Do you have room for Jesus?

"And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn".

We hear this all the time, that the one who came to save the world didn't even have a place to lay his head. We had no place for Jesus. Well, now, do we have a place for Jesus? Jesus wants our lives, but do we have a place in our life and our hearts for our Savior who came to die for us.

Do you want there to be room for Jesus? Then make room for him!!!! It's easier said than done. I have come to realize that I, as a person, that I have so much room for other things in my life and heart, that I just give a sliver of it all to Jesus. JESUS WANTS IT ALL. To me, it shows me I need to prioritize my life, and give up the things that take all of my heart and life. I wonder as well, DO YOU HAVE ROOM FOR JESUS?

The Christmas Story: Herod's plight to kill Jesus

"Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:

'A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more'" (Matthew 2:16-18)

In my quiet time this morning, my mind was focused on Herod. Who was Herod, and why did he want Jesus dead? So, a bit of studying brought me to this:

There are many Herod's in the Bible. The one who attempted to kill Jesus was Herod the Great

Herod the Great was appointed governor of Galilee by the Romans. This is because the Herods were "nice" to the Roman Empire. The Romans liked Herod because of fighting skills to take care of opposition, and also because he kept order among the Jews. He was later appointed King of Judea. Because Herod was Idumean and not of Jewish descent, the Jews were skeptical of him. They also probably had ill feelings because, as a friend of Rome, he supported Hellenism, a political system the Jews absolutely hated!

When Herod became ill, there was a increase of struggles regarding the succession of rule. There were a few who had a claim to the throne, but Herod's younger son tricked him into him being the initial choice for king. Later, however, he changed his mind and made another son, Archelaus king.

When Jesus was born, and the Wisemen came to inquire about the Lord, Herod became jealous.

"Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, 'Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.' When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all of Jerusalem with him;" (Matthew 2:1-3)

"Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, 'Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him" (Matthew 2:13)

Herod was troubled because of jealousy. Right here, Herod is jealous because the Wisemen said there was a child born, KING OF THE JEWS. Herod wanted the throne for himself and HIS sons, not some other person. So, he tried to wipe him out. He had every male child two years old and under killed in Bethlehem. What an awful thing!!!!!!!! To kill so many children, because of jealousy.

What really caught me this morning was the fact that Jesus came for people like Herod. He came for people like us: Unrepentant sinners who disobey God because we want to be our own gods. We are Herod. We killed him.....He died for our sins.....Our plight to kill Jesus sent him to the cross...but he didn't stay there...He died, but he didn't stay dead!!! Herod's plight to kill Jesus, as well as our own, were against someone who knew he would have to die for our sin. What an amazing thought!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Christmas Story: Dreams

When I was reading the Christmas story this morning, a theme popped out to me: Dreams. There seems to be a lot of dreams in this story.

"And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 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." (Matthew 1:19-20)

"Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way."(Matthew 2:11-12)

"Now when they had departed, behold an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, 'Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain their until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him." (Matthew 2:13-13)

"But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, 'Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead." (Matthew 2:19-20)

"But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled: 'He shall be called a Nazarene.'"(Matthew 2:22-23).

Why were there so many dreams in this story? Well, lets look at why they were given:

Given to Joseph so he would not divorce Mary-Matthew 1:19-20

Given to the Shepherds so they would not tell Herod where Jesus was-Matthew 2:11-12

Given to Joseph to flee to Egypt to save Jesus' life from Herod-Matthew 2:13-13

Given to Joseph to leave Egypt to go to Israel after Herod died-Matthew 2:19-20

Given to Joseph to not go to Israel, but dwell in Nazareth to fulfill prophecies-Matthew 2:22-23

Have you ever had a dream from God? Have you ever had a vision? Satan knows that these dreams and visions are dangerous to him, because we are focused on them. When one has a dream or a vision, we need to obey them, just like Joseph and the wise men did in the Christmas story. It's easy to say we have a dream, but takes incredible faith and trust to actually live them out.

Are you living your dream and vision from God?????

Treasured in Mary's Heart

"And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart." (Luke 2:19)

"And his mother said to him, 'Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.' And he said to them, 'Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?' And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart" (Luke 2:48-51)

When Jesus was foretold to Mary, she was told that she would conceive a son, and be named Jesus, which means "God saves". At this point, I am not sure whether or not Mary understood what her son was going to do. Did she understand that he was to die for her and everyone else's sin? At this time, I'm not sure. There is evidence that points that she did not understand the magnitude of his mission here on earth.

