Amazing Love

I would like to speak with you today about a subject that a lot of people struggle with, yet not too many people want to talk about. That is “condemnation”.

When we think about condemnation, we think about those times when someone had pointed his or her finger at us, accusing us of doing wrong, or the guilt and shame we feel when we find ourselves in a place struggling with sin, or a habit that we are trying to break free of.

The Bible says in Romans 8:1 (Living Bible translation) There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. For the power of the life-giving Spirit, and this power is mine through Christ Jesus, has freed me from the control of the principles of sin and death.

In the original Greek, the definition of the word condemnation means, “a verdict, or a sentence pronounced with a suggestion of the punishment following".

Because of Adam's sin in the Garden of Eden, we were born with a sinful nature, and that nature to sin, has separated us from God. We have all sinned and have made mistakes in our life.

And because of Adam's sin, the condemnation, or the verdict or sentence of death came upon all men. The Ten Commandments were given, to make the transgression of sin more serious... yet sin increased. However, where sin abounded, Grace did much more abound, and God’s grace is far greater than condemnation!

John 3:16 says, “For God loved all the world, so much, that He gave His only Son, so that anyone who would believe in him, would not perish but have everlasting life”.
The gift that God has given to us is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. God proves His own love to us, by Christ dying for us while we were still sinners.

Isaiah 53: 3-6 (Living Bible translation) We despised him and rejected him, a man of sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way when he went by. He was despised and we did not care. Yet it was our grief he bore, our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, for his own sins.

But he was wounded and bruised for our sins. He was chastised that we might have peace; he was lashed---and we were healed. We are the ones who strayed away like sheep. We are the ones who left God's paths to follow our own. Yet God laid on him the guilt and sins of every one of us.

So when we come to the foot of the cross, and begin to look upon Gods only Son; We can't help but wonder how could Jesus love us so much that He would choose to suffer, bleed, and die in our place. When we look upon Jesus, and learn of His sufferings, then we begin to understand just how great the cost of our sin is, and the price Jesus was willing to pay.

However, His Amazing Love for me held Him there upon the cross. He was forsaken that I would be forgiven; He was rejected so that I would be accepted, He was condemned to die so I could be given life.

He gave His life for mine, that I might be free from the sentence of death. The cost was even more than God could bear to look at when He saw His one and only Son hanging upon the cross. The spotless Lamb of God sacrificed to take away the sins of the world. It was His love for you and I that led Him to Calvary’s cross, but it was our sin’s, that nailed Him to it.

Isaiah 43:25 I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake; and I will not remember your sin.

Remember in John's Gospel the 8th chapter when the religious leaders brought to Jesus a woman who was caught in the act of adultery?

At that time, the Law commanded the woman to be stoned to death. Nevertheless, Jesus' answer was, "he that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. One by one they all began to walk away, and Jesus asked the woman, where are thine accusers, hath no man condemned thee?

She answered no man, Lord, and Jesus said unto her, "Neither do I condemn thee; go and sin no more".

We have all sinned against Gods commandments. We are all guilty of the sins that we have committed without any plea; we are just like the woman in this story. However, He does not condemn us to a sentence of death; He came seeking us out to forgive us of our sins, and to save us from the penalty of condemnation, by giving us life.
Psalms 103:12 says, “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

Remember it is Satan who is the accuser of the brethren; He delights in our failures and our weakness’. He will attack you in the weakest area bringing accusations to your mind. Saying things like, “You will never overcome this, your defeated, you’re weak.

He will tell you things like, “You might as well give in to this temptation because you will always be this way”, and if He can lay your spirit low, causing you to believe the shame and guilt you feel, bringing condemnation to you because of your failures, you will never be able to rise again. He loves nothing more than for you to retreat in defeat, cower in shame, and draw back into sin.

One of Satan’s tricks is to tell you, “Everybody’s doing it, you might as well too”. However, the Bible tells us, (Romans 12:2) not to be conformed to this world, but be transformed “changed”, by the renewing of your minds in Christ Jesus. Remember the devil is a liar, a cheat, and a deceiver. He knows that you belong to Christ, and the truth and power of Gods Word will bring deliverance and set you free.

