December 11th 2016
The Gifts From God Will Be Rewards To You Forever In The Continuation Of Life In The Hereafter!
Matthew 7:11-12 (NIV)
If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
We now find ourselves in a gift giving season. Some of us await the return of Santa Claus to bring us the worldly things, we just cannot live without! All the gifts that we pay for are worldly, and thus, these wonderful things will wear out, and/or go out of style, and we will then discard all this stuff, and then, just want more and more! In a TV furniture ad, there is a woman who buys a lot of stuff, so much that she no longer has room to store it. Then she is given the option to return this stuff, or to buy bedroom furniture with lots of drawers to store all her stuff. Then she is shown with all her stuff stored in the many drawers in her new furniture. Then she says, “now I can buy more stuff!” Are we buying “more Stuff” during this holiday season too? Stuff we cannot live without!
Is this a holiday season for you, or is it the Christmas season for you and your family? Giving good gifts is something fun to do, and we likely can all afford to buy stuff for those we love, and with whom we exchange gifts. However, as the selected verses state, “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children,” next it states, “how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” The question becomes what gifts does God give those who ask Him? It seems that “good gifts” from God are first be spiritual gifts not worldly gifts! However, we can read about Job and know that God also blesses mankind with worldly gifts or possessions! Please try to remember during this gift giving season that everything you possess in this world are gifts from God.
Please note also that in the selected verses, is included the Golden Rule, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you! If you have been blessed with worldly wealth, at least enough where you may be able to share some of your wealth, then please think about other people who seem to be in need, and help them with a gift(s). On the TV news programs, there are stories about families who are sharing what blessing they have received with other families who have not been so blessed. Again, back to a reference to Job, this is one of the reasons God chose to bless Job, and restored his fortunes to even greater than before, mainly because Job shared his abundance with those less fortunate!
Paul wrote to the church at Colossi about how they should view their jobs as working for God not for a company. Think about that especially during this Christmas season. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Colossians 3:23-24). The rewards you will receive from God are not receiving more stuff, which will wear out or go out of style, but the gifts from God will be rewards to you forever in the continuation of life in the hereafter! Remember, your life does not end in this world, it merely continues in a better place with Jesus! Now that is a gift that keeps on giving!
John wrote about how when we have accepted the perfect sacrifice Jesus made for you (us) then even if you sin, there is forgiveness, and more than that, there is that gift that keeps on giving, through the defense granted believers by Jesus. My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:1-2). This offer was made by Jesus on that cross those many years ago, and it is available to the whole world, however, you must first believe that Jesus died for your sins to obtain this defense agent! Do you believe Jesus died for your sins? If you do, then know Jesus will present you to His Father, as though you too are sinless. The presents from Jesus just keep coming.
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no-one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no-one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." (John 3:1-3). If you have accepted Jesus’ sacrifice for your sins on that cross, then you have been born again! There are a lot of miraculous events that have happened on this earth, and those things are still occurring. This is the season to “Believe” but do not put your faith in Santa to bring stuff that will wear out and go out of style, but put your real faith in the gifts that Jesus offers that will last forever.
The proof of such gifts is in the everyday wonders that we do not understand such as the birth of a child, which happens every day all over this world. As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things. (Ecclesiastes 11:5). Be wise this year and believe in Jesus, do not let anyone tell you miracles do not still happen. Watch with whom you associate during this wonderful Christmas season. Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble. (Proverbs 13:20 NLT)
If you recognize who Jesus is, try to tell someone the Good News who cannot accept it as a true miracle in its time. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. (John 1:9-10) Jesus who created everything we see, and even the stuff we cannot see, came into our world for the purpose to save us from our sins. Can you accept this wonderful gift? Now this is the real reason for the season. That is why we call it Christmas, not just a holiday. You may get time off for the holiday season, but you get eternity off with Christmas.
Take the word of John the Baptist that Jesus is who He says He is! Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God." (John 1:32-34). Can you accept this testimony, and make it your own, that Jesus “is the Son of God?" It is the season to believe!
