What can we give "the guy" (God) who has everything? The only thing we can truly give Jesus is praise...Our praise in commitment, worship (worth-ship), & dying to self. The best gift we can give Jesus this Christmas is ourselves!

During this Christmas season, our focus is on giving gifts...and finding just the right gift. Let's look at a biblical definition of "The perfect gift"!

David vs. Golliath

God has given us faith through the power of the Holy Spirit to stand up for God & His people by stepping up to the "Golliaths" in life. Don't let the representation of what is evil cause us to cower in fear. Instead, be blessed as we learn to walk as David did by taking his responsibilities seriously both as a shepherd boy and as a warrior chosen by God to take down the enemy.

Matthew 2:1-12  

When the wise men left the East, they were looking for royalty. There is no way they were expecting a cave filled with animals, a stable, or a poor man's house. But in reality, that's how life is for all of us at times. We start out following a star & end up finding a shack. Let's see what we can do when we find ourselves in a "shack".

The Truth about Christmas... A Biblical basis for modern-day Christmas traditions like the Christmas Tree, Santa Claus, and more!

Paul encourages the Galatians to be sure to check the source of the information they receive. He presents his case and assures them that the message of the Gospel is not from man, but from the Holy Spirit.

The Lord rejects Saul from being king over Israel because of his impatience, pride, and final disobedience in refusing to "utterly destroy" the Amalekites. Saul was more concerned with his reputation and didn't listen to the Lord's voice because he feared the people. Anything other than complete obedience to the Lord is rebellion, which is as witchcraft in His sight.

When we have the Spirit of God in us, nothing stands against us in declaring that Jesus is Lord! Let's look to apostles like John & Paul as examples of courageous faith.

Saul placed the people under a foolish and prideful oath which cursed any man who ate food before he took vengence on his enemies. His son Jonathan, unaware of the oath, ate some honey he found in the forest. But the men of Israel did not allow Saul to put his son to death because he was a God-fearing man. Let's follow Jonathan's example and fear the Lord more than man!

Paul's letter to the church of Galatia addressed two pressing questions of the time: 1) What is required to be saved? & 2) What is a Gentile supposed to do?  The battle he was fighting was against the subject of "co-redemption" (i.e., anything added to Jesus' redemption by His death & resurrection). Paul made it clear that it is by grace alone through faith, not works (keeping of the law), that we are justified.

We see the stark contrast between Saul and his son Jonathan as Jonathan trusts in the Lord to fight & defeat the Philistines. He exhibits character traits of initiative (as he sees God leading), identity as a child of God, & invitation (he didn't go alone). God is always looking for someone with a humble heart and willing spirit. Are we positioning ourselves where God can use us to perform His miracles?

The resurrection power of Jesus Christ, His power to restore, replenish, forgive, and to set us back in motion is demonstrated in our Lord's response to Peter's denial. Jesus meets Peter where he's at, reassures His love for him, and gives him a promise and a future.

Peter and the disciples went back to fishing after seeing their resurrected Lord Jesus, but caught nothing. Jesus called to them from the beach and instructed them to cast their net on the right side of the boat. They realized it was Jesus and end up with 153 fish! The futile efforts of man produce empty nets, but abundnat provision comes with obedience & dependence on the Lord. No more leftovers, God is into first fruits!

In spite of the Israelites' wickedness in asking for a king, Samuel prays for them and encourages them to repent and obey the Lord. The Philistines attack, and in his impatience, Saul sins against the Lord and loses his annointing as king over Israel.

Jesus revealed Himself to Thomas because He knew Thomas' words & heart. As a result, Thomas' faith was perfected and He declared that Jesus is God! The evidence brought about transformation. Has Jesus revealed Himself to you? Have you been transformed by what He has already shown you?

Samuel anoints Saul as the King of Israel, fulfilling the people's desire. The people receive him gladly after he defeats the Ammonites and rescues Jabesh Gilead.

God wants to give us true peace & power through the Holy Spirit. Are you filled with the Holy Spirit? Have you been baptized by the Holy Spirit? Is the Spirit overflowing from your life? Or are you lacking the power of the Holy Spirit in your life? The peace & power of God is available to you now!

God has Samuel anoint Saul as king over the Israelites, as the people requested. Like Saul, God radically pursues us and wants a relationship with us, even when we don't deserve it or want anything to do with Him. God has a plan and purpose for each of our lives!

