Wednesday, December 18, 2013

The First Noel-God's Promise to Zechariah & John the Baptist's Birth



http://enemylove.com/messiah-expected-zechariah-simeon-john/
In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense and when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God and he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. - Luke 1:5-17

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[b] the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.”

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her. - Luke 1:26-38

Consider The Cost



http://alightedit.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/money.jpg

A mother planning dinner for her family while trying to maintain the household budget considers the cost of the ingredients of the meal she plans. A carpenter carefully measures and plans for the necessary supplies he needs before building a house to manage the cost. Every decision that is made must be compared to the alternative and the cost of its consequences. A wise man considers the cost in all things; not just for the present but also the future. How foolish a man would be to think himself wise to view the possessions he can see but yet give no consideration to the neglect of his soul.

If in the drive to gain in the here-and-now, we neglect the growth and life of our soul, which is the part that longs for God, then we have gained nothing. Earthly wealth whether monetary or as the pursuit for personal gratification, will eventually turn to dust. Eternity is a long time to carry around pockets full of dust! The most profitable of investors goes to an expert in the area that he wishes to invest. Doesn't it make sense to consult the ‘Wonderful Counselor’ for the most important investment of our lives?

The bible says, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you (Luke 12:31).” No bank in the world can ever yield a better return than that! To invest in Christ means to give up your own control and to give up self; self-promotion, self-centeredness, self-preservation, self-sufficiency, self-loathing, self-doubt, self-self. It is a choice. You can choose not to sacrifice self but everyone will sacrifice something, if not self than soul. It can’t work both ways no matter what the devil tries to make you believe. You can’t have it all unless you give it all. Give all of yourself to him. Give all your guilt, shame, pride, superiority, fear, worry, doubt, jealously, pettiness, control or any other controlling substance in your life. Loose control to gain freedom, it’s worth the cost!





http://kristenpaulick.theworldrace.org/?nMonth=2&nYear=2011