ARISE AND SHINE FOR THE LIGHT HAS COME: The Joy of Christmas is the Joy of Salvation

Saturday, December 25, 2010

The Joy of Christmas is the Joy of Salvation

The Joy of Christmas is the Joy of Salvation

Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news 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. (Luke 2:10-11)
Merry Christmas to each one of you; and may the Lord bless you in your walk with Him in the coming new year. The word “merry” from the phrase Merry Christmas is an old English word meaning to be happy, rejoice, make joyful in mind. When the angel announced the birth of Jesus he proclaimed that his message was, “good news of great joy which will be to all people.” That includes you and all the people you care about. The Gospel is really good news which just keeps getting better as your revelation of Jesus increases. “Savior” means One who rescues, delivers, or preserves you from danger or destruction and brings you into a state of prosperity and happiness. Jesus came to save us from everything that is bad and restore to us everything that is good. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. (James 1:17)
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" (Luke 2:13-14) “Goodwill” means to please, or favor bringing good pleasure, good intent, and a gracious purpose. God is saying I am here to bring you peace and blessing. Jesus is the Gift and the Giver when we receive Him we receive everything that is good. Happiness is a good thing, which means happiness comes from God. Some people do not know that God wants them to be happy; they are deceived to think that happiness comes from your circumstances in life. Not true, some of the happiest people I know live in garbage dumps and some of the most miserable people have great wealth. Joy comes from who you know not what you have. Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls—Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. (Habakkuk 3:17-18)
If something is stealing your joy this Christmas it is temporary, because if you are in Christ and He is in you then you have a hope that does not disappoint; the hope of glory. Jesus is working to change what is bad in your life into something good. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. (Romans 5:5) The fruit of the Holy Spirit is love; which produces great joy and peace. One of the titles of the Holy Spirit is “Comforter”; He is there to help us get through the tough times and to help us conquer evil with good.
Depression is a bad thing, there is no depression in heaven, one of the things Jesus came to rescue us from is depression. "THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE HAS ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR; HE HAS SENT ME TO HEAL THE BROKENHEARTED, TO PROCLAIM LIBERTY TO THE CAPTIVES AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET AT LIBERTY THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED; (Luke 4:18).
We are in a time when the darkness is getting darker and the glory of God is shinning brighter. Be careful where you focus the eyes of your heart. Focus on the face of Jesus; For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6)
We are in a time of shaking as God is sanctifying His people. Temporary things will be shaken so that we will focus our heart on, and hold on to, the eternal. There may be times when things seem uncomfortable however; ultimately the Lord is raising us up to be trees of righteousness. To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified." (Isaiah 61:3)
Great joy is experienced when our salvation is realized to the point of righteousness. Righteousness is when your life is in agreement with God’s Holy Word, Jesus. We have been given the Holy Scriptures and the Holy Spirit to guide us in the Way. Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts. (Jeremiah 15:16)
David knew what to pray when he lost his joy. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. (Psalms 51:11-12) David knew that in the manifestation of God’s presence is the greatest joy. I have set the LORD always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope. For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalms 16:8-11)
I pray that 2011 will be your greatest year as you focus on loving God with your whole heart, and allow Him to love others through you; and may you experience the joy of the Lord, the joy of your salvation every day.

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GOOD NEWS TO YOU.

Did you know that Christ came to this world, for the benefit of humanity. A life without Christ it will full of crisis, that is why you need Jesus Christ in to your life before it is too late. I want you to know this tomorrow may be too late for you, today is the day of your Salvation don't play with it.
You need to give your life to Jesus Christ, have Him as your Lord and Saviour, do His will and followed Him with all your heart.
Remember that His the only way no other way except Him John 14: 6. Come to Him, He will give you freedom John 8: 32, 36.
Read His word and you will undersand it and your life will not remain like before in Jesus name. John 3: 16 - 18.

WAYS TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS OR AIMS

WAYS TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS OR AIMS.

PART (A) ___ EDUCATION, KNOWING WHAT YOU WANT AND

HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR CAREER

PART (B) ___ BE DISCIPLINE,BE PRINCIPLE, FOCOUS,BE DETERMINE,

AND WORKING TOWARDS YOUR GOALS.

PART (C) ___ HOW TO INVEST YOUR MONEY WISELY (e.g. buying of shares, investing in business,Savings,prudent spending or using your money judiciously.

