Posted on December 29th, 2008 by Pastor Jeff in Uncategorized
This holiday season is probably one of the coldest Christmas seasons I’ve experienced in our country. Being in the city, it sometimes is difficult to find fresh, cold air, even living in the suburbs. Not that it has become so cold that it snowed or that I needed a heated blanket to sleep, it’s just the type of cooling that is comfortable and conducive for the season. I thank God for the wonderful climate here in our country.
Posted on December 25th, 2008 by Pastor Jeff in worship
Matthew 2:2 “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship Him.”
Usually during Christmas gifts are opened, parties, celebration and gatherings of families are held, special food is prepared and everything is expected to be fun. But, is this what Christmas is about? I don’t mean to say that these are wrong, but if Christmas is just about these then they are wrong indeed. The heart of Christmas is Christ and we can see from the above passage how the wise men, people who were seeking the King, searched and traveled far away to pay their respects – what a great example of sacrificial worship.
This Christmas day, may we never forget to worship Jesus and make that the center of our celebration and fun. Merry Christmas to all!
Posted on December 22nd, 2008 by Pastor Jeff in Uncategorized
Another gift suggestion for your boss are golf clubs. With these, it doesn’t matter if your boss doesn’t know how to play golf, he can learn it and mingle with other managers and supervisors. There are many sources of these golf clubs and you can also find them online. One source is TheWorldOfGOlf.com. Visit this web site and see how affordable golf clubs can be.
Posted on December 19th, 2008 by Pastor Jeff in Daily Living
Matthew 1:23 “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”—which means, “God with us.”
This was quoted by Matthew from a passage in Isaiah during King Ahaz’s time. God was telling King Ahaz not to worry because He will keep His promise to establish David’s kingdom – so King Ahaz need not ally with other kings to protect the kingdom of Israel. What Isaiah is saying to him is God has promised not to forsake His people. No one will be allowed to destroy the people of God and no one will be allowed to destroy David’s royal line.
And He kept His promise when Jesus came. What a great reminder for us, that God will never forsake us – even in our unfaithfulness God will remain faithful, just like in King Ahaz’s case. Thank God for His faithfulness!
The year is about to close and another year will begin. Have you evaluated how you have handled things in your life this past year? Have you looked into the different aspects of your life like your relationships, personal budget, spiritual and physical health?
Well, if you have not, there is still time. And if you are having a hard time planning for the financial aspect of your life, I can recommend a budget software to you. This will surely help you get to a point in your life where you are free from debt and enjoy financial peace. If this past year, you have felt that you did not have control over your finances, or felt that your finances was the one controllling you, then you should try this software from YouNeedABudget.com.
The principles that you can learn from this budget software are so rich and so applicable to all kinds of people that college students, newly weds, single professionals or big families can benefit from this. This web site also can provide you with a free budgeting course so you can gain control over your money. Remember, it is important to take control of your money, or else, it will control you.
Posted on December 17th, 2008 by Pastor Jeff in Daily Living
Psalm 103:12 “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgression from us.”
Through Jesus’ death on the cross, He took the sins of all of us on Himself and died our death as a blood sacrifice for our sins and then carried them away an infinite distance from where they will never return again. The Bible describes this distance as, “as far as the east from the west.” The east and the west, unlike the north and south pole, don’t have fixed reference points. A direction becomes east or west depending on which direction is being taken. And as you go one direction you never get near the other. So they are both infinitely far from each other. That’s how far God has removed our sins from us once He forgives us. Isn’t that great?
Before the Israelites crossed over the Jordan River to the other side of its Outer Banks and eventually to Jericho, right after the death of the generation that disobeyed God in the wilderness, Joshua made plans on how to conquer the promised land and prepared the provisions they needed for the campaign.
There is much wisdom in this and applying it during this time of the year is very timely. It will help to write out goals and some plans to reach those goals for the coming year. Set some SMART goals:
S – specific
M – measurable
A – attainanble
R – realistic
T – time-bound
