THE LORD HAS HELPED YOU AND HE WILL HELP YOU

"Till now the LORD has helped us." 1 Samuel 7:12 ESV

This past week I celebrated 35 years since the Lord's saving grace and love broke through in a 21 year old boy's life in late December 1974. It has caused me to be very reflective about my journey thus far towards Jesus Christ and eternal life.

I think that 1 Samuel 7:12 is my testimony scripture to describe my journey and also the battle cry for the rest of my life. This can also be a great encouragement and anchor for you too, as we end 2009 and enter the new year.

The words “til now” point in the direction of the past. For thirty five years the Lord I can say "till now the Lord has helped me." The Lord is so faithful. He never has left or forsaken me. He has been with me always. Jesus has helped!” He has helped me through trials, temptations, and tribulations, through my many failings and fallings, through surceases and accomplishments, through weaknesses and immaturity, through poverty and prosperity economically and spiritually, through sickness,and health, through perseverance and collapsing, at home and abroad, in fatigue and vitality, in great sorrow and great joy, in pain and in pleasure, in weakness and in strength, in defeat and victory, in foolishness, in wisdom, in ministry failures and triumphs, in great disappointments and in great surprises, in rejection and abandonment by man and in faithful friendships, in loneliness and in comfort, in utter cluelessness and in amazing insight, in praise, in prayer, in service, in love “till now the Lord has helped me” and He has helped you!

Look back at this past year and your life. Do you not see His amazing grace and enduring mercies over you? Do you see His faithfulness even when you were faithless? Do you not see His timely grace that helped you each and every moment? Do you see his accepting love for you in spite of yourself? Do you see all the good gifts that He has lavished you from above? Do you see the grace He poured out to you when all you deserved was wrath? Surely there must be so many mercies and graces that you can talk and sing and shout about that "Till now the Lord has helped me"

John Piper says that endings are for gratitude and beginnings are for faith. Every moment, hour, day, and year ends and a new moment, hour, day, and year begins. Can you look back to your life and give thanks? Can you look back to 2009 and give praise? Can you see the Lord's hand and say "till now the Lord has helped me"?

Today after thirty years of being a Christian I look ahead by faith to the rest of my life. Specifically, I look ahead to 2010. The word "till now" also points us forward. I can speak of what the Lord has done till now but it also reminds me that my life is not over yet. It says of David in Acts 13:36 "For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers." Because we can say "till now" we are not yet at the end, there is still a distance to be traveled. that is going to mean for each of us more trials, more joys; more temptations, more triumphs; more prayers, more answers; more work, more strength; more fights, more victories; and then come will come the day of our death.

Is your life over now? No! there is more yet-awakening in Jesus’ likeness. There is more growing in the grace and knowledge of Him. There are whole new dimensions of the length, height, width, and depth of His love to experience. There is till work to be done for Jesus while on this earth.

As you enter into the New Year be of good courage and great expectant anticipation for your life, give your past sins, your present burdens, and your future worries and fears with grateful confidence that...

He who has helped me till now

Will help me all through my journey in 2010 and beyond!

Looking back with gratitude and looking forward in faith,
Pastor Bill

THE THREE "FEAR NOTS" OF CHRISTMAS

Fear has been a part of the human existence since the fall of man in Genesis 3:8-10. Everyone, regardless of how brave they seem, is afraid of something (Snakes, Spiders, Disease, Financial Setbacks, Old Age, Gray Hair, Rejection, Disappointment, Exposure, Being Forgotten, Even fearing fear!

I, personally, am afraid of becoming useless, of being poor in my old age, and of heights. Not so much afraid of being of there, because the views are incredible. Not afraid of the fall, because free fall is an exhilarating experience. If I had to define my fear, I would have to say that my fear of heights is really a fear of the sudden stop that awaits me at the bottom of my fall.

Even in the Bible, we can see where men were stalked by their fears:
-Abraham lied about Sarah out of fear - Genesis 12:11-13
-Jacob displayed fear of Esau - Genesis 32:6-8
-Moses feared Pharaoh - Exodus 2:14
-Moses feared Rejection - Exodus 4:1
-The Disciples feared the storm - Matthew 8:24-26

Nothing has changed! People are still caught in the grip of their fears, and this is even true during the Christmas Season. A time that should be joyous, happy and totally Christ-centered. We fear not having enough money, of not meeting everyone's expectations, we worry over meals, over who will be there and who will not. We just seem to fear everything.

