Two Minutes Daily for December 2025

​Short Scripture/Quotes/Inspiration

Note: From my research, and many other's - Jesus' birth was not in December, but in the fall,  around September/October. Though we are not to celebrate pagan holidays, this month will emphasize the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ-to lift up His Holy Name, and bring Him glory, in this wicked world. It will be to counter the pagan blasphemies coming from media, commercial markets, and all Satan can contrive.
Jesus Christ is King-and Coming Again

12/23/2025
Emmanuel-God With Us
​And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall
save his people from their sins. 
Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet,
saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son,
and they shall call his name Emmanuel,
which being interpreted is, God with us. Mat1:21-23

“God with us.”—The great secret of our Christian joy lies in this fact, that we believe in a present, not in an absent Jesus; One who is Emmanuel—God with us. Try to get hold of that great fact of our Lord’s presence, and then you will see what results flow from it.

The fact of our Lord’s abiding presence ought to make us brave.—If God be for us, and with us, who can be against us? No temptation need be too strong to be conquered, no difficulty need be too hard to be surmounted, by those who know that God is with them—Emmanuel.
​
The fact of our Lord’s abiding presence ought to make us good to each other.—Look on your fellow-men, and learn from the incarnation to respect man, every man, as wearing the flesh which Jesus wears. (H. J. Wilmot-Buxton)

The virgin birth foretold by Isaiah 700 years before his birth:​
Isa 7:14  Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 
Isa 9:6  For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Immanuel:  https://youtu.be/mrmMQdkBPwY?si=Di_2tZ2Bd4beAZsu

12/22/2025
Sold to the World
​For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 
Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 
Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous
and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed,
when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.  Mar 8:36-38

"The men who live for self are dead, as Christ has been saying. Suppose their self-living had been ‘successful’ to the highest point, what would be the good of all the world to a dead man? ‘Shrouds have no pockets.’ He makes a poor bargain who sells his soul for the world. A man gets rich, and in the process drops generous impulses, affections, interest in noble things, perhaps principle and religion. He has shriveled and hardened into a mere fragment of himself; and so, when success comes, he cannot much enjoy it, and was happier, poor and sympathetic and enthusiastic and generous, than he is now, rich and dwindled. He who loses himself in gaining the world does not win it, but is mastered by it. This motive, too, like the preceding, has a double application-to the facts of life here, when they are seen in their deepest reality, and to the solemn future.

​To that future our Lord passes, as His last reason for the command and motive for obeying it, in Mar_8:38. One great hindrance to out-and-out discipleship is fear of what the world will say. Hence come compromises and weak compliance on the part of disciples too timid to stand alone, or too sensitive to face a sarcasm and a smile. A wholesome contempt for the world’s cackle is needed for following Christ. The geese on the common hiss at the passer-by who goes steadily through the flock. How grave and awful is that irony, if we may call it so, which casts the retribution in the mold of the sin! The judge shall be ‘ashamed’ of such unworthy disciples-shall blush to own such as His. May we venture to put stress on the fact that He does not say that He will reject them? They who were ashamed of Him were secret and imperfect disciples. Perhaps, though He be ashamed of them, though they have brought Him no credit, He will not wholly turn from them.

How marvelous the transition from the prediction of the Cross to this of the Throne! The Son of Man must suffer many things, and the same Son of Man shall come, attended by hosts of spirits who own Him for their King, and surrounded by the uncreated blaze of the glory of God in which He sits throned as His native abode. We do not know Jesus unless we know Him as the crucified Sacrifice for the world’s sins, and as the exalted Judge of the world’s deeds."  (Alexander Maclaren)
Note: This will be added as a bonus:
DR. PETER S. RUCKMAN | THE FOUR THINGS WE NEED MOST | 1 CORINTHIANS 1:30
https://youtu.be/3nWqNks0gXg?si=ZHoN_A4SYzjQz2Av

12/21/2025
​God is the Rock
As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those
​that trust in him. 
For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God? Psa 18:30-31

​“As for God, his way is perfect.” Far past all fault and error are God's dealings with his people; all his actions are resplendent with justice, truth, tenderness, mercy, and holiness. Every way of God is complete in itself, and all his ways put together are matchless in harmony and goodness. Is it not very consolatory to believe that he who has begun to bless us will perfect his work, for all his ways are “perfect?” Nor must the divine “word” be without its song of praise. “The word of the Lord is tried,” like silver refined in the furnace. The doctrines are glorious, the precepts are pure, the promises are faithful, and the whole revelation is superlatively full of grace and truth. David had tried it, thousands have tried it, we have tried it, and it has never failed. It was meet that when way and word had been extolled, the Lord himself should be magnified; hence it is added, “He is a buckler to all those that trust in him.”

Having mentioned his God, the Psalmist's heart burns, and his words sparkle; he challenges heaven and earth to find another being worthy of adoration or trust in comparison with Jehovah. His God, as Matthew Henry says, is a None-such. The idols of the heathen he scorns to mention, snuffing them all out as mere nothings when Deity is spoken of. “Who is God save the Lord?” Who else creates, sustains, foresees, and overrules? Who but he is perfect in every attribute, and glorious in every act? To whom but Jehovah should creatures bow? Who else can claim their service and their love? “Who is a rock save our God?” Where can lasting hopes be fixed? Where can the soul find rest? Where is stability to be found? Where is strength to be discovered? Surely in the Lord Jehovah alone can we find rest and refuge.
(Charles Spurgeon-Treasury of David)

Deu 3:24  O Lord GOD, thou hast begun to shew thy servant thy greatness, and thy mighty hand: for what God is there in heaven or in earth, that can do according to thy works, and according to thy might? 
Psa 86:8  Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works. 

12/20/2025
The King of Glory
A Psalm of David. The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world,
​and they that dwell therein. Psa 24:1

"​The world belongs to God"— As to its matter. “The earth is the Lord’s.” With all its forms of beauty and magnificence, with all its ponderous forces and mystic laws, with all its wealth of mineral and hidden treasures of earth, air, and ocean. Man has conquered the earth by the power of the sword, and claimed the right to dispose of it in petty states and kingdoms; but the earth does not belong to man.