PART (D)___ WHAT YOU CAN DO TO SUCCEED IN LIFE(.e.g. caution,obedient,think positive and mind the kind of friends you keep)

PART( E) ___ RELATIONSHIPS (e.g. man & women talk etc.)

What is career? ___ is a series of job that a person has in a particular area of work. usually involving more responsibility as time passes.

Education? Is a process of teaching, training & learning, especially in schools or colleges to improve knowledge & develop skill .etc?

Knowing what you want or what you are good at___ this is process where by you as a person will decide what you want, or what you are good at, also you should be able to examine urself properly on a particular thing you are good at. In every human being there is a particular gift or talent deposited in you & me, so think about that gift of yours now & make use of it wisely before its too late

How to choose your career in life___ After you must have examine yourself properly, & knowing what you are good at ,then you can now proceed to chosen your career in life
E.g. comparing what you are good at with whatever course you intended studying in any of the tertiary institution in the country. Napoleon Hill said that , THE LADDER TO SUCCESS IS NEVER CROWDED AT THE TOP.ALSO THAT SUCCESS REQURES NO EXPLAINATION & FAILURE PERMIT NO ALIBIS_(means an excuse for that you have done wrong).

PART B

Discipline? ----- The practice of training people to obey rules & orders & punishing them if they do not: the controlled behavior or situation that result from the trading.
You should be able to discipline yourself from a lot of things or restraining yourself from things that are not called for, so that you will be able to achieve your actual goals or aims in life.

Principle---- is a moral rule or strong belief that influence your actions & also knowing what is right & wrong based on a strong belief. E.g. I don’t want to keep bad company of friends, because they will influence you to do that which you don’t want to do, by so doing your future will ruined, & you will not be able to achieve your set goals or aims in life. Not to talk of becoming a medical doctor that you are aiming at in life.

Determination---- making a firm decision to something great in life & not to allow anyone to prevent you from achieving that which you have determined e.g I’m determined to succeed in life, etc.

Focus---- to give attention to your goals & aims or with your attention directed to what you want to do; with very clear aims. Life is about contribution, not consumption; it’s about relevance not significance.

How to invest your money wisely----- buying of shares, investing in businesses, prudent spending, savings, & spending your money judiciously, you don’t have to buy anything that comes across your ways. (Napoleon Hill said ,happiness is found in doing, not merely in possessing.& also anybody can wish for riches, & most people do, but only a few knows that a definite plan, plus burning desire for wealth, are the only dependable means of accumulating wealth.

Relationship 1----The relationship between you & your career must be cordial, & you must try to derive satisfaction in whatever career you have chosen .e.g. love, be happy & choose wisely, so that you will not have any cause to regret in your chosen career in life.
Working to learn makes a leader, while working to earn makes a shave.

Relationship 2 ---- this involve the man and woman stuff this has cause a lot pain to people and it has also given them set back in their chosen career. (What they are supposed to put first in life will be the last and the last will now be the first. Most women are misled by men today, & it will affect them physically, emotionally, educationally &
Their Career will be ruined in life. E.g. they will loose concentration in what ever they are doing
Think & positive grow rich in your chosen career ----- This simply means that you should be able. to sit down & think without the help of anybody, doing these 24 hours a day .by doings this you will be able to produced things ,that is beyond the imagination of man and you will be happy you did. The divine pressure is my greatest asset in the race of life
Time ------ they say wait for no one & also time is money, you must be able to make use of your time wisely .by this you will be Able to achieve your set goal in life .procrastination is a waste of time. Your career depends on you and you alone, so a stitch in time saves nine, make hay s while the the sunshine. Time is an invaluable assets, and also of most essential’s in the school of ideas.

Concentration------ you must be able to concentrate on whatever you do in life & also in your career .because without education one is useless, never ever says no to success, because a successful man or woman is what people want to recon with in life.
If you plan to fail, then you will fail to plan.

You must set a value for yourself------ your value is esterblished entirely by your ability to render useful services or your capacity to induce others to render such services.

Knowing what you want -----always try to worth a million in the presence of people & also to be tolerant, you must have a listening ear .be patient & be nice to others.
Cheap money is bait for destruction, there is dignity in labour, and anyone one who keeps learning. Stays young

Conclusions------whatever the mind can conceive & believe it can achieve .And every adversity (a difficulty or pleasant situation). Every failure & every heartache carries with it the seed of an equivalent or greater benefit. When you stop seeking GOD you will start sink in the sea of life.