James 1:14 says, “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

In the original Greek language, that word drawn away means to entice, or to allure. Just like in fishing, the hook is baited, and then the fish is enticed or lured to take the bait. Therefore, the Bible tells us that our own lust lures us away from the safety of self-restraint, and there are all kinds of lures today that come to tempt us and to draw us away from Gods will for our life.

Many have been snared by the lure of Alcohol and Drugs, Adultery and Fornication, Sexual Immorality, Pornography, these are just a few of those lures that are out there to entice us, and then to entrap us into bondage.

1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. However, God is faithful and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation, he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it".

So no one is excluded from being tempted; we all have been tempted in some way or the other. Satan tempted Jesus at a time when he was weak and hungry from fasting. He came to Him saying, (Matthew 4:3) “If you really are the Son of God, turn these stones into bread”.

However, this time Jesus’ answered him and said, “It is written”. Jesus reminded the devil that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Jesus used God's Word to defeat Satan's temptations, so we need to remember what the Word of God says in our own times of temptations.

The Bible tells us, (James 1:12 Modern Language) “blessed is the man who doesn’t give in and do wrong when he is tempted, for when he has endured the test, (that word endured means to suffer patiently without yielding), he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him”.

There are many spirits in the world today, pressuring Gods people to conform to the ways of the world, but as Christians, we do not have to give in to compromise, or conform to what others are doing. We have desires of the flesh, but we also have desires inspired by the Holy Spirit. We have a mind of flesh, but we also have the mind of Christ. Therefore, we need to learn how to choose those desires that have been planted in us by the Holy Spirit.

1John 1:9, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Let us learn how to live according to our new life in the Holy Spirit. This way we will not yield unto the old sinful nature. The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite of what the Holy Spirit wants. If we follow the desires of our old sinful nature, our lives will produce sinful results, on the other hand, when we yield our lives by faith unto the power, and influence of the Holy Spirit, our lives will produce the fruits of God's Spirit.

So lift up your heads and shout joyfully to the One who loves you with an everlasting love. He comes bringing Good News to the sick and afflicted. His arms are reaching out to comfort the broken hearted. And by His Power He has come to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to set the captive free. He came seeking you out, because of His Amazing Love for you.

Therefore, we can now say in Christ Jesus, I am a new creation. I belong to Christ, I am alive in Christ, and His Spirit is living within me, therefore there is now NO Condemnation, I am free from the guilt of the past, I am free from the shame, I am free from the reproach, and I am free from the sentence that sin had placed upon my life.

Praise God, I am Free!

The Way of the Cross

I think the message of the Cross is the greatest message ever told, but it’s probably the most important message we could ever hear, because it carries with it the power that can literally change your life.

God loved the world so much; He loved all humanity that he was willing to sacrifice his only Sons life, for ours. That’s how much He loves you and me today.

The Title of my message this evening is, “The Way of the Cross”. I don’t think it’s no coincidence that Jesus died on the Day of Pass Over, the day when lambs were killed. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

All the way back into the Old Testament, we can see God speaking to His people about a time when He would provide a Sacrifice, whose blood will cover the sins of the people. And I believe He was leading up to the way of the Cross.

So the Old Testament followers looked ahead by faith, to that day when God would provide a sacrifice, whose blood would make atonement for our sins and the sins of the world.

Abraham spoke of that day, King David wrote about it, and the prophet Isaiah prophesied of Christ saying, “He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the punishment of our peace was laid upon him; and with his stripes we are healed”.

So just as the Old Testament believers looked ahead to a time when God would send the Redeemer, we look back to that day by faith, when the prophecy was fulfilled, so that we can remember the Sacrifice that God made, and the blood he shed for the remission of our sins.

Matthew 27: Vrs 33 And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull, They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.

(Vinegar mixed with gall was a type of narcotic, or a drug that the soldiers would give to help lesson the pain and suffering of those being crucified, but when Christ tasted it he refused to drink of it, and I think that’s because he chose to suffer the full penalty of sin in his body, without the use of any type of help).

Vrs 35 And they crucified him, and parted his garments, castings lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots, And sitting down they watched him there; And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Now the wooden sign placed over the head of Jesus, was Pilates way of threatening and mocking the Jewish people, but God had another purpose for it. Pilate was Gods instrument in spreading the Gospel. This sign was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek, so every one who passed by, no matter what language they spoke, could read the sign, declaring that Jesus Christ is King.