“He is but a tenant at will",—a leaseholder upon most precarious tenure, liable to instantaneous ejectment. The great Landowner and true Proprietor holds His court above the clouds, and laughs at the title-deeds of worms of the dust. The fee-simple is not with the lord of the manor, nor the freeholder, but with the Creator.”--
“The ‘fulness’ of the earth may mean its harvests, its wealth, its life, or its worship; in all these senses the Most High God is Possessor of all. The earth is full of God; he made it full and he keeps it full.”  (Spurgeon)

The world and those who dwell therein: God’s ownership of the earth extends to the people who live upon it. Through the rights of creation and continuing provision, God has a claim upon every person who has ever lived. God has a right and claim to the earth and all who are in it-because He created it. The moment we die, the truth of this is a fact we must face, from the least, to the pompous and proud.
​
Psa 50:12  If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof. 
Psa 89:11  The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them. 
​1Co 10:26  For the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof. 
1Co 10:27  If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake. 
1Co 10:28  But if any man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake that shewed it, and for conscience sake: for the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof: 

12/19/2025
Testimony of Life
But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you
up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake. 
And it shall turn to you for a testimony. 
Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer: 
For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not
be able to gainsay nor resist. Luk 21:12-15

"But it shall turn to them for a testimony." The light of their lives shall shine through their forms, and reveal the inner glory in eternity. This is the eternal recompense, revelation—the revelation of the Christlike spirit in a world where to be Christlike is to be glorious and blessed; where the scars of battle are marks of honor, and the martyr’s brow is anointed like Christ’s with the oil of joy and gladness through eternity.   (Excerpt from- J. Baldwin Brown, The Sunday Afternoon, p. 124)

Lessons in these passages- Evils to Be Anticipated—The disciples are to be prepared (1) for persecution, both on the part of the ecclesiastical and civil authorities; (2) for treachery on the part of kinsfolk and friends; (3) for violent death; (4) for the hatred of the world.

"​Life is a steep climb, and it does the heart good to have somebody "call back" and cheerily beckon us on up the high hill. We are all climbers together, and we must help one another. This mountain climbing is serious business, but glorious. It takes strength and steady step to find the summits. The outlook widens with the altitude. If anyone among us has found anything worth while, we ought to "call back."
​(Streams in the Desert)

In your patience possess ye your souls.
​Luk 21:19

Call Back
​​If you have gone a little way ahead of me,
call back--
’twill cheer my heart and help my feet along the stony track;
And if, perchance, Faith’s light is dim, because the oil is low,
Your call will guide my lagging course as
wearily I go.

Call back, and tell me that He went with you
into the storm;
Call back, and say He kept you when the forest’s roots were torn;
That, when the heavens thunder and the earthquake shook the hill,
He bore you up and held you where the very
air was still.

Oh, friend, call back, and tell me for I cannot
\see your your face,
They say it glows with triumph, and your feet bound in the race;
But there are mists between us and my spirit eyes are dim,
And I cannot see the glory, though I long
for word of Him.

But if you’ll say He heard you when your
prayer was but a cry,
And if you’ll say He saw you through the night’s sin-darkened sky
If you have gone a little way ahead, oh, friend, call back--
’twill cheer my heart and help my feet along
​the stony track.  
Anonymous

​Where there is no outward suffering there may be the inner cross and the death to all that the soul had once prized. Jesus has always stood beside His own wherever they have been called to witness for the truth; and the testimony given by His witnesses has reached the great ones of the earth and reverberated through courts and palaces. In suffering our souls become searched as by fire. We learn to know ourselves and to come into possession of an experience and a self-knowledge with which only suffering could have endowed us. (F.B. Meyer)

12/18/2025
Love Not the World
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life,
is not of the Father, but is of the world. 
And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth
the will of God abideth for ever. 1Joh 2:15-17

"Let's examine the warning. Are we not required diligently to attend to the things of the world? And is not a promise of its enjoyment made to those who do so? True. The command is “Look well to thy flocks and herds.” “Not slothful in business.” And this is among the promises, “Godliness is profitable to all things, having promise of the life that now is and that which is to come.” We may value the world, we may seek to possess it, we may enjoy it. This is not what the apostle forbids. The true meaning of the injunction lies in the term, “Love not the world.” This affection is supreme in whatever heart it dwells. It is jealous, and admits no rival. If a man loves the world, he gives it the first place in his heart, and everything is subordinated to it. The world then becomes his God, and he worships it. ​What ever comes in competition with it is discarded. It becomes the object of a passion of which it is wholly unworthy.

​Yet the love of the world is a principle fearfully prevalent. It is to be found in many who do not suspect it. Here is a man placed in a position where he may add to his worldly substance. But there is a difficulty. The law stares him in the face, “provide things honest in the sight of all men.” He would like to keep it, but the prospect is tempting. By degrees his principle of integrity is overcome, and he takes the golden bait, overcome by the love of the world. One other illustration may be added. Here is a man who does respect the laws of integrity, and honor, and devotion. But he is associated with another, who does not respect them. A case arises where both must act together. The former expresses his desire to act righteously. The other uses his influence to overcome what he denominates his scruples. He is afraid to offend him; his interests are too deeply involved to run so great a risk; he yields, and presents another example of a victim overcome by the love of the world.

The reasons of the warning.
1. The love of God and the love of the world are incompatible with one another, and cannot exist together in the same mind. This is precisely the sentiment of our Lord (Mat_6:24).
​Mat 6:24  No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 
2. The world is sinful, and therefore its service is incompatible with that of God.
3. We are ourselves perishing, and so is all that is earthly.
4. But to all this there is a glorious contrast in the last reason. “He that doeth the will of God abideth forever.” Such a man is the subject of principles that will endure through all the trials, seasons and changes of life." (James Morgan, D. D.)

12/17/2025
Jesus is the Door
Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep
All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. 
I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out,
and find pasture. Joh 10:7-9

"Jesus, the great I AM, is the entrance into the true church, and the way of access to God himself. He gives to the man who comes to God by him four choice privileges.