During the time of Jesus' life, the Roman Empire was in control. The Roman Empire spread the idea of Hellenism (which was actually started with the Greeks). The Jews hated Hellenism, because it spread ideas about other gods and goddesses instead of the One True God.

Let me correct that, there were some Jews who liked Hellenism, for it was Hellenism that allowed new building projects to take place in Israel. This was because the Roman army had already conquered everyone, so they sent them to build up the cities....In the Jewish society, there were many different political systems, which I will talk about another time. But these different systems fought each other for "selling out" their God.

The Jews believed that when the Messiah came, he would come as a "Conquering King". The different political systems believed that if the Messiah would just come and make their political system the way of life, and kick out the Romans, that everything would be good. However, this is not what Jesus came to earth for. I wonder if this is not the reason why all the different political groups hated Jesus....they thought they knew better than God.

We know however, that Jesus did not come to earth for an "external" problem. Jesus came for an "internal" problem....a problem of the heart....a problem of sin. I do not believe that Mary understood fully that Jesus would die on a cross. She may have been one who believed that the problem was an external one....But as Jesus was born and grew up, she treasured the instances and thought about them. She thought about how they matched up with what God had told her through the angel. She "weighed" what was going on, and treasured them in her heart.

What are some of the things that Mary treasured in her heart?

-What the shepherds told her and Joseph about Jesus

"And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, 'Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign unto you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and 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 among those with whom he is pleased!'" (Luke 2: 9-14).

-What Jesus told her when they found him at the temple

"After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, 'Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.' And he said to them, 'Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" (Luke 2:46-49)

-When Jesus said, "Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?", this was a proclamation of being the Son of God.

I take a swift turn to ask, Why do you treasure in your heart? Do you store up and ponder about Jesus? Do we treasure the gift of salvation that Jesus gave us freely? Or do we, instead of storing up treasures in the heart, store up physical treasures that mean nothing? As this Christmas season nears, I want to store up treasures from my study on the Christmas story. I want to store up treasures of the intimate moments with God...I want to store up treasures that will never leave...

The Christmas Story (Part 1)

This morning before Sunday School, I had a chance to sit down and have some quiet time with my Lord before my kids came in. As a Nursery Sunday School Teacher, it is important to have all materials ready for class, so that those who come will be effectively taught about Jesus....I had all of my materials together, so I turned on a Christian radio station and spent some time in the book of Matthew.

As Christmas nears, its easy to forget what this season is all about. I remember seeing Christmas stuff out before Halloween, and this shows just how commercialized Christmas has become. But as I read this morning, I look back to the day when Jesus came, humbly, in a manger no less. I also remembered a song I hear around Christmas time, called "Mary Did You Know". But what came next was a thought I had not thought of before....How did Joseph feel about this?

"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. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 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. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins'"(Matthew 1:18-21)

"In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, 'Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!' But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end"(Luke 1:26-33)

Before Mary conceived, she was told what was going to happen by Gabriel. However, it was not until after Mary conceived that Joseph was visited and was told what was really happening.

So here was Joseph, betrothed to Mary, and she miraculously gets pregnant. And then she says that she's still a Virgin!!!!!! Would you believe her? Would you take her word for it? It says that Joseph was going to divorce her, but quietly. That Joseph loved Mary is evident in that he did not want to put her to shame. What would happen if he did???? She would probably be stoned to death for adultery. But Joseph loved her, and decided not to shame her. However, he could not just marry her now! She was pregnant!! What would others think?!!!

I stop here for a minute because this question comes to mind quite a bit. What will others think if I do this? What will that person think of me if I don't do that? It seems this happen is one that has been ingrained since the beginning of time. Instead of taking the time to see what God thinks, we worry more about what other men think.

Back to the story!!!! What happened next made Joseph believe Mary. He was visited in a dream by an angel telling him that Mary was still a virgin, and that she had conceived by the Holy Spirit. He was told of Jesus, that he would be the Messiah that they had been looking forward to.

