HE SHALL REIGN FOREVER! “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.” —Revelation 11:15 Christmas… the celebration of Christ… and for those of us who have trusted the Lord Jesus Christ, those who have called on His Name for salvation, this is only the beginning of the celebration. The Lord God Almighty will reign forever and ever. Got that child of God? You are in a kingdom that cannot be shaken (Hebrews 12:28). It is an eternal kingdom that we are in! (Psalm 145:13; Daniel 4:3; II Peter 1:11). What is the greatest Christmas…

OF UNFAITHFULNESS AND JUDGMENT Hear this, you leaders of Jacob, you rulers of Israel, who despise justice and distort all that is right; who build Zion with bloodshed, and Jerusalem with wickedness. Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets tell fortunes for money. Yet they look for the Lord’s support and say, “Is not the Lord among us? No disaster will come upon us.” Therefore because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, the temple hill a mound overgrown with thickets. —Micah 3:9-12 Leaders “who despise justice and distort all that is right”…

DON’T BE A JONAH! Then the Lord God provided a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant. But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.” —Jonah 4:6-8 The Lord God provided: -a message for Jonah to preach -a storm to redirect…

RESPOND TO HIM! Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Get out, you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there. Don’t prophesy anymore at Bethel, because this is the king’s sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom.” Amos answered Amaziah, “I was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. But the Lord took me from tending the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ Now then, hear the word of the Lord. You say, “ ‘Do not prophesy against Israel, and stop preaching against…

GOD’S LOVE & HATE Hate evil, love good. —Amos 5:15 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. —Romans 12:9 Look at the love of God toward us. We are told “to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge” (Ephesians 3:19-20). When no man could redeem us (Psalm 49:7-10), Jesus did (I Peter 1:18-19) and nothing in all creation can separate us from His love (Romans 8:39). God is love (I John 4:8) and we are to love like He does. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBYCzvThB1A Yet, God hates evil and “Let those who…

REDEEMED! And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.” —Revelation 5:9-10 No one can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for them—the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough—so that they should live on forever and not see decay… But God will redeem me from the realm…

ONLY ONE WAY! But I have been the Lord your God ever since you came out of Egypt. You shall acknowledge no God but me, no Savior except me. —Hosea 13:4 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” —John 14:6 “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” —Acts 4:12 Fire! Fire! There is only one way of escape and people are fleeing to that way of escape. I cannot imagine anyone with flames licking at them who would stand…

HOLD ON! Hold on to what you have until I come. —Revelation 2:25 Hold on to truth, to love, faith, to patience, to service and be growing in these areas. Don’t let anyone or any circumstance deflect you from these. There is so much in this world that would have us turn away from these things. We are in spiritual warfare and let us not forget this for an instant. Years ago in my teen years I used to do some dangerous things. Of course as a teen I was invincible. This one time I was going down a river near our home in Lebanon, New Hampshire. The river flowed…

SHINE LIKE STARS IN THE SKY Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. —Daniel 12:3 Do you want to shine like the brightness of the heavens, like the stars forever and ever? Then what actions are you taking to lead others to righteousness? Are you seeking to lead the lost to Him who is the Righteous One (I John 2:1)? How are you encouraging other believers to live out that righteousness? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-_MZFSpOUU May it be so! “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes,…

FACE TO FACE I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete. —II John 1:12 The best communication is face to face. We live in a day and age when we have so many ways to communicate, but not face to face. Think about it. How many e-mails or texts have you sent so far this week? Then consider how many times you actually talked with someone face to face. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6CBb3yX9Zs Even the Apostle John knew the best way to communicate was…