Ladies Live Devotional Tuesday and Thursday at 10am EST Facebook LIVE!

Churchdirect.net
  • Home
  • The Gospel
    • Archived Bible Studies
    • Sermons
    • Ladies Live Bible Study
    • 5 N 5
    • Ladies Live Devotional
  • Worship
    • Expressions of Faith
    • MUSIC
    • A Word
  • More
    • Home
    • The Gospel
      • Archived Bible Studies
      • Sermons
      • Ladies Live Bible Study
      • 5 N 5
      • Ladies Live Devotional
    • Worship
      • Expressions of Faith
      • MUSIC
      • A Word
Churchdirect.net
  • Home
  • The Gospel
  • Worship

“Perilous Times!”


The times we are in today are perilous. We are living out scripture right before our very eyes. The Bible says that in the last days we will have troubles. Friends, if we are not in the last days, I dread to see how bad it is going to get.


America is teetering on internal destruction. The murderous acts of those police officers have angered Americans across the nation. Anger is a justified emotion. Those officers were wrong and need to be held accountable for their actions. We as Americans need to speak up and speak out against these actions. We need to channel that anger and peacefully demonstrate our disapproval of these actions.


The Bible speaks on anger and how to handle it. In Ephesians 4:26, Paul states to be angry and sin not, let not the sun go down on your wrath.


We need to voice our opinions and our dislike for the treatment of our fellow Americans. But we do not need it to allow us to find ourselves living in hate and anger. God creates all of us in His image, we are fearfully and wonderfully made. If God loves every one of us, then why can’t we?


May God Bless You,
Pastor Shane Johnson

Psalm 91


“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust. Surely He shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. Because He hath set His love upon me, therefore will I deliver Him: I will set Him on high, because He hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer Him: I will be with Him in trouble; I will deliver Him, and honour Him. With long life will I satisfy Him, and shew Him my salvation.”

“He Will Make a Way!”


Being a parent of a teenager and a 10-year-old, I have heard my fair share of “buts”. “But so and so does it”, “but why not” and so on and so on. I have heard so many buts that I kinda cringe when I hear them.


Sometimes the “buts” are not always so bad. Reading scripture, I have come across several “buts” that have changed my perspective on things many times. One of my favorite passages in all of scripture is Philippians 4:19, which reads “But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in Glory by Christ Jesus.”


Wow! What an encouraging word! No matter what this life throws at you, no matter how difficult things may seem, no matter how hard it gets to see the light at the end of the tunnel, for the believer we have hope. We have a promise from the God of Heaven and Earth. From the One that is incapable of telling a lie. He says that He will supply all our needs according to His riches in Glory. Coming from the One who used precious materials to build heaven. Streets of gold, walls of jasper, gates of pearl. The things we consider precious, He used as common building materials ! Wow !


Just remember, that when things seem hopeless and you feel helpless, that my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in Glory.


Friends, God loves you! He cares and provides for His children. Trust in Him always, not only when times are tough, but always . He will make a way!


May God Bless You!
Pastor Shane Johnson

“Cry Out to the Rock”


Psalm 61:1-8 KJV
“Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. 2 From the end of the earth will I cry unto Thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. 3 For Thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. 4 I will abide in Thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah. 5 For Thou, O God, hast heard my vows: Thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear Thy name. 6 Thou wilt prolong the king's life: and his years as many generations. 7 He shall abide before God for ever: O prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him. 8 So will I sing praise unto Thy name for ever, that I may daily perform my vows.”


My thoughts and notes from a sermon in 2019 that certainly fit where we are today (and always).


David is sad and heartbroken. This could be because his son, Absalom whom he loved with all his heart tried to kill him and is now dead himself. Perhaps he wrote this song out of his sorrow for his lost son. The sweet song of sadness!


God is the source of our joy and our peace! But when we are in pain, do we genuinely believe God is in control?


