I just want to take this time to wish all of you wonderful people out there in blogland a beautiful Christ-filled Christmas. I pray that even as you enjoy this season with your family, that you be the example of Christ in all you do. May He be glorified through you as share Him with those you come in contact with.
We're so grateful that even though we celebrate His birth, Jesus didn't stay as a baby. He went all the way to Calvary, died, rose on the third day and is coming back again for those who know Him as Lord and Savior. That's the Christ we celebrate and who we share with others.
It is wonderful to know this Jesus and to serve Him this Christmas.
So, in case I don't make it back here until the new year, a very wonderful Christmas to you and a bountiful New Year in the Lord.
Blessings,
Vickie
Monday, December 22, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Taking God at His Word
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had see him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
Luke 2:15-18
The story of the birth of Jesus is so fascinating. It is such a beautiful story with so many pieces that all fit together. It has such wonder, such planning, such amazement in it, that you can't believe people could look away from it, especially during this Christmas season.
The story here of the angel appearing to the shepherds is another great part of the first Christmas story. They were as we say 'minding their own business' of tending to their sheep, when the angel of the Lord appeared to them and told them of the birth of our Lord and Savior. Shepherds, who were like insignificant in those times, were chosen by God as one of the first set of people to know about this wondrous event. God truly does take the base and foolish things of this world to confound the wise. (1 Cor. 1:27)
After one angel appeared and gave his message then the bible says, there was a great company of angels appearing praising and giving glory to God. There was celebration even before the shepherds could confirm what the angel was saying. We don't have to wait to see if what God says is going to happen. We can take Him at His word and rejoice while waiting to see the manifestation.
As soon as the celebrations were over what did the shepherds do? They said to each other, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that the Lord has told us about." When all the fanfare was over they acted on God's word. They didn't hesitate. The Word says, they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph. Oh that we would just take God at His word. Oh that we would not be slack in moving when God gives us a word. When all the praise and worship music is over, when all the clapping and singing in church is over, Oh that we would act hastily on the word that we have received from God.
When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. (vs 17 & 18) What if the shepherds had doubted what God said through the angel? What if they had been disobedient? If they had, it is probable that some people would never have heard about the birth of Jesus. How will people hear if we don't tell them? When we hear the word on Sundays, when we receive a word from God, when God speaks a new truth to us during our devotional times, how will people hear of His love, His goodness, His mercy, unless we tell them?
We that know the real meaning of Christmas, how will people know the truth about it, unless we tell them?
God is true to His word friends. Just like He said it would happen through the mouths of the prophets, the birth of Jesus came to be. Just like He said Jesus would die for our sins He did. Just like He said Jesus would comfort us when we are lonely, feed us when we are hungry, clothe us when we are naked, just as He said, so it has been. We have to share with the world around us that there is hope in Jesus. We have to share that He came as a baby but now He is our Lord and Savior and He can be for them too.
"How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? Romans 10:14
Don't celebrate this Christmas without Christ and don't celebrate it without telling someone about the Christ of Christmas.
Blessings,
Vickie
Luke 2:15-18
The story of the birth of Jesus is so fascinating. It is such a beautiful story with so many pieces that all fit together. It has such wonder, such planning, such amazement in it, that you can't believe people could look away from it, especially during this Christmas season.
The story here of the angel appearing to the shepherds is another great part of the first Christmas story. They were as we say 'minding their own business' of tending to their sheep, when the angel of the Lord appeared to them and told them of the birth of our Lord and Savior. Shepherds, who were like insignificant in those times, were chosen by God as one of the first set of people to know about this wondrous event. God truly does take the base and foolish things of this world to confound the wise. (1 Cor. 1:27)
After one angel appeared and gave his message then the bible says, there was a great company of angels appearing praising and giving glory to God. There was celebration even before the shepherds could confirm what the angel was saying. We don't have to wait to see if what God says is going to happen. We can take Him at His word and rejoice while waiting to see the manifestation.
