Felicidades Y Prospero Nuevo Ano!

Happiness and a Prosperous New Year!

Ride Prosperously in '09

In thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness. Ps 45:4

Here is a wonderful wish for those in authority whom we love and respect; parents, teachers, supervisors, foremen, pastors, etc. That they may prosper in their work of leadership, not because of position, but because they employ the time-honored traits of truth, meekness and righteousness.

Here are three virtues that leaders in the world often fail to exhibit, yet in Christendom, leadership devoid of these distinctives is sub-standard.

The world has come to expect a certain amount of arrogance, deceit and even debauchery from its leadership, but Christianity can abide none of that. Only when the righteous rule can the people rejoice.

Christianity employs the paradoxical. Jesus taught that those who demote themselves will find a promotion. Service equals greatness, finding a place in the end of the line may result in a promotion to the front. (Do you remember "Chinese cuts"?). Starting out in coach just might land you in first class.

This is the example that Jesus, the King of Kings, set for those who would be in leadership. ...who being in the form of God, He thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but took upon Him the form of a servant and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Truly, One day we shall behold the spectacle of our King riding prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness.

May God allow you to ride prosperously in 2009 because, like Him, you employ truth and meekness and righteousness as markers of your leadership.

Grace Lips or Potty Mouth?

Ps 45:2 ...Grace is poured into thy lips.

This reminds me of Col 4:6 which says, Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

Are you like me in that it is my mouth that gets, and keeps, me in trouble? We know that it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks, but we really ought to put a bridle on our tongues and only speak that which is edifying to others.

If we could provide more props and less barbs, more building up and less tearing down, more blessing and less dissing, we would live more easily with ourselves and for sure, others would like us a lot more.

Today, swallow the venom and spew out the honey and see if it doesn't make your life a whole lot sweeter all the way around.

May grace be poured into your lips!

A Gushing Heart and A Proseful Tongue

My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. Psalm 45:1

The 45th Psalm is a love song written for the trumpet.

Imagine Kenny G.

How poetic is the first verse! "My heart is indicting a good matter..." literally, my heart is gushing! And then, "my tongue is the pen of a ready writer."

Man, those are words that will melt your loved one's heart!

May our hearts gush today about the goodness of our great God. The more we think of all He does for us and all He is to us, the more we realize we can't even begin to know how vast is His love and watchcare to us.

Our tongues need to be the pen of a ready writer. May we be like a typewriter ready for Heaven to stroke our keys. What God wants us to say, that's what we should desire to say. May His wish be our command.

The Health of my Countenance - A Spiritual Facial

Ps 42:11b …hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

There is nothing like meeting a positive person who shines with joy, confidence and hope. You know the kind of person, the moment you meet them you know that they run on a different power source. We call them the “beautiful people,” not because of their position, power of money, not even their physical attractiveness, but because their soul radiates God.

I have knocked on the door of a total stranger and before the first words were exchanged, I knew that God was in their life in a powerful way. “You are a Christian?” I would ask them, and they always shined a little brighter and answered in the affirmative.

Talk about a facial that not even Mary Kay could match! If you want a good look, a shining countenance - do like Moses, spend some face time with God.

The one who has been with God in private will radiate Him in public.

We are to be lesser lights. He is the light of the world, and we reflect His light. When people come in contact with us, they should sense, just by our countenance, that we have been with God.

Spend some time with God today so you can radiate Him to others.

Nearest and Dearest Fellowship by Charles H. Spurgeon

Today we will enjoy a guest blogger from the past, over a century ago, in fact. Charles H. Spurgeon, known as the prince of preachers, weighs in on being with the Lord. Enjoy...

So shall we ever be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:17)

While we are here the Lord is with us, and when we are called away we are with Him. There is no dividing the saint from His Savior. They are one, and they always must be one: Jesus cannot be without His own people, for He would be a Head without a body. Whether caught up into the air, or resting in paradise, or sojourning here, we are with Jesus; and who shall separate us from Him?
What a joy is this! Our supreme honor, rest, comfort, delight, is to be with the Lord. We cannot conceive of anything which can surpass or even equal this divine society. By holy fellowship we must be with Him in His humiliation, rejection, and travail, and then we shall be with Him in His glory. Before long we shall be with Him in His rest and in His royalty, in His expectation and in His manifestation. We shall fare as He fares and triumph as He triumphs.
O my Lord, if I am to be forever with Thee, I have a destiny incomparable. I will not envy an archangel. To be forever with the Lord is my idea of heaven at its best. Not the harps of gold, nor the crowns unfading, nor the light unclouded is glory to me; but Jesus, Jesus Himself, and myself forever with Him in nearest and dearest fellowship.

A Blessed Christmas to You!

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.