The first thing David did in his sorrow (vs. 1) was to call out to God. When sorrow comes, God is our only hope! In times of overwhelming sorrow, sadness, feeling crushed we must put God as our focus. As born-again Christians we do not have to beg for God to hear us, He is already with us! He listens to my voice because I am His child. He is my help in bad times. In struggles we often look for our answers every where but Him. If we are focused on God, we will cry out to Him in our times of trouble and struggle. Look to the Lord and cry out to Him. How long has it been since you truly laid it out before Him?

David asked God for help. He was overwhelmed and felt cut off and separated (vs. 2). Trials and sorrows can make us feel that way but so can sin in a Christian’s life! When we feel depressed and far from God, often we seem to look to other things for help. But He is our only hope! David asked Him to hear him, help him, and hide him in this song.

If you keep trying to work it out on your own power, the situation will just continue or keep happening again. If you want REAL help you have to go to the ROCK. Jesus Christ is the ROCK!


If you need help today…speak to the ROCK! Cry out to Him! Ask for His help! Ask Him to hide you! In Jesus name.


In the valley David cried out to God in his sorrow for God to lift him up to high ground. Even when we bring some of the sorrow on ourselves, He is our shelter and the only One who can truly help us (vs. 3-4). Read those verses again. David started out overwhelmed and crying out for God’s help and by the end (vs. 4-8) the sorrow has been resolved and he is trusting the Lord and promising to abide in His tabernacle and before God forever! And singing His praises forever!


If you are hurting or overwhelmed today cry out to God in your sorrow and ask Him to lift you up to higher ground. Your problems will look smaller if you do. If you turn to God –a sweet song can come during your sorrow.


Finding My Way,
Sheri

“Love One Another!”


As the world slowly returns back to a sense of normalcy there will be many out there that have been conditioned to be afraid. During this “pandemic”, I have noticed things have changed. Fear is dictating the actions of many. It seems that we have been taught in just a short time period to fear closeness with others.


I firmly believe that Gods intent for His people is for us to love one another.


Matthew 22:36-40: “Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”


So, the question arises, how do we love our neighbor when we are afraid to get next to them?


We must first understand one of the greatest mysteries of all time; What is love. In the scriptures the word love is used 3 different ways.


1.Eros-a sexual type of love
2. Phileo- a brotherly type of love
3. Agape - an unconditional type of love


In this passage it is used as agape, an unconditional type of love . That was His commandment to the disciples and to us. So how can we love unconditionally when we find ourselves afraid to get close to others? We must learn to love like Jesus, and we must learn to live a life full of faith. Trust in Jesus and model your behavior after His.


In the days that lie ahead of us we must demonstrate the characteristics and traits of showing unconditional love for all mankind.


May God Bless You!
Pastor Shane Johnson

“Fear Not!”


Wow! With all that is going on in the world today it is easy to become distracted by the fear, that quite honestly is being forced on us. For the believer, fear is an oxymoron. As a believer we should not possess the trait of fear.


II Timothy 1:7 says, "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."


The evil one is slowly edging his way into a position of power over this world. It is time for the church to wake up and stand up in defense over the fear inducing tactics being used to control us. As Paul wrote in his letter to a young pastor named Timothy some encouraging yet strong words. God has not given us the spirit of fear, in fact He gave us just the opposite. He has gifted us with the Holy Spirit. Just before His crucifixion, Jesus met with the disciples and was giving them some words of warning and security.

In John 16:33, Jesus says, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”


We as believers are already victorious over everything this old world can throw at us. Jesus secured that victory for all who will believe when He died on that cruel cross and was resurrected on that third glorious morning. Praise God, the victory is ours!

I have noticed in the past few weeks during these times of tribulation that love has been lost. This "pandemic" is causing people to be afraid of people. If we are honest with ourselves most of us are looking at people and wondering, is this person infected . This action or thought process does not exhibit the spirit of love. Jesus Himself approached 10 lepers and healed their disease-ridden bodies. This was a no-no back then as leprosy was highly contagious and not to mention it went against the law. Jesus had compassion on those 10 lepers and demonstrated His love toward them as He approached and healed them.