As soon as the celebrations were over what did the shepherds do? They said to each other, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that the Lord has told us about." When all the fanfare was over they acted on God's word. They didn't hesitate. The Word says, they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph. Oh that we would just take God at His word. Oh that we would not be slack in moving when God gives us a word. When all the praise and worship music is over, when all the clapping and singing in church is over, Oh that we would act hastily on the word that we have received from God.
When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. (vs 17 & 18) What if the shepherds had doubted what God said through the angel? What if they had been disobedient? If they had, it is probable that some people would never have heard about the birth of Jesus. How will people hear if we don't tell them? When we hear the word on Sundays, when we receive a word from God, when God speaks a new truth to us during our devotional times, how will people hear of His love, His goodness, His mercy, unless we tell them?
We that know the real meaning of Christmas, how will people know the truth about it, unless we tell them?
God is true to His word friends. Just like He said it would happen through the mouths of the prophets, the birth of Jesus came to be. Just like He said Jesus would die for our sins He did. Just like He said Jesus would comfort us when we are lonely, feed us when we are hungry, clothe us when we are naked, just as He said, so it has been. We have to share with the world around us that there is hope in Jesus. We have to share that He came as a baby but now He is our Lord and Savior and He can be for them too.
"How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? Romans 10:14
Don't celebrate this Christmas without Christ and don't celebrate it without telling someone about the Christ of Christmas.
Blessings,
Vickie
Friday, December 12, 2008
It is with great delight.............
It is with great delight that I announce the two winners of my Cool Christmas Giveaway. My dear husband was gracious enough to pull the names out of a pretty pink bag, after we filled it with strips of paper containing the names of those who entered.
So, thanks to his pulling skills, our two winners are: Teri Tiffany a wonderful blogger and encourager and Debra a new friend in the Lord.
Congrats to both winners and as soon a I have your addresses I will post your prizes for you.
Thank you to everyone who stopped by and entered the contest. Don't forget to leave your congratulations for the winners. You can visit their blogs by clicking on their names.
A blessed Christmas to all of you
Vickie
So, thanks to his pulling skills, our two winners are: Teri Tiffany a wonderful blogger and encourager and Debra a new friend in the Lord.
Congrats to both winners and as soon a I have your addresses I will post your prizes for you.
Thank you to everyone who stopped by and entered the contest. Don't forget to leave your congratulations for the winners. You can visit their blogs by clicking on their names.
A blessed Christmas to all of you
Vickie
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Word Filled Wednesday
But the angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and a delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born." Luke 1:13-15
The stories of the births of John and Jesus are stories that I have read countless times in my years of being a christian. However, since I started to develop a habit of asking God to give me fresh revelations and insights every time I read His word, it is amazing the new truths I see coming out.
The angel spoke words to Zechariah that so continues to reveal the true nature of God. He said, "He (the baby John) will be a joy and delight to you and many will rejoice because of His birth for he will be great in the sight of the Lord." This child was going to be a blessing and and bring great joy and delight to many people. Isn't that so like God? In Proverbs 10:22 the Word says,' the blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrow with it." He was going to be the forerunner for Jesus and yes along with that, he would be a great joy to not only his parents but to many people. What a privilege and an amazing blessing indeed.
Another thing the angel said was, 'he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born.' God has plans for us even before we are born. Before our mothers and fathers even came together He already had an appointed way for us. This could only be the work of a truly awesome God, to fill a child with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. His plans to prosper us and to bring us to an expected end were in place before we even opened our eyes. All the days ordained for us were written in His book before one of them came to be. (Psalm 139:16)
My heart is so overwhelmed when I think of the great big God putting a plan in place that is so beyond my human mind, to prepare this world for His Only Begotten Son. He then humbled Himself and took on the form of a man so He could identify with my pain and my joy, my ups and my downs.
Lord thank you for caring so much that You would take the time to go over every detail in Your plan to reconcile me unto Yourself. Lord, thank You for Jesus.
For more wonderful Word-Filled Wednesday posts please visit Amydeanne.
A reminder of my Cool Christmas giveaway. I'm giving away to two wonderful bloggers, a copy of my book "A Celebration of Praise' and two of my personally designed bookmarks with orginial poetry on them. Visit here to enter.