Three times God sent angelic messengers to the earth with messages connected to the birth of His Son, the Lord Jesus. Each time, they brought big news, news which troubled the hearts of their hearers. However, they also came with a message of peace. Three times angels appeared. Three times they spoke the words, "

I. Luke 1:26-38

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, "Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!" 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." 34 And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?" 35 And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy- the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God." 38 And Mary said, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

II. Matthew 1:18-25

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel" (which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.”

III. Luke 2:8-20

“And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. 10 And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" 15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.”

Three times the angels came and three times there was a reaction based in fear. However, when the fear had been dealt with and the Lord's message was allowed to come through, the message was seen for what it really was, a promise of grace. So it is this Christmas season. There may be those things around you that you fear, but if you can learn the lesson that Mary, Joseph and the shepherds learned, and that is to trust the Lord whatever the cost, then you will find that He can turn fear to peace this season for you.

Is there fear in your heart today? Bring it to Jesus! Is there sadness? Bring it to Jesus! Is there fear over sin and hell? Bring it to Jesus! Is there disappointment and disillusionment over the trials of life? Bring it to Jesus! Are there burdens too heavy to bear? Bring it to Jesus! Is there brokenness and despair? Bring it to Jesus! Is there failure and defeat? Bring it to Jesus! Whatever it is that is causing you to fear, bring it to Jesus!

Merry Christmas!
Pastor Bill

CHRISTMAS AND GOD'S TIMING

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,” Galatians 4:4 ESV

Have you ever played “what if” in your head? One of my favorite sci-fi movies is called The Final Countdown in which a US Navy nuclear carrier is taken back in time to the South Pacific on December 6, 1941. The upshot of the movie is that it presents the hypothetical dilemma of “what if a nuclear powered carrier of the United States Navy with all of its firepower had a chance to stop the Japanese fleet and their attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941?” Should they do it? Do they dare attempt to change the course of history? What would happen if they did?

As you could imagine all sorts of “what if” questions were raised by the film. Well that was fantasy, but in John 15:22 Jesus says, “If I had not come”. Jesus invites us to consider a real possibility. What if Jesus Christ had not come to earth? What if he had not been born in Bethlehem? What if he had not walked the dusty roads of Judea? What if he had not uttered those wonderful words we call the Sermon on the Mount? What if he had not walked on water? What if he had not made the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk? What if he had never raised the dead? What if we did not have his words to comfort us, to challenge us, to teach us, and to lead us to God? What if he never died on the cross? What if he never rose from the dead? What if he never sent his disciples out into the world? Where would we be? And what kind of world would this be? How would things be different if he had not come?

I have good news. Though Jesus said, "If I had not come", there is no “what if” speculation in God. Because the fact is that Jesus did come! The angel said “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord…The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (Luke 2:10-11; John 1:14) And history itself has been changed forever. That’s what matters. For a little over 30 years the Son of God walked on this earth and nothing has been the same since. All history is framed around this Person who came in the fullness of time and whose coming gives definition to all of time.

Christmas is about God’s wonderful timing in our lives. Christmas reminds us of the fact that Jesus came to this Earth at just the right time. All the events of His arrival were perfectly planned. Jesus came no sooner nor no later than it was planned. Christmas means that God is never late. He never misses a deadline. He sent His Son into the world right on time. God’s timetable is always perfect.

The Apostle Paul in Galatians 4;4 invites us to consider God’s timing of the coming of His Son. There are two kinds of time the Bible speaks of: there is chronos time and there is kairos time, there is clock time and there is God's time. Cynics might even say there is our time and there is God's time, as in, "God give me patience, and give it to me right now"! The Bible speaks clearly about how God operates in time; both in chronos and kairos, and nowhere does it speak more clearly than in the stories of Jesus' birth.

The word "time" occurs 658 times in the Bible, 179 of those in the New Testament, 73 of those in the Gospels, and the overwhelming majority of those occurrences are in Matthew and Luke, the two who tell the stories of Jesus' birth. Sometimes the Gospels speak in chronos, in clock time, in our time, saying things like, "...in the time of King Herod..." and "...at the time of the incense offering..." and "...time to circumcise the child." Sometimes the Gospels speak in kairos, in God's time, as in "...the time came for her to deliver a child..." and "...the time is fulfilled" and "the kingdom of God has come near."

