What Is Your Will In Christ?

"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 his life brought light to everyone.  The light shines in the darkness,  and the darkness can never extinguish it."    John 1:1-5 (NLT) The Word of God is nothing less than Jesus Christ, The Creator, The Son Of God, God Himself.  Long before Jesus came down to offer Himself in our place, the law was given so that we could see for ourselves how sinful we truly are in the sight of God - as if seeing ourselves in God's eyes, if we cared to look. The law showed us how we were truly in desperate need of some miraculous rescue from God's wrath because of our sin and sinful nature, but how? And who could possibly save us? Who would care to? "The one who is the true light,...

“How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit."   Isaiah 14:12-15 (NKJ) There's little question that Lucifer's refusal to yield to God's majesty, power and dominion, and accept Him as God over himself cost Lucifer his place in heaven ...  but in light of that fact and example to us, how much consideration do  we give  to the fact that we're living out our own response to God now in these days that are testing our own submission? "Lord, what is man, that You take knowledge of him? Or the son of man, that You are mindful of him? Man is like a...

"According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the word Christmas originates from the phrase “Cristes Maesse”, first recorded in 1038, which means the Mass of Christ or Christ’s Mass. The word mass is the English version of the Latin word missa, a celebration of the Eucharist, done in memory of Jesus Christ, where Christians eat bread and drink wine. But not all is Latin; in fact, the word Christ comes from the Greek word Khristos, translated from the Hebrew term messiah, which means anointed."      Copied  From Stillman Translations Many differing viewpoints and traditions come out of both mental and physical storage from a variety of people at Christmas time to be dusted off and displayed prominently for the "season" only to be once again carefully tucked away for another year at the "season's" conclusion. I'm finding so many things striking in my own mind in particular this year as I step back and consider Christmas in the current world of men. I make...

"Think of it this way. If a father dies and leaves an inheritance for his young children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they grow up, even though they actually own everything their father had. They have to obey their guardians until they reach whatever age their father set. And that’s the way it was with us before Christ came. We were like children; we were slaves to the basic spiritual principles of this world. But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir."          Galatians 4:1-7 (NLT) I'm a creature of habit, but only to a degree these days. After hav...

(Note: This is long, but I think still worthy of causing reflection - not only for the current reader, but again for myself. Let it "Echo"...) Given that I believe that our Lord, to a degree has varying expectations of each of us based on the gifts He has given each of us and our individual spiritual maturity, I find myself a target of my own writing ... because with His help, ... I can do more ... and I can do better ... As righteousness fades and the differences between right and wrong become increasingly obscured by the world as it continues to justify it's self serving and self centered existence, the time for decision fades also. As prophecies continue to find their moment in time to be fulfilled at Father God's direction, the foretold schedule of His plan draws closer to the earth's final act. Yet so many people remain oblivious and unresponsive to the late hour caught up in other preoccupations - and many of them are Christians. A high percentage of people ...

Oh, give thanks to the Lord!  Call upon His name;  Make known His deeds among the peoples!  Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;  Talk of all His wondrous works!  Glory in His holy name;  Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!  Seek the Lord and His strength;  Seek His face evermore!     Psalm 105:1-4 (NKJ) I can't help but wonder what it would sound like to all of heaven if every man, woman, and child were to offer up the heart felt gratitude that God so richly deserves at the same time - everywhere, all at once. I have no doubt that it would be an awesome sound that would bring great joy to the inhabitants of heaven to hear God being justly praised, holy worshiped and righteously thanked for all that He's done for mankind - beginning with the provisions made to sustain him and the plans made to divinely profit him even before man himself was created. Life itself is a gift of grace and before any naysayer begins to tell of the n...

 A term came up one morning during a group bible reading and my mind got a little hung up on it. It's something that I've heard a number of times over the years, but that morning I decided to pursue those two simple words to flesh out the depth of their meaning when they're presented together. It just felt like one of those moments when the Lord may have been baiting me into a moment of exploration and a conversation that bears a point - a message of particular importance to me. As always, He was just waiting for me to stop the busyness and enter into a conversation. I believe that we if we are truly in Christ, truly surrendered to Him, that we should come to expect those moments of particular opportunity - moments when our Father in Heaven might speak something of interest and importance to His child as a loving father might do because of the fruitful, life rendering nature of their relationship - father to child and child to father they are able to experience life togethe...