Mary Magdalene pursued Jesus because of His love for her, found peace in His presence, and proclaimed the Good News to those who were imprisoned by fear. Let's follow her example & experience radical transformation in our lives!

Samuel is getting old and his sons are not walking with the Lord like their father, so the elders of Israel request to have king rule over them like the nations around them. Essentially, they are rejecting God as their king.

The tomb is empty! Peter & John ran, went, saw & believed, but then just went home. But Mary wanted more! We do what our heart is set on. Where is your heart? Do you want the Lord? He wants to give you peace.

The ark was taken to Kiriath-jearim. When the Philistines attacked Israel, Samuel cried out to the Lord, and He defeated them. Learn about Godly discipline, true repentance (not just feeling sorry), and the barriers between you and God.

Jesus bled from His heart on the cross. He ultimately died of a "broken heart". The cross is our "family tree". Jesus invites everyone to be a part of the Family of God.

The Philistines return the Ark of God to Israel, but God strikes the Israelites with a great slaughter for looking into the Ark. They came to God on their own terms, but God has His own Word, will, & way. Have we lost the fear of the Lord? The blood of the Lamb is the only way we can receive mercy.

There were three crosses on which 3 men were executed. One was of rebellion, one was of repentance, and one was of salvation. Jesus died for our sins. "It is finished!" His mission of redemption was complete. Jesus offers us full and complete salvation if we repent and believe.

The Israelites are defeated by the Philistines and the Ark of the Covenant is taken. However, God will not be mocked, and He strikes them with tumors. God did not fail His people, religion did.

In order to live a passionate Christian life, we MUST be passionate about Jesus. He MUST increase, I MUST decrease, and we MUST be born again!

The Lord spoke to Samuel while he was ministering to Him in the temple. Are we ministering to the Lord? Are we willing to listen to His voice and obey?

Although Pilate claims Jesus' innocence three times, he has Him scourged, hoping that drawing blood would appease the Jews. He took the scourging for our physical healing. Jesus was beaten before the bema so He could proclaim our innocence.

John Beers shares about the ministry, Gospel for Asia.

The illegal trial of Jesus... Pilate asks Jesus "what is truth", but doesn't stick around for an answer. Anyone who really wants to know the answer will hear God's voice and know that Jesus is Truth.

Hannah keeps her vow to the Lord and dedicates Samuel to the Lord. She sings a prayer of praise, proclamation, protection, provision, & providence. The Lord then blesses her with five more children. God will honor those who honor Him!

Jesus crosses over the Kidron Valley into the Garden of Gethsemane, where he is betrayed by Judas and arrested. Peter cuts of Malchus' ear and later denies Jesus three times as predicted. Jesus eventually dies for "Pete's" sake...and ours!

Hannah's request for a son is granted, and she keeps her promise to dedicate him, Samuel, to the Lord. What do you have? Choose to dedicate it to the Lord. Everything we have is on loan from God, so let's give it back to Him!

Jesus prays to the Father requesting four things for Believers. Preservation, Sanctification, Unity, & Participation in Jesus' glory. Amen!

Boaz marries Ruth and redeems Naomi during the wheat harvest, which is the same time as Pentecost. The book of Ruth is a prophetic book, speaking of the Church and Israel in the end times. The time is short, so let's heed God's voice...

The Lord's Prayer... Jesus is about to be crucified, and He pauses to talk to the Father.

Ruth uncovers Boaz' feet and ask him to spread his covering over her. Like Ruth, we are to offer ourselves to Jesus as a bride and come under His covering. Like Boaz, Jesus will cover us in His blood of redemption and give us rest.

Chapt. 16 describes the work of the Holy Spirit, the plan of the Father, and the response of the believer. Jesus reminds us of the things He has given to keep us from stumbling, that we may have peace: a principle to hold on to, a power to plug into, & a position to claim.

God see us. He has chosen & appointed us to go and bear fruit! The ultimate fruit of an apple is an orchard. Let's start our own orchard...

The book of Ruth is a love story of God's redemptive nature. In chapter 1, Elimelech moves his family from Bethlehem to Moab due to a famine. There, he and his two sons die. His wife, Naomi and her daughter-in-law, Ruth return to Bethlehem during Passover. What will we do, where will we go during "dry" times?

Ruth gleans in the field of Boaz, who turns out to be Naomi's kinsman redeemer. Boaz provides abundantly for Ruth & Naomi and is a picture of Jesus, our ultimate kinsman Redeemer! 

