Wise Men Still Seek Him (2)

'You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.' Jeremiah 29:13 NKJV

Notice where the wise men didn't find Christ: in the business world. Every motel in Bethlehem was sold out with a 'No vacancy' sign.

Not much has changed, eh?

1: Thirty percent of all retail sales in department stores take place over the Christmas-time holidays.
2: Fifty percent of all parties are held during Christmas and New Year.
3: One out of every ten litres of alcohol is sold then too.

Clearly, Jesus is good for business.

The trouble is, we prefer the myth to the Master. 

• We want a Santa but not a Saviour. 
• We want the fairy tale but not the fact. 

What fact? That Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners (1 Timothy 1:15).

The story's told of a child who was chosen to play the innkeeper in the Christmas nativity, telling

Mary and Joseph that there was no room for them at the inn. But on the night of the big event, he stood onstage, looked into the faces of the audience, froze in fear, then smiled and announced, 'I'm not supposed to do this, but come on in anyway!' 

The hymnist wrote, 

'Room for pleasure, room for business, but for Christ the crucified; not a place that He can enter, in the heart for which He died.'

Instead of ending this Christmas exhausted, disappointed, and in debt, invite Jesus into your life. 

You may be looking back with regret on some bad decisions you've made this year, but making Jesus your Lord and Saviour this Christmas is the best decision you'll ever make.

SoulFood: Job 24-28, John 1:6-18, Ps 113, Ecc 10:10-14

Bob and Debby Gass
Tuesday, 24 December 2013

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Wise Men Still Seek Him (1)

'...Wise men...came to Jerusalem, saying, Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?' Matthew 2:1-2 NKJV

Why would someone leave the comfort of their home, travel thousands of kilometres by camel, brave blistering deserts fraught with robbers and hazards to follow a star to an unfamiliar destination? 

There’s only one answer: wise men and women have always hungered for God. 

It’s said that the three most sought-out words on the internet today are ‘work’, ‘sex’ and ‘God’. 

Work addresses our need for security; sex addresses our need for companionship and intimacy; God addresses our need to be forgiven, to experience peace and joy, and understand our life’s purpose on earth.

It’s why primitive tribes who don’t know God make gods out of mountains, trees and rocks. Deep down we all have a need to experience something bigger than ourselves; someone capable of loving us, protecting and directing us. 

When his life fell apart Job cried, ‘Oh, that I knew where I might find Him, that I might come to His seat!’ (Job 23:3 NKJV) 

The ancient Greeks had an altar on Mars Hill with the inscription, ‘To the unknown God’. Then Paul told them, ‘…What you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.’ (Acts 17:23 NIV) 

The good news of Christmas is, you can seek God and find Him, by coming to know Jesus as your own personal Saviour. 

Hosea called Israel back to God with these words: ‘Oh, that we might know the Lord! Let us press on to know Him. He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn…’ (Hosea 6:3 NLT)

SoulFood: Job 21-23, Luke 2:1-7, Ps 128, Ecc 10:5-9

Monday, 23 December 2013

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Wise Men Still Seek Him (4)

'Search the Scriptures, for...these are they which testify of Me.' John 5:39 NKJV

The birth of Jesus divides history into two parts: B.C. (before Christ) and A.D. (after Christ).

History is - His story!

Let's observe where else the wise men didn't find Christ: in the church. Amazing, isn't it?

Teachers and theologians pored over their dusty parchments as they had done for generations.

They taught their congregations the Messiah was coming, but they failed to recognise or acknowledge Him when He arrived.

Yet the Old Testament Scriptures they read were filled with it. 

They described His ancestry: God told Abraham, '...All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring' (Genesis 28:14 NIV).

They identified the tribe from which He would be born: 'The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh [the Prince of Peace] come; and to Him shall be the obedience of the people' (Genesis 49:10 NKJV).

They described His family of origin: 'A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse [father of David]; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him...' (Isaiah 11:1-2 NIV).

They foretold His virgin birth: '...The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel [which means God with us]' (Isaiah 7:14 NIV).

The prophet Daniel actually declared the time of His birth (Daniel 9:25).
And this God of precision and forethought has a plan for your life too - the only plan that can satisfy and bring you happiness.

And the good news is: He comes by invitation.

So invite Him into your life today.

Soul Food: Job 29-31, Luke 2:8-20, Ps 117, Ecc 10:15-19

Written by Bob & Debby Gass
Thursday, 26 December 2013

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Wise Men Still Seek Him (3)

'That they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might...find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.' Acts 17:27 NKJV

When Jesus was born, the biggest issue of the day was wanting lower taxes and a different government.

Sound familiar?

In Jerusalem, the capital, we read, 'When Herod the King heard [about Jesus], he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him' (Matthew 2:3 NKJV).

As a result, he committed one of history's greatest atrocities by killing every Jewish baby boy under the age of two, in order to get at Jesus.

And today Jesus still forces a reaction in the hearts of men and women! 

That's why some people want to take Him out of the classroom, the courtroom and government. The forces of darkness are set on a course of trying to remove His name, His influence and His authority from all public life.

Why? Because when you do away with God, there's no higher power than yourself, so you get to play God! 

Lenin, the father of Russian Communism, is reputedly said of Christ, 'His kingdom is invisible, His rule is in the hearts of men, so He can't be tolerated.' As a result, over 20 million people died during the Russian Revolution in an attempt to build an atheistic state.

But fighting God is futile; it's a battle you can't win, because ultimately '...every knee shall bow... and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord' (Philippians 2:10-11 NIV).

Every prophecy concerning Christ's first coming was fulfilled to the letter, and every prophecy concerning His second coming will be too.

So if you want to meet Him in peace, surrender your life to Him today and accept Him as your Saviour. 
4cm Editors note:{How to be Saved} 

Soul Food: Isa 7:14, Isa 9:6-7, Micah 5:2-5a, Matt 1:18-25 (Christmas Day)

Written by Bob & Debby Gass
Wednesday, 25 December 2013

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