Romans 15:4 "For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."
2 [a] The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. 3 You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. 4 For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. 5 For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. 6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon[b] his shoulder, and his name shall be called[c] Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
From Alpha to Omega, the Bible never ever disguises just how dark life can get.
The Scriptures are clear that when sins multiply, when evil is celebrated, when God is left out, darkness ensues, darkness spreads to every corner it can reach.
And yet, over and over in the Bible’s storyline, we are abundantly reminded that God is not afraid of, not shy about His thoughts of or defeated by such darkness.
In fact, He makes an everlasting habit of drawing near and turning it into light.
We see Him drawing near in the third chapter of Genesis.
Sin had entered the world; the only two people alive had rebelled against their Maker, and when God came near to them they ran, they were hiding in shame.
Thinking about it, it would have been completely understandable for God to have shown up in Eden, dropped a hammer of His hardcore judgment on Adam and Eve, picked up more dust, and started over with another man and woman.
But that’s not what He did.
That is not what we read and learn in the Word of God for His Children.
He arrived in the garden, came near and asked, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9).
And when He found them naked and ashamed, He stayed on the scene, and He put enmity, open hostility, between the serpent and all mankind in mercy, He provided animal skin covering for them, and expelled them from the Garden.
So, too, with His people Israel.
By the time Isaiah began his ministry, there was again an established history of the people forgetting God and ignoring His prophets – all would lead to exile.
As a result, they labored long and hard under the wicked kings they deserved and found themselves “greatly distressed and hungry,” leading them to “speak contemptuously against their king and their God” (Isaiah 8:21).
Again, it would have been reasonable for the Lord to have done away with His people at this point, start over – leaving them to experience the “distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish and defeat” (v 22), without a hope or a future.
After all, by their words and their actions, they were communicating that they didn’t want Him around in their garden of the knowledge of both good and evil.
Imagine God’s thought process here – Why would He, should He, stick around?
But the next chapter of Isaiah begins with a glorious, even miraculous reversal:
“There will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish” (Isaiah 9:1).
The Lord would not leave His people, and He would not allow them to remain in misery – No, for these people in darkness, “on them has a great light shone.”
The light of the grace of God was breaking into their self-inflicted gloom of sin.
Centuries after the words of Isaiah were written, spoken, preached and taught, that endless cycle of sin – the people of God again found themselves in anguish.
There were again foreign rulers over them, and now came something different from God – there had been no prophetic word heard for too many, many years.
Imagine the thought of the people – “Perhaps He’s really finally done it this time, the people may have thought – the Lord has finally had enough of us, turned His back.
In these contemporary of days, we know better.
We believe that into this darkness a child was born.
We believe a glorious once in a lifetime has light shone in the sky, leading to the discovery of a baby who would prove to all to be the light of the entire world.
The question for us this Advent season, in any season, is whether the light has dawned in our own hearts or whether we have let the darkness of sin creep in.
The good news of this season of Advent and Christmas is that the God of the Bible is the God of grace, the God of Light who comes into the darkness and emptiness of our hearts to bring His light, His love, His joy, and His peace.
It is a great certainty we are each walking in darkness today, whether that is the darkness of our own sin, our fear or the darkness caused by the sin of others.
God’s promise is this: God is neither afraid of nor defeated by, these things.
In Immanuel, God with us, God is within us – in Jesus, He has drawn near.
By His Spirit, He can bring light to the dark.
Look to Him and look for Him for He wants to be found – and walk in His light.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Psalm 8 Names of God Bible
Psalm 8
For the choir director; on the gittith;[a] a psalm by David.
1 O Yahweh, our Adonay, how majestic is your name throughout the earth!
Your glory is sung above the heavens.[b] 2 From the mouths of little children and infants, you have built a fortress against your opponents to silence the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I look at your heavens, the creation of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have set in place— 4 what is a mortal that you remember him or the Son of Man that you take care of him? 5 You have made him a little lower than yourself. You have crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You have made him rule what your hands created. You have put everything under his control: 7 all the sheep and cattle, the wild animals, 8 the birds, the fish, whatever swims in the currents of the seas.
