Christ here on earth, his every moment seemed filled with challenges. He was born from a virgin which is a hotly debated subject, he was born poor which is unlike any king, his father was a poor carpenter, he did not have any fancy education and was from a lowly town, he grew up in the face of opposition from his own people and finally died by their own hands. Through all the challenges, his strength was his faith in God the Father and his only desire was to accomplish his father’s will. When I wanted to counter each question, the only thought that came to mind was to respond in gentleness and not try to make sense of God to man but instead just direct man to God. I do know that it was God who reached my wicked soul and not man and so I pray for my dear friend that he will find his answers in God alone. Are you anxious about anything, are you challenged? I urge you to look at the cross and find hope in Christ who overcame this world for you. Lets rejoice in Jesus daily!

In His Loving Service,
ServantBoy

John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.

Profit and Loss Statement

Philippians 3:7-9, 20-21
But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith… But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

As I continue on my journey with Christ, I realize that layer by layer, He is peeling off my dependencies on this world, my selfishness, my hardheartedness, my deceitfulness, my pride, my strength, my abilities and everything that is in me which I spent 33 years gaining and is replacing it with Him in me. I might sound like I am boasting but in reality, this is most embarrassing because to the world, I am quickly becoming a misfit as I am not norming to it. I realize day by day that as I walk with Him and share Him in my life, people consider me ‘religious’ and weird and I am quickly losing the world but hopefully gaining Christ. Is that what Jesus is asking of us?

Paul born a Jew, circumcised as per Jewish customs on the eight day by a Jew, was of the tribe of Benjamin, was a Hebrew by blood, was a Pharisee with the zeal of one which showed in his persecution of the church and was legalistic in his righteousness and faultless to the Jews. For him to change would not be possible but God did change him and God then turned his life around by shedding every inch of the old him and replacing it with Christlikeness. We are reminded today that whatever we have gained here on earth on our own is worthless in comparison to what God gives us when we put our faith in Him. We get a new genetic code, a new citizenship, righteousness from comes from Him alone and a new body to live a glorious life with Him for eternity. If that is not worth losing self for, what is?

In His Loving Service,
ServantBoy

Jeremiah 9:23,24 Thus says the LORD, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD.

Rich Beyond Imagination

2 Corinthians 8:7-9, 12
But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving. I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich… For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.

I have always been uncomfortable about messages on giving because I fear it takes away from the essence of Jesus. In my head, I separate finances from the spiritual realm as they don’t seem to fit together well or so I thought. This morning, as I read Paul’s recommendation on giving, I saw new meaning to it. That added with our present situation of trying to buy a home with the limited resources we have plus our non-existent credit history has opened my eyes to a new facet in our walk with the Lord. When I first started putting money in the offertory as a little boy, my understanding of giving was that it was a fee we paid, and as I grew up, it felt like buying favors with God. After I was saved, it became a joyous offering of what God gave me.

However, my understanding of giving was limited to finances. As I progressed in my walk with the Lord, I learnt that giving was in all areas of our lives and what we gave was the first fruits of what we had, whether it be our time, our love, our service, our efforts, our participation, etc. When we note that our Lord Jesus was rich, our minds construe it as wealth and we feel sad for what he sacrificed in terms of wealth. What Jesus actually sacrificed was much more and that includes being in the presence of God, something He valued so much that He wanted us to have. The riches Jesus wanted us to have were not simply material comforts but the abounding grace of God. To the blind, the greatest gift is not a lottery but the gift of sight. To the dying, the greatest gift is life. To the materially unsatisfied dying soul, the greatest gift they can have is a fullness of joy that no money can buy, a lifetime of guilt free living, an eternity in the presence of God to enjoy His glory and grace and many more such things that we can never buy. Jesus became poor so that through his poverty and sacrifice, we may become rich in a way no man can be through their own efforts. Are you rich and if so, is that going to satisfy your soul’s cravings?

In His Loving Service,
ServantBoy

Philippians 2:5-7 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness…

Godly Sorrow

2 Corinthians 7:1, 9-11
Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God… yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.