He shall be saved. The fugitive manslayer passed the gate of the city of refuge, and was safe. Noah entered the door of the ark, and was secure. None can be lost who take Jesus as the door of faith to their souls. Entrance through Jesus into peace is the guarantee of entrance by the same door into heaven. Jesus is the only door, an open door, a wide door, a safe door; and blessed is he who rests all his hope of admission to glory upon the crucified Redeemer."

​He shall go in. He shall be privileged to go in among the divine family, sharing the children's bread, and participating in all their honors and enjoyments. He shall go in to the chambers of communion, to the banquets of love, to the treasures of the covenant, to the storehouses of the promises. He shall go in unto the King of kings in the power of the Holy Spirit, and the secret of the Lord shall be with him.

​He shall go out. This blessing is much forgotten. We go out into the world to labor and suffer, but what a mercy to go in the name and power of Jesus! We are called to bear witness to the truth, to cheer the disconsolate, to warn the careless, to win souls, and to glorify God; and as the angel said to Gideon, "Go in this thy might," even thus the Lord would have us proceed as his messengers in his name and strength.

​He shall find pasture. He who knows Jesus shall never want. Going in and out shall be alike helpful to him: in fellowship with God he shall grow, and in watering others he shall be watered. Having made Jesus his all, he shall find all in Jesus. His soul shall be as a watered garden, and as a well of water whose waters fail not."​  (Charles Spurgeon-Every Evening devotion)

12/16/2025
Signs of the End of the Age
​And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not
​the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 
And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 
That they all might be damned who believed not the truth,
but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 2Th 2:10-12
+++++++
​Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Isa 5:20

The last few days devotions has brought the expected results, of some who have no pleasure in all of the word of God, but only those verses which send flowery flattering praises to their ears, and tickle them. These people would do well, to go to another site. This one is here to do what a watchman is called to do, expose the darkness, expose the truth-and people's hearts, whether people want to hear it, or not, and give the warnings of events unfolding and coming, and of the return of Christ. Jesus is setting events up now, that clearly show the nearness of His coming. This site is for those who can face the truth, desire the truth, and are expectantly waiting for the return of Jesus.
We are living in the final moments of this age. We are now in the age of deceit, and lies. The proof of this is everywhere. 2Thessislonians describes the days we are in, and tells us that the strong delusion is poured out, that they who would be deceived would be sifted, and follow the Anti-Christ. His revealing is being set up now. The AI systems being put up around the country will bring in the lying "signs and wonders", along with the disclosure of alien beings, that many believe are from outer-space, but are actually demons from other dimensions-they've always been here. Paul describes them as being principalities and powers of darkness. Sightings of groups of flying orbs, and saucers are seen every day, and people have been conditioned for years through movies, TV, and news media for this event to take place. Be ready, and be warned. Don't be sucked into the delusions coming at us-look up, our redemption draws nigh. Some thoughts below, add to this, and helps us understand what's coming.

​The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan: The Antichrist will come with power, with signs and with lying wonders. But all of this is according to the  working of Satan, as described in Rev_13:13-17.
If someone has spiritual power, signs, or wonders, those are not enough to prove they are from God. Satan can perform his own powerful works, either through deception or through his own resources of power.
“He is Satan’s messiah, an infernal caricature of the true messiah.” (Moffatt)
Among those who perish: However, the deception can only take root in those who do not receive the love of the truth. These people are ready for the deception of the Antichrist, because they want a lie, and God will send them a strong delusion.
God will send them: In the end, the Antichrist is only God’s messenger. God has judgment to bring, and He will send ... a strong delusion through the Antichrist. God will not force this delusion on anyone, but those who do not receive the love of the truth will receive this strong delusion. “They were first deluded, which was their sin; and God sends them strong delusion, and that is their punishment.” (Poole)

In Isaiah 5:20-we see today's generation in detail. Moral laws are corrupted. What was established by God as sin, and evil, the world calls good. Example-from the beginning sodomy was outlawed, and for good reason. The numbers of lives destroyed by the abuse of sodomy, only God can number, but now, it is legal, and celebrated. The nations have legalized killing-abortion has killed million of unborn babies, and it continues to this day. The crux of the problem lies in the failure of the two who engaged in sex-and produced the child, the responsibility lies not just with the woman, but the man also. However, the nations have taken it upon themselves, to open the door for murder, and are equal now in the sin.
The great sign of the end of the age-is all morality has been turned upside down-evil is now called good, and good evil. Madness in government, now rules the nations-and can we not see the results?
Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil: Using clever and deceptive words, they blur moral issues and excuse their sin. They look at their own evil and call it good, and they look at the good of others and call it evil. Isaiah is describing a deep state of moral confusion.
“They were the Nietzschians of that day with their Unwertung aller Werten, the devaluation of all values, the overturning of all values and basic concepts.” (Bultema)

12/15/2025
Christ is the Light-Walk in His Light
​And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. Eph 5:11

​Today's devotion will go hand in hand with yesterday's. Jesus tells us to walk in the light, as He is in the Light. The people we keep company with, and allow to influence us, will either draw us closer to God, or farther away from him. The word of God is full of warnings about being careful of who we allow to be close to us in our relationships. There's good reason for it, and we should study them, and take them seriously, if we want to stand before the Lord unashamed, when the time comes.