Other New Testament writers pick up the Gospel time theme: the writer of the Letter to the Ephesians says, "making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth (tou pleromatos ton kairon: literally the fullness of the times)." (Ephesians 1:9-10).

Of all the kairos moments, of all the moments that God had worked and acted in history, this was the ultimate moment. Now in Galatians 4;4, "... but when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son..." Now here the Greek is to pleroma tou chronou, literally the fullness of the time. That phrase is also a very picturesque Greek expression. It speaks of something that is complete and fully developed, like a ripe apple ready to be picked. Or like a pregnant woman feeling labor pains, ready to deliver her baby. A fullness that is absolute and has reached its bursting point. When we fill a glass of water to drink, we do not fill it to the rim. A small empty space is left so that we don’t spill its contents when we lift the glass to drink. . (Unless you are a klutz like me!) The fullness of pleroma is more like what happens when we put the water under a spigot and turn on and let it run. The glass fills up and then begins to spill over on the side. In this case there is no more room left in the glass for any more water.

The “fullness of time means that history was ripe for the birth of Christ. All of the chronos of the past and all of the kairoi that had gone before converged in this moment. Jesus was born at the precise second and in the precise place that God had ordained from the foundation of the world. Luke records it with these words, “While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth and she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger...” (Luke 2:6-7) But it was not only the days of Mary’s pregnancy, the normal period of gestation that was completed. It was the years, the centuries, and the millennia that had been completed. It was in "the fullness of the time.

Why was Jesus born when He was born? He was born when he was born because it was time. God does not do things early. God does not do things late. God does things in a perfect, timely fashion, just when those things are called for. And nothing in human history has been more important, or was accomplished in such a timely fashion, as the birth of the Son of God. He is the center of history. History is really His Story, planned and told by God. Secular history gives us dates and times and places and people, but only God can give meaning to history and to your history.

God has come into the world through Jesus. He’s working right now to prepare for His second coming. Some of us need to hear this because we wonder (and secretly fear) that God has forgotten us. Perhaps you come to the end of this year with a sense of unfulfillment and perhaps a sense of dread about what 2010 will bring. Fear not, child of God. God's timing is perfect. When the time had fully come, God sent his Son. And when the time is fully come, he will keep all his promises to you. Just as God’s timing was perfect in the coming of Jesus, His timing is perfect in your life. Look at the wisdom of God in sending Jesus just at the right time. If God would do that for the world, He would certainly do that for you. He will work in your life at just the right time. Trust Him in your situation. Rest in His timing. Know that He does all things well. Just as the people of Jesus’ day did not understand God’s timing then, you may not understand it now, nonetheless, it’s perfect. Maybe today is the perfect time in your life for God to move in a special way. Almost 2,000 years ago, there came a night when “the fullness of the time” had come. Today may be the time God directs your path, answers a dilemma, comforts you, strengthens you, or encourages you.

Merry Christmas,
Pastor Bill

YOU ARE NOT YOUR OWN!

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) ESV

Who owns you? Who do you belong to? Who rules you life? Your decisions? Your plans? Your goals? Your passions and desires? Your priorities? For those that are not Christians, the mantra of their life is “I am the Captain of my ship, the master of my soul.” But what about those who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ? Do you desire to only do God’s will in your life? Do you want a life blessed by God or do want an agenda of yours blessed by God.? Are you willing to humbly submit yourself to the will of God in all things? Do you believe that God’s will is “good, acceptable, and perfect” (Romans 12:2)? I ask these questions because they are the very questions that I am asking of myself.

One of the hardest two words to say are: “I surrender.” Even more so, surrendering is not an easy thing to do. It sure is not for me. By nature I am a high achiever, self disciplined, success driven striver. Call me to sacrifice for Jesus, no problem. Call on me to serve the Lord, piece of cake. Ask me to risk for Jesus, I’m ready, able, and willing. But ask me to surrender? No thanks. I don’t do surrender well. It has taken me thirty five years of being a Christian to learn that the real test of faith is not how successful we are, but how surrendered we are.

When Jesus taught us to pray fundamental on the front end of prayer was an attitude of surrender. “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”(Matthew 6:10) The most Christian prayer we can ever pray is the prayer Jesus prayed in Gethsemane, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done" (Luke 22:42).