In all, I wonder how Joseph was feeling in all of this. I wonder if he really grasped the magnitude of what had happened and what would happen in the future. It makes me think from a new perspective. A perspective from someone who had at first been hurt, but then full of joy. But I guess without knowing sorrow, true and abundant joy cannot really be known...

1 John

First John

First John was written by the apostle John, who was a disciple of Jesus. The book of First John is any epistle, which means “letter”. The letter was written to those who believed in Jesus and were saved so they may be sure of their salvation and trust in Jesus. This is mainly what this book is: a test to see whether or not one’s life is in accordance with God’s word to be sure of salvation.

The apostle John was a disciple of Jesus during his ministry. He wrote the gospel John, the three epistles bearing his name, as well as the book of Revelation. He was the son of Zebedee and brother to James (Holy Bible, Matthew 10:2). According to Matthew 27:56 and Mark 15:40, his mother was Salome, who may have been the sister of Mary according to John 19:25 (The Man John). John was a Galilean fisherman, as well as his father and brother, which is shown in Matthew 4:21, “And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them”(Holy Bible, Matthew 4:21). In the book of Mark, when Jesus appointed the twelve apostles, both James and John received the name “Boanerges”, which means “Sons of Thunder” (Holy Bible, Mark 3:17). This brings to my attention that they both probably had a intense personality. One can also think that John could be described as “passionate”, as he was one of Jesus’ close friends. It also seems that John’s family was well off in the area of finances. This can be seen by three reasons. These three reasons were that the household had hired servants, the fact that Salome, his mother, had gotten spices to anoint Jesus’ body, and that he personally knew the High Priest, which was considered upper class (The Man John).

John’s family had hired servants, “And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him”(Holy Bible, Mark 1:20). To have hired servants, John and his family must have had money. His mother, Salome, also purchased spices to anoint Jesus, “When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him”(Holy Bible, Mark 16:1). The fact that Salome, his mother, was able to buy the sweet spices for the anointing of Jesus after his death also shows that this family must have been well off financially. Finally, there is the issue that John was personally acquainted with the High Priest, “Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he entered with Jesus into the court of the high priest” (Holy Bible, John 18:15).

John was a close friend of Jesus. All throughout Jesus’ earthly ministry, John was one in the intimate circle with Jesus. One can see this in many instances. One would be that he was one of the ones sent to prepare the Last Supper, “So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, ‘Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it’”(Holy Bible, Luke 22:8). John was sent to prepare this very important meal, the Passover, where they would gather and institute the Lord’s Supper. We also find that John was the one who is told to care for Jesus’ mother, while he’s on the cross! “When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold your son!’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother!’ And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home”(Holy Bible, John 19:27). I can imagine Jesus being very selective as to who would take care of his mother. He must have been in a very close relationship with John if he told him to take care of his mom.

The book of First John was written to Christians; however, the community of Christians is not known (Background and Setting). Although the specific audience John wrote to in this letter is not known, when we look at the background of the writing of these letters, it is conceived that they were written in Ephesus (Background and Setting). Those who provide evidence for this is Justin Martyr, Irenaeus of Lyon, and Eusebius. John is also said to have been buried in Ephesus, according to Polycrates and archaeological evidence found in Turkey (Background and Setting).

The main purpose of this book was for Christians to see how their life lined up with God’s word, and to give assurance of salvation. However, throughout each chapter, there is a specific purpose. In John Chapter1, the specific purpose is to have a relationship with Jesus Christ(Guzik, David Study guide 1 John 1). This was, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life-the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us-that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete” (Holy Bible, 1 John 1-4). Throughout this chapter, we see many aspects which in turn turn to Jesus. These parts include evidence of Jesus, and because of that, we have the knowledge to have communion with God as well as have abundant joy. There is then a description of God, instructions on how to walk the Christian life and the benefits from it, our way to forgiveness and the horrible consequence for denying our sin (Henry, Matthew Study guide 1John 1). In John Chapter 2, the specific purpose is that we don’t sin, “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin” (Holy Bible, 1 John 2:1). We are sinners, and it is inevitable that we will sin, however, sin is something we should be concerned about as Christians. We can have victory over sin because of Jesus Christ, however, we let our flesh trample over this victory (Guzik, David Study Guide for 1 John 2). In 1 John Chapter 3, the specific purpose is to understand the glory of God’s love for us, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called the children of God; and so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him” (Holy Bible, 1 John 3:1). In this chapter, we see as John tries to show us about the magnitude of this statement. It says to “behold”, or “study intently”, that love. This love is given to us so that WE can be HIS children (Guzrik, David Study Guide of 1 John 3). In 1 John Chapter 4, the specific purpose was to be aware of false prophets and to test the spirits, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world”(Holy Bible, 1 John 4:1). We are warned here that we must be able to discern and test the spirits we encounter to see if they are of God because there are those going around spreading wrong doctrine, for example, Gnosticism.