Jesus knows the impossibility of His command to lay down our lives for each other. The only way to do so is with the help of the Holy Spirit. The strength of our flesh will never produce the fruit of the Spirit because it's the VINE that bears the fruit. 

Do not fret (hold onto anger), just "roll with it"! Fretting is one of the primary weapons of the enemy to gain a stronghold over us. Trust in the Lord, He will vindicate us!

Jesus commands us to love each other as He has loved us...by laying down our life (i.e., living sacrificially) for others. We will also be hated by the world as Jesus was hated.  

Jesus is the Vine, the Father is the Vinedresser, we are the branches, & fruit is the goal! God must rule if we are to bear fruit.

Man's attempt to solve problems without God leads to genocide, mass rape, kidnapping, etc. and reveals the darkness of humanity. We have war because we have conflict with God. Let's choose to humble ourselves, submit to God, & draw near to Him.

Man's attempt to solve problems without God leads to genocide, mass rape, kidnapping, etc. and reveals the darkness of humanity. We have war because we have conflict with God. Let's choose to humble ourselves, submit to God, & draw near to Him.

The blessing of tithing, an act of worship unto the Lord...

"The Dark Depravity of Mankind" Left to ourselves, without God, humans are depraved and capable of great evil.  We need a king, the one true King, Jesus Christ, who died to save all of mankind and restore peace.

The heart and character of God, our Father, is revealed in the Old Testament in His names and in the face of Jesus in the New Testament.

"Inheritance" The Israelites didn't receive the fulness of God's promise to them because of sin & compromise. Let's not do the same. Each one of us is responsible to live pure before the Lord because one part affects the entire body.

"Tongues of Fire" God tests our faith by the tongue. The tongue has the power to direct, destroy, & delight. Only Jesus can tame the tongue. Let's let our tongues be set on fire by heaven, not hell.

"Self-Deceiving Faith" Beware of having simply a "mouth faith", "mental faith", or "muscle faith". Where is our heart? Our faith must be manifested through our works.

Samson is at the height of his sin & far from the Lord. He forgets his identity and chooses Delilah over God. Although he pays for his mistake with his life, God doesn't forget Samson.

James tells us that the Lord calls us to not show personal favoritism or partiality based on wealth, status, looks, etc. Making distinctions causes division, which is a tool of the enemy. We must instead, fix our eyes on Jesus, fear the Lord & not man, and fulfill the law of Love.

Samson operates in his flesh and the Philistine mentality of "As they did to me, so I have done to them", instead of Jesus' way to treat others the way you want to be treated. But God is gracious to Samson in spite of his flaws.

The danger of self-deception. Just because we spend time in the Word, doesn't necessarily mean we live it. James encourages us to receive the Word, apply the Word, and share the Word. What condition is our heart in? Can the Word take root there?

The folly of Samson... God was able to use Samson's mistakes for His purposes. God loves us so much that no matter what we do, He has a plan & purpose for our lives.

The last written words of Mary, mother of Jesus, were, "Whatever He [Jesus] says to you, do it." Jesus, as well as our mothers, want us to live, and live successfully & securely. So let's honor our moms through obedience to Jesus, the only one that can give us eternal life!

The Angel of the Lord, Jesus Himself, told Manoah's wife that she would bear a son, who would be a Nazarite and begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines. God keeps His promises!

The cycle of temptation only leads to death, so we must deal with it: honestly, immediately, ruthlessly, & consistently. But the first step in resisting temptation is yielding to Jesus.

Small groups offer 1) a place to grow 2) a place for encouragement 3) a place to be strengthened and 4) a place for accountability & healing.

"Turning Trials Into Triumphs" - by having a joyful attitude, an understanding mind, a surrendered will, and by asking & believing. The purpose of James' epistle is to bring us to a mature faith in Christ.

Ephraim was jealous because they wanted to share in Jephthah's victory without having to partake in the battle. This eventually led to civil war. Let's not make any room for jealousy in our lives. Run your own race, and run to win!

When our lives bear some fruit, God will prune. He will cut away anything unnecessary...things that aren't bad, but that will choke out the fruit if it's not removed. We must stay connected to Jesus, the vine, the Word in order to bear fruit.

The people chose Gilead's son Jephthah to fight against the Ammonites. Although the Lord gave him victory, he loses his daughter because of a foolish vow. Let's not do what's right in our own eyes, but seek to know the Lord & His ways.

