The Importance of Prophecies in the Bible that pertain to the Birth of Christ!

17 Dec 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Luke 2:38.         And she (Anna) coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

And on this damp and cloudy Tuesday morning with only eight days left to the riotous climax of the Christmas season, we try to keep our spirits lifted high, as we spread the peace, LOVE and goodwill to all men that our Lord and Saviour came to spread when He came to us in human form. Yes my brethren, that’s what we ought to be about in these last days; making the fruit of the Spirit flourish in our world! That’s the LOVE, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, kindness, faithfulness and self-control! 

And with strife and negativity becoming more rampant in our world every day, if we can only get a toehold in the enemy’s fortifications with those things, then we’d be away and laughing. But friends, it all depends on us; on us being selfless and sacrificial enough to put our desires on hold and pursue those of Christ. And there’s no better time than this Christmas season when the enemy has let down his guard to enjoy the merriment engendered by Christ’s birth. So please, let’s get out there and use this festival season to remind others of Christ’s importance in the annals of man, and invite them to come to Him for help and encouragement, despite their circumstances. 

And to help us do that, here’s an interesting prayer I found in a set of ‘Praying with Purpose’ inspirational cards recently put out by the In Touch Ministry. These prayer cards deal with topics ranging from boldness to the persecuted church, and will help us pursue greater intimacy with our great God. So here’s this prayer dealing with ‘Growth in Christ,’ based on this inspirational verse from Romans. ‘And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.’ (Rom. 12:2) 

Yes, my fellow believers, we desperately need to have our minds transformed and renewed so that we don’t follow the ungodliness being propagated and perpetrated by this sinful world. So please pray with me: ‘Father, I praise you for giving me new life in Christ. What a joy it is to become more like Your Son! Help me to stay focused on Your Word as I learn to follow him. When my heart begins to drift, lead me gently back. Show me how to let go of old ways, even as I rely on Your grace to transform me. Thank You for helping me grow every day.’ 

Oh friends, that’s a simple but right on the money prayer! And it’s oh so easy to be conformed to the ungodliness of this world, but we do have the power within us to resist it. We need to actively seek to be like Christ. But to do that, we first must do as James advises; ‘Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh (near) to you.’ (James 4:7-8a) 

Yes my fellow saints, it’s all about getting as close to God as possible, and then sticking to Him, sticking to Him like white on rice! That’s the only way we’ll ever resist the devil. Now, let’s wrap up the prophetic stories that were noised about at Jesus’ birth. Yesterday we saw where the devout man Simeon had been promised life until He saw the Messiah. And that promise was faithfully fulfilled when he met Jesus in the temple as His parents came to sacrifice on His behalf according to the law. 

Today we’ll look at another amazing occurrence that took place on that same day. The Bible tells it thus: ‘And there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with her husband seven years from her virginity; And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And she (Anna) coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.’ (Luke 2:36-38) 

Poor Joseph  and Mary! All that prophetic and redemption stuff must have driven them crazy. But again, they knew that they had a special child and with God’s unfailing grace, took it all in their stride. No doubt all of that was just more stuff for Mary to store up in her mind and ponder on as Jesus’ earthly life was fulfilled. Then the Bible states: ‘And when they, (Mary and Joseph) had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city of Nazareth. And the child grew, and waxed (became) strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.’ (Luke 2:39-40) 

And that’s the last we hear of Jesus for at least a dozen years. Until His escapade at the feast of the Passover in Jerusalem at the age of twelve, when, unbeknown to His parents, He left the homebound caravan and could not be found for three days. Eventually they found Him back in Jerusalem, ‘in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors (teachers), both hearing them, and asking questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. And when they (his parents) saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us (done this to us)? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing (anxiously). 

And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not (didn’t you know) that I must be about my Father’s business? And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them. And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. and Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.’ (Luke 2:46-52) 

Jesus was blessed to have such understanding parents, because even now, when a twelve year old gives his parents that kind of lip, especially in public his teeth are in perilous danger of being knocked out. Thankfully though, after that, Jesus seems to have settled down, ‘was subject unto them.’ And that takes care of all the prophecy and intrigue that surrounded Christ at His birth. (smile) 

Now, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one sincere and grateful voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’ 

And having said that, it now behooves us to go out and spread the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…if there wasn’t much fanfare around Christ’s birth…then all the Bible prophecies would have been for nought..

