Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works which You have done; and Your thoughts toward us cannot be recounted to You in order; if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered. Psalm 40:5 REFERENCE Psalm 40:1-5 David captured in an inadequate way, the essence of God’s goodness towards us when He said, “Many.” He must have been overwhelmed by God’s dealings with him while attempting to number them, and came to the conclusion that His mighty works were innumerable, several and diverse – great in quality and in quantity. Still reflecting upon God’s goodness, David in Psalm 116:12 asked rhetorically, “What shall I...

To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. Isaiah 61:3   REFERENCE Isaiah 61:1-7 As we end the year, regardless of the good or bad experiences the year brought, the prophet Isaiah speaks with a prophetic certainty that better days are ahead for God’s people. Isaiah, whose name means THE SALVATION OF JEHOVAH, through his prophecies, primarily spoke comfort to a disheartened Jewish nation who had gone through an invasion...

Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls—Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. Habakkuk 3:17-18  REFERENCE Habakkuk 3:17-19 Life is not just about the destination, it is a journey and the story of any travel is in the experience of the journey. So, while you may not yet have arrived at the destination you want in life, you may...

Oh, how can I give you up, Israel? How can I let you go? How can I destroy you like Admah or demolish you like Zeboiim? My heart is torn within me, and my compassion overflows. No, I will not unleash my fierce anger. I will not completely destroy Israel, for I am God and not a mere mortal… Hosea 11:8-9 REFERENCE Hosea 11:1-11 (NLT) Here, covenant is calling to God. He had entered a perpetual covenant of love with Israel’s fathers, and He is a covenant keeping God. Therefore, it was hard for Him to let out the full weight of His wrath on Ephraim (Israel) and...

"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, goodwill toward men!” ~ Luke 2:23-24 REFERENCE Luke 2:8-16 The wonder of the person of Christ is here revealed on the date of His birth – heaven and earth ‘kissed,’ and angels and shepherds rejoiced together. Why? Because the child born on that night was both divine and human; He was Deity wrapped in human frailty. Think about it: Shepherds in the orient at the time of Christ’s birth had a tough, dangerous and not a very dignified job....

“For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity…” ~ Ephesians 2:14-15a REFERENCE Ephesians 2:11-18 In the 1800s in France, a clergyman asked a poet member of his parish, Placide Cappeau, to help him pen a poem for the coming Christmas mass. Placide felt honored to share his talent with the church. While traveling in a coach, from the gospel of Luke, he imagined himself being there the night Christ was born, and that became the inspiration for the song in French, “Cantique de...

“And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” ~ Matthew 2:11 REFERENCE Matthew 2:1-12 You would most likely remember a Christmas service where three boys (perhaps, yourself), wearing cardboard crowns and bearing gifts, acted as the magi from the east, following the star, as this hymn was sung. Quite a dramatic and arresting event surrounding the birth of the Christ. John Henry Hopkins Jr. (1820-1891), a Theologian and the music instructor at...

“Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary…you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest...” – Luke 1:30-32 REFERENCE Luke 1:26-38 Although not a traditional hymn, “Mary Did You know” has become a beloved song at most Christmas services. It was written by Mark Lowry, a musician and songwriter, himself the son of a singer, songwriter and pianist mother. The inspiration for the song came when he was asked to write a program for a...

“O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie! Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by. Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting Light; The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.” ~ Philips Brooks “O Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are but a small Judean village, yet you will be the birthplace of my King who is alive from everlasting ages past!” Micah 5:2 (TLB) REFERENCE Micah 5:2 (TLB) As we approach this special season of Christmas to pause and celebrate the greatest Gift ever given to mankind, Jesus...