The True Gifts of the Magi

We all tend to get used to a certain idea or picuture in our mind of stories, whether man-written, or spoken directly from the Word of God of what it looked like, how it happened, how the characters looked, etc. But, Honestly, as I started reading the Christmas story this season and, and thought on my favorite Christmas Song, "Beautiful Star of Bethlehem", the Lord started showing me some things I had NEVER seen before! Simple yet POWERFUL! Not of works, but HIS GRACE ALONE, especially with my humanly limiatations! His WORD IS LIVING AND it is COMPLETE, AND has the anwser for us TODAY JUST AS CURRENT as the lateset news report on social media! This FACT of God's WRITTEN PRESERVED WORD is CRUCICAL to the Christmas Story AND other Bible Stories that led up to the Greatest night this World has ever seen, and then there was STILL more to come, 2 to 3 years later! Yes, I'm referring to the Birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. But want to share with all of you what He has been showing me in His Word, concerning 3 different sets of People and objects.As the title of this devotional series states, the main set of 3 are the Wisemen, BUT there are a few more sets of 3s I have found! This week before Christmas, I want to show you from the Bible, how the Hand of God was moving, LOOOONG before those men mounted camels and started a dangerous trek, and how hard times, bad things, and even death itself played apart in the Greatest Story Ever told. Please pray for me as I do so..now tomorrow starts-"the rest of the Story"!

No FEAR !!!!!!

From Fear to.....

 🎼No GUILT  in life, NO FEAR in death,

This is the POWER  of CHRIST IN ME!

From life's FIRST cry to FINAL breath,

Jesus COMMANDS my destiny!

NO power of HELL ,NO scheme of MAN,

Can ever PLUCK me from HIS HAND!

Till He RETURNS  or CALLS ME HOME

HERE IN the POWER of CHRIST  I'LL STAND!!🎼

Thanking MY SAVIOUR, JESUS CHRIST ( JUST to be CLEAR) for the POWER TO LIVE, thru HIM ALONE this am! He COMMANDS& is in FULL control of what happens to ME & ALL of His youngins!!! From my FIRST BREATH to my LAST!! We can march FORWARD , not  backward, in life to do HIS WILL with it! I’m DEF NOT PERFECT, BUT HE IS, & I can TRUST HIM for what is BEST, even if I dont understand it! If YOU are fearful in these times, you DONT HAVE TO BE!! GO TO JESUS For cleansing from His BLOOD& put your trust in HIM! He GAVE  you your FIRST breath & will GIVE you your SECOND breath( SPIRITUAL LIFE), only for the asking!!!! Child of God- if you have let all that’s going on around you, take your focus off the Lord &are fearful: TURN YOUR EYES BACK TO JESUS, like Peter did when he started to sink, and Let The CAPTAIN pull you back UP & FORWARD to HIM!! Stay the course in the COMMAND the LORD has given us- GO YE INTO ALL THE WORLD & PREACH the GOSPEL!! Not our OPINIONS of events around us, & putting more effort in THEM & the FIGHT than the MAIN FOCUS the Lord said- The GOSPEL & SAVING OF SOULS!  “Lord, take our fear & guilt& give us thy peace & confidence to serve Thee, till we have FINISHED OUR COURSE & keep the FAITH!” 

“There is NO FEAR in LOVE ; but PERFECT LOVE CASTETH OUT FEAR: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:18

                                .... NO FEAR!!!

Giving of Thanks For ALL He Has Done

Happy Thanksgiving!! That is EXACTLY what we need to do today: GIVE THANKS unto the LORD for all He has done! He has let us LIVE to see another Thanksgiving, and for that alone, we should be grateful. SURE: this has been a VERY HARD year for EVERYONE, and there are MANY things WE could complain about. BUT the Lord convicted me when I read Ephesians 5:20"..nor FOOLISH talking, nor jesting, which are NOT CONVENIENT: but rather GIVING OF THANKS." It's easy for our flesh to complain, BUT as children of the Lord, it should be even EASIER, OR MORE convenient, to THANK the Lord for ALL that He has done for us!! The Lord gave us a list of some of them in Ephesians. 

1st: He PROVIDED a Way of Salvation:  Eph.1:4&5 "..He hath chosen US in Him BEFORE the foundation of the world.....Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ Himself...". The Lord gave us a predetermined WAY to become His children and redeem us THROUGH Jesus Christ! "...I am THE WAY the Truth, and the Life. No man cometh to the Father, but by ME." John 14:6. He knew Adam would fall and STILL loved us ANYWAY to make a way to restore us BEFORE He ever created us!

2nd: He PAID THE PRICE and took our PUNISHMENT and PAIN:  Isaiah 53 gives us a detailed account of the awful price of the price, punishment, and pain that our Lord took and suffered FOR us. He knew the price of our ransom was HIS PRECIOUS BLOOD (I Peter 19). He WILLINGLY laid down His life for us, shed His Blood, and endured the agony of the cross. "SURELY He hath borne our grief and carried our sorrows:yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. BUT He was wounded for OUR TRANSGRESSIONS, he was bruised for OUR INIQUITIES: the chastisement of OUR PEACE was upon Him; and with HIS STRIPES, WE ARE HEALED." (Ish. 53:5&6). 

3rd: He gave us PEACE:   "For HE is our PEACE...." (Eph. 2:14). Jesus Christ Himself IS our peace. We have peace, being the children of God, because Jesus reconciled us and restored us, giving us ACCESS by one Spirit unto the Father (Eph. 16-18). There is NO MORE SEPARATION from a loving relationship with our Heavenly Father. We can come to Him with HOLY BOLDNESS (Heb. 4:16), at ANY TIME we need to or want to!! 

4th: He gave us His PROMISE of the Holy Spirit:  "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also that ye believed, ye were sealed with that HOLY SPIRIT of PROMISE,"( Eph 1:13). The Holy Spirit was given to us to be our Comforter while here on this earth. Our Heavenly Father uses Him to guide us and comfort us while we are PILGRIMS in this strange land. The Holy Spirit also instructs us in prayer and guides us into ALL truth (John 16:13). He WANTS us to know His Will and how we are to serve Him (John 15:15 & 16). He has promised also to NEVER leave us nor forsake us ( Heb. 13:5). And Lastly, 

5th: He gave us PROVISION until PROMOTION  Along with the promise of the Holy Spirit, the Lord promised to PROVIDE for us while we wait to be PROMOTED to Heaven with Him!! "Blessed be the Lord, who DAILY LOADETH us with benefits..." Ps. 68:19. He DAILY gives us what we need to make it! Whether it be spiritual or physical; the LORD doesn't want us to be without! He has promised His goodness and mercy ALL THE DAYS of our lives! (Ps. 23:6). 

This Thanksgiving Day, let US be PROMPTED as PILGRIMS to "Enter into His gates with THANKSGIVING, and into His courts with PRAISE: be THANKFUL unto HIM, and bless His name."( Ps.100:4). Let us GIVE THANKS to the LORD for ALL HE HAS DONE!!