ADOPTION

And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary,

 of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.

 Matthew 1:16 

Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli, 

Luke 3:23  

So when they saw Him, they were amazed;

 and His mother said to Him,

 "Son, why have You done this to us?

 Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously."

 And He said to them,

 "Why did you seek Me?

 Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?"

 But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them. Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth,

 and was subject to them,

 but His mother kept all these things in her heart.

 Luke 2:48-51 

The Son of GOD was willing to be adopted

 by an earthly father

 so that the sons of men could be adopted

 by the Heavenly Father.

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear,

 but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out,

 "Abba, Father."

 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit

 that we are children of God,

 and if children, then heirs-

-heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ,

 if indeed we suffer with Him,

 that we may also be glorified together.

 Romans 8:15-17 

The Spirit of adoption is the Holy Spirit, 

Who is the Spirit of GOD,

 Who is the Spirit of JESUS.

Invite Him now by asking Him to come into your heart.

As you receive this Spirit of adoption,

 you will become a child of the Most High GOD!!

Welcome to the Family!!

With Love,

Your brother and sister in CHRIST.

Giving Gifts

Two important aspects of Christmas celebration are lights and gifts.

We may give for the sake of keeping tradition 

or because of love.

Love gives.

We give gifts to the one who celebrates the birthday showing that person is special and is loved.

At Christmas time we exchange gifts indicating that all of us are special and that we love one another.

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This tradition did not originate from man but from GOD. He set the example for giving.

"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.

 John 3:16 

When purchasing gifts we do our best to find the most suitable gift for each individual.

GOD gave the gift most suited for mankind.

A life for the lives of people.

A Saviour for the sinner!

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Traditionally, gifts are wrapped with colourful paper and placed under the Christmas tree.

GOD’S gift was a precious little baby from heaven

wrapped in swaddling clothes 

laid in a manger - the feeding trough for cattle!

Gifts come in varying sizes and shapes.

Our 3 year old granddaughter Shannah was modest when we asked her how big her gift should be! 

But we do understand that the size of the gift does not determine the value of it.

A tiny box with a piece of jewelry could be the most expensive of the lot!

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Shannah loves to receive ‘Pregents’! Who doesn’t? 

Although Shannah knew that she was getting a ‘pregent’,

she had to wait patiently until Christmas to receive it.

But when the fullness of the time had come,

God sent forth His Son, born of a woman,

born under the law,

to redeem those who were under the law,

that we might receive the adoption as sons. 

Galatians 4:4-5

This is the core, the centre of the true meaning of Christmas.

Although it may not be that exact day on the Jewish calendar that JESUS was born, 

people all over the world celebrate Christmas
on the 25th of December.

It is the day of the Saviour’s birth.

Christ - mas meaning CHRIST for the masses!

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

keeping watch over their flock by night.

And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them,

and the glory of the Lord shone around them,

and they were greatly afraid.

Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid,

for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy

which will be to all people.

"For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior,

who is Christ the Lord.

"And this will be the sign to you: 

You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." 

Luke 2:8-12

GOD’S special gift was accessible to the humble shepherds

and they received the gift with joy and gratitude.

Don’t we say ‘Thank You’ when we receive gifts?

Then the shepherds returned,

glorifying and praising God

for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

Luke 2:20

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Some gifts don’t last long for example a box of chocolates, while others do!

Imagine receiving one gift. 

Then as you open up the wrapping you find a gift and also find another layer of wrapping.

You open it up eagerly and find another gift,

even more precious than the first.

Imagine this goes on for eternity! 

This is the nature of the gift GOD has given to us!

Psalm 104:24

O LORD, how manifold are Your works! 

In wisdom You have made them all. 

The earth is full of Your possessions--

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In the process of exchanging gifts, 

we like to in some way match the value of the gift we give with the value of the gift given to us.

GOD gave His gift of love and He expects us to give all of our love and all of ourselves to Him.

In giving to the LORD, we give ourselves in serving one another in love.