Today’s Scrip-Bit    6 September 2023 Genesis 37:5.

06 Sep 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Genesis 37:5. And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren, and they hated him yet more.

Glory be! Another beautiful bright and sunshiny summer’s day in the first week of September! But unfortunately, it too comes with a heat warning. So please be careful when going out in the sun, make sure you have on your sunscreen, your hat and umbrella, if necessary. Stay well hydrated and in a cool place. That’s the price we pay for another hot summer’s day at this time of year. (smile) 

And right now, I want to offer a li’l tidbit from a ‘P.S. I LOVE YOU’ Poster my young daughter gave me some years back. It simply, but quite rightly says: ‘Dreams come true for those who work while they dream.’ And there’s no denying that my friends! You can dream all you want, but if you don’t convert some of that dreaming energy into action towards the dream, it will never come to pass. That’s because dreams are only mental, while the actuality of them call for physical action and reaction. 

I don’t think we can find a better example of dreams working out in action than the story of Bruh Joseph way back in olden times. And his problems began early in life, around the age of seventeen, through no fault of his own. The scripture says: ‘Now Israel LOVED Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat (tunic) of many colours. And when his brethren saw that their father LOVED him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably about him.’ (Gen. 37:3-4) 

Now that’s the unfortunate kind of thing that happens when parents favour one child above the others very overtly. The story continues thus: ‘And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren, and they hated him yet more.’ (Gen. 37:5) That’s another pitfall we often fall into; telling our dreams to people who don’t have our best interests at heart, and sometimes it’s best to just keep our dreams to ourselves and work quietly on them. Especially highfalutin dreams like Bruh Joseph had. 

‘And he said unto them (his brothers), Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance (bowed down) to my sheaf. And his brethren said to him, shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.’ (Gen. 37:6-8) Obviously Bruh Joseph didn’t realize how much his brothers hated him, or he was just so full of and cock-sure of himself that he didn’t care.  

And as the luck of the draw would have it; ‘He dreamed another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance (bowed down) to me. And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee in the earth? And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.’ (Gen . 37:9-11) 

Now Bruh Joseph had the whole family against him. But please note that last verse. Israel ‘observed the matter,’ or kept it in his mind. He obviously didn’t relegate it right away to the rubbish heap. It reminds us of Mary, Jesus’ mother’s behaviour, when she heard all the fine things that were said about Jesus both at his at his eight-day presentation in the temple, and also when he was lost, and they found him arguing with the teachers in the temple at twelve years old and He told them: 

‘How is it ye sought me? wist (knew) ye not that I must be about my father’s business? And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them. And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these saying in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with god and man.’ (Luke 2:40-52) 

It’s strange how our parents, though they may not fully believe our spiritual dreams and plans, many of them yet never put them aside completely, knowing, possibly from their own experience the way in which Almighty God operates. And both Jacob and Mary did have significant encounters with God in the spiritual realm, so neither totally wrote of the dreams of their children. The only difference between Bruh Joseph and Jesus, is that the latter did not grow did not grow in favour with both God and man. 

Bruh Joseph’s brothers had other ideas about his dreams. And one day when his father sent him to check on them in the fields, ‘they conspired to slay him. And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer (master of dreams) cometh. Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, some evil (wild) beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams. And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him. And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid (deliver) him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father.’ (Gen. 37:18-22)  

But we know that did not happen, for after the brothers stripped Joseph of his robe of many colours and threw him into a pit, they sat down to eat, and just then they saw a group of Ishmeelites (traders) going down to Egypt with their wares to sell. ‘And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood? Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him: for he is our brother, and our flesh. And his brethren were content (agreed).’ (Gen. 37:26-27) 

So they drew Bruh Joseph up out of the pit and sold him to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt. That certainly didn’t seem like Bruh Joseph was having favour with God and man. But unbeknownst to them all, that was only the beginning of the drama. And if God spares life, tomorrow, we’ll continue looking at Bruh Joseph’s story; a most significant one in the annals of the Jewish people, and consequently in our own Chrisitan faith. 

Now let’s go home declaring (chuh!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

And friends, we’ve been further promised that if we stick with Jesus right to the very end, then that promise will be even more glorious than we could ever ask or imagine. Wow! So please, let’s make a date to meet right at the very end with Jesus nuh! Much LOVE!

…the Lord puts dreams in our hearts…so that we can serve His glorious purposes… 

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