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak
Matthew 7:11-12 (NIV)
If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
We now find ourselves in a gift giving season. Some of us await the return of Santa Claus to bring us the worldly things, we just cannot live without! All the gifts that we pay for are worldly, and thus, these wonderful things will wear out, and/or go out of style, and we will then discard all this stuff, and then, just want more and more! In a TV furniture ad, there is a woman who buys a lot of stuff, so much that she no longer has room to store it. Then she is given the option to return this stuff, or to buy bedroom furniture with lots of drawers to store all her stuff. Then she is shown with all her stuff stored in the many drawers in her new furniture. Then she says, “now I can buy more stuff!” Are we buying “more Stuff” during this holiday season too? Stuff we cannot live without!
Is this a holiday season for you, or is it the Christmas season for you and your family? Giving good gifts is something fun to do, and we likely can all afford to buy stuff for those we love, and with whom we exchange gifts. However, as the selected verses state, “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children,” next it states, “how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” The question becomes what gifts does God give those who ask Him? It seems that “good gifts” from God are first be spiritual gifts not worldly gifts! However, we can read about Job and know that God also blesses mankind with worldly gifts or possessions! Please try to remember during this gift giving season that everything you possess in this world are gifts from God.
Please note also that in the selected verses, is included the Golden Rule, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you! If you have been blessed with worldly wealth, at least enough where you may be able to share some of your wealth, then please think about other people who seem to be in need, and help them with a gift(s). On the TV news programs, there are stories about families who are sharing what blessing they have received with other families who have not been so blessed. Again, back to a reference to Job, this is one of the reasons God chose to bless Job, and restored his fortunes to even greater than before, mainly because Job shared his abundance with those less fortunate!
Paul wrote to the church at Colossi about how they should view their jobs as working for God not for a company. Think about that especially during this Christmas season. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Colossians 3:23-24). The rewards you will receive from God are not receiving more stuff, which will wear out or go out of style, but the gifts from God will be rewards to you forever in the continuation of life in the hereafter! Remember, your life does not end in this world, it merely continues in a better place with Jesus! Now that is a gift that keeps on giving!
John wrote about how when we have accepted the perfect sacrifice Jesus made for you (us) then even if you sin, there is forgiveness, and more than that, there is that gift that keeps on giving, through the defense granted believers by Jesus. My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:1-2). This offer was made by Jesus on that cross those many years ago, and it is available to the whole world, however, you must first believe that Jesus died for your sins to obtain this defense agent! Do you believe Jesus died for your sins? If you do, then know Jesus will present you to His Father, as though you too are sinless. The presents from Jesus just keep coming.
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no-one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no-one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." (John 3:1-3). If you have accepted Jesus’ sacrifice for your sins on that cross, then you have been born again! There are a lot of miraculous events that have happened on this earth, and those things are still occurring. This is the season to “Believe” but do not put your faith in Santa to bring stuff that will wear out and go out of style, but put your real faith in the gifts that Jesus offers that will last forever.
The proof of such gifts is in the everyday wonders that we do not understand such as the birth of a child, which happens every day all over this world. As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things. (Ecclesiastes 11:5). Be wise this year and believe in Jesus, do not let anyone tell you miracles do not still happen. Watch with whom you associate during this wonderful Christmas season. Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble. (Proverbs 13:20 NLT)
If you recognize who Jesus is, try to tell someone the Good News who cannot accept it as a true miracle in its time. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. (John 1:9-10) Jesus who created everything we see, and even the stuff we cannot see, came into our world for the purpose to save us from our sins. Can you accept this wonderful gift? Now this is the real reason for the season. That is why we call it Christmas, not just a holiday. You may get time off for the holiday season, but you get eternity off with Christmas.
Take the word of John the Baptist that Jesus is who He says He is! Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God." (John 1:32-34). Can you accept this testimony, and make it your own, that Jesus “is the Son of God?" It is the season to believe!
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak
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