There will come that final day when every voice that has ever uttered a sound, every voice of Adam’s race will proclaim the name of Jesus. For in that day, every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Do you know Jesus, The King of the Jews? Can you proclaim that He is Lord?

Vrs 38 Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left. And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, and saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the son of God, come down from the cross.

Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.

Earlier in his ministry, Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when the devil came to him he said, “If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread”, so we see Satan moving in and through the crowd tempting him once again with the same temptation as before. (If you really are the Son of God, come down from the cross).

Satan keeps trying to rise above God. He tried it in the wilderness with Christ, and we see him trying it again while Jesus is on the Cross. But I think Jesus puts him in his place when he answered, “It is written, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God”.

Jesus came to destroy Satan’s power and to take from him the keys of death and hell, and He did it by going to the cross, and I believe even Satan one day, will have to bow his knee and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Vrs 45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice saying, E-li, E-li, la-ma sa-bach tha-ni? That is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

It was you and I who deserved to be forsaken of God and to suffer and die on the cross. But it was Jesus who bore the agony and the suffering as a substitute for us. God laid on him the judgement for all our sins.

The Bible says in Galatians 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.

Vrs 47 Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, this man calleth for Elias. And straightway one of them ran, and took a sponge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him. Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.

Vrs 51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. Now when the centurion and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, truly this was the Son of God.

Vrs 55 And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him: Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s children.

I can’t help but think how hard it must have been for those women, and many of those mothers standing there watching Jesus suffer and die on the cross that day. It’s hard for me to imagine just how much he suffered. Yet I think we need to remember Calvary and the cross on which Jesus died. We need to understand just how much he suffered that we may know what it cost him to bear our sins, and the sins of the world.

The four Gospels all give an account of Jesus being crucified on the cross, but they don’t give much detail to the pain and the agony that he really suffered. I think the book of Psalms gives us a clearer understanding of what Christ saw from the cross.

David writes, “Many bulls have surrounded me. They opened their mouths at me like a ravening and roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax melted within me; my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaves to my jaws. Thou dost lay me in the dust of death. For dogs have surrounded me; a crowd of wicked men have encircled me; they have pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones. They look, they stare at me; they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing do they cast lots”.

All through the Old Testament, we can visibly see signs of God revealing His plan of Salvation.

Old Testament book of Exodus the 12th Chapter, God speaks to Moses and Aaron and tells them to take a young male lamb without blemish, and to kill it, and take the blood, and strike it on the two posts and on the upper door post of the houses where they lived.

For I will pass through the land of Egypt and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, and against all the gods of Egypt, I will execute judgment.

And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you.

God was giving Moses and his people a sign of what He was planning to do in the future, when He Himself would provide the Sacrifice, and where the blood is applied, the judgment of God would pass over. This is where we get the phrase, the Pass Over, and the Pass over Lamb. We sing today the song that says, “When I see the Blood, I will pass, I will pass over you”.

Death by crucifixion was one of the cruelest and shameful deaths that could have ever been devised; and it was practiced by the Romans. Only slaves and the worst criminals were condemned to be crucified. The person was nailed to the cross, with each hand extended as far as they would reach.

The feet were nailed together, and then the cross was lifted up and dropped into a hole with a violent thud, which dislocated the joints of the body. The weight of the body hung on nails through the hands and the feet. The criminal was left on the cross until he died of untold pain and suffering.

So at Gods appointed time on a hill called Golgotha, the Son of God became the Lamb of God, and the cross became the alter on which he bled and died. And for you and me today, through faith in His blood, our sins have been forgiven.

Can you remember John’s testimony of Jesus, when he said “Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world?

Mary Magdalene is mentioned here in this passage as one of the women beholding Christ on the cross. But earlier, the Bible describes her as a woman possessed by demons, whose life was bound and enslaved by sin. But then Jesus came into her life and changed her life completely.

She was delivered from the demons, she was set free from the bondage of sin, and she became a faithful follower of Jesus. She was close to Jesus during the last hours of his life. All throughout his suffering, his death, burial, and resurrection, we see Mary again and again.