A PROVERB GOES DOSE
--------You should enjoy whatever you doing.
---------don’t think of what your country will do for you bur rather think of what you can do for your country.
---------- Discipline is doing what demanded, what is commanded or convenient.
--------- Life without dreams is doomed.
---------- Pre-occupation with the past is always a retreat, be careful with those memories of the past, they can trap you in mud and make you incapable of moving forward.

LIVING IN THE LAST DAYS

LIVING IN THE LAST DAYS
If society is doomed to degeneration what should believers do as they live in the "last days"? 2Tim 3:1Paul offered advice in several of his letters:Reference Application Romans 13:11-14.Keep close to the Lord. 2 Cor 11:13-15 Avoid masquerading as servants of God. Ephesians 5:11.Have nothing to do with evildoers and their wicked deeds; instead, exposethem. Believers need not allow evil tocontinue unchecked, but should actively work against it. Ephesians 5:18. Redeem time. Col 4:2,5. Believers are to pray, be watchful, bethankful, and be wise in the way they act toward unbelievers, making the most of every opportunityto share the gospel. 2 Thess 3:6-15 Church members who are lazy and idle must be warned.Christians should not be sitting around waiting for the Lordto return, but should continue working in the ministry.WHO IS CHRIST?Colossians 1:15-20 lists seven characteristics of Christ:1. The visible image of the invisible God. Col 1:15.2. Existed before God made anything. Col 1:15.3. He is the one through whom God created everything. Col 1:16.4. He is the head of the body, the Church. Col 1:18.5. He is the first of all who will rise from the dead. Col 1:18.6. All God’s fullness lives in him. Col 1:19.7. Through Christ, God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things. Col 1:20.Because of whom Christ is:* We ought to worship him with praise and thanks.* We ought to learn about him for he is God.* We ought to obey him for he is the ultimate authority.* We ought to love him for what he has done for us

WHY DID JESUS HAVE TO DIE?

Mark 15:39 The Problem: We have all done things that are wrong, and we have failed to obey God’s laws. Because of this, we have been separated from God our Creator. Separation from God is death; but, by ourselves, we can do nothing to become united with God. Why Jesus Could Help: Jesus was not just a man; he was God’s unique Son. Because Jesus never disobeyed God and never sinned, Only he can bridge the gap between the sinless God and sinful mankind. The Solution: Jesus freely offered his life for us, dying on the cross in our place, taking all our wrongdoing upon him, and saving us from the consequences of sin including God’s judgment and death. The Results: Jesus took our past, present, and future sins upon himself so that we could have new life. Because all our wrongdoing is forgiven, we are conceding to God. Furthermore, Jesus’ resurrection fromthe dead is the proof that his substitutions sacrifice on the cross was acceptable to God, and his resurrection has become the source of new life for whoever believes that Jesus is the Son of God. All who believe in him may have this new life and live it in union with him.
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JESUS LOVES "U"

YOU ARE WELCOME TO THIS BLOG, ARISE AND SHINE. Know this First Jesus Loves "u"
To the Glory of God Almighty, you were created by God Almighty the Author and the Finisher of our faith. Do you know that God created you for a special purpose, He wants to have a wonderful relationship with you, and He want you to have all the beautiful things in this world and in the world to come. That is why He is sending his only begotten Son, who came to this world and died on the cross of Calvary because of you and I. (John 3: 16), For the past sixteen years ago, I have been enjoying the goodness of God and He has been wonderful to me. He gave me beautiful and wonderful wife and inteligent children, am very greatful to Him. Why not accept Him today He's in that place where you are right now, just accept Him as a sinner He will forgive you all your sins (Romans 3: 23), (John 14: 6) and you will start enjoying that wonderful relationship with Him. And Eternity will be your greatest achievement in life. God bless you as you accept this offer.