Friends let us not give into the spirit of fear that is dominating the word today. In fact, let us be bold in our faith and walk in the footsteps of Jesus.


May God Bless You!
Pastor Shane Johnson

“Fear Not!”


I have argued with myself over and over again and I have even delayed writing this devotional to the last minute. The times that we are in now seem to be extremely difficult for many. The fear of the unknown, the uncertainty of what will happen next. I am not going to pretend like I am not nervous about our current situation, I am nervous. I am not nervous because of the virus I am nervous about the way things will unfold. Please don't get me wrong, this virus is a terrible thing and is spreading at a rapid rate. We need to be cautious, but that does not mean we need to be faithless.


The Bible says in I Timothy 1:7 "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” Paul is writing this letter to instruct and encourage Timothy, a young pastor that was saved under Paul's ministry. Timothy was sent out to spread the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ, the same commissioning that all born again believers have been issued. Timothy had run into some opposition in his ministry and needed some encouragement. Paul felt a special responsibility to take young Timothy under his wing and care for, encourage and instruct him. We find ourselves in a similar situation today. We are facing some opposition to our mission of living out our faith. We have been instructed to be afraid. We have been instructed to fear. Friends the God that I serve is the same God that parted the Red Sea for Moses, fed the Israelites for 40 years, shut the lions mouth for Daniel, cooled the fire for those three Hebrew boys, gave David the courage to face the giant, turned water into wine, fed the multitude with 5 loaves and two fish, healed numerous people, raised the dead, died on an old rugged cross, resurrected the third day and is now in Heaven preparing a place for us. This same God told His disciples that He was going to leave them with something that would provide everything they needed. What He left them and all who believe is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit resides in all believers and He is there to guide us, to care for us and to comfort us.


God has told us 365 times throughout scripture to fear not, do not be afraid. Fear is the devil’s playground and he is having the time of his life right now. Please don't draw your comfort from a cabinet full of food, gallons of hand sanitizer, or hundreds of rolls of toilet paper. Draw comfort in knowing that God loves you and has told us in Hebrews 13:5 “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for He hath said, I WILL NEVER LEAVE THEE, NOR FORSAKE THEE.”


May God Bless You!
Pastor Shane Johnson

“Purpose!”


Have you ever found yourself in a place that you don’t normally go? Have you ever felt led or drawn to be somewhere at a certain time, with no specific reason?


Many times, in our lives we will find ourselves in these exact situations. For no explainable reason, we will be somewhere out of our normal routine. We will come in contact with people that we have probably never met without being in this place .

I’m a firm believer that God Himself orchestrates these encounters. Why? Great question. I believe that God has called each and every one of His children to be the hands and feet of Jesus. He uses us to spread the love of God and the good news of Jesus. He uses us to be prayer warriors for those in need .


Don’t be afraid if God is leading to a place or a person that you normally wouldn’t go to or be in contact with. He has a perfect plan and you just might be the one to share that plan in a place or to a person that is not in your normal comfort zone.

In I Corinthians 12:27 Paul writes “ Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. “


Meaning that we are the body of Christ and each one of us has a particular purpose in the body. Our body has many different parts, each with its on job. Eyes to see, ears to hear, ...... You get the picture, so now that you know you are a particular member of the body of Christ, do you know your purpose?


If not, seek guidance from God, ask Him what is the calling on your life. When He answers and He will, assume the role that He has designed for you and be the Hands and Feet of Jesus


May God Bless You!
Pastor Shane Johnson

“Ripples!”


So, who out there reading this has an easy life? I mean every day is smooth sailing for you, not a ripple in the sea of life.