"We must be as distinct from the worldly as light is from darkness. There should be no twilight in our testimony for our Lord, though there may be considerable obscurity in our views of truth. Whatever is unfruitful; whatever we should blush to have transcribed and read to the world; whatever would be inconsistent with the strong, clear light of the throne of God and the Lamb, must be avoided. We must walk in the light of the Lord. Then we ourselves shall become luminous, as some diamonds do after being held in sunshine. People who love darkness will avoid and hate us; but their treatment may be only a cause for our own encouragement, as God becomes increasingly precious to us." (F.B. Meyer)

God’s people, His children, are a reproving light. They are called out of darkness into marvelous light, that they might reflect the, light of Him who hath “called them out of darkness into His marvelous light.” But, beloved, there is another quality in light, there are many others indeed, but this one especially here to be noted, which is, that there is a detective and a reproving quality in light. We know not the beauty of an object but as the light unfolds it; we know not its faultiness, we see not its defects, they are to us unknown without the light; but the light reveals them. The Lord’s people are especially called to stand; not merely as a reflecting light, not merely as a diffusing light, but as a reproving light, reproving the “darkness “ around them.
(Biblical Illustrator)

"What you learn from bad habits and in bad society you will never forget, and it will be a lasting pang to you. I tell you in all sincerity, not as in the excitement of speech, but as I would confess and have confessed before God, I would give my right hand tonight if I could forget that which I have learned in evil society—if I could tear from my remembrance the scenes which I have witnessed, the transactions which have taken place before me. You cannot, I believe, take away the effect of a single impure thought that has lodged and harbored in the heart. You may pray against it, and by God’s grace you may conquer it, but it will, through life, cause you bitterness and anguish." (J. B. Gough)
​
Important point: If our fellowship is with God, we must quit the ways of darkness. If you have to block people from your company, you will come up against misunderstanding, and dispute with other's, but it is not worth it to keep allowing bad company to influence you into a life of sin and darkness. If you determine in your heart to turn from wickedness, and follow Christ, He will manifest Himself more and more to you, and His presence will more than compensate for anything or anyone who may leave you.
Lorna Couillard

12/14/2025
Love Unfeigned 
​Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. Rom 13:10

"Love worketh no ill to his neighbor,.... That is, the man that truly loves his neighbor, will contrive no ill against him, nor do any to him; he will not injure his person, nor defile his bed, nor deprive or defraud him of his substance; or do hurt to his character, bear false testimony against him, or covet with an evil covetousness anything that is his; but, on the contrary, will do him all the good he is capable of."
(John Gill)
"We sometimes meet with men who never commit any punishable injury, but who are to the last degree cold, callous, hard-hearted, and selfish. We are quite sure they would not rob or murder us, but we are equally sure they would not move their little finger to do us any good, would not raise their hand to save us from destruction. These men do incalculable mischief, and that of the worst kind. They injure the moral nature of their neighbors, whose best affections are dwarfed, or it may be destroyed, by their inhumanity, just as fruit is blighted by the frost. They do all that in them lies to make other men into moral pigmies like themselves. Hence, though they are not guilty of any punishable breach of the law, they are guilty of violating it—they do ill to their neighbors." (A. W. Momerie)

​​Today, in the 21st century we see the blatant lack of unfeigned love, in every aspect of life. Much of it is rooted in pride, arrogance, and selfishness. This is the "ME" culture-whatever feels good-do it, regardless of who it may harm. There's a great deal of merchandising of "love", because it is profitable, and it can be polished up and made to look real-when it is just a cheap imitation. 
I'll narrow it down to a few examples: If you are intentionally doing something to harm anyone else-either physically, mentally, morally, or psychologically, it has no root in love. It is rooted in the work of the devil. Jesus said he came to kill, steal, and destroy. If you are doing anything that brings harm in any way to another-you are in league with Satan. 
Another tool of the devil: Do you intentionally provoke someone else to do something wrong, just so you can find fault, and accuse them to  other's? This is malicious trickery, that many use to get someone to lose their temper or retaliate-so they can then slander them everywhere.

​The technologies today are used by many to aide people in their evil intentions, and brings untold misery to other's. Spying on other's private lives, spreading and promoting slander, which brings false accusations, and destroys people. Manipulation, control, and power over other's is a rampant disease today, that is spread by every form of media. Only those who work diligently to avoid getting trapped in this, will endure to the end, before Christ returns. In this age of deceit-
​I don't blame anyone if they do not want to be involved in large gatherings, or crowds. Use wisdom, and choose your friends wisely. God never calls us to be foolish, or a doormat.
​Lorna Couillard

​1Co 13:4  Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 
1Co 13:5  Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 
1Co 13:6  Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 

12/13/2025
As the Grass of the Field 
As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. Psa 103:15

"​As for the life of man, “the wind passeth over it, and it is gone. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting.” The loving-kindness of the Lord is eternal as His own Being. Man, saddened with the transiency of human strength and beauty and life, here is rest for thee in the eternal mercy of God! Here is what we, as sinners, need; and it is here in inexhaustible and unchangeable fulness and freeness."  (Biblical Illustrator)

​“As for man, his days are as grass.” He lives on the grass and lives like the grass. Corn is but educated grass, and man, who feeds on it, partakes of its nature. The grass lives, grows, flowers, falls beneath the scythe, dries up, and is removed from the field: read this sentence over again, and you will find it the history of man. If he lives out his little day, he is cut down at last, and it is far more likely that he will wither before he comes to maturity, or be plucked away on a sudden, long before he has fulfilled his time. “As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.” He has a beauty and a comeliness even as the meadows have when they are yellow with the king-cups, but, alas, how shortlived. No sooner come than gone, a flash of loveliness and no more. Man is not even like a flower in the conservatory or in the sheltered garden border, he grows best according to nature, as the field-flower does, and like the unprotected beautifier of the pasture, he runs a thousand risks of coming to a speedy end.

A large congregation, in many-colored attire, always reminds us of a meadow bright with many hues; and the comparison becomes sadly true when we reflect, that as the grass and its goodliness soon pass away, even so will those we gaze upon, and all their visible beauty. Thus, too, must it be with all that comes of the flesh, even its greatest excellencies and natural virtues, for “that which is born of the flesh is flesh,” and therefore is but as grass which withers if but a breath of wind assails it. Happy are they who, born from above, have in them an incorruptible seed which liveth and abideth for ever."
(Charles Spurgeon-Treasury of David)
​Psa 90:5  Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up. 
Psa 90:6  In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth. 

