Nothing
30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.
32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.
38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
Luke 1:30-37
Christmas is about the Son.
The subject of the angels conversation and the reason for his visit to Mary was the Son.
And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.
He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
Therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
The gospel message is not of a mother and son nature, it is of a Father and Son business.
The fact Mary was chosen to participate in the divine plan does not elevate her in any way to be The mother of God, Queen of the universe, a mediatrix, or one who was born of an immaculate conception. These are falsehoods concocted by nefarious men.
Mary’s selection was one of favor with God.
Notwithstanding, there is something to be said for the young mother. She was a virgin about to be married. There would be fewer possibilities of finding such a one today.
And in her, God found a young woman who would not reject the invitation to be engaged in God’s eternal plan. Neither would she object to the divine interruption of her wedding plans. Nor would she insist on a “my body” privilege when an unplanned pregnancy was introduced as part of the impartation of the Holy Spirit. Her humble acquiescence facilitated her selection to be the mother of our Lord. Be it unto me according to thy word.
And in the midst of this angelic interchange with Mary we find a revealing of God’s power. He makes the young virgin to conceive and the aged barren to give birth.
Hereby we are exposed to the nothing factor.
37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.
Mary entered the realm of the impossible. She experienced in her own personal life and in her body the power of impossible being broken, dismantled, overcome.
Are you there yet?
Whatever difficult situation you are facing, whatever diagnosis you have received, :whatever financial mountain you need moved,
For with God nothing shall be impossible.
Have a Miracle Christmas! -PJF-
And now a word from our Pastor…
Be Not Unequally Yoked
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Be-li-al? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 2 Corinthians 6:14-16
A yoke is a wooden bar or frame by which two work animals (as oxen) are harnessed at the heads or necks for drawing a plow or load. The yoke was created for a pair of animals (the same kind of animals) to do the exact same thing- together. To move together. To stop together. To share and pull the same amount of weight.
Deuteronomy 22:10, Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together.
I’m not a farmer, never have been and more than likely I will never be one. But, I know that two of the same animals will work harder better, faster, and stronger, together than two different kinds of animals. An oxen yoked with a donkey won’t get much done. Their load is not even and it puts more strain on both animals.
Let me make this plain: if you are single you should date someone who is of the same persuasion as you. If you are a believer, find a believer. If you are an unbeliever, find an unbeliever. Save yourself a lot of unnecessary heartache and pain, before you get too familiar, make sure you have the SAME belief system.
A little further, if you are believer of a certain denomination—find a believer in the SAME denomination. It’s not enough for both of you to be a believer and be saved. You have to believe the same thing. If you are a Pentecostal- tongue speaking, prophesying, laying hands on the sick, hallelujah shouting brother in the Lord… please, please do not start a dating relationship with a sister who doesn’t speak in tongues or thinks lowly of prophecies. If you are a Baptist sister who enjoys going to church, Bible study, potlucks, helps out with all the events at church and loves witnessing to folks on the street, please, oh please do not start a dating relationship with someone who is comfortable just going to church and sitting on the back pew every Sunday morning.
If you have already bypassed the first step and you’re already in a dating relationship with someone who isn’t a believer or someone who doesn’t see things the same way you do in important things like Church, relationship with God, etc. then maybe it’s time to make some life changing decisions.
Decide what you want your relationship with Christ to be now and in the future. Make decisions based on that. If the relationship isn’t headed in that direction, it is time to say goodbye. I know what I am talking about. Yes, it will be hard and it will hurt like you know what, but it will save you A LOT of time and unnecessary heartache and pain in the future.
If you are a believer married to an unbeliever, repent. I have had many conversations with people that were having severe problems in their marriage. Most of the problems are because he or she is a believer in Jesus Christ, and the significant other is not. When I begin to ask questions and they reveal that they knew their husband/ wife wasn’t a Christian when they were dating. When they were dating! So, this wasn’t something that just happened. The foundation wasn’t right to begin with and they continued building that relationship.
So yes, ask God for forgiveness and then ask him to guide you in what to do about your marriage. Seek Godly counsel and move forward. There is hope. I Corinthians 7:14, For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy. -SAF-
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Psalm 122 – The House Of The Lord
1 I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.
2 Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.
3 Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together:
4 Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the LORD.
5 For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David.
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.
7 Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.
8 For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee.
9 Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek thy good.
I think a lot of people have read and know the first verse of this Psalm. But it seems not many know the rest of it.
The Psalmist David expresses his delight concerning an invitation to join God’s people in the house of the Lord. Would that today more of the invited to the fellowship of the saints would feel the same way. David loved the Tabernacle of the Lord and was glad to be found there.
Then after the prioritizing of the house of God there is a switch to the city of God. This Psalm is a Davidic tribute to both his beloved house and his beloved city.
Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. Glad to stand in the house of God. Glad to stand in the city of God
He considers the layout of the city. God had birthed that city. David saw it as a city that is compact together. The Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) says, Jerusalem, built as a city should be, solidly joined together. To this day Jerusalem is the envied city.
Jerusalem is the place where the twelve tribes of Israel concurred to give thanks unto the Lord. The tribes of the Lord, came to the house of the Lord, in the city of the Lord.
Jerusalem became the center of worship. The people gathered unto the testimony of Israel. All that was in the tabernacle witnessed to the greatness, and the faithfulness of the God of Israel. And there, thanksgiving went up to the Lord. What a sight. What a sound.
The Supreme Court of the nation convened in Jerusalem. For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David. The house of David. His kingdom was a place of justice for all.
Jerusalem was a place of prayer and a place of power. In both, the divine impacted.
This, David desired, must never pass away. Only prayer could sustain such a magnificent capital city. Peace be within thy walls and prosperity within thy palaces decreed king David. Peace to all who dwell therein.
Today, it is incumbent upon us to pray for God’s continued blessing upon Jerusalem. There is a promise attached to that prayer and to affection for that people. They shall prosper that love thee.
At the end of the Psalm, David comes full circle.
9 Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek thy good.
The house of the Lord was the true passion of this great king. -PJF-
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