Christmas - The day of the may miracles

Christmas is often remembered as the day of Jesus of Nazareth birth. Born of a virgin, which is often the miracle that is reflected upon. Though some think of this as allegory and also conclude that Jesus was just a good man who was wise, it is important to also understand the many miracles that were accomplished on that night, and also to reflect on the miracles that will continue.

The Lord makes some promises in the Old Testament, we call these covenants. The fact that the Lord deals with humans in such a way is a miracle in itself. One of these covenants is to David.

David was the king of Israel and was loved by the Lord. Because David loved the Lord and desired to love the Lords people, he found favor in the Lord’s sight. The Lord makes a covenant, promise, to David. This covenant entails that David will have a descendant that will rule forever.

“When your days are fulfilled that you must go to be with your fathers, that I will set up one of your descendants after you, who will be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build for Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. I will be his father and he shall be My son; and I will not take My lovingkindness away from him, as I took it from him who was before you. But I will settle him in My house and in My kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.”
-1 Chronicles 17:11-14

David possibly not fully comprehending the words that come out of his mouth says, “Now, O Lord, let the word that You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house be established forever, and do as You have spoken. 1 Chronicles 17:23”

Jesus, the Christ, birth is the fulfillment of this promise. Mary, his earthly mother, was in lineage of David and her giving birth to Jesus was the continuation of Davids heritage. What she may had not fully understood was that Jesus will establish his kingdom forever.

Jesus being born of a virgin, shows the power of God and gives proof to Jesus being God’s son (1 Chr. 17:13). Jesus dying on the cross fulfilled that God will not take his mercies from and Him being the son of God will grant Him the power to rule forever (1 Chr. 17:14).

This is the miracle! Our King rules forever, because of His death. We have been given a new promise, a promise of everlasting life. The Lord grants us the ability to be apart of this covenant.

"Incline your ear and come to Me.
Listen, that you may live;
And I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
According to the faithful mercies shown to David."
-Isaiah 55:3

It is recorded by the Apostle John that the there are many other miracles that Jesus performed but that the ones that are recorded are done so, so that those who read it may have faith and believe in Jesus the Christ (John 20:30-31). The Lord holds to his promises as we have seen through the Davidic Covenant. If we believe in the promises of the Lord, and hold to what the Apostle John writes, we are affirmed and comforted in the fact that we are granted Salvation in believing in these miracles. For Paul assures us, “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9”

The miracle that was given to the world, in which we celebrate every Christmas, is a continual gift. It is the greatest gift that we as humans could ever desire. But much like our western culture has done, the true meaning of Christmas is hidden behind flashy and expensive things that will give short momentary happiness. “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2”

May this Christmas be a time of real reflection, may we follow conviction to share with our loved ones the true meaning of Christmas in hopes to share the greatest gift of all. Merry Christmas!

World vs. Bible - Dating

Does our view on dating impact our relationship with Christ?

Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 
– Genesis 2:24

The Bible expresses the importance of dating as a way to become one with another. As quoted above in Genesis 2:24. Much like Christ is one with the Church and the Church is one with Him, those who marry will become one. This is not to say that you will feel as one but through the mystery which Marriage is, believers hold fast to the Word and the bond in which they have developed (Mark 10:9). My goal is to encourage believers to stop comparing their relationships to the world's standards and begin to find truth by reading the greatest love story, the Bible.

Commitment

One big thing that Christians who date struggle with is commitment. We as humans see from the media that it is good to keep our options open, "the grass is always greener." If we go back to Genesis 2:24 we see that we must commit. Society is making it OK to jump from one relationship to another or, if you are married, to divorce. Let us remember if we are dating we date to marry and if we are married we are of one flesh. This reveals the importance of building a strong foundation on friendship and developing it into a dating relationship. If our goal is marriage then we need to take the preceding steps of dating serious, and begin to build genuine friendships that are built on loving a sister or brother. Once we commit we need to roll through some hard times while dating, where the world wants you to give up and move on. The World's view wants to confuse commitment in relationships because it poisons what Godly/Christ like commitment should be, and so in convolutes our thoughts of what our relationship with Christ looks like.

Dad or dad

Another issue that many men face while dating Christian women is that when they date they feel as though they need to be a father figure. If guys are honest, this is something they look forward to, it shows their strength and makes them feel that they are wanted/loved, but this should be saved for actual children not for the girl that guys dates or marries. Women should not be looking for a guy to fill the dad hole in their heart. As Genesis 2:24 says, man and woman will become one. This means that before dating the man and women should be in a healthy pursuit of their Dad aka Heavenly Father. If the guy is doing this he will quickly be humbled in how powerful his Dad is and lives by His example, and if the woman is doing this then she will not be in a pursuit for someone to fill a hole that is unfillable by any man, but have comfort in who she is. The World wants you to find the man to be the ultimate father figure, and the woman to be searching for it, but the Bible is clear and shares that God is the only one that can fill that position, and gives urgency to men and women pursuing Him before anything else.

Final Thoughts

As believers in Christ there is an act of sacrifice in how we live our life. The way that we as Christians date should be different than the rest of the world, if others see Christians date and see no difference, how does that create change? When we choose to watch films and movies that condone sex before marriage, multiple sex partners and promiscuity all because it is funny, we are supporting it. I mention these things, commitment and Dad, because these are things that I noticed in my life and have allowed the Lord to change. We need to flee from temptation and if this means we stop watching television shows that supports impure thoughts of how the Lord designed relationships, then do it! The greatest story we can read to help us with dating is the Bible. There is no greater love story and no other book that can express what a pure relationship looks like. Jesus tells us, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." we cannot put the extra stress on our relationships by using our relationships as idols, like the world wants us to. So stand firm on the Rock and don't allow the world to tell you what relationships look like.