​1Pe 1:23  Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. 
1Pe 1:24  For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: 

12/12/2025
A Cry for Deliverance in God's Righteousness
​ In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion. 
 Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me,
and save me.  Psa 71:1-2

​"Old men need have no failure in their buoyancy and gladness, if they will fix their thoughts where the psalmist fixed his. Other subjects will soon wear out, but they who make God’s righteousness and salvation their theme will ever have material for meditation and praise. We have here an inexhaustible subject, and one which will keep us young. Let us ask for help, that we may disappoint the calculations of those who hate us, whether men or demons. It is a piteous spectacle when apparently prosperous careers” are overclouded, and age is overwhelmed in catastrophes which there is no time to surmount. But such is not God’s way with His loyal servants. His rivers do not end in swamps and marshes, but broaden and deepen till they kiss the mighty ocean."   (F.B. Meyer)

​“Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape.” Be true, O God, to thy word. It is a righteous thing in thee to keep the promises which thou hast made unto thy servants. I have trusted thee, and thou wilt not be unrighteous to forget my faith. I am taken as in a net, but do thou liberate me from the malice of my persecutors. “Incline thine ear unto me, and save me.” Stoop to my feebleness, and hear my faint whispers; be gracious to my infirmities, and smile upon me: I ask salvation; listen thou to my petitions, and save me. Like one wounded and left for dead by mine enemies, I need that thou bend over me and bind up my wounds. These mercies are asked on the plea of faith, and they cannot, therefore, be denied.
(Charles Spurgeon-Treasury of David)

12/11/2025
Taking Sides
But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God:
and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. 
 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils. 1Cor 10:20-21
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And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD
be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him.
​And the people answered him not a word. 1Ki 18:21

"To abstain from idol feasts was the clear duty of all Christians. By partaking of heathen sacrifices which were offered to demons, they became one with the demons and their votaries; just as in the Lord’s Supper we show our oneness not only with the Savior but with each other. It was clear, therefore, that the Corinthian Christians could not consistently partake of idol feasts and the Lord’s Supper. This is an incentive is given here to frequent and reverent participation in the Lord’s Supper. It proclaims our union with Him and His people, and it gives us a distaste for all that is alien to its spirit."  (F.B. Meyer)

​MOSES AND Elijah uttered practically the same call, which is always being spoken to each fresh generation. As soon as we can think for ourselves, we are accosted by the challenge of the Divine Voice- Art thou for Me or against Me? Which side dost thou take? From the lips of our blessed Lord comes the additional challenge, which compels us to face the alternative as one that may not be trifled with or put aside: "He that is not with Me is against Me."
How long halt ye between two opinions? We must take one side or the other. When the division-bell rings in the House of Commons, the Ayes must go to the right and the Noes to the left. A man must choose which he will take! If Jehovah, If Baal, We cannot be neutral without being stultified.
Who, then, is prepared to take sides, and to come out to Christ, without the camp, bearing His reproach?

Heb 13:13  Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. 
​To be on the Lord's side is to acknowledge Him as our King as well as Savior. It is to render to Him our reverence, obedience, love and devotion. It is to abandon all refuges and resorts to our own works and ways, and to strive for heart, mind, and life to be assimilated to His will and character. This is what our Savior expects and asks of each of us! We are to belong wholly to God, to give Him all that we are capable of giving, to choose His cause, and to find in Him the beginning and ending, the first and last.
Jesus Christ possesses an unimpeachable and absolute right over us—the right of Creator, "it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves"; the right of Benefactor, not only in the realm of temporal but of spiritual existence; the right of Redeemer, and this is the greatest claim of all.
Our decision demands declaration. Christ will not have His followers live in secret. In the days in which we live, when there are so many temptations to compromise between the disciples of Jesus and the votaries of the world, there is overwhelming reason why we should take His side. And in that great day, He will take our side and acknowledge us before His Father and the Holy Angels.  (Our Daily Walk)

12/10/2025
Hell-What Jesus Teaches About It
Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed,
into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 

The actor Kirk Cameron has come out stating that he no longer believes in conscious eternal judgment in hell, and saying he is now leaning to Annihilationism. I've posted two short videos of him stating this below. My stand on this is what the bible teaches, and what Jesus says about it. It is eternal, it is everlasting, it is forever. These are words used by Jesus himself, when describing hell-no matter what region of hell it is-and there are several different regions of hell, and different levels. I will Let Jesus speak for Himself on this subject, and post scripture verses that you can go to in your bible and read them for yourself. Take Jesus seriously, He means what He says about it. 
The answer for you, so you don't go there, is to repent of your sins, confess them to the Lord, ask Jesus to forgive you, and to help you stop sinning and live for Him. Turn from your sins, and seek the Lords strength and help to live in a way that pleases Him, and honors Him. Pick up a bible and read it, especially the New Testament gospels, and receive Christ as your Lord and Savior and start living what the bible teaches. No one is perfect, everyone can stumble, but when Jesus comes into your heart and life-you will want to be different, the sins you enjoyed once, will repel you now. The Spirit of God will change your heart, and you will want to read the bible, and you will want to change. Jesus is the door, and when you seek Him, He will come in and help you overcome the temptations we all face. He loves you, and died for you to be with Him in heaven-seek Him today, open your heart, and let Him prove Himself to you. Eternity, is a long time to be wrong. Don't let the devil destroy you, Jesus is the way to life eternal, and joy in heaven with him, and the saints of God. Jesus' victory on the cross, is available for you today-but you must choose, He will not force you. He loved you enough to die for you, but lives again, he rose from the dead. By faith, receive His free gift of salvation, and let him redeem you today.
Does Kirk Cameron Deny Hell? Annihilationism
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/YZjBbA52Jy4
Kirk Cameron Change His Views on Hell and He Doesn't Believe in Eternal Suffering Anymore
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/6JwYC8HpjLc

The Rich Man and Lazarus

Jesus often told stories to teach on the truths of life-but the stories weren't fiction. Lazarus was a real person, and is still in torment and in hell today. And, if he could he'd be warning you-don't come to this place of torment, don't be like the ones described by Jesus in this parable, don't be blind and stupid. Heed the warnings now, while you are still on this side of death. This parable also destroys the false teaching of purgatory. It is accounted unto man once to die-then the judgment.
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​Luk 16:19  There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: 
Luk 16:20  And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, 
Luk 16:21  And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 
Luk 16:22  And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; 
Luk 16:23  And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 
Luk 16:24  And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. 
Luk 16:25  But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. 
Luk 16:26  And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. 
Luk 16:27  Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: 
Luk 16:28  For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. 
Luk 16:29  Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. 
Luk 16:30  And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. 