If there is one out there, please respond to this and let’s meet up and maybe you can help me. If my calculations are correct then no one out there has it easy, ripple free.

The common assumption out there is that being a Christian automatically makes life easier, that our troubles will be over. This is not quite the case. Satan will use this assumption as a way to make you question God, your salvation, your security in Jesus' finished work.


So, the question arises, or at least it does in my mind, why am I going through these things? Why is God allowing these things to happen in my life?

Friends let me use the Word of God to encourage you. In James Chapter 1, James is writing to fellow believers. In verses 2 and 3 he states, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this that the trying of your faith worketh patience".


James is basically telling us that we should be happy, excited even, when we go through these tough times in our lives. It is evidence of God doing a work in you. Proving that when He said, “…I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" (Heb. 13:5), that He in fact is still with us.


At salvation God began a work in you. A work known as sanctification, a process that begins at salvation and ends at glorification. It is a process that is impossible for man to do on his own and a process that is needed. God uses these trials and tribulations, (times of troubles and testing), to mold and shape us into His image.


So, if you are one of the brethren, and find yourself going through trial after trial, test upon test, Stop and Praise God for His Mighty Hand is upon you and your life! Rejoice!!!


May God Bless You!
Pastor Shane Johnson

“Forgive!”


Have you been done wrong, mistreated, insulted and today’s most popular saying “offended”? How did you respond? How was your attitude when insulted or offended? The natural reaction is to be defensive and retaliate. To give it right back to them.


Jesus taught a totally different response and reaction. He taught us to go beyond the most natural human response. He taught us to forgive. Wow! What a different world we’d live in if people had forgiving hearts.


We live in a society today that is easily offended and slow to forgive. In our flesh we look for opportunities to get back at someone.


But Jesus demonstrated the way we should respond to the world or anyone for that matter, when we been done wrong. While hanging on that most cruel tree, the cross of Calvary, Jesus being crucified for being the Son of God begged for His Father to grant forgiveness on them. He cried “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)


Sadly, the majority of the world seeks revenge, instead of offering forgives, yet all the while they seek forgiveness. You cannot expect to be forgiven if you are not able to extend forgiveness. We have all been done wrong, we have all been mistreated. Many of us miss out on blessings because we have not been able to forgive


Pray and ask God to teach you to forgive the way He has forgiven you. Your life will be better!


In the flesh, we might look for opportunities to pay others back for what we feel they’ve done to us. But Jesus taught that even if others act this way, we are to be different. We are to seek first God’s Kingdom and trust Him as the ultimate Judge. We are not to respond in ways we think others deserve, but in ways God wants us to – whatever would have the most impact for the Gospel.


May God Bless You!
Pastor Shane Johnson

 LOVE


As we at ChurchDirect.Net are finishing up our January “Confess with Your Mouth” month, we are moving into the month of love. February will be our “Love one Another” month, and the month of Valentine’s Day. Let us read what God has told us about love in I Corinthians 13:4-8, “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away."


The Greek word used for love, in this verse is agapē. When translated they use the word charity. Throughout the Bible there are a few different words used to describe love, some are for friendship and some are of a romantic nature, but agapē is a special one. It is an unconditional love, or a Godly love. Try reading the verse above again, but this time replace charity with unconditional love or Godly love.


Another example of this type of love is found in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Again, the word used for love in this passage is agapē. According, to I John 4:7 (again using agapē) “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.”


As we embark on this month of love, remember that God tells us what love is. That it suffers long, and is kind, and does not envy. That it is selfless and never fails. He shows an example of this love, by sending His only Son to die on a cross to save us. And He tells us, with this same love, to love one another.

“The Time Is At Hand!”


Have you ever said, or do you find yourself often saying, that something can just wait until tomorrow? Many of us get so overwhelmed or we over schedule our time to the point that it feels like there is not enough hours in the day. We then try to prioritize our responsibilities and quite often put things off until later.


