And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and goodwill towards men.

“ . . . And that’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown,” Linus concluded.

Revelation 1:7, “Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him.”

While reading this scripture today, the Lord gave me insight that I hadn’t really had before.  Sure, I’ve always known that His word says Jesus will return “in the clouds” and “every eye will see Him”, but today I noticed the end of the verse, “and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him.”

My dear reader, do you know Jesus, or will you be one who mourns at His coming?  You see, once we accept Jesus into our hearts, acknowledging what He did on the cross in payment for our sins, He comes to live inside us by means of His Holy Spirit.  At that point, we are no longer “peoples of the earth” but instead peoples of His spirit.  We will not mourn at His return but will instead rejoice because we will forever be with Him in Heaven for all eternity.

I Corinthians 15:50-54 declares that “…flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God…”  Peoples of the earth live out life in their flesh and blood.

Let’s break down what John 3:18 says, “Whoever believes in Him (referring to Jesus) is not condemned (this person has eternal life in Heaven with God), but whoever does not believe (the peoples of the earth who reject Him) stands condemned already (this person is condemned because of his own heart and actions) because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only son.”  (We must acknowledge our need of a Savior, accept that Jesus is that Savior, put our life in His hands and live for Him the rest of our days, not living for the things of the world.)

So, which will it be?  Will you mourn or rejoice at His coming?  He is coming back soon and I hope you will be among those who rejoice at His return!

If you are a Christian, one who follows Christ, remember that you are living your life for the approval of just One.

And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:

God was manifested in the flesh,
Justified in the Spirit,
Seen by angels,
Preached among the Gentiles,
Believed on in the world,
Received up in glory.

“It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me.

How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders!
His kingdom is an eternal kingdom;
his dominion endures from generation to generation.”
~ Daniel 4:2-3

Seems it’s been awhile since I posted anything.  I seem to get lots of ideas but never when I am able to write them on this blog!  LOL  So, here it is almost the end of 2013 with Christmas upon us.  As I type this, I am sitting near my beautifully decorated Christmas tree and my wonderful ceramic nativity scene my mom and I made many years ago.  To me, these two things make my Christmas complete, and are the main decorating I’ve done this year.  Keeping life simple with only the important things this Christmas.

Jesus is the Reason for the Season.  He truly is the greatest gift!

Merry Christmas one and all!  Have a blessed New Year too!

Working at a secular university, I see and hear a lot about diversity these days.  It’s like the buzz word of the year or something.  Everyone is getting in on it, using it, flaunting it, striving to make it the center and focus of all they do.

Our God is a God of diversity.  He created each one of us, from every nation and tongue, different and unique, yet all the same in one way.  We ALL need a Savior, and that Savior is Jesus!

No matter where you come from, regardless of how diverse your background might be from mine, you are still the same as me in your need of a Savior.

In our secular world’s efforts to tolerate everyone’s diversity, we need to be careful as Christians not to lose the Great Commission to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with all those who do not yet know Him!

Let us be firm in our convictions even in the midst of diversity because everyone, no matter how diverse they may be, needs a Savior and His name is Jesus!

In John 14:6, Jesus states, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man comes to the Father except by Me.”