9 O Yahweh, our Adonay, how majestic is your name throughout the earth!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
6So then, being always filled with good courage and confident hope, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight [living our lives in a manner consistent with our confident belief in God’s promises]— 8 we are [as I was saying] of good courage and confident hope, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. 9 Therefore, whether we are at home [on earth] or away from home [and with Him], it is our [constant] ambition to be pleasing to Him. 10 For we [believers will be called to account and] must all appear before the [a]judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be repaid for what has been done in the body, whether good or [b]bad [that is, each will be held responsible for his actions, purposes, goals, motives—the use or misuse of his time, opportunities and abilities].
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.
Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.
What does it mean to live by Faith?
Those words seem simple enough, yet it may be a lot tougher than we think.
It requires tremendous courage and strength.
Preaching the gospel to the world brought Paul and his co-workers much suffering.
Yet they continued the work contending for the faith.
They refused to quit and “pressed toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14)
Living in the end times requires living by faith and not by what we see going on around us.
Yet it is a journey of tremendous hope, blessing and reward.
Walking by faith and not by sight requires you to trust God, not knowing where you are at times in the larger scope of God’s plan and purpose.
Take the example of Abraham, “when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going”. (Hebrews 11:8)
That’s walking by faith.
Walking by faith requires a strong determination to follow God’s plan as outlined in the bible, regardless what life throws your way.
Like 2 Corinthians 4:18 urges us, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
It is a deep trust in what cannot be seen that provides hope.
Paul wrote to the church at Corinth that “we walk by faith and not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).
Jesus stated, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29).
Jesus ascended and left his Spirit as a guarantee.
Walking by faith is sometimes lonely, except for the presence of Christ by his Spirit, left to all believers as a “guarantee” (2 Corinthians 5:5).
Christians are frequently called to stand firm in spite of the isolated place their faith leads them to.
Our faith is reasonable, but there are aspects of the gospel we accept on faith and are unable to see.
What are these invisible things?
And what is the walk of faith?
The Second Letter to Corinth
First of all, here is some context for 2 Corinthians 5:7.
Paul’s relationship with the church at Corinth was a difficult one.
Paul had led them to faith with the assistance of mature believers in Christ, but when Paul was gone the church was easily swayed by outsiders who opposed his teaching.
In Paul’s absence, they fell apart and it was easy for opponents to convince the church that his suffering was a sign that Paul’s faith was actually folly.
If Jesus Christ has really come to save sinners, how could the apostle’s life be so horrendous?
To Paul’s mind, his way of life represented faith.
How else could someone suffer so much, if not for the reasonable expectation of eternal gain? (ESV Study Bible, Introduction to 2 Corinthians).
The Corinthian church was struggling, and Apostle Paul’s letter suggests a big part of the problem was the followers trusting the Holy Spirit to work in their lives and coming to that place in their life of trusting in the promise of Heaven.
Faith is trust.
Fabulous Adventures In Trusting Him!
Fantastic Adventures In Trusting Him!
Fulfilling Adventures In Trusting Him!
Futuristic Adventures In Trusting Him!
But faith in Christ does not come in the exact instant we snap our fingers.
Time and effort, trials and tribulations, radically counter cultural responses.
Faith not in what we see ‘Now’ but what we cannot see in Eternity
2 Corinthians 5:1-5Amplified Bible
The Temporal and Eternal
5 For we know that if the earthly tent [our physical body] which is our house is torn down [through death], we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our [immortal, eternal] celestial dwelling, 3 so that by putting it on we will not be found naked. 4 For while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened [often weighed down, oppressed], not that we want to be unclothed [separated by death from the body], but to be clothed, so that what is mortal [the body] will be swallowed up by life [after the resurrection]. 5 Now He who has made us and prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the [Holy] Spirit as a pledge [a guarantee, a down payment on the fulfillment of His promise].
What does the gospel tell us which we cannot prove by way of anything other than faith?
For one thing, we cannot see what awaits the faithful around the next bend in their roadways, over the next mountain— eternal life in the Kingdom of God.
Apostle Paul is confident: “For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God” (verse 1).