So when Mary Magdalene stood at the foot of the cross looking at Jesus, she saw the one who had loved her unconditionally, and had shown her such compassion. When she looked at his nail pierced hands, she remembered the hands that had reached out to her, and healed her. When she saw the nails in his feet, she remembered how He came to her and set her free from the torments that held her captive. She knew the One they had crucified was the one who had come into her life, and changed it completely.

The Bible says we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. We chose to disobey God and to go our own way, and the result is separation from God. Sin became our Master with death as its wages.

In God’s eyes we were already dead in our trespasses and sins. That means there was no hope for us. There was nothing we could ever do to redeem ourselves. There is only One Way our relationship with God can ever be restored, and that is through Jesus Christ, and the Blood that He shed upon the cross.

The Bible tells us that there is no other name under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)

In those days of the Jewish Passover, it was customary for the governor to release one prisoner from his sentence. And at that time they had in prison a man named Barabbas who was a murderer and condemned to die. And when Pilate asked who should I release unto you, Barabbas or Jesus, the chief priest and elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be released, and for Jesus to be crucified.

Just a few days earlier, they hailed him as their King and Messiah, and now they preferred a murderer to him. There cries were not shouts of praise and worship, but they were cries to Crucify Him.

When it comes to our sins, I think we are like Barabbas in some ways. We are guilty without any plea. We have all sinned against God and His commandments. Yet Gods grace is far greater than our sin, and He chose the way of the Cross to demonstrate his love for us.

The nails that pierced his hands and feet were meant for you and me, every slap of the face, every time he was spit upon, and every time his beard was plucked out. Every whip and stripe that he bore, he bore it for you and me.

And the Bible tells that He didn’t resist, He didn’t fight back, and he never said a word in his own defense. When He was laid on the cross, and his arms were stretched out, he didn’t close his fist, but he opened them widely to receive the nail. And He did it all for you and me.

God’s forgiveness of our sins was accomplished at Calvary’s cross. When Jesus cried out with a loud voice saying, “It is finished”, He was saying that He had completed the work that His father had sent him to do. And now the debt of our sin is PAID IN FULL. The way back to God is now opened in heaven and we can stand in Gods presence as if there has never been any sin.

Psalms 103:12 says, “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

No one has ever shown any greater love than the love we see at Calvary. I think we can understand how Mary Magdalene must have felt that day, to have Jesus come into her life and change it completely. He broke those chains that bound her life and set her free. He gave her a new life to live.

I think we can understand how Barabbas must have felt on that day, when Jesus was chosen to die in his place. He knew that he was guilty of the crimes that he had done, yet God was saying, “Let him go, take me instead”.

So when I think of how he gave His life for me, then I can’t help but want to live my life for Him. When I see him bear the reproach and shame of my sin outside the gate of Jerusalem, when I see him fall beneath the weight of the cross and understand that it was my sins that weighed him down, then I can’t help but want to take up my cross and follow him, all the way.

Do you know the Lamb of God that I have been speaking about? Have you come to the foot of the cross, and looked upon the One who laid down his life for you?
If you have asked yourself this question, "What must I do to be saved", the answer is simply this. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.

The Bible says if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Rev. James A. Lewis Word of Life Ministries

A Book about ME

From time to time, I have often thought about writing a book. I have even searched the Internet to find out what is involved in getting a book published. Many people have written and published their own books, why not me?

For me the greatest of all Books ever published has been the volume of books written by God, and about our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is recorded of Christ saying I, Lo, I come in the volume of the book it is written of me, to do thy will, O God. Hebrews 10:7
 
The foretold coming of Jesus had been written in the Holy Scriptures a long time ago. It was spoken by the Prophets, and revealed by the angel Gabriel. His coming, magnificently orchestrated through a virgin birth, guided by a Star in the East, Matthew 2:2, and herald in by a multitude of the heavenly host worshipping and praising God.

As recorded in the Volumes of the Bible, His prophetic coming, His birth, His life, His death, and His resurrection has dramatically changed the very course of this world. He came to do the will of the Father. Not his own will, but God's will. And by His faithfulness to carry out His Fathers will, through the Script that God had written in Christ, the acts of His life, and His death is still touching and changing lives all over the world today.