Blessings,
Vickie
The stories of the births of John and Jesus are stories that I have read countless times in my years of being a christian. However, since I started to develop a habit of asking God to give me fresh revelations and insights every time I read His word, it is amazing the new truths I see coming out.
The angel spoke words to Zechariah that so continues to reveal the true nature of God. He said, "He (the baby John) will be a joy and delight to you and many will rejoice because of His birth for he will be great in the sight of the Lord." This child was going to be a blessing and and bring great joy and delight to many people. Isn't that so like God? In Proverbs 10:22 the Word says,' the blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrow with it." He was going to be the forerunner for Jesus and yes along with that, he would be a great joy to not only his parents but to many people. What a privilege and an amazing blessing indeed.
Another thing the angel said was, 'he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born.' God has plans for us even before we are born. Before our mothers and fathers even came together He already had an appointed way for us. This could only be the work of a truly awesome God, to fill a child with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. His plans to prosper us and to bring us to an expected end were in place before we even opened our eyes. All the days ordained for us were written in His book before one of them came to be. (Psalm 139:16)
My heart is so overwhelmed when I think of the great big God putting a plan in place that is so beyond my human mind, to prepare this world for His Only Begotten Son. He then humbled Himself and took on the form of a man so He could identify with my pain and my joy, my ups and my downs.
Lord thank you for caring so much that You would take the time to go over every detail in Your plan to reconcile me unto Yourself. Lord, thank You for Jesus.
For more wonderful Word-Filled Wednesday posts please visit Amydeanne.
A reminder of my Cool Christmas giveaway. I'm giving away to two wonderful bloggers, a copy of my book "A Celebration of Praise' and two of my personally designed bookmarks with orginial poetry on them. Visit here to enter.
Blessings,
Vickie
Friday, December 5, 2008
Cool Christmas Giveaway
Hi everyone, in the spirit of the season, Lysa TerKeurst is hosting a Christmas contest in which other bloggers are hosting giveaways as well. I have never had a giveaway so since this is the season of giving I thought I would join in and offer something also.
I have nothing 'christmassy' :) to giveaway but I would like to bless two of you who leave a comment on my blog. So I will be giving away a copy of my small collection of poetry book "A Celebration of Praise" and two of my personally designed bookmarks, with my original poetry on them.
Please leave a comment on this post anytime between now and Friday December 12th. It could be just a hi or hello or it could be about your effort to make Christmas more Christlike. That would be great.
I will choose two names on Friday and those two bloggers will get a copy of A Celebration of Praise and two bookmarks, shown below. How cool is that?
Don't forget to stop by Lysa's blog to check out more bloggers' giveaways.
Between now and Friday 12th, I will add a link to any new blog post to give everyone who stops by a chance to win.
Blessings,
Vickie
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Word Filled Wednesday
I proclaim Your saving acts in the great assembly;
I do not seal my lips, Lord, as you know.
I do not hide Your righteousness in my heart;
I speak of Your faithfulness and Your saving help.
I do not conceal Your love and Your faithfulness from the great assembly.
Psalm 40:9 & 10
These words from the Psalmist David are so important. They are words that literally speak of the faithfulness and the love of God.
A few things to note; David never kept his mouth shut about the goodness of God. In the midst of his friends, his family, at work, at church, wherever he was, David spoke about the goodness of God.
He did not just praise God in his heart. He opened his mouth and made known to the world about the healing he received at the hand of God. He opened his mouth and let the world know Who was his provider. He opened his mouth and let the world know Who was his deliverer in time of trouble.
Wasn't David the one who said, "I will bless the Lord at all time, His praise shall continually be in my mouth?" (Psalm 34:1)
To give God continual praise requires deliberation and effort on our part. There are so many things that we could find to complain and grumble about, which is why praise becomes a sacrifice.
To make a decision to speak of God's saving help and His faithfulness means that we don't just think of His goodness in our hearts, even though there is nothing wrong with that, it means that we speak, we testify, we tell all who would listen; how great is Our God.
Faith comes by hearing the word of God. (Romans 10: 8-10) Our faith grows when we hear ourselves speak His word and tell of His goodness.
Today, tell someone who has been disappointed by others over and over again about the faithfulness of God.