Most of us have heard all our lives that Jesus will one day come back to take His children home to heaven. The only way for us to be taken to heaven upon His second coming is for us to make the decision to allow Him to be Lord of our life. Hearing this awesome news of His return should excite us and motivate us to make that decision. But most in the world today have created the false illusion that they can make that decision tomorrow.


My friends we are not promised tomorrow, and our lives could come to an end at any time .


James 4:14 says, “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”

The time is at hand to make the choice to follow Jesus, His return is closer now than it ever has been. Are you ready? Don’t wait ! Make that choice today!


May God Bless You!
Pastor Shane Johnson

“Because God Has Said So”


What comes to mind when you think of the word loser? Someone who has come up short in an athletic contest. Someone who has been rejected by a love interest. Perhaps simply someone who misplaced an object such as their keys. In the common vernacular a loser has come to be known as a person who has made a grave error in judgment or action. Something so significant that it has caused physical or mental pain and suffering to themselves or others.


Who then would you say was the biggest loser in the Bible? Judas? Pharaoh? Esau? For many years I would have said Lot. Consider where we last see Lot in the Bible. Living in a cave with his daughters who have devised a plot to preserve his family line but in a truly wicked way. He has lost his wife, his home, his fortune, his testimony before his family. Consider the woe his descendants had caused to Israel over the course of its history. What a loser!


Read 2nd Peter 2: 4 – 9 very carefully especially verse 7. Righteous Lot!!! How can this be?


Years ago, I read what is said to be the testimony of Billy Sunday the great evangelist. He tells of a common soldier of the Grand Armee of Napoleon Bonaparte who stepped from the ranks and stopped the emperor’s horse after it had bolted. To show his gratitude for this man’s courage Napoleon said, “Thank you captain.”


“Captain of what sir”?, the soldier replied.


“Captain of my Life Guards sir.”, the emperor answered.


The soldier saw a group of officers of that unit and walked to join them. The men looking at what they assumed was a common soldier asked him why he presumed to be among them. The soldier answered, “I am one of you a captain.”


One of the officers scoffed and said, “Who made you an officer much less one of us?”

The soldier pointed toward Napoleon and said, “He did .”


Sunday concluded by saying I am saved because God has said so!


Why was Lot righteous? Because God declared him so.


Are you a child of God? Have you placed your faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior? Oh yes, we live in a world today that is very much like the one in which Lot resided. We may not feel close to God because of our thought life, or our words or actions. Has this world crushed your spirit? Perhaps so but that does not change your standing with the God of the universe.


Dan Geer

“Peace in Chaos!”


Wow! What a chaotic week. This week was so busy that I failed to write this devotional in time. My sincere apology. Have you ever had one of those weeks? So busy, so stressful, so without any peace? You are not alone my friend. The world we live in is a very chaotic place and as the chaos ensues it is definitely going to get harder to find and maintain peace.


So, what do we do, how do we find peace in the midst of the struggle? My friend peace is just a decision away! It does not matter, Christian or not peace is just a decision away.

We lack peace because whatever has caused the situation has taken our focus off of Christ. If we look beyond the noise and confusion in our lives and look to Jesus, the peace we desire will be there. That decision is to choose Jesus over everything else.

Jesus is the Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6


“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”


May God Bless You!
Pastor Shane Johnson

"Lord What Will You Have Me Do?"


The lost are called by God to be saved. I Corinthians 15:11 “Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.” People are being saved because of the preaching and sharing of the gospel of Christ. I am saved (first because God called me, and I accepted) because a group of saved people took their work outside of their church and went on the road to other churches and venues and shared the gospel of Christ.