"The Best News You Didn't Want to Hear" Jesus is the true vine; The Father is the vinedresser; We are the branches; & Fruit is the goal. If we aren't bearing fruit, God will lift us up & clean us up.

After Abimelech's death, Israel enjoyed 45 years of peace under the judges Tola & Jair. But then turned away from God again after Jair's death. After 18 years, Israel finally came to true repentance. Tola's life pointed to Jesus...Does our's?

All of eternity is because of Easter. There is no hope if there is no Easter. On that first Easter, it appeared that evil had triumphed over good, but it wasn't over! God's unfailing love was at work, and on the third day, Jesus rose from the dead. God moved the stone to let us in, and He still moves stones in our lives today.

He is risen! Jesus is alive!

Jesus leaves His "will" with His disciples prior to His departure. As Christians, we are blessed with forgiveness & cleansing in Jesus' death; life in His resurrection; the Holy Spirit to teach, empower & bring things to remembrance; peace and unconditional love.

Gideon leaves a legacy of sin through Abimelech, the son of his concubine, who killed 70 of his brothers so that he could reign over the people of Shechem. Our sin will end up having huge consequences by hurting not only ourselves, but everyone around us.

Ananias' character, competence, & commitment allowed God to use his "small" act of obedience mightily for His glory. Little choices make a big impact. Let's not despise the "small" things and be faithful to whatever God has for us.

After his victory against the Midianites, Gideon took his eyes off the Lord and caused the people to stumble. He didn't want to be their king, but wanted to live like one. Although Gideon lived well, he didn't finish well.

Salvation is more than just getting saved. Prior to his conversion, the apostle Paul was "in the way", but after, he was "on the way"! Two sure signs of a saved person is one who believes Scripture & behaves sincerely.

God tests Gideon's faith...and delivers the Midianites into the hands of the Israelites with 300 soldiers, trumpets, pitchers & torches! Let faith overcome fear for the Lord loves you and is with you.

God the Father gives the Holy Spirit to His children as a helper in order to glorify Jesus the Son and equip us for ministry. All we have to do to receive, is ask. Unconditional love and boldness are evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

God raises up Gideon to deliver the Israelites from the hand of the Midianites. Gideon makes requests to confirm God's will, and the Lord answers him. God wants us to know His will.

Sometimes suffering is a part of God's will. God's intention for suffering is for our good. His way is to take all boasting off of us and put it on Him in order to protect us from ourselves.

After crying out to God once again, He delivered the Israelites from the hand of Jabin, king of Canaan, by the hand of a woman. Are we crying to God for comfort or cleansing? Let's present ourselves to God, that He may cleanse us...Victory is promised to us by God!

Jesus once again clearly states that He is God and that there is only one way to the Father, through Him, the Son. He has a place prepared for us, and we can be assured of it by receiving Him (Jesus) as Lord and Savior.

God will allow trials in our life to test us and increase our faith, but Satan will use them to tempt. So, how do we allow God to use us? We need His Spirit, His Word, & our availability.

What does the Bible say about fasting? Fasting is not a command, but a discipline to help us mature in our walk with God. It's not about what we don't do, but what & how we do.

God loves us no matter what, but hates sin. He is a God of second chances.

Jesus gives a "new" commandment at the Last Supper, to love as He loved = laid down His life for others. Let's glorify God by our obedience.

The Greatest Gift From The Grandest Giver

Jesus washes His disciples' feet. He is showing us that love = serving others. Jesus wants to wash us with His Word. Will we humble ourselves to allow Him to expose our "dirt", so He can make us clean?

The consequences of choosing our own way are defeat, discomfort, & disgrace. But we can safeguard ourselves by choosing obedience to God, separation from darkness, & love. God gives us a choice, so let's choose wisely!

Jesus continued to make it clear that He is the "Son of Man", the awaited Messiah, yet many still refused to believe in Him. God knows the condition of our hearts, and in His "justness", will seal our hearts according to our will.

Rebuen, Gad, & the half tribe of Manasseh set up an alter at the Jordan, but the rest of Israel assume their rebellion. Zeal without knowledge is dangerous. We must first ask "if" before asking "why". Motive matters.

The cost of discipleship - Jesus calls us to lay down our life. Good seed must first die in order to bear much fruit. What needs to die in our life in order for God's resurrection work to take place?

We see God's plan in scattering the Levitical tribes in cities throughout the land, calling them to be a source of teaching, witness, and refuge. This is the same plan & call that God has for us, His Church today.