So today, we are the begotten sons of God born through the lineage of Jesus Christ, and I can now begin to understand how my life has also been recorded and written down in Gods Book. Psalms 139:16 says, "You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in your Book. A book about me! Just think about it friend.

God is the author of the book written about our life. He has penned upon the pages, and filled the chapters of our book, with a lifetime of events that pertain exclusively to you and me. Our life is a published version of God's book about us.
Not written upon pages of paper with ink and pen, but written upon our fleshy hearts by the Holy Spirit. And our story is developing and unfolding right before us as we live out our days.

Just think about all the extraordinary things that have taken place in our life since our birth! Every one of us keeps scrap books and Photo Albums of our life and those in our life. Bookmark some of those special pages of your life, and ponder on just what it took to bring those events about.

God is the author of the book about me. He is the Scriptwriter, and the one who designs our life according to His plans. Our life is not all about us. It is not all about our will, but it is about Gods will. And what God has purposed in His heart, and written in His book for us is good!

We should never say things like, "I hate my life", and I wish I was dead, or I wish God would just take me. God has placed a lot of work and detail in designing who you are and where you fit into His will. How many times have we heard people say, "I don't know what my purpose in life is", or I am leaving everything behind because I need to discover who I am, and what I want to do. Our purpose in life is to be faithful unto God and to do His will.

When our focus is placed so much upon what we want and who we are, then I think we tend to draw away from God's will for our life, to pursue our own will. In essence, we try to write our own books and end up making a mess of it.

In the Book of Jeremiah 29:11, The Author has written a preface concerning our life. "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, plans to give you a future and a hope".

Just like in any book, there are different chapters that transition us from one place or event to another, pages that tell about new beginnings, new places, and new people. Gods “Book about Me” is filled with many chapters about my life. Maybe right now you find yourself in a place where you do not want to be. However, there will come many new experiences, new challenges, new people, new visions and dreams, as the pages of the book in your life are turned.

Remember God is the Scriptwriter of our lives. He knows the end from the beginning, and He knows what it will take to bring about His plans for the people He loves. When I think about Gods grace towards me and the life He has given me to live, then I begin to understand, and to know, and to feel His great love toward me, and how He has looked beyond my faults and saw my need.

When we get in line with Gods plan for our life according to His "Book about Me", then I believe we too will dramatically touch and change the lives of those around us. May our prayer be the same as our Lords Prayer, "Not my will, but thine be done".

Therefore I have concluded that the very best book that could ever be written or published about my life, is the life that God desires for me to live, written in "Gods Book about Me". On that day when we stand before the Great Accountant, and the books are opened, I pray that our names will be written down in the "Lambs Book of Life".

Copyright © Rev. James Lewis
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Ministry Website: Word of Life Ministries

The Birthday of our King!

The Birthday of our King


Luke 2: 10-14 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Christmas!

What a Wonderful time of the year, not only for little girls and boys, but also people of all ages, and all nationalities. An account that has been recorded in the Holy Scriptures down through the years. This Word was spoken by the Prophets, revealed by the angel Gabriel, Born of a virgin, guided by a Star, and herald in by a multitude of the heavenly host worshipping and praising God.

When the time was right God sent His only conceived Son made of a woman to redeem mankind. Sin had separated us from God's love, but Jesus came to us as Heavens Gift to reconcile us back into the family of God.

1John 3:1 says, Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God. Jesus is Gods manifested love to the world, which hath abolished death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel!

In the book of Leviticus the 17th chapter and the 11th verse, it states, "For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that maketh atonement for the soul.

Where sin abounded Gods Grace did much more abound. And it was JESUS, who became the sacrifice for our sins, and for the sins of the whole world.

At this season the world pauses to remember and to celebrate the birthday of our Saviour, Emmanuel! We join in harmony with the redeemed of the earth as we lift our voices and sing in chorus Salvations sweetest songs. We light candles and lights to shine through the darkness and to tell the world that our Light has come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon us!

Down through the ages many have tried to extinguish what the real meaning of Christmas is. But for those of us whose lives have been transformed by the power of the Highest, our lights will shine, and our voices will join together in unison all around the world, as we celebrate the Birthday of our King!

