“Emmanuel…God with us!” These immortal words found in Matthew 1:23 are often uttered at Christmas time – by some in hushed tones of worshipful reverence, while others proclaim this truth with bold gratitude. Nonetheless, the truth of God with us isn’t to be relegated to Christmas time alone; it is truth for us to cling to and be encouraged with and to be transformed by each and every day of the year throughout our life. As we consciously draw near to Jesus – denying ourselves and obediently taking up our cross daily – we grow in Him and learn to experientially trust Him more; such growth manifests itself in everyday practical living.
Take this week’s Decency Minutes (DM) – narrated by Bill Johnson – for example:
DM #1: How does only one team out of the entire MLB say, “No, we will not endorse or normalize depravity”? Answer: Only by the grace of God and His moving upon the leaders and supporters of that team. But how does one lone player defy his team’s leadership and stand righteously while the remainder of his entire team bows to the god of PRIDE? Answer: By knowing, living, believing that God IS with him and in him; by victoriously overcoming because he is looking unto Jesus and leaning on Him! One stands in Jesus’ righteousness, that’s how. God with us, what strength is ours by His grace.
DM #2: When one is certain that God has called them into a particular occupation or to run for a political position only to find that they are refused, persecuted, and rejected, how do they go on? They remember that God is with them ALWAYS; they trust that His ways are higher than theirs, so they press on. They know that it is Christ in them that is rejected, not them. They refuse to sweat the persecution of men because Jesus is by their side. They walk obediently as Moses did, realizing that sometimes God calls us to a task that will not run its course to our expected end. Regardless, Jesus loves us and nothing separates us from Him or His love. God with us through every trial, what a comfort and encouragement.
DM #3: When we are made to move or are displaced, how can we move on with a positive attitude and with gratitude? By remember that God is with us and keeps us. What a blessing that the sovereign Christ knows where we will fulfill His will best, if we will only accept it and live in His refreshing and strength. Whether we are “transplanted” due to failed business, persecution, or any number of reasons, Jesus remains with us every step of the way and we can bloom where we are planted by His grace, foreknowledge, and sovereignty. God with us, what a blessing to behold.
Let me close with some great words of encouragement written long ago by A.B. Simpson:
“Oh, that you might get such a view of Him as would make it impossible for little things ever to fret you again! The petty cares and silly trifles that have troubled you so much ought rather to fill you with wonder that you can think so much about them. Oh, if you had the dew of His youth you should go forth as the morning and fulfil the promise of a glorious day! What a difference it has made in life since we have seen it was possible to do this! How easy it seems now when the little troubles come, to draw a little closer to Christ, to drink in a little more of that fountain of life, to get a little nearer to that loving heart, and to draw in great draughts of refreshing and strength from it. How clear it makes the brain for work! Coming to Him thus, heavy and dull and tired, how rested you become and able to spring forth ready for work. How inspiring to think that our living Head never grows weary. He is as fresh as He ever was; He is a glorious conqueror; He is ever the victorious Christ. Let Him take you to-day, and He will cause you to see in Him the invincible Leader!”
MLB fouls out while one team hits a homerun
The MLB is stuck in 2024.
They’ve clearly missed the memo that Americans aren’t interested in top-down, corporation inflicted, DEI celebrations any more.
While baseball has enjoyed a popularity boom, thanks no doubt in part to a revitalization of patriotism and Americana, professional baseball is stuck in the past, with every team but one continuing their recent policies of hosting a Pride Night event during the month of June, decking their players in rainbow themed gear and planning elaborate celebrations to promote the acceptance of depravity.
The Texas Rangers are the only exception. Instead, they have an evening celebrating faith and family in June, where players can share their testimonies before the game.
And, on the Dodgers, relief pitcher Blake Treinen -an outspoken Christian – opted not to wear the team’s Pride gear on the field.
These examples shine bright in the darkness of Major League Baseball’s debased celebrations.
The recent election fraud in California made headlines, yet here in Michigan we’ve just had our own case of election malfeasance.
Republican Gubernatorial candidate Ralph Rebandt, the strongest conservative in the field, was eliminated from the primary – not by voters, but by unelected bureaucrats with ties to our corrupt Secretary of State, Jocelyn Benson – who is also running for governor and overseeing her own election.
Benson’s Bureau of Elections claimed, based on a sampling of only 750 signatures out of 18,000, that Rebandt didn’t have enough “valid” signatures to get on the ballot.
The Election Bureau is using their own rule, not based on Michigan law. In fact, Governor Whitmer actually vetoed this rule when efforts were made to codify it into law.
It’s easy to get discouraged when we see evildoers prosper, but as Christians we must continue to strive and pray for justice.
Note: Read Psalm 73 to both see what happens when we set our sights on the temporal and the change that takes place within us when we get a glimpse of those temporal things from an eternal point of view. That eternal viewpoint focuses on the end of the wicked – which is destruction – regardless their current prospering. Rather than giving up, David was renewed in his efforts of personal holy living and strengthened in his battle for righteousness around him. Might we do likewise, carrying out our responsibility while pressing forward in God’s strength and grace.
Many have planted their gardens, waiting for the seeds to sprout, grow, and produce fruit.
In the first two verses of First Peter, we read that God has scattered chosen believers like seed into specific places, that they might obediently grow to fulfill His purpose. If we believe God is sovereign, that He’s good, and loves us, we can better accept the circumstances and places we find ourselves in. It’s an encouragement to live holy and faithful, blooming where we are planted by His divine hand.
Samuel Rutherford says it well. “The great Master Gardener, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, in a wonderful providence with His own hand planted me here where by His grace in this part of His vineyard I grow; and here I will abide till the great Master of the vineyard thinks it fit to transplant me.”
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