Isaiah 7:14b – The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means "God is with us"). (NLT)

Isaiah 6:1 – It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. (NLT)

So wrote Isaiah about the day when he first met God personally. Isaiah was a scribe in the royal palace in Jerusalem, having a very respectable career as a bureaucrat for and amongst the royal family. His Sabbath custom would always have included worship at the temple, but on this particular day, Isaiah met someone there unexpectedly: God Himself.

Isn't it such an amazing act of grace, that the Lord meets us where we are? And He does so