Start of another new week here in Vancouver and as time flies, so do missed opportunities to serve God and I thank God for His patience with us even as we sluggishly serve Him. This morning, my passage of scripture was a confirmation yet again about the purpose of suffering in our faith walk. Many will disagree with me and I ask the many to seek God in His fullness just as I am learning to. First Paul talks about what our faith walk must be like by saying that we should cleanse ourselves mind, body and spirit of everything that prevents us from doing so and we should become holy in reverence for God. This is quite the ask and is impossible for us to do on our own. How then does God accomplish this in us?

Suffering is something we have always looked down upon, prayed against, and begged God to take away from us. Yet God permits suffering in our lives and we wonder why? Paul in his 1st letter to the Corinthians was very harsh and in doing so brought about a revival in the church that glorified God. For God, purifying us to become like Him is what counts as we are going to share eternity in His presence. For Christ to live in God’s presence every moment, He has to be holy and has to love God beyond everything else. This is the same for us and to change us, God uses trials and tribulations because this life is the training grounds for the wonderful life after. Are you sorrowful, hurting, suffering? Get on your knees now and ask God to reveal what changes He wants in you to make you more like Him. Stop looking at suffering as an issue but instead look at suffering as an opportunity to learn and grow in the Lord.

In His Loving Service,
ServantBoy

Romans 6:19 I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification

True Walk of Faith

1 Corinthians 16:13-14
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love.

As we draw to the end of another chapter in the Bible, Paul encourages the Corinthian church and us through these 5 simple statements focussed on faith. As humans, we operate with our 5 senses. Anything outside this paradigm is nonsense and therefore unacceptable. Faith is is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see (Heb. 11:1). Faith is something most people brush away or even laugh at but it exists, much like gravity does. Paul writes to us to stand firm in our faith because he realizes that if our faith is not based on the foundation of Christ, we can easily drift away just like the seeds that fell on the rocky soil.

My faith walk has been a bumpy one and I praise God for it. I realize that as I continue to walk with the Lord, my sinful self is wearing away but very slowly because the Lord is weeding things out by helping me realize my mistakes and then cleansing me of them. It’s not an instantaneous transformation but a lifetime of change and I appreciate it more because it keeps me seeking Him more and more. When I first accepted the Lord, I was an infant (spiritually) and today I feel like a 10 year old and like a dear friend reminded me yesterday, what is our faith if we are not constantly questioning, seeking, answering and experiencing God in reality. Our faith is not a set of actions that results in satisfying God but it is a relationship that takes a lifetime to learn from and helps us enjoy eternity with God transformed in His image.

In His Loving Service,
ServantBoy

Galatians 5:1 It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.

Temple of God

1 Corinthians 6:12-14
“Everything is permissible for me”—but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me”—but I will not be mastered by anything. “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food”—but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also.

Paul writes to the body of believers who are part of the church in Corinth and what he wrote them holds good even today. The church in Corinth was torn in a multitude of ways and today Paul addresses 2 key issues, lawsuits among believers and sexual immorality. With respect to lawsuits between believers, he recommends we take our disputes with believers to other believers in the church and present it for their judgment before we go to the courts of the land. This is because God gives us wisdom and will help us resolve such matters internally instead of taking it out to courts of unbelievers who will question our own beliefs. The next topic is sexual immorality and it seems that followers in the church then did not see an issue with sexual immorality. Even today, many believers are plagued by this sin that destroys families, homes and makes the unbelievers question the very foundation of our faith.

As humans, we have the freedom to choose and this is why Paul says everything is permissible to me but not beneficial. We are not controlled by anything and therefore in this freedom we revel but because of our brokenness we live and dwell in sin. As believers, our bodies are bought with a price, Jesus’s own blood shed on the cross of calvary, and because the Holy Spirit resides in us, our bodies are the temple of God. Any sin we commit with our bodies as believers is directly a sin against God and this is not acceptable to God. We therefore have to be good custodians of our bodies and Paul warns us severely against sexual immorality. I pray that God will protect us as His children from falling into the sins of the Corinthian believers and keep us faithful till the end.

In His Loving Service,
ServantBoy