Luk 16:31  And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. ​

"Where their worm - That gnaweth the soul, (pride, self will, desire, malice, envy, shame, sorrow, despair,) dieth not - No more than the soul itself: and the fire (either material, or infinitely worse!) that tormenteth the body, is not quenched for ever. Isa 66:24."  (John Wesley)

Everlasting: Mat_25:46, Mat_3:12, Mat_13:40, Mat_13:42, Mat_13:50; Mar_9:43-48; 2Th_1:9; Rev_14:10-11, Rev_20:10-15
Not quenched:  ​Mar_9:46, Mar_9:48; Isa_66:24
the fire: Isa_33:14; Mat_3:12, Mat_25:41, Mat_25:46; 2Th_1:9; Rev_14:10-11, Rev_20:10, Rev_20:15, Rev_21:8

12/9/2025
Rejoice in the Victory of God
​Be thou exalted, LORD, in thine own strength: so will we sing and praise thy power. Psa 21:3

​“Be thou exalted, Lord, in thine own strength.” A sweet concluding verse. Our hearts shall join in it. It is always right to praise the Lord when we call to remembrance his goodness to his Son, and the overthrow of his foes.

The exaltation of the name of God should be the business of every Christian; but since such poor things as we fail to honor him as he deserves, we may invoke his own power to aid us. Be high, O God, but do thou maintain thy loftiness by thine own almightiness, for no other power can worthily do it.
“So will we sing and praise thy power.” For a time the saints may mourn, but the glorious appearance of their divine Helper awakens their joy. Joy should always flow in the channel of praise. All the attributes of God are fitting subjects to be celebrated by the music of our hearts and voices, and when we observe a display of his 
power, we must extol it. He wrought our deliverance alone, and he alone shall have the praise. (Charles Spurgeon-Treasury of David)

​Be thou exalted - Exalt thyself. O Lord - thy creatures cannot exalt thee. Lift thyself up, and discomfit thy foes by thine own strength! Thou canst give a victory to thy people over the most formidable enemies, though they strike not one blow in their own defense. God’s right hand has often given the victory to his followers, while they stood still to see the salvation of God. How little can the strength of man avail when the Lord raiseth up himself to the battle! His children, therefore, may safely trust in him, for the name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous flee into it, and are safe.  (Adam Clarke)

12/8/2025
I Am the Light of the World
Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me
shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. Joh 8:12

"​When these words were spoken it was early morning. They had parted last night, after a day of commotion and danger; but at daybreak Jesus was back again in the midst of the people. “And early in the morning He came again into the Temple, and all the people came unto Him; and He sat down and taught them.” 

We can picture to ourselves the unfolding splendors of the new morning. The eyes of the people gazed as, without wave or sound, as with increasing vigor and unsullied purity, the light streamed in from the east. It disclosed the green fields and well kept vineyards and pleasant groves of the valleys; it lit up the city and its splendid palaces and gorgeous Temple; and it revealed all around them the majestic forms of the mountains. How it gilded everything, and beautified the pinnacles of the Temple, and touched the hills with gold! How it aroused the wicked, who then as now turned night into day, and worked deeds of violence and wrong under cover of black night! How it cleansed the earth, and lifted the thick veil of mist, and drove away the pestilential vapors. 

Even the beasts, savage and dangerous, who through the night had been seeking and securing their prey, owned its power, and retired from the light into the caves and dens of the earth. All this was present to the thoughts of the people, and standing there in the midst of them Jesus said, “This is the emblem of My mission: I am the Light of the world,” (C. Vince)

12/7/2028
​The Eternal Christ
Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? 
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you,
Before Abraham was, I am. Joh 8:57-58

​​The text is one of those rare passages in which Jesus Christ appears to stand upon His own dignity, in which the Lowly, the Humble, the Unresisting Son of man asserts His high origin, claiming to be God, for it amounts to no less: God from everlasting. "Before Abraham was, I am."

Abraham rejoiced to see the day of Christ. He had a glimpse of that day of the birth of Jesus Christ, born of the Virgin Mary, as He had a glimpse also of the manner in which Jesus Christ should work out our redemption. He took his son Isaac and offered him up on Mount Moriah—that Isaac so exceedingly dear, of whom it was said, that "in Isaac shall thy seed be called." He offered him up, his one hope of becoming the father of many nations. And that act of Abraham—that act of faith, was counted unto him for righteousness; and he is held up for ever as the father of the faithful. To him, as St. Paul writes, "The Scripture foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the Gospel, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed."
​Jesus Christ Himself lived before Abraham was born. Whenever God is spoken of as holding communion and as being visible to man, it is in the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, God, the Son, Jesus Christ. It is He who declares to us the Father. It is He who represents God to us, and is Himself God, even Jesus Christ.

This was He who talked with and was called the friend of Abraham. It was He who was the Giver of the Law to Moses, it is He by whose agency the worlds were made, God the Supreme Deity dwelleth in the light which no man can approach: but Jesus Christ who is the image of the Invisible God, hath manifested, made known, declared to us, what God is; how good, how gracious, how ready to forgive, and how rich in mercy to those who call upon Him. It follows, then, that we should honor and worship Him as God, we should draw near with all reverence, with all holiness, with bowed heads and bowed hearts, to present our supplication before Him.  (R. D. B. Rawnsley, Village Sermons, 3rd series, p. 62)

12/6/2025
Poverty and Hardship Mark His Nativity
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. Luk 2:4-6

There is nothing to distinguish Him to outward appearing from multitudes of other of His fellow-subjects in the kingdom of Herod, or the empire of Caesar Augustus. His parents are enrolled with their neighbors in the register at Bethlehem; for though they are of royal descent, their claim to exceptional rank has fallen into abeyance. It is now a mere genealogical curiosity, and the fact that the carpenter of Nazareth can trace up his lineage to David is not likely to trouble the peace of the most jealous of tyrants. It is as the son of an artisan that the name of Jesus would be enrolled.
​Not even a house to shelter her can His mother find when the time comes for His birth. The inn was full: no friendly roof afforded the comfort and hospitality of which she stood in need, and it was a stable that first covered His head, and a manger that formed His first cradle.