That building is the individual body, the church body, a real Kingdom, invisible to us for now. “We know,” says Paul; not “we believe,” or “we imagine.”
The original Greek uses “eidó,” which means “be aware, behold, consider, perceive.” “Knowing” in this sense combines knowledge with an intelligent perception of an idea, which cannot be physically represented —just yet.
Paul based his belief in eternal life on sound, objective evidence as well as his subjective, personal experience of Christ.
His suffering could have become a distraction from this truth — it certainly was for the Corinthians.
To Paul, his counter cultural response to immediate suffering was supposed to demonstrate his deep trust in what could not be seen, provide a reason to hope.
Christians “look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18).
A Connecting Faith
Christ’s message of eternal salvation through his death and resurrection was explosive.
Master Pharisee Saul, before becoming Paul, had originally sought to persecute these blasphemers, run them all to ground, imprison them all until he realized that the Old Testament had been leading Israel unto the empty tomb all along.
When Apostle Paul described the body as a “tent” (2 Corinthians 5:1), he was also connecting the new church with the Old Testament.
God’s people had frequently been sojourners, both in the days before Solomon and during Jesus’ ministry.
Moses and the Israelites followed a pillar of smoke and a pillar of fire, setting up temporary Sukkoth shelters to cover themselves against cold desert nights.
They had nowhere to permanently call “home” until Solomon built the temple.
The body as a “tent” evokes the Israelite’s trust God would meet their needs day by day.
A tent is impermanent, just like a body is temporary, but once this covering is shed God provides something eternally better.
Faith in the Spirit
2 Corinthians 3:15-18Amplified Bible
15 But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil [of blindness] lies over their heart; 16 but whenever a person turns [in repentance and faith] to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty [emancipation from bondage, true freedom]. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit.
As believers, to some extent, we already see more than those who choose to turn their faces from God.
We have an “unveiled face,” although we only see “in a mirror dimly” for now, it is by faith we believe we will one day see Christ “face to face”(1 Corinthians 13:12).
Meanwhile, we have the Holy Spirit.
Here is one aspect of the Christian life we cannot lay hands on and inspect up close.
There are ways to detect the Spirit in us; evidence of “fruit.”
When one has grown in any of these ways, the Holy Spirit is responsible, and we are invited to delve into and recognize this gift living inside of us and in others.
The Spirit is not a virus or an implant; it cannot be scrutinized with the naked eye or under a microscope.
Everyone holds a belief in something, and Paul says we can be confident.
That is the word used in the NIV and KJV for “courage” so “we are always of good courage” (2 Corinthians 5:6, ESV) is a statement of certainty.
Faith is not blind; it merely sees in other ways.
Every Faithful, Faith-Filled Christian
1 Peter 3:13-15Amplified Bible
13 Now who is there to hurt you if you become enthusiastic for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness [though it is not certain that you will], you are still blessed [happy, to be admired and favored by God]. Do not be afraid of their intimidating threats, nor be troubled or disturbed [by their opposition]. 15 But in your hearts set Christ apart [as holy—acknowledging Him, giving Him first place in your lives] as Lord. Always be ready to give a [logical] defense to anyone who asks you to account for the hope and confident assurance [elicited by faith] that is within you, yet [do it] with gentleness and respect.
Every faithful believer sees something that is not visceral but still real — much of our knowledge is like that.
We believe someone is trustworthy based on actions, which demonstrate their character.
We know that an event took place in history based on statements of witnesses and on physical remains.
We must examine the evidence and be ready to give our testimony, “always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15).
We all live by faith in something, although not the same things.
It is theologically accurate to say and to insist that the Christian must always seek to live by faith and trust in God and his promises, and not be motivated by only what he or she can see and hear in their present circumstances.
But the Apostle Paul says the church at Corinth is already doing that.
Apostle Paul “directly and unequivocally says that we, all believers, do, in fact, live by faith.”
This faith must also stand firmly by the strength of internal reasoning, against external forces, and without an apostle to hold one’s hand in a spiritual sense.
The Corinthians’ faith was strong in the presence of mature disciples such as Priscilla and Aquila (Acts 18:18) but definitely blindsided by “partisanship, with the Corinthians factionalizing behind rival leaders.”