St Luke 2:6-14 And so it was that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

St Matthew 2:10-11 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

And the angel said unto them, “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men”.

I can almost see Joseph watching Mary as she holds her newborn son. Pondering all the time at the words of the angel which appeared to him in a dream saying, "Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins."

I've also wondered how Mary must have felt as she sat looking into the eyes of her baby, Gods Son. And to know that all this which has come to pass was prophesied of old saying, "Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."

Jesus IS the reason for this Season. This is why we honor and celebrate Christmas today. It is a time of Joy, and Peace, and Goodwill toward all men.

May the Peace and Joy of Jesus Christ keep your hearts and minds as you celebrate the Birthday of our King!

Drivers Training

Drivers Training

Many times the “life lessons” that we learn while growing up; have more meaning embedded into them than what we realize. Often I find myself thinking back to those times and drawing from them new and fresh resources to live by.

How excited I was when I turned 16 years old. I was now old enough to learn how to drive. I could not wait until summer vacation started so I could take drivers training.

I can still remember how I felt when I finally got behind the wheel of the drivers training car and headed out onto the highway. I could follow the signs pretty well, how fast to go, when to stop, yield etc. However, the only thing I was having a problem with, was keeping the car straight in the middle of the road. I would swerve to the left, and then to the right, my hands gripping the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white.

No matter how tense I was swerving all over the road, my teacher remained cool and calm. I thought if I were you, I would be afraid for my life, because I really do not know what I am doing! She instructed me to let go of my death grip on the steering wheel, and just hold onto it gently. Then she said to me, “Look down the highway as far as you can and fix your eyes on the center of the road, and not so much on what is going on around you”. That was the best instruction she could have given to me, and it has helped me to this day to keep me from swerving off the road and ending up into a ditch.

Hebrews 12:1-2 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin that doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Drivers who continually look to the right and to the left may well go into the ditch. In addition, there are many things going on all around us today that try to get our attention. Satan is good at causing roadside distractions that tempt us to take our eyes off Jesus, and onto him. If he can get our attention by one thing or another, he may be able to get us off the path that we are traveling on and delay our spiritual progress.

The Bible encourages us to put aside every weight and sin that delays and hinders us in the race that we are running. Looking at those things that are going on around us, or putting our attention onto other things as we, travel down the road of life can cause us to swerve to the right and to the left, and before you know it; we end up in a ditch.

So often while traveling in my truck, I am amazed how distracted people are in their vehicles. Some people while driving down the freeway at high speeds have one of their feet resting on the dash while they have earphones in their ears listening to music. Others are busy eating and reaching for their drinks while they drive.

I have seen women putting on make up and looking in their rear view mirror instead of looking at where they are going. Others are distracted, by talking on their cell phone and texting their friends, and they have no idea of the danger that they are in as well as putting others at risk. So many people have been hurt, and even killed by people driving in their cars doing some of these things.

Therefore, I wonder, what are some of the things in our own spiritual life, that we have been “distracted” by while running this race. Has it caused us to take our attention off the path we are following, to give heed to those things going on around us? Have we been tempted to turn our eyes off the center of the road to look at those things going on around us in the world today?

1 John 2:15-16 says, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

Because of my “life lesson”, in drivers training so long ago, I am reminded of what Paul the Apostle is telling me once again.

In this race of life that we are in, keeping our eyes stedfast upon Jesus is utmost important. Jesus said; Follow me for I am the Way. We must be aware of the distractions going on around us, and not allow them to take our attention off the “center” of the road, which is Jesus Christ. We must keep our eyes upon Jesus. He alone will keep you safe and bring you to your destination.

Rev. James A. Lewis Word of Life Ministry

The Parable of an Investor

The Parable of an Investor

A certain businessman desired to invest his monies and his time into something that would yield a great return, so he made an appointment with an Investing Firm and set out to meet with the Investor at the appointed time.

Upon arriving at the firm, He introduced himself to the secretary and she took him into the conference room and sat him down. After a few minutes, the Investor of the firm came into the room carrying his brief case, and a shiny red apple, and sat down at the table.