Today, tell someone who is afraid about the current economy about Jehovah Jireh the provider.
Today, tell someone who is lonely about the Friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Don't seal your lips. Let Your voice be heard today giving God praise and glory.
Blessings,
Vickie
I do not seal my lips, Lord, as you know.
I do not hide Your righteousness in my heart;
I speak of Your faithfulness and Your saving help.
I do not conceal Your love and Your faithfulness from the great assembly.
Psalm 40:9 & 10
These words from the Psalmist David are so important. They are words that literally speak of the faithfulness and the love of God.
A few things to note; David never kept his mouth shut about the goodness of God. In the midst of his friends, his family, at work, at church, wherever he was, David spoke about the goodness of God.
He did not just praise God in his heart. He opened his mouth and made known to the world about the healing he received at the hand of God. He opened his mouth and let the world know Who was his provider. He opened his mouth and let the world know Who was his deliverer in time of trouble.
Wasn't David the one who said, "I will bless the Lord at all time, His praise shall continually be in my mouth?" (Psalm 34:1)
To give God continual praise requires deliberation and effort on our part. There are so many things that we could find to complain and grumble about, which is why praise becomes a sacrifice.
To make a decision to speak of God's saving help and His faithfulness means that we don't just think of His goodness in our hearts, even though there is nothing wrong with that, it means that we speak, we testify, we tell all who would listen; how great is Our God.
Faith comes by hearing the word of God. (Romans 10: 8-10) Our faith grows when we hear ourselves speak His word and tell of His goodness.
Today, tell someone who has been disappointed by others over and over again about the faithfulness of God.
Today, tell someone who is afraid about the current economy about Jehovah Jireh the provider.
Today, tell someone who is lonely about the Friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Don't seal your lips. Let Your voice be heard today giving God praise and glory.
Blessings,
Vickie
Monday, December 1, 2008
New
December 1st, a new month, taking us to the end of the year and into a new one.
I love new things. Whenever I buy new shoes or new outfits, I wear them almost immediately. If I get a new bag I want to do away with the old one and put all my stuff into the new one.
Everyday with God is a new day. Whether or not it's the end of the year, everyday is a chance to start afresh with God. New mercies are showered on us every day. Even though we may have been blessed yesterday we need a brand new touch for today.
I still don't have use of my laptop yet so I am limited in my time online so each blog post could be the only one for the week. At first I felt really bad about it, but every day now I use the time I would have spent online to catch up on my reading, drinking in new information, and thanking God all along. I have more time to think on God's word and He is pouring fresh and new insights into me each time.
Spending so much time in God's word has given me a new appreciation for each day. I am eager to get into His word because I want to hear all that He has for me. My thoughts are being transformed by His word and I have a new perspective on things.
I don't know what each day would hold, but I know that whatever would come my way, the Holy Spirit is there with a new bout of strength and energy for me to make it through.
Treasure each new day with God. Guard every moment with Him as precious. He never changes but He continually exposes Himself to us in new and amazing ways.
Blessings,
Vickie
I love new things. Whenever I buy new shoes or new outfits, I wear them almost immediately. If I get a new bag I want to do away with the old one and put all my stuff into the new one.
Everyday with God is a new day. Whether or not it's the end of the year, everyday is a chance to start afresh with God. New mercies are showered on us every day. Even though we may have been blessed yesterday we need a brand new touch for today.
I still don't have use of my laptop yet so I am limited in my time online so each blog post could be the only one for the week. At first I felt really bad about it, but every day now I use the time I would have spent online to catch up on my reading, drinking in new information, and thanking God all along. I have more time to think on God's word and He is pouring fresh and new insights into me each time.
Spending so much time in God's word has given me a new appreciation for each day. I am eager to get into His word because I want to hear all that He has for me. My thoughts are being transformed by His word and I have a new perspective on things.
I don't know what each day would hold, but I know that whatever would come my way, the Holy Spirit is there with a new bout of strength and energy for me to make it through.
Treasure each new day with God. Guard every moment with Him as precious. He never changes but He continually exposes Himself to us in new and amazing ways.
Blessings,
Vickie
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