Paul knew what made “considerate and appropriate relating especially hard at Corinth,” which was an “unusually diverse” and tough, working-class culture.
Paul sought to “overcome the tensions these differences were bringing into the community” by talking about how to just love one another in Christ-like ways.
What Does it Mean to Walk by Faith?
Ephesians 4:1-6 Amplified Bible
Unity of the Spirit
4 So I, the prisoner for the Lord, appeal to you to live a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called [that is, to live a life that exhibits godly character, moral courage, personal integrity, and mature behavior—a life that expresses gratitude to God for your salvation], 2 with all humility [forsaking self-righteousness], and gentleness [maintaining self-control], with patience, bearing with one another [a]in [unselfish] love. 3 Make every effort to keep the oneness of the Spirit in the bond of peace [each individual working together to make the whole successful]. 4 There is one body [of believers] and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when called [to salvation]— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,6 one God and Father of us all who is [sovereign] over all and [working] through all and [living] in all.
And what about the action of walking in faith? “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,” wrote Paul (Ephesians 4:1).
Our walk as Christians should be identifiably different from the walk of one who does not believe and has been saved by grace.
There is a practical element, which must not be overlooked, for if we love God there will be an outpouring of that love towards others.
Jesus embodied a unifying love for the marginalized and Paul taught that their Savior was the best example of “what a Christian leader should look like. It could hardly be more dramatically countercultural, and Paul lived out this leadership style in person.”
Yet walking, or living, by faith, is also about our relationship with Christ “God is looking for not only a clinging bride but also a walking partner.”
13 No one has greater love [nor stronger commitment] than to lay down his own life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you keep on doing what I command you. 15 I do not call you servants any longer, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you [My] friends, because I have revealed to you everything that I have heard from My Father. 16 You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed and placed and purposefully planted you, so that you would go and bear fruit and keep on bearing, and that your fruit will remain and be lasting, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name [as My representative] He may give to you.(John 15:13-16)
When we walk with him, we recognize that worship of Christ is not so much a “catalyst” to action but “an everyday walk of unbroken communion with our Lord and friend.”
Jesus calls us “friend,” and we are called to live our lives close to him, confident and worshipful.
This is personal and real — other people cannot fill in for Jesus, whether they are our pastors or mentors or BFFs.
Such individuals promote growth, but they are not the vine.
Only Jesus is the vine (John 15).
Is Sight Coming?
Will we see Jesus when we die?
Paul says it himself: We see dimly today, but the mist will lift one day revealing his face – the veil between God and man was torn when Jesus died on the cross.
John 20:11-18Amplified Bible
11 But Mary [who had returned] was standing outside the tomb sobbing; and so, as she wept, she stooped down and looked into the tomb; 12 and she saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. 13 And they said to her, “Woman, why are you crying?” She told them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” 14 After saying this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you crying? For whom are you looking?” Supposing that He was the gardener, she replied, “Sir, if you are the one who has carried Him away from here, tell me where you have put Him, and I will take Him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him in [a] Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means, Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “[b]Do not hold Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene came, reporting to the disciples that she had seen the Lord and that He had said these things to her.
So, while we cannot fully see him as Mary Magdalene did right now, this definitely does not mean that we are cut off from fellowship with the Lord.
Living by faith, not by sight, is no hindrance to communion with our Savior.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 24The Message
24 1-2 God claims Earth and everything in it, God claims World and all who live on it. He built it on Ocean foundations, laid it out on River girders.
3-4 Who can climb Mount God? Who can scale the holy north-face? Only the clean-handed, only the pure-hearted; Men who won’t cheat, women who won’t seduce.
5-6 God is at their side; with God’s help they make it. This, Jacob, is what happens to God-seekers, God-questers.
7 Wake up, you sleepyhead city! Wake up, you sleepyhead people! King-Glory is ready to enter.
8 Who is this King-Glory? God, armed and battle-ready.
9 Wake up, you sleepyhead city! Wake up, you sleepyhead people! King-Glory is ready to enter.
10 Who is this King-Glory? God-of-the-Angel-Armies: he is King-Glory.
Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.
Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 