Would you have been sleepless in Bethlehem
The night that Jesus was born?
Would you have sensed
A mother's distress
As she labored, tired and worn?
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Various Articles
As people around the globe continue to face the challenges of the Covid-19 Pandemic, many buzz-words have emerged in the non-stop media coverage. A buzz-word is described as a word or phrase that is fashionable at a particular time or in a particular context. Even though these buzz-words are popular and relevant now, Solomon reminds us in Ecclesiastes 1:9 “that there is nothing new under the sun.”
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I have heard stay-at-home for the Corona Covid-19 Virus must be like what Noah and his family went through, but I am sure they had a lot of tasks to do caring and cleaning up for the animals. I am not sure if Noah’s family had much idle time. Now, I keep reading about people with all of this extra time now due to various reasons: out of work, being paid to stay home, or just having nothing to do after work.
It was a rendezvous with destiny, except that it felt like an ordinary day. Jill and I had taken our dog, Ollie, for a ride and walk at a time other than we normally would. I ran a quick errand, and then drove back to where Jill and Ollie were walking. As I approached, I noticed a man talking to a man in a wheelchair. As I drove closer, I realized that one of the men was our former realtor and friend, Blake, a Christian. He commented on the significance of the timing of my arrival. The man in the wheelchair had been perplexed about world events, and was seeing the need for faith in Christ. Blake invited me into their conversation, and asked me to explain further about making a commitment to Christ.
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I did it again. I don’t like doing the wrong thing, but it seems to be a habit I’ve not been able to break. If only I had been more understanding. If only I had taken the time. If only I had not been so selfish. The list goes on and on. Missteps. Mistakes. Sin. You and I have a lengthy list of them, but how we handle them can make all the difference.
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Don’t let the container fool you; it contains something of immense value. It’s like an exquisite, expensive diamond ring wrapped in an old, tattered newspaper.
“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves” 2 Corinthians 4.7
It’s free, but it will cost you everything. God’s grace through Jesus is free, but the life of discipleship will cost us everything.
“If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.” Mark 8.34-35
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There is a recurring line in an old television comedy that goes, “missed it by that much!” (referring to the slightest miss). Sadly, there are those who have come close to making a faith commitment to Christ, but never actually followed through. They were/are so close, but yet so far away. To be almost a Christian is to be totally lost.
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In my last sermon that you can find here, we talked about Social Media. That it isn’t new, but something that has resurfaced from day of old. Paul is recognized as the most successful user of Social Media the world has ever seen.
Luke 4:1-7 (NASB)
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry. And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”
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