BE THANKFUL FOR THE ONE WHO IS IN CONTROL!

BIBLE PASSAGE:
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government
will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
(Isaiah 9:6)

MEDITATION:
During the elections, each candidate tries to convince the public that
they have all the answers. They are confident that they are the only 
ones who will be able to solve all the problems humanity faces. Most  
of the candidates have an abundance of confidence, but some are  
consumed with an arrogant pride.

How does God feel about this kind of pride? He hates it!
    There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are
    detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands
    that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked
    schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false
    witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up
    conflict in the community.
    (Proverbs 6:16-19)

Out of the seven things God hates, the number one on the list
is “haughty eyes”, which is a description of one with arrogant
pride. Anything that God hates should not be a part of our life.
    To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride
    and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse
    speech.
    (Proverbs 8:13)

    The eyes of the arrogant will be humbled and
    human pride brought low; the Lord alone will
    be exalted in that day.
    (Isaiah 2:11)

As a result of their arrogant pride, candidates seldom
include the Lord in their plans for solving problems.
    In his pride the wicked man does not seek him;
    in all his thoughts there is no room for God.
    (Psalm 10:4)
They want everyone to believe that they are strong
enough to carry the government on their own shoulders.

Nothing could be further from the truth. The scriptures clearly
state that the government is on the shoulders of the Lord. That
is the way God designed it, but what does that mean? It means
that the Lord (and not man) will change the world by resolving
its problems when the citizens of the world have developed the
characteristics of Jesus.

Jesus doesn’t represent crime, or inconsideration for others,
or sin, or arrogant pride, or anything else that is contrary to
God’s wishes, or anything that will cause problems.

Jesus is full of love, kindness, consideration of others, goodness,
righteousness, peace, joy, patience, gentleness and self-control.
These are the kind of qualities that don’t create or promote an
unhealthy environment of problems.

This is the reason we celebrate the birth of Jesus. He brought hope
and light into a world of hopelessness and darkness. However, we
don’t settle for celebrating His birth alone, we also celebrate His
triumph over sin and death; and we celebrate His resurrection,
which is our confirmation that He was in fact, the Son of God.

ACTION:
Not only during the Christmas season, but throughout the year we
should always remember the real reason for celebrating Jesus. We
need to remember not only the birth of Jesus, but also His victory
over sin and death, and His resurrection.

Out of His love for mankind and His obedience to the Father, Jesus
sacrificed His life in a painful (physically and emotionally) way so
that all who choose to follow Him, would be able to sit at His table
at the end of our life on earth.

Questions to consider:
    – How often do I think about what Jesus did for me?
    – Do I thank Him often for providing me the opportunity to choose heaven?
    – When Jesus went to be with the Father, He promised to
       send the Holy Spirit to His followers; how often do I thank
       Him for sending us an advocate to help us with our weaknesses?
    – When we are rescued from our destiny with eternal punishment,
       we are given a spiritual gift for serving the Lord; do I know the
       gift I have been given, and if so, how am I using it?
    – How often do I thank our Heavenly Father for His love, His forgiveness,
       and for sending His Son to provide me with an opportunity to choose
       heaven over hell by accepting His free gift of salvation?

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, you know how the world has tried
to exclude You in all things and distract us during the
Christmas season and throughout the year. We can
become so busy that we fail to focus on You as the
and what You have done for us. Forgive me for the
times I have excluded You in my own life. Help me
to realign my priorities so that You have Your rightful
place as number one in my life. Thank You for being
born in human form so You could defeat sin and death,
and for confirming Yourself as God’s Son through Your
resurrection. Thank You for promising the Holy Spirit to
all who believe in You. Show me how to allow the Holy
Spirit to take control of my life. God in heaven, thank
You for Your gift of Jesus. Through Jesus, I can see Your
immeasurable love reaching out to all mankind. When I
think about Your blessings, it gives me a desire to praise
and adore You, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit! Help me to
discover the spiritual gift You have given me and to use
it in my efforts to serve You from a heart of gratefulness.”

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