(from the King James Bible)

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  The same was in the beginning with God.  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men."  John 1:1-4

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." John 1:14

"Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."  Isaiah 7:14

"And in the six month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.  And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee:  blessed art thou among women.  And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.  And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary:  for thou hast found favour with God.  And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.  He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest:  and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:  and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.  Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?  And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee:  therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.  And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age:  and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.  For with God nothing shall be impossible.  And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.  And the angel departed from her."  Luke 1:26-38

"...When his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.  Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.  But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto 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.  Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, 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.  Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:  and knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son:  and he called his name Jesus."  Matthew 1:18b-25

"And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.  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, low, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them:  and they were sore afraid.  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.  And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us  And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger."  Luke 2:4-15

"And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called Jesus, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb." John 2:21

"And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel:  and the Holy Ghost was upon him.  And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.  And he came by the Spirit into the temple:  and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:  for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel."  Luke 2:25-32

"Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.  When Herod the King had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.  And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.  And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judea:  for thus it is written by the prophet, "and thou Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah:  for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel (Micah 5:2)." Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.  And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have him, bring me words again, that I may come and worship him also.  When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.  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 worshiped him:  and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.  And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way."  Matthew 2:1-12

"And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word:  for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.  When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:  and was there until the death of Herod:  that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son."  Matthew 2:13-15

"But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel:  for they are dead which sought the young child's life.  And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.  But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither:  notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee:  and he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth:  that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, he shall be called a Nazarene."  Matthew 2:19-23

"The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." John 1:29

"And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.  And I knew him not:  but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.  And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God."  John 1:32-24

"And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness.  And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him."  Mark 1:12-13

"And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up:  and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.  And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias.  And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, "the Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord (Isaiah 61:1)."  Luke 4:16-19

"From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent:  for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."  Matthew 4:17

"The people that walked in great darkness have seen a great light:  they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined."  Isaiah 9:2

Enjoy this beautiful rendition of (Silent Night).  Just click on the link to play...

Stille Nacht

"But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people:  and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you."  Jeremiah 7:23

Christmas:  A Time for Dreams to Come True

This year will be different.  Christmas will be perfect!  There will be no groans of dismay when that beautifully wrapped gift is opened only to discover clothes that don't fit or batteries are needed.  This year will be different.  That costly gift that now seems so small and trite will be appreciated and treasured, rather than cast aside for something more spectacular.  This year will be different.  The guests will get along and no one will feel left out. 

We've planned and sacrificed so that everyone gets that special gift of their dreams.  The home is beautifully decorated.  The finest foods have been reserved for this special day.  Everything will be perfect and all will be happy!  Our plans can't possibly fail!  This year will be different...or will it?

How human of us to pin our hopes on our own best efforts!  It is an illusion at best.  If we stop and think a moment, we really do understand that we can not control our lives to the point where we experience no disappointments.  Yet, oh how we treasure the illusion. 

Christmas is often the culmination of a year's worth of want!  It is not surprising that our Christmas expectations exceed our bank balance.  Why are we so foolish?  We should know that we cannot buy happiness. 

Things don't last.  Maybe you've heard of obsolescence?  Obsolescence happens when something is usable but no longer wanted.  Manufacturers often build in obsolescence so new products will be purchased.  When a product is no longer wanted because styles change, the product becomes obsolete. When a product is naturally replaced with superior technology, never to be needed again, it becomes obsolete.  Sometimes a product is fixable, but parts are no longer available for repairs, so the product becomes obsolete. We search for happiness, but it is not found in things.  They become obsolete. 

Sometimes people become obsolete too.  Layoffs are a good example of people becoming unwanted and obsolete.  Their jobs were absorbed by the corporate machine or passed off to less skilled and cheaper labor.  Elderly people forgotten in a nursing home, the sick, children abandoned by their parents, and  the unborn are examples of those society no longer wants.  Jesus cares for them.  Social programs will not fix our failures or bring us happiness. 

We struggle to find happiness in relationships.  Divorce is rampant, and commitment is not to be found.  People are imperfect, so we cast them aside.  Relationships often become disappointments.  Jesus wants a personal relationship with you. 

Where can we find happiness this Christmas? 

Christmas can be a time when dreams do come true.  The real and best gift of Christmas is Jesus.  The source of all happiness lies in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. 

When we make worshipping Jesus as our Savior and Lord our priority, we will be happy.  We will be filled with joy because our sins are forgiven, guilt is removed, and we have hope in an eternal life with Him.  We no longer have to struggle with decisions about right and wrong.  We have the truth of the Bible to teach us and guide us. 

Jesus never forsakes His own.  He loves and cares for us.  He is with us through every trial and struggle.  He never fails us.  He knows us through and through, yet is ready to accept us just as we are.  When we allow Him to come in and take control over us, He will bring new life and a new life.  Jesus wants you to accept Him by faith, for He is the Son of God who died on a cross to pay the penalty for your sin so that you might be reconciled with God the Father. 

Sometimes we believers forget to include Jesus.  We get caught up in the fervor of the holiday season.  Time passes so quickly with all there is to do to be ready.  There just isn't enough time to spend with Him.  As with anything of importance, we must make time to worship and praise our Lord.  If Jesus isn't a part of your Christmas, what are you celebrating?

Start your day with prayer, seeking guidance for your day, then follow with Scripture reading to remind yourself of His ways.  Then your day is sure to be off to a great start!  Life is imperfect; you will still find yourself involved with struggles, but with Jesus included, you will discover that your successes will come more frequently. 

Let us not become confused about the real meaning of Christmas.  If you place your trust in Jesus, you will discover that He has more wisdom and more understanding of your needs.  He knows what is best for us. 

Dreams really can come true if you live your life in accordance with the Word of God and accept Jesus as your Saviour and Lord.  You will find true happiness only comes from Jesus.

"Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."  Matthew 16:24

THOUGHT PROVOKERS