As each one has received a gift,

minister it to one another, 

as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

1 Peter 4:10

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Gifts are a token of GOD’S great love for you.

Even as you open your hand to receive your gift this Christmas,

make sure that you open your heart to receive GOD’S special love for you with thanks.

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

2 Corinthians 9:15

Wicked, Weak and Weary

Wicked

"The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings. - Jeremiah 17:9-10  

The LORD looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men. From the place of His dwelling He looks On all the inhabitants of the earth; He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their works. - Psalm 33:13-15

Every human being is born with a heart that is wicked. The physical heart is turned to the left indicating that all of us have turned away from GOD.

GOD specialises in fashioning and restoring hearts!

"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. If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land; But if you refuse and rebel, You shall be devoured by the sword"; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken. - Isaiah 1:18-20

GOD is wooing us back to Himself with great love.

We need to be willing and allow Him to work on us.

Refusing His invitation and rebelling against Him is wickedness. So also is stubbornness.

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king." - 1 Samuel 15:23

But the wicked will be cut off from the earth, And the unfaithful will be uprooted from it. - Proverbs 2:22  

Unfaithfulness is wickedness.

They said to Him, "He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons." - Matthew 21:41

As servants of GOD, not rendering to the LORD in their seasons the fruits of our work in His vineyard is wickedness.

We need to be diligent to treat those whom we serve as GOD’S property.

We should also give GOD all the glory and not take pride in the success of the work He enables us to do.

Our joy and rejoicing should be the LORD Himself more than the fruit of our work.

The LORD is far from the wicked, But He hears the prayer of the righteous. - Proverbs 15:29  

Only the prayer made in the name of JESUS is heard by the LORD because our righteousness in only in Him.

Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. - James 1:21  

Let us lay all our filthiness of sin and wickedness at the foot of the cross of JESUS where it can be disposed of effectively.

We can also dispose of the wickedness of others thrown at us by leaving them at the cross in intercession.

It is the word of GOD that is able to cleanse our souls of all wickedness.

As the word convicts us, let us put away all wickedness and receive the truth of GOD’S word.

Let us forsake our wicked ways, repent and return to Him.

Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. - Isaiah 55:7

Let us allow the LORD to change our wickedness into Godliness.

As I decrease and JESUS increases in me wickedness will decrease and righteousness will increase in me.

Therefore let us not refuse the LORD and rebel against Him

but repent of our wicked ways and return to Him.

Let us not reject His word but receive it with meekness.

Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting. - Psalm 139:23-24

Weak

"Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." - Matthew 26:41

For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. - Hebrews 4:15

He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. - Isaiah 40:29-31

And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. - 2 Corinthians 12:9  

Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. - Romans 8:26

"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. - John 15:5

We are strengthened in our weakness by the LORD as we watch and pray as led by the Spirit and wait on the LORD and abide in Him. His strength is made perfect in our weakness.

We should also strengthen others in their weakness

Weary

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." - Matthew 11:28-30  

For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people, To whom He said, "This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest," And, "This is the refreshing"; Yet they would not hear. - Isaiah 28:11-12

Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. - Romans 8:26

"Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you were coming out of Egypt, "how he met you on the way and attacked your rear ranks, all the stragglers at your rear, when you were tired and weary; and he did not fear God. "Therefore it shall be, when the LORD your God has given you rest from your enemies all around, in the land which the LORD your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance, that you will blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. You shall not forget. - Deuteronomy 25:17-19

We are spiritually strengthened when we pray in the Spirit in tongues.

We need to come to the LORD JESUS and find rest in Him.

When we enter into His rest we only do what He requires of us.

As we find our rest in Him we should also rest physically.

We should not become busybodies so that we are too weary to do what GOD requires of us. We should save our time and energy to joyously do His will.

We also give the devil the opportunity to attack us when we are unduly weary.

Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me." And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. "But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her." - Luke 10:38-42

Attacking one who is weak and weary to make him fall is a work of the devil. That is what he did to JESUS and now does to us. We should never do that to others. We should help others in their times of weariness.