​He passed through the stage of helpless and unconscious infancy—being in all things made like His brethren. No preternatural glory shone about Him: it is by His wearing the first childish swaddling clothes, hastily extemporized perhaps by His virgin mother, and by the rude fashion of His resting-place, that the shepherds are to discover Him. Yet even while He lies on His hard bed in poorest guise there are not wanting signs of His great and unapproachable majesty.  Heaven opens, and angels descend to proclaim and celebrate His birth; the glorious light that breaks in upon the darkness of earth, the multitude of celestial beings, and the song of praise, bear witness to the greatness and significance of the event that has just taken place in Bethlehem.
​In no uncertain terms the angel speaks of Jesus as the possessor of a mightier throne than that of Caesar. He is Lord of angels and of men.

He is the Anointed One, whose power, and authority, and dignity are typified and faintly shadowed forth in kingly, priestly, and prophetic offices. He not only deserves but receives homage and worship from men. The shepherds hasten to find the new-born babe, that they may kneel at His feet; and in them He receives the first-fruits of that loyal service which one day will be fully rendered to Him by all created beings.  (Preacher's Homiletical)

12/5/2025
The Source of True Liberty
If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. Joh 8:36

“Whosoever commits sin is the slave of sin; and the slave abides not”. His master can sell him, or give him his dismissal; the slave has no part or inheritance with the free children. The Son abides ever. He is the Father’s heir, and can dispose of the Father’s possessions as if they were His own. He can set the slaves free, and give them the position of children—make them “heirs together” with Himself. 

“If the Son shall make you free”. The faithful are the true freemen, and the full tyranny of sin ends when redemption begins. Not that the faithful are ever entirely free from sinning. Still, they are free from sin: from its blindness—they know it for what it is; from its punishment—they fear that no more; from the love of sin; from the dominion of sin. They have come under a better dominion. They learn to glory through and in Him who is the end of the law for righteousness: “I delight to do Thy will, O my God; yea, Thy law is within my heart” (Psa_40:8). Let us thank God that we can rejoice and say, There came to us a Savior, a Deliverer, a Son of man, full of love and power, who hath kindled a quickening fire within our hearts. Now we see the heaven open to us as our true Fatherland, and can now believe and hope and rejoice that we are of the household of God. “If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed”. (Joh_8:31-32).
​(Abridged from Friedr. Arndt)

If I therefore make you free, ye - shall partake of the same privilege: being made free from all guilt and sin, ye shall abide in the house of God for ever.  (John Wesley)
​Joh 8:31  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 
Joh 8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

12/4/2025
​For Christ's Sake
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil
against you falsely, for my sake. 
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven:
for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Mat 5:11-12

Through the years, from the first day of my salvation, I've come to know the Lord's words are true, and faithful. These two verses are addressed to Christ's followers, and if you are a Christian, your life should be a bearer of the message of Christ, whether you are called to give prophetic messages or not-your life, and what you stand for, should be an open book. It takes courage to live in this world, and stand for Christ, we live in the furnace of persecution till death.
I've heard people make the statement "We all belong", and what they meant is, they automatically have a free pass into heaven, without any faith or stand for Jesus Christ. They are in for a sad reality, if they die believing that. He states repeatedly in the gospels that without faith and trust in Him in this life, and if your not willing to speak up for him, and are ashamed of him in this life-you will have no part with Him in heaven. You will find yourself outside the gates, looking up from hell, and you'll have no excuse.
I've never called myself a prophet, but other's have. For reasons I still do not know God has required me to say things, and give prophetic messages that He wanted said, and there were times there were years I waited, before I knew they had to be said. There's prices to pay in this service, few are willing to pay. If I am a prophet, I consider myself at the very bottom of that service, and consider it an honor I do not deserve. But, from the first day of my salvation Christ has manifested Himself to me, and spoken to me and when you know His voice, you don't have to ask anyone what it sounds like-you know, and you are given the option of obeying, or not. I've trembled at the aspects of both-but choose to obey, and take the consequences.
But generally as a Christian, I've learned that you'll lose 90% of the worlds' approval, and will be persecuted in every way Satan can devise. Of the 10% that may agree with you or hold to being a fellow Christian- 1% of those may desire to have any fellowship with you, and of that 1%, you may even lose that-this includes family. Paul said several times that "all forsook him" during his ministry, and he was beheaded alone. When Jesus was on earth and ministered, he took only 3 with him to the mountain, and was transfigured before them-that's 1% of the disciples he chose.
Mat 17:1  And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, 
Mat 17:2  And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
This tells us that if you are called to speak a prophetic word, or are a committed Christian who won't conform to the world, you'll need to learn to follow Christ wherever He leads, and do not look behind you to see if anyone is following you. Take up your cross, and walk with Christ, into whatever happens. The question for you is, is He worth it?  My answer is-Yes.   Lorna Couillard
All heaven declares (with lyrics) - Martin Ball
https://youtu.be/kPkZAjA610k?si=uLDbo_hVu6I7wTuh

Blessed are ye when men shall revile you - Reproach you; call you by evil and contemptuous names; ridicule you because you are Christians. Thus, they said of Jesus that he was a Samaritan and had a devil Joh_8:48; that he was mad Joh_10:20; and thus they reviled and mocked him on the cross, Mat_27:39-44. But, being reviled, he reviled not again 1Pe_2:23; and thus being reviled, we should bless 1Co_4:12; and thus, though the contempt of the world is not in itself desirable, yet it is blessed to tread in the footsteps of Jesus, to imitate his example, and even to suffer for his sake, Php_1:29.
(Albert Barnes)

​Slander.—I am getting rather proud, for I see that my character is more and more defamed.—Luther.​
Mat 10:22  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. 
​Mat 24:9  Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. 
​Mar 8:38  Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. 