The apostle Paul has taught me the key to surrender. One of the great truths that the apostle Paul teaches about being a Christian is that a Christians belongs to Christ. Paul s says in 1Corinthians 6:9, "But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him." So the reverse is true too: If you do have the Spirit of Christ, you do belong to him. So as Christians we should think of ourselves as belonging to Christ, as Christ´s possession; wonderfully owned by Him for stupendous purposes!

In what sense are we Christ´s possession? Paul connects the ideas of indwelling and possession in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 in a way that explains: "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?" In what sense? He explains in verse 20: "For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body." Paul describes two ways that Christ makes us his own: purchase and habitation.

John Piper illustrates this:

There was a time in this country when you could lay claim to a piece of land in the west by simply going there and living on it, homesteading it. And of course there is the more traditional ways of obtaining land, paying for it. Christ did both in order to possess a people for himself: he bought us, and he homesteaded us. "You are not your own. For you have been bought with a price" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) - that´s the purchase. "You are the temple of the Holy Spirit . . . You are not your own" . . . "If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ" (1 Corinthians 6:19; Romans 8:9) - that´s the homesteading. He bought us with his blood, and he moves in by his Spirit. If you are a Christian, you are not your own. You belong to Christ. Your body is His home, His dwelling place working out His will and purposes.

So what that means very simply is that surrender means that we are to use our body which has been purchased and is now owned by God in ways that will show that God is more satisfying, more precious, more to be desired, more glorious than anything the body craves.

Paul puts it another way in Romans 12:1-2, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Another time Paul prayed, his own testimony of desire: “It is my eager expectation and hope that . . . Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death” (Philippians 1:20). Oh to be dedicated and surrendered to a vibrant, fruitful, consecrated life on earth for God and His glory.

One of the most surrendered and consecrated Christians was Jonathan Edwards. He describes his consecration and surrender to God in a prayer dated Saturday January 12, 1723:

In the morning I have been before God; and have given myself, all that I am and have to God, so that I am not in any respect my own: I can challenge no right in myself, I can challenge no right in this understanding, this will, these affections that are in me; neither have I any right to this body, or any of its members: no right to this tongue, these hands, nor feet: no right to these senses, these eyes, these ears, this smell or taste. I have given myself clear away, and have not retained anything as my own. I have been to God this morning, and told him that I gave myself wholly to him. I have given every power to him; so that for the future I will challenge no right in myself, in any respect. I have expressly promised him, and do now promise Almighty God, that by his grace I will not. I have this morning told him, that I did take him for my whole portion and felicity, looking on nothing else as any part of my happiness, nor acting as if it were; and his law for the constant rule of my obedience: and would fight with all my might against the world, the flesh, and the devil, to the end of my life. And did believe in Jesus Christ, and receive him as a prince and a savior; and would adhere to the faith and obedience of the gospel, how hazardous and difficult whatsoever the profession and practice of it may be. That I did receive the blessed Spirit as my teacher, sanctifier, and only comforter; and cherish all his motions to enlighten, purify, confirm, comfort, and assist me. This I have done. And I pray God, for the sake of Christ, to look upon it as a self-dedication; and to receive me now as entirely his own, and deal with me in all respects as such; whether he afflicts me or prospers me, or whatever he pleases to do with me, who am his. Now, henceforth I am not to act in any respect as my own.—I shall act as my own, if I ever make use of any of my powers to any thing that is not to the glory of God, and do not make the glorifying him my whole and entire business; if I murmur in the least at afflictions; if I grieve at the prosperity of others; if I am any way uncharitable; if I am angry because of injuries; if I revenge; if I do anything, purely to please myself, or if I avoid any thing for the sake of my ease, if I omit anything because it is great self-denial; if I trust to myself; if I take any of the praise of any good that I do, or rather God does by me; or if I am any way proud.


Edwards clearly realized that his life was not his own, but that he belonged entirely to God and , therefore, must live in surrender to Him. Oh for humble submission and dedication to God like Edwards, for the glory and honor of Jesus Christ. If we are going to impact the world for Jesus Christ, we must live with extraordinary purpose and firm dedication. God is looking for individuals who will say, “God I am completely Yours!”