After introducing each other, the businessman began to describe to the Investor exactly what he wanted to do. He explained how he had saved some monies, and wanted some advice on how and what he should invest.

After a while of sharing some ideas and details, the Investor said, “I have just what you are looking for”, and got up from his seat, took the red shiny apple in his hand and carried it over to the businessman and set it right in front of him, and went back to his seat and sat down.

The businessman, bewildered and shocked said, “I don’t understand”, you want me to invest in apples? The Investor answered, not in apples, in this one apple. He went on to explain. In this apple that is set before you, there are generations of apple trees, with the possibility of thousands upon thousands of apples to come out of this one apple.

If you were to invest into this apple with your time and effort, you could have the benefits of reaping a great return, and enjoy the fruit of your reward.

The businessman’s face began to redden in anger and he began to shout, “You have not only wasted my time sir, but you have given me bad advice”. There is no way I am going to spend my time and monies on an apple! In addition, with that he shoved his chair backwards and got up to leave.

Now the Investor calmly and quietly answered back in his defense, “I think you have underestimated the worth, and the value that is set before you, hidden in this apple. With time and patience, this could be the beginning of something good for you.

Nevertheless, to no avail, the Investor could not get the businessman to see the value and the worth of the apple.

In Matthew 10:29-31, Jesus said, “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father”. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

A farthing is a small part of a coin, something of very little value, yet God knows and cares when one of His littlest creatures falls to the ground.

There are people today all over the world, who feel as if their lives are of little or no value to anyone.

It may be that you have been hurt very badly, or put down by the things that someone has said or done to you, or you may have lost so much in your life and in your relationships, that all you can do is cry and wonder what is the purpose for your life?

Maybe you are someone reading this today, who has been abandoned and left alone, rejected by those you may have at one time been very close to, or maybe feel unloved or unwanted by those who at one time loved you, then this message is for you!

You have underestimated the value and the worth of your life. God has invested into your life, and you are of great worth and value to Him, even more that many sparrows!

Jeremiah 29: 11 For I know the thoughts I think concerning you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of hurt, to give you a future and hope.

He has planned for you to be here at this time, He has placed within you some very special qualities, and gifts that are unique only to you. He has purchased your salvation with the highest cost, His own Son’s life on Calvary’s cross, so that you may have a life worth living! He has done all this for you because He loves you, and cares about every area of your life. Did you know that God thinks about you constantly?

Psalms 139: 17-18 How precious it is, Lord to realize that you are thinking about me constantly! I cannot even count how many times a day your thoughts turn towards me. And when I waken in the morning, you are still thinking of me!

In addition, just like the apple in this story, within your life, God has placed all the abilities, the talents, the gifts, and the love for you to become all He has purposed for you to be.

Never allow others actions to degrade who you are. Never let them cause you to underestimate the value and the worth of your life, even if some get up and leave like the businessman in this story.

Embrace all the goodness that God has placed within you; nurture those talents, those abilities, those qualities that they may begin to grow up in you. Then begin to invest those same qualities that are in you, into other peoples lives. Watch the seeds in your life begin to bear fruit.

Let others see that no matter what they have done to you, or said to you, you are still a son and daughter of the Most High God, and that means you have all the rights and privileges as a member of the family of God.

Your life is of great worth and value to God. Begin to see the truth and rise up to the stature that God desires you to walk and live in, the very example of who Jesus Christ is. He will take all the broken pieces, and make something beautiful of your life.

Rev. James A. Lewis/Word of Life Ministries

Broken Toys

What joy we had during the Christmas Season. Our family all came together; there was laughter, music, and good food to eat. And it was all in honor of our Lord's Birthday. Jesus is the reason we celebrate Christmas! But I especially loved when it came time to give our gifts to one another.

There is something special about giving gifts. Jesus said that it is more blessed to give than to receive, and to watch our children and our grand-children as they opened their presents and to see the excitement upon their faces was a special treat for me.

But Christmas has now come and gone, and so have many of the things that remind us of the Holiday season. The wreaths on the windows have been neatly stored away, and all the decorations have been taken down until next year. And by the looks of things around us, you can't even tell that only a little while ago, it was Christmas.

