truth

The Pilgrims’ Religion – Faith That Inspired Thanksgiving

The Pilgrims’ religion dominated their everyday lives. In spite of brutal living conditions, they celebrated the first Thanksgiving in 1621.

Source: The Pilgrims’ Religion – Faith That Inspired Thanksgiving

The Christmas Story – Music by Michael W. Smith

Mary, a virgin, living in Galilee of Nazareth was engaged to Joseph, a Jewish carpenter. One day God sent an angel, Gabriel to inform her that she would conceive a son by the power of the Holy Spirit. She would carry and give birth to this child, and she would name him Jesus.

At first Mary was afraid and troubled. Being a virgin, Mary questioned the angel, “How will this be?” The angel explained that the child would be God’s Son and, therefore, “nothing is impossible with God.” Humbled and in awe, Mary believed the angel of the Lord and rejoiced in God her Savior.

While Mary was still engaged to Joseph, she miraculously became pregnant through the Holy Spirit. When Mary told Joseph she was pregnant, he felt betrayed and disgraced. He knew the child was not his own. Under Jewish law, Mary could be put to death by stoning.

Although Joseph’s initial reaction was to break the engagement, he treated Mary with extreme kindness. He did not want to cause her further shame, so he decided to act quietly. But God sent an angel to Joseph in a dream to verify Mary’s story and reassure him that his marriage to her was God’s will. The angel explained that the Holy Spirit conceived the baby within Mary and that his name would be Jesus the Messiah. When Joseph woke from his dream, he obeyed God and took Mary home to be his wife.

In Mary’s third trimester, Caesar Augustus decreed that a census must be taken, of every person living in the Roman world. Joseph, a descendant of David, was required to go to Bethlehem to register with Mary. While in Bethlehem, Mary gave birth to Jesus in a stable. There was no room in the inn. She wrapped the baby in cloths and placed him in a manger.

Out in the fields, an angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds who were tending their sheep by night. The angel announced that the Savior’s birth in the town of David. Suddenly a great host of heavenly beings appeared with the angels and began singing praises to God. As the angelic beings departed, the shepherds decided to travel to Bethlehem and see the Christ-child.

There they found Mary, Joseph, and the baby, in the stable. After their visit, they began to spread the word about this amazing child and everything the angel had said about him. They went on their way still praising and glorifying God. But Mary kept quiet, treasuring their words and pondering them in her heart.

After Jesus’ birth, Herod was king of Judea. At this time wise men (Magi) from the east saw a star, they knew the star signified the birth of Christ. So they followed the star to Jerusalem where they asked the Jewish rulers where the Christ born. The rulers explained, “In Bethlehem in Judea,” referring to Micah 5:2.

Herod secretly met with the Magi and asked them to report back after they had found the child. Herod told the Magi that he too wanted to go and worship the babe. But secretly Herod was plotting to kill the child.
So the wise men continued to follow the star in search of the new born king and found Jesus with his mother in Bethlehem. They bowed and worshiped him, offering treasures of gold, incense, and myrrh. When they left, they did not return to Herod. The Holy Spirit warned them of his plot to destroy the child.

Jesus is the answer for the world’s problem

There is so much trouble in the world; one can hardly keep up with the frequency of troubling events that keep popping up.

Here in the USA we have more than our fair share of problems.

But the world does not have to exist in a continuous state of unrest. If its citizens could find it important to set their differences aside and see each other as human beings, rather than non-entities, then this wretched world would be a better place.

Still, I am aware that it will take more than spoken and written words to change the world. It will take a revival, but revival cannot happen without willing hearts.

Therefore, I am suggesting people everywhere embrace the teachings of Jesus Christ and apply them to their lives. A good place to start is Matthew 5:38-48:

Teaching about Revenge

“You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. If you got sued in court and your shirt got taken in the process, give your coat, too. If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles. Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.

Teaching about Love for Enemies

“You have also heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

The trial you face could be a test from God

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Of course God tests His chosen! There is a mountain of Biblical evidence that God often uses hardship to test His chosen. Moreover, quite often those tests resemble the trials and tribulation the devil place upon you.

So, aside from the hardships that come naturally on your Christian journey, there are also more than a few difficult situations that God uses to test your commitment and resiliency. Therefore, as you navigate this narrow path, it is of paramount importance that you understand that not every trial you face is design to destroy you. The Bible says, ..”the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.” (Hebrews 12:6).

For example, Job 1: 1-3 states, “There once was a man named Job, who lived in the land of Uz. He was blameless—a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil. He had seven sons and three daughters. He owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 teams of oxen, and 500 female donkeys. He also had many servants. He was, in fact, the richest person in that entire area.”

Still yet, God allows Satan to visit terrible trials upon Job to test him. And in a short period, Job lost all his livestock.  Then a desert wind blows down his house, killing all of his ten children. And when Job did not falter, Satan double down and afflicts him with painful sores all over his body. Unable to help her husband, Job’s wife urges him to curse God and die. However, Job stays true to his commitment to God.

And in the end, “the LORD restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before” ( Job 42:10)…He lived for another 140 years.