12/3/2025
The Gospel of Jesus Christ in Isaiah
He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid
​as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 
Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken,
smitten of God, and afflicted. 
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement
of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Isa 53:3-5

To all God grants some dim vision of what He intends man to be. The holiest men have had the clearest glimpses of that character. One nation was separated to keep the ideal before the world. The majority corrupted the representation, but some prophets saw it clearly.
GOD’S IDEAL FOR MAN, AND ITS REALIZATION IN CHRIST. The majority thought He would be another Solomon, David’s greater son. The prophet saw that He would be a Sinless Sufferer; what it had been intended that the nation should be, that the Suffering Servant would be. The voice of God, which set forth the ideal by the lips of prophets, now speaks through our own highest desires.
THE WORLD’S RECEPTION OF THE REVEALED IDEAL. Pilate has brought Him forth that His suffering may excite their pity, but His pure and loving life has made them relentless in their hate. There is no beauty that they should desire Him. Barabbas, the bold and reckless, is the people’s choice. While boon companions crowd round him, cold looks and scornful smiles are reserved for Christ. Christ had headed no revolt against the powers that be, and therefore He was not popular. Political emancipation is more popular than spiritual. The path of righteousness ends on Calvary; its crown is one of thorns, its throne a cross.
​THE MEANING OF THE REVELATION OF THIS IDEAL. The world says, Blessed are the wealthy, the powerful, the great, and the wise. Christ says, Blessed are the poor in spirit, the pure in heart, the meek, the mourners, the persecuted. At first we pity Christ, and reserve our indignation for His persecutors. But He was the least pitiable of all that group. Pilate was a pitiable victim, the people were pitiable because carried away by passion, and the priests by desire for revenge. The greatness of apparent weakness is here revealed. Yet we despise weakness. 

Here is a dramatic representation of weighty decisions made every day in human hearts. When we choose ease and worldly glory in preference to holiness and self-denial, we despise and reject Christ. Here our choice is seen worked out to the bitter end. This is a revelation of the meaning of sin.
​THE EFFECT OF THIS REVELATION. The world can never forget that spiracle. In the dark ages, when the Bible was a hidden book, a representation of this scene was to be found in every church. Though obscured by superstition, the ideal was still held up, and was still molding the minds and stimulating the holy endeavors of men. In an open Bible we have the ideal more truthfully set forth. The love there revealed has been the constraining motive which moved apostles to preach, martyrs to suffer, missionaries to forgo the joys of home, and humble men and women to labor in countless ways to advance the interests of Christ. His patience shames our murmuring: His burning love to us kindles our love to Him. (R. C. Ford, M.A.)

"Wounded - Which word comprehends all his pains and punishments. For our iniquities - For the guilt of their sins, which he had voluntarily taken upon himself, and for the expiation of their sins, which was hereby purchased. The chastisement - Those punishments by which our peace, our reconciliation to God, was to be purchased, were laid upon him by God's justice with his own consent. Healed - By his sufferings we are saved from our sins." (John Wesley)

12/2/2025
The Vanity of a Worldly Life
​I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold,
all is vanity and vexation of spirit. Ecc 1:14

"Nothing can satisfy the entire man but the Lord's love and the Lord's own self. Saints have tried to anchor in other roadsteads, but they have been driven out of such fatal refuges. Solomon, the wisest of men, was permitted to make experiments for us all, and to do for us what we must not dare to do for ourselves. Here is his testimony in his own words: "So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labor: and this was my portion of all my labor. 

​Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labor that I had labored to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun." "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity." What! the whole of it vanity? O favored monarch, is there nothing in all thy wealth? Nothing in that wide dominion reaching from the river even to the sea? Nothing in Palmyra's glorious palaces? Nothing in the house of the forest of Lebanon? In all thy music and dancing, and wine and luxury, is there nothing? "Nothing," he says, "but weariness of spirit." 

This was his verdict when he had trodden the whole round of pleasure. To embrace our Lord Jesus, to dwell in his love, and be fully assured of union with him-this is all in all. Dear reader, you need not try other forms of life in order to see whether they are better than the Christian's: if you roam the world around, you will see no sights like a sight of the Savior's face; if you could have all the comforts of life, if you lost your Savior, you would be wretched; but if you win Christ, then should you rot in a dungeon, you would find it a paradise; should you live in obscurity, or die with famine, you will yet be satisfied with favor and full of the goodness of the Lord."  (Charles Spurgeon-Evening Devotions)

12/1/2025
Birth of the Prince of Peace
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder:
and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father,
​The Prince of Peace. Isa 9:6

"We have here the great mystery of the Incarnation. "Unto us a Child is born; unto us a Son is given." "Unto us a Child is born" relates, we may safely say, to the humanity of Christ. "To us a Son is given" relates to the Divine nature of Christ. He was a Son when born, even the Eternal Son of God.
​"The government shall be upon His shoulder." He is a King then; born for kingly office, and with kingly power. For one who shrinks from Christ, through dislike of the cross, there are hundreds who shrink from Him through dislike of the throne. The hard sentence to flesh and blood is not "The world’s iniquity was laid upon His head," but "The world’s government is laid upon His shoulder." Christ is King, and He reigns, whether to reward the loyal, or to punish the rebellious.

​"Wonderful." This is the first title which the prophetic herald assigns to the newborn Prince. Wonderful in His actions, for look at His miracles; wonderful in His endurances, for contemplate His sufferings; wonderful in life, for who shall declare His generation? wonderful in death, for He saw no corruption; wonderful in His resurrection, for He raised Himself; wonderful in ascension, for He carried our fallen nature into heavenly places; wonderful in the love which moved Him to do and to suffer for sinful beings like ourselves.
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Next He is called "Counsellor." Not our Counsellor, as though the office were one limited to the children of men, but Counsellor in the abstract; denoting, it may be, His intimate union in the Divine essence, as a Person in the Godhead, and as such concerned in all the counsels of eternity.

"The Everlasting Father." The Septuagint Version renders this title, "The Father of the world to come." "The world to come" was an expression, under the old dispensation, for the new dispensation that was promised and expected. We may consider this title as indicating in Christ the Source or Author of those eternal blessings, which are now proffered to and provided for the believing.
"The Prince of Peace." "On earth peace, goodwill toward men" was the chorus with which the hosts of heaven rang in the birthday morn. Christ came to give peace to troubled consciences. "Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." (H. Melvill, Penny Pulpit, No. 2282)