This Week With Jesus

Christmas is not about stress but about joy. But are we really joyful or are stressed with the shopping, Christmas eve dinner planning, gifting decisions etc. Christmas is not only supposed to be all about spending time with family and friends, eating good food, and sharing gifts, there are many things one can do to create joy in us as well as around us.

Who knows the mind of God. By Francis Taylor. As published in   KJV Daily Devotional If we had any understanding of the mind of God, we wouldn't be so surprised when things happen that we can't comprehend.  I have a feeling that the question we ask God the most is, "Why?" Why this disaster, why do people kill, why did the tornado take my house and none of the others on the street? Why me? Why didn't you stop/prevent that from happening? Even when we know that it was not God who caused whatever it is we're questioning, we question!  If you're anything like me, you have a list of things you want answers to when you meet God face to face.  I have sometimes heard it said that life is like a tapestry. We only see the bottom of the tapestry, the side with all the crisscrosses of threads and the hanging pieces. God sees the top side, the finished product. We don't know why things happen the way they do, and we never will. What is most important is that we tru

Long ago in the late 1800s a man named Eric Van Dyke wrote a short story about a "fourth" wise man (accepting the tradition that the Magi numbered three), a priest of the Magi named Artaban, one of the Medes from Persia. Like the other Magi, he sees signs in the heavens proclaiming that a King has been born among the Jews. Like them, he sets out to see the newborn ruler, carrying treasures to give as gifts to the child - a sapphire, a ruby, and a "pearl of great price". However, he stops along the way to help a dying man, which makes him late to meet with the caravan of the other three wise men. Because he missed the caravan, and he can't cross the desert with only a horse, he is forced to sell one of his treasures in order to buy the camels and supplies necessary for the trip. He then commences his journey but arrives in Bethlehem too late to see the child, whose parents have fled to Egypt. He saves the life of another child at the price of another one of his t

Yesterday we lit the 2nd candle of advent, the candle of peace, reminding us that with the birth of Jesus Christ, God gave us the road to peace. One of the central themes of the Sermon on the Mount is Christ's expectation that His followers be characterized by peace—not violence or war. In the famous opening to this great sermon known as the Beatitudes, Jesus taught, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9). One can't think of a better practical demonstration of peace than of a time in the darkest moments of modern history: I am talking of World War I. World War I, also known as the Great War, began in 1914 after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. His murder catapulted into a war across Europe that lasted until 1918. During the conflict, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire (the Central Powers) fought against Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Romania, Canada, Japan and the United States (th

"Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others". Mark 12:43 We have just about finished Thanksgiving with the Turkey et all. And have entered into Dec to prepare for the 24th Dinner/supper.  While we get into the festive spirit, what about all those people who don't know where their next meal is coming from?  As followers of The Christ, it is our bounden duty to help those who need our strength. Why? Because every man and woman is a creation and extension of God. So do we respond when someone reaches out or do we ignore the cry for help.  Some days ago, I wondered as to what our reaction is going to be when a poor hungry man comes to our door asking for food.  In our refrigerator there is a fresh chicken roast, vegetables as well as some left-over food from three days ago. Will we offer that person the chicken roast or will we dump the 3 days old left overs on him? Let's answer this qu

John 6 verses 1-15: The feeding of the multitude We are all familiar with the story of the 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish, which fed 5000 hungry people. It's a wonderful story and a fantastic miracle.  Yet, have we ever wondered about the boy who gave his up lunch of the loaves and the fish? What must he be thinking when he did? He obviously realized his resources were not enough to feed 5000 so, what made him do it?  On the other hand, Jesus knew exactly what He was doing and how He would feed these people, though the disciples expressed doubts. But Jesus was only testing them as we learn in ver 6. But what about the boy? A. He was ready to share what God had provided B. He had confidence in Jesus C. Deep in his heart he probably knew Jesus would do something to multiply the food. And He did. So many times, in our lives we come across someone who needs our help but what we can do is too little. So, we stop short and give up, thinking, what I have is too small to help this person.