In Gnosticism, there are many things which are taught that are false. One of these key beliefs is that the body (the matter making up the body) was evil and was what separated us from God, not our sin (Biblica). Jesus’ identity was also denied in this belief. There were two ways Jesus’ identity was believed: Christ only appeared to have a body, or that Christ (the divine from Heaven) came into Jesus at his baptism and left the body before he died (Biblica). Both of these views were slamming the presupposition that Jesus was fully human, as well as fully divine. Finally, this belief system believed that salvation was not by faith, but by having a kind of “secret knowledge”, which in turn, took everything that Christ had done on the cross and said it was worth nothing (Biblica).

In 1 John chapter 5, the specific purpose is that we may know and be assured of eternal life, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life” (Holy Bible, 1 John 5:13). This is actually the broad purpose of this book. We can know that we have eternal life by seeing if our lives are being lived out according to the Word of God. When John wrote this book, it was to test those who proclaimed they were believers, and to give assurance to those who were the actual followers of Christ.

The Book of First John was a book that really made me think about where I stand with God. It can be so easy to get wrapped up in the world and lose focus of what’s important. While reading First John, I felt like I was chastised by God. When I read the first chapter, a specific verse stood out to me, “If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth”(Holy Bible, 1 John 1:6). I have wondered how many times my life has gotten off track and I have started slipping in the darkness. When I am in the darkness, I cannot have fellowship with God because he cannot have darkness; He is pure light. When my mother passed away almost two years ago, I started doing a lot of running from God. I started becoming part of the world and I felt lost. I felt as though no one cared and that God was not as faithful as I thought He was. It’s funny when we struggle, we question God. I started walking in darkness, and during that time, my spiritual life was non-existent. I have since then repented for that sin, but now as I reflect, how many times do I walk in darkness each day? Do I continually walk in God’s light so that others can see Him?

Another few verses that really caught my attention were, “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk, but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:16-18). These verses make me wonder, Do I really love? Would I be willing to lay my life down, as did Christ? It is easy to talk the talk and say we would, but in all actuality, I wonder deep in my heart if I really would give up everything instead of being selfish. Something has changed in me, and I can feel it. I found a friend of mine from a few years ago, and she is going to be leaving the states soon. She is so in love with Christ, and wants to live “a life poured out”. She has been selling all of her possessions, and will be leaving to become a medical missionary in Guatemala. When I saw this, the same questions came to my mind, “Would I do this? Would I give up everything to show others who Christ is? Would I lay down my life for them?” When I found that I had no answer, I had to look deep within myself. I feel like this is not a coincidence, but a reality check from God Himself.

Studying the Book of First John has been one of the most rewarding Bible studies of my life, and I have become changed because of it. I found that I do not measure up to God’s standard. Because of this study, I will now take my life and change it to look like HIS. As I live my life, I want to live with no fear or worry, but abundant joy! I want to live my life “poured out” to God. And I have realized through this study, that that is the only way God can really use me.

Works Cited

1 John. 3 December 2011 .

Background and Setting of 1 John. 3 December 2011 .

Guzik, David. "Study Guide for 1 John 1." Enduring Word. Blue Letter Bible. 7 Jul 2006.2011. 3 Dec 2011.

Guzik, David. "Study Guide for 1 John 2." Enduring Word. Blue Letter Bible. 7 Jul 2006.2011. 3 Dec 2011.

Guzik, David. "Study Guide for 1 John 3." Enduring Word. Blue Letter Bible. 7 Jul 2006.2011. 3 Dec 2011.

Henry, Matthew. "Commentary on 1 John 1." . Blue Letter Bible. 1 Mar 1996.2011. 3 Dec 2011.

Holy Bible. ESV

The Man John. 3 December 2011 .