Some of our grandson's favorite toys are a couple of the characters from the movie, "Toy Story". This pass year, for Halloween, Brendan dressed up like one of the characters in the movie, Woody, a toy that would talk and say, "Howdy Partner". And this Christmas he received Woody's rival, Buzz Light-Year.

In the movie, the scene takes place in a young boy's bedroom at a time when no one is around, and all the toys in the room come to life.

These toys were at one time his favorite toys, but many of them had been played with so much that they were either worn out, or broken. Others went unnoticed and were never played with any more. As the movie plays out, it is his birthday, and at his birthday party he tears into all the packages hoping to find the newest toy that he had been hoping for.

After a lot of disappointment of unwanted gifts, he finally opens the last package where he finds, “Buzz Light-Year”. A new space toy that is the latest craze on television with flying wings that pop out, a laser wrist light, and a proclamation, “To infinity and beyond”. I think all of us can relate to the excitement and joy that comes from receiving a new gift, especially if it's something that we have been hoping for.

But as the story depicts, these toys at one time were greatly desired and wanted, but after a time become broken and set aside. Many of them are left alone in the bottom of the toy box to be replaced with something new. Often times the old toys begin to pile up and become discarded or thrown away as trash. Many of them get stored away in the garages and basements of our homes, and years pass by and our children grow up and they no longer desire to play with these toys anymore.

We know that toys cannot come to life when no one is looking, nor do they have feelings and emotions because they are no longer desired, but the fact is, "we do"......

Many of the hurts and the rejections that we feel are real. Maybe at some point in time, you too have been hurt, abandoned, or mistreated. There are people today who find themselves in the same place as the toys in this movie, feeling all alone, unwanted, undesired, and unloved. It may be someone has toyed with your affections, used you or even abused you, and then cast you off without any regard to how you feel, or what it has done to you.

People say and do things to us that really hurt! And oft times in our own bedrooms, when no one is around, when no one is looking, we break down and cry, letting out all the hurts and frustrations that have been bottled up inside of us.

Maybe it has left you feeling all alone, and too hurt to trust anyone? You begin to feel like you don't fit in anywhere, and your too afraid to let anyone get close to you. You're really just afraid that you will end up getting hurt just like before. Or maybe you feel like no one else knows or understands what you're going through.

There is someone today who does understand. He went through many of the things that you are struggling with. He was spit on and rejected, He knows what it feels like to grieve and to sorrow, and He knows what it feels like to suffer pain. He was ridiculed, and made fun of, yet He opened not him mouth in his own defense.

He was physically tortured, his body bruised and beaten, and then nailed to a cross, while they sat and watched him suffer and die. His name is Jesus.

So does Jesus care about what you are going through? Does He care when your heart is broken and your life is torn apart? Does He care when others have hurt you and abused you, and then want nothing to do with you? Yes friend Jesus cares about you. Christ came into the world to heal the brokenhearted, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.

Through His death on the cross, He paid the highest price for your life, so that you would know the love He has for you. He is waiting for you with arms wide open to surrender to him all those things that you have been carrying around. He is the healing that your heart and mind so desperately needs and wants.

Jesus is seeking you out today and wants to win your trust. He only wants to love and help you. His love will break through all of your fears and hurt. You've probably been looking and longing for this real love for a long time. It can be yours. Jesus is waiting for you to come to him. He wants to comfort you, and be your healer.

Isaiah 61:1-2 "The Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the suffering and afflicted. He has sent me to comfort the broken-hearted; to proclaim freedom to the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of God's favor to them has come, and the day of his wrath to their enemies. To comfort all who mourn.
So you see Jesus is the healer of broken hearts and broken lives. He is the one who sets free the prisoner and the captive from out of all their bonds. The Bible says that He is a restorer of paths to dwell in.

It's by falling into the arms of the One who gave his life for you, that all the hurts of your past can be healed. He is waiting for you to surrender them all to Him. It's in the warmth of His embrace that you can let go of the darkness with all its torments and fears, and allow the Light of His Presence to flood over you, healing you and restoring you to the person God has made you to be.

Your life is of great value and of a great price to Him, and His death upon the cross proves just how much He loves you. So you can trust Him today to come into your life, He will give you a new heart, and a new life, and a reason to live. He says in His word, I will never leave thee, nor will I forsake thee.

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