CHRISTIAN SUFFERING

CHRISTIAN SUFFERING
Dear readers, I want you to count suffering as part of the Christian race. I pray you will gain a lot as we discuss this topic. Several times, Christians have terrible and fearful trials. Some are affected bodily, others mentally, some financially and others direct or indirect attacks of Satan. Many are calling out to God, “why?” “Why do I have to suffer like this?” phil. 1:29 “For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake.” This is a plain fact. You and I have a double Opportunity- to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and to suffer for His sake.We surely want to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. We want Salvation, forgiveness, heaven, love, the Lord Jesus. With this comes the privilege to suffer. Phil. 3: 10 “That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings...” This was the prayer of Apostle Paul. And he seriously suffered for the sake of Christ.Jesus suffered. In Bethlehem, He was misunderstood, cursed, blasphemed. In Gethsemane was the bitter trial. He was smitten, lashed, crucified, e.t.c. Our sufferings are very high in comparison. 11Cor. 4: 17 “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding....” To some, life is meaningless, for it consists only of turmoil, trouble, pain and tears.To the true Christian, life has a plan, for God has a purpose for each life.” And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose”. Rom. 8: 28.

How does suffering come? Through our mistakes and sin. Gal. 6: 7 “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap”. The man who has committed murder can be forgiven by God, but he must still suffer prison for his crime. The man that ruins his body with liquor must still reap the effects of a body that has been weakened or wrecked by sin. We accept even these as from Him and search our hearts fully to repent and seek grace not to repeat these terrible things.Through mistakes and sins of others. “Why did God allow him to say that terrible thing? No trial or affliction can reach you without His permission.

Through temptations: 1 Cor. 10: 13 “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it”. God knows your “load limit” - the amount that you can endure.

Through God’s providential dealings - These can be most incomprehensible to the troubled soul and in desperation he calls out, “Why, why?” God does not promise to give us the reason for His actions. He is sovereign. Even in deepest afflictions, rest assured that He is the loving heavenly father. John the Baptist was mightily used, but was later imprisoned. Jesus was nearby, but no visit or answer to his query. Jesus says “Trust Me in prison. John”.Why do sufferings come? Sufferings may come as a result of sin. John 5: 14. “Afterward, Jesus findeth him in the temple, and saith unto him. Behold, thou art made whole; Sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee”. The man discussed here had been sick for 38years. The statement made by Jesus Christ would mean that he was sick because of his sin. Other references Num. 12: 10; 11Chr. 16:12. Sufferings may come in order to make the works of God manifest, John 9:2, 3.
The disciples asked; Who sinned, this man or his parents that he has been born blind? Jesus gave this answer, neither one, for this happened that Jesus could heal him. The Lord may make someone sick to get more fellowship with him.Suffering may come just for the glory of God, John 11: 4. Lazarus was raised from dead and many believed. Surely, God has derived a great deal of glory from the story of Lazarus all through the ages.It may be work of enemies-- with God permissive will. This was the experience of Job. The outcast of Gadarah was mentally sick because of the indwelling demons, Mark 5: 1-5. A woman was bound by Satan for 18years in Lk. 13: 16. Acts. 10: 38 speaks of those that are oppressed of the devil. Suffering may be inform of chastisement - Heb. 12: 5-13. The parent cannot let the child have its own way always. Neither can God with us. God is trying to teach us to make wise decisions. The goal of chastisement is a child who makes good decisions even when far away from parent authority. Finally, suffering is often a part His plan to train us. count it Joy when you are suffering because it is but for a moment

HOW CAN GOD ACCEPT US?

Rom 2:1The Problem:We resist God.We ignore God.We attempt to deceive God.We work against God’s interests.We acknowledge God only when we are in trouble. We consider our plans and desires before God’s. We do not love God with all our heart, soul, and mind. How can we even hope to have an intimate relationship with God, or to go to heaven after this life?False solutions:Deny there is a God, but create our own god out of something or someone else.Live in guilty, punishing ourselves or masking the guilty behind alcohol and drugs. Use religion (works, church attendance, service)as a substitute for faith, loving God, and obeying him. Assume or vaguely hope God will save us anyway. Conclude God is too demanding and live in despair. True Solutions: Recognize the answer to our problem is faith and trust in Christ. Accept God’s gracious gift of forgiveness, believing in his love. Realize that God is willing to declare us not guilty, and that he alone can do it. Live in the freedom provided by God, enjoying the opportunity to express our thanks by obedience rather than trying to earn his acceptance. Humbly accept the fact that Christ’s substitution for us accomplished what we could not have done for ourselves.