The saved are called by God to do His work – share the gospel. If I am saved people should know it! I should be sharing Him. I should be a good witness! Do we really believe? Is that why we don’t witness? Do I do everything in my power to do what God has called me to do like David did? (I Samuel 17) Is God my #1 priority? We are called to go out and tell others about Jesus. Who is the last person you told about Jesus? Tell the world God loves them, Jesus saved me, now He can save them! When is the last time you shared your testimony outside of your church walls? God calls His people to tell what they have seen and know to be true. Have you ever asked, “Lord what will you have me to do?” Even better, have you done it? How much do your friends think you love God?


Acts 1:8 “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ is the only reason we are alive today. Pastor Kaleb says keep the main thing the main thing and that is the main thing! Testify to the whole world. The world is my parish! Pastor Shane says God never intended for a bunch of saved people to gather in a place and talk. Church is to go to get fed then go out and feed others! What am I doing for Him? What am I doing to accomplish His Kingdom? What do I take outside of the walls of my church? I Corinthians 15:11 “Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.” People are being saved because of the preaching and sharing of the gospel of Christ. Find someone to share Jesus with today, share your salvation story with a stranger today, share what God has done in your life with someone. Don’t keep it to yourself! When we say no to God, it costs those around us too.


Sheri Bevins

“Embrace Godly Change”


December 28, 2019! Wow! Where did the year go? It seems like just yesterday we were ringing in the new year and here we are in a couple of days about to welcome in 2020.

What kind of year did you have ? A good one ? A bad one ? A year of surprises? A year of the same ole same ole? Was it a year of change for you?


Did any of us make any resolutions to try and change any aspects about our lives ? If so, how’d that go? If you are like me, it probably lasted a couple of months or so and then back to the same old self and same old ways.


Friends, we by nature are creatures of habit and we do not like change. Can I get an amen?


But as I read in scripture, God’s word tells us in Philippians 1:6 “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”


This is saying that for the believer change is mandatory, at salvation God, through the work of the Holy Spirit, has begun a work in us. A work that is called sanctification, this is a process that is a continual work in us until the day that Jesus returns.

Don’t be afraid of change, change is a good thing, especially if it is the work of God in your life. Embrace the change and allow God to work in your life.

We all could use a little change in life, make a commitment to God and yourself, allow those changes to happen. Let 2020 be a better year and allow God to make you a better you


May God Bless You!
Pastor Shane Johnson

 “The Perfect Gift”


Good evening everyone. I am sorry about the tardiness of this devotional. I was at a family gathering to celebrate Christmas with all our family that lives out of town. It was a wonderful time, getting to see everyone and catch up with each other. We focused on each other and the love that we share between us.


Seeing how the Christmas season is upon us, I thought I would take just a few moments of your time and share a little of my heart with you.


We as a culture, society, whatever you want to call us have truly taken away from the true meaning of Christmas. We have over commercialized it, from the million hallmark movies to the billions of dollars that will be spent in purchasing Christmas gifts. Now, before you tune me out or scroll down to the next Facebook post, please give me an opportunity to explain.


I am not saying that there is anything wrong with the Christmas traditions that we take part in. I believe our biggest problem comes from a focal standpoint. Many of us become consumed with making everything perfect....

-perfect tree
-perfect decorations
-perfect dinner
-perfect outfits
-perfect gifts


We struggle and often times put ourselves in debt trying to obtain that perfection.
This was not God's intent for us when He sent His only Son to that manger in Bethlehem.
It was not His intent when He chose Mary to deliver the Savior of the world.


It was not His intent when He gifted us with the only way to salvation.


The prophet Isaiah gives us the reason for the birth of Christ and the reason for our celebration of this most wonderful time of year.


“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6


God sent us His only son as a gift, a gift of salvation, a gift of peace, a gift of comfort, a gift of freedom, a gift of grace, a gift of mercy, a gift of love.


Let us not get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season and fail to remember and fail to acknowledge the true meaning of Christmas. Let us take a moment to thank God for His unspeakable gift.


Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Pastor Shane Johnson

NExt
  • MUSIC

ChurchDirect.net

Copyright © 2022 ChurchDirect.net - All Rights Reserved.