Have you come to realize that dear reader? Would you surrender and declare to God and to yourself: “God, I want to be on your side. Who God is, that’s who I want to live on and for. Wherever God is, I want to be. If God is in riches or poverty, sickness and health, at home or far away, I want to be there! Whatever God is doing, that’s what I want to be doing. Nothing else matters. I say “uncle”. “I give up, I give in.” “I surrender.”

May you present your body to Him as a living sacrifice and my you preach to yourself like I do, “Bill, you are not your own, you have been bought with a price, So glorify God in your body.

Pastor Bill

JESUS IS PRECIOUS!

"As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture:"Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame." So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone," and "A stone of stumbling,and a rock of offense." They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." 1 Peter 2:4-9 ESV

Who or what is precious to you? To call something precious according to Webster’s Dictionary is to say that it is of great value or highly esteemed and cherished. There are many things that are very precious to me: My wife; my four children; my two grandchildren; San Clemente, my hometown; my church that I pastor, the Lighthouse; my favorite surfing break, upper Trestles; The National Parks, especially Yosemite; the Hawaiian Islands, especially Kauai; and the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range.

Is Jesus precious to you? He was to the apostle Peter. Last week we saw the Apostle Peter share two things about the preciousness of Jesus. The first was His intrinsic worth: “Jesus is precious” (1 Peter 2:4, 6). The second was His worth to those who believe: "To you who believe Jesus Christ is precious" (1 Peter 2:7). Now this week we will discuss the third aspect of His preciousness which is the gladness of those to proclaim His worth.


TELLING OTHERS ABOUT THE PRECIOUSNESS OF JESUS

In verse 9 we read, "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light". Your power to give a compassionate witness about Jesus to unbelievers will grow in direct proportion to how precious Jesus is to you. Another good translation would be, "that we might declare his excellencies." The text explicitly says that God chose us and made us his new people for the purpose of telling people about his excellencies, about how precious Jesus is to us.

Jesus says in Matthew 5:14-16, "You are the light of the world…let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." Jesus shows us that our purpose on this earth is to make known God's identity, to show and tell the world how precious Jesus is! Peter describes it as “declaring His excellencies”.

Is Christ excellent to you? Do you know and understand and see His excellencies? Our power to make that declaration will increase in direct proportion to how precious Jesus really is to us. Evangelism, missions, worship, ministry, and living for His glory will increase in direct proportion that Jesus is to us. As John Piper says, “God is most glorified when we are most satisfied with Him.” You cannot bear a credible witness to the value of anything if you do not sense or feel its value. Therefore the most important question we can ask ourselves if is: How much is Jesus worth? Jonathan Edwards so profoundly wrote:

“The excellency of Christ is such, that the discovery of it is exceedingly contenting and satisfying to the soul. The carnal soul imagines that earthly things are excellent-one thinks riches most excellent, another has the highest esteem of honor, and to another carnal pleasure appears the most excellent. But the soul cannot find contentment in any of these things, because it soon finds an end to their excellency. Worldly men imagine that there is true excellency and true happiness in those things which they are pursuing. They think that if they could but obtain them, they would be happy. But when they obtain them, and cannot find happiness, they look for happiness in something else, and are still upon the pursuit. But Christ Jesus has true excellency, and so great excellency, that when they come to see him they look no further, but the mind rests there. It sees a transcendent glory and an ineffable sweetness in Jesus! It sees that until now it has been pursuing shadows, but that now it has found the substance. It sees that before it had been seeking happiness in the stream, but that now it has found the ocean!”

If you ponder how much Jesus is worth to you and why, you will have your own personal authentic testimony. That's what the world needs to hear: Why is Jesus so precious?

Does Christ have that most wonderful place in your life where you see him as altogether lovely, your Beloved and your Friend? If not, listen to what the Puritan John Flavel said, “Away with those empty nothings, away with this vain deceitful world, which deserves not the thousandth part of the love you give it. Let all stand aside and give way to Christ. Oh if only you knew his worth and excellency, what he is in himself, what he has done for you, and deserved from you; you would need no arguments to persuade you to love him!”

Jesus is precious. He is the Father’s delight. He is so precious that many have suffered the loss of all things for His sake. He has called us to live our lives on this earth in a way that shows He is precious and that proclaims to the world how precious He is. This Christmas season is a great time to tell someone of the preciousness of Jesus to you.

Pastor Bill