MONDAY MORNING

What Child is This?

Written by William Chatterton Dix (1837-1898)

What Child is this who, laid to rest,
On Mary's lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet
While shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing;
Haste, haste, to bring Him laud,
The babe, the son of Mary!

Why lies He in such mean estate
Where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christian, fear, for sinners here
The silent Word is pleading.
Nails, spear shall pierce him through,
The Cross be borne for me, for you;
Hail, hail the Word made flesh,
The babe, the son of Mary!

So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh;
Come peasant, king to own Him.
The King of kings salvation brings;
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.
Raise, raise, the song on high,
The virgin sings her lullaby,
Joy, joy, for Christ is born,
The babe, the son of Mary!

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. – Isaiah 9:6-7a

Bottom Line: May we remember the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, not only in this seasonal time of the year but every day of the year. Amen? Amen.

MONDAY MORNING

"... possess these qualities in increasing measure ..."

"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." -- 2 Peter 1:5-8

Seven qualities or virtues of Christ-likeness that are to be added to our faith.  Look at them again -- goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love.

As believers, as followers of Christ these qualities should be part of our inmost being.  That does not mean we walk in them perfectly.  I will be the first to testify to my failure to do that. But, the presence of these qualities in our life should be increasing in our lives on a daily basis. Why? Because they help us to be effective and productive in our knowledge of Jesus Christ our Lord. To me that means our testimony becomes stronger. And, in our encounters with others in our normal walk of life -- our very presence is a witness of our knowledge of Him because others will see the goodness, the knowledge, the self-control, the perseverance, the godliness, the brotherly kindness and the love that is in us through Him.

Bottom Line: May we increase in all these qualities.  And, may our daily lives reflect these qualities to all we encounter.  Amen? Amen.

  

MONDAY MORNING
"... love that surpasses knowledge ..."

"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge --- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." -- Ephesians 3:17b-19

The love of Christ is wide and long and high and deep. His love surpasses knowledge, it surpasses our understanding. Have you ever asked, "How can you love this person, Lord? Look how they are living. Look at how they are acting. Lord, do you hear what they are saying? How can Your love be wide enough, long enough, high enough and deep enough for them?"

Well guess what?  IT IS! IT IS! And, Jesus sets the example by His command: "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." -- John 13:34-35

How many know it is hard to love someone sometimes? We get hurt, we get pushed aside, we get devalued somehow. And we all go through times where we feel like we are being tested in our love for one another. Remember a couple of post ago about what agape love is -- seeking the highest good of another? We do that not with just words but with our heart and with our actions toward one another.

  

Bottom Line: May we know how wide and long and high and wide the love of Christ is toward us and may we extend that love to one another. And, may we adhere to the words of the Bible from I John 3:18 -- "Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." Amen? Amen.

 

MONDAY MORNING

"The Greatest Gift"

When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. – John 12:44-46

“I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.”  What a wonderful truth for us to receive, take in and meditate on.  Have you ever tried to imagine complete darkness? (Personally, I do not want to go there even in my imagination.  I like the light!  I like it when on December 22 the daylight hours become a longer part of our day.) But, have you ever tried to imagine no stars, no moon, no sun, no street lights, no lights from a neighbor’s house, not even a single match striking to light a single candle?  To me, complete darkness – total absence of light – does not depict a very inviting place to be.

Which is why I love this scripture so much! Jesus, sent by Father, came to show the Way, to light our path, to bring us out of darkness into his wonderful and marvelous light (I Peter 2:9) and to eternal life.

During this season of thanksgiving, where we usually give thanks for a lot of things in our life, let us not forget to give thanks for the most wonderful and greatest gift of all --  Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Let’s give thanks to God our Father for sending (giving – John 3:16) us His One and Only Son --- the Light of the world who has taken us from dreadful darkness into lighted pathways where we can walk hand-in-hand with Him.

Bottom Line:  Jesus Christ, the greatest gift of all is the Light of the world and everyday for those who believe in Him, He faithfully lights up the pathways for us to follow. Amen? Amen.

MONDAY MORNING
"... undivided devotion to the Lord."

"I am saying this for you own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord." -- I Corinthians 7:35

Where does your devotion lie? With the Lord? And, is that devotion full time or part-time? By that I mean are you just devoted to the Lord on Sunday morning or just during your prayer time? Or, do you try to be devoted to Him all the time? Not just when you need Him -- not just when you are in a bad way.

Let me show you how devoted He is to you:

"The LORD  is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD  forever." -- Psalm 23

Bottom Line: May we always know how devoted the Lord is to us and may we always be devoted to Him at all times. Amen? Amen.
 

MONDAY MORNING
"Teach me Lord"

How many of us had a favorite teacher in school? One we knew understood us, had patience for us, did not give up on us? Mine was Miss King, my High School chemistry teacher. It was my second try as I did not do so well under another teacher the year before.  Miss King just seem to set a foundation for understanding that subject that I had not had before. She was patient, made sure we understood before moving on.  I appreciated that and needed that kind of teacher.

Let's look at the following verses:

"Show me Your ways, O LORD, teach me Your paths;" -- Psalm 25:4

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you." -- Psalm 32:8

"Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; may Your good Spirit lead me on level ground." -- Psalm 143:10

"But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." -- John 14:26

Miss King was a great teacher at the right time in my life. However, she has been long gone out of my life. Hear this -- there is a teacher who is always there for you and me. In good times, in bad times, through thick and thin, through our ups and downs, who will never give up on us, who is patient with us, who is understanding, etc. And that is the Lord Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Bottom Line:  With the Lord we are in school every day. So, may we be able to say every day, "Teach me Lord. Show me your ways."  Amen? Amen.

MONDAY MORNING

". . . a single command . . ."

The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." -- Galatians 5:14

The only way to fulfill this scripture is through the love of God. Knowing that God is love and that we love because He first loved us. (Read -- I John 4:16 & 19).

Two points:

(1) This love is, agape -- seeking the highest good of another.

(2) Neighbor literally means "the one near you at any given time."

Did you get that? Your neighbor is not just the one living next door to you. It is the one near you at any given time. At the gas pump, in the check out line buying groceries, in the booth next to where you are eating, in the vehicle that just cut you off in traffic, the waiter or waitress waiting your table,etc.  I am sure you could think of other instances of where you may have a neighbor in your life circumstances.  Wherever you may be, are you treating those near you at any given time as a "neighbor"?  Neighbors give of themselves without expecting anything in return. (Read the Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-31)

Bottom Line: May you be a neighbor wherever you may be and there is someone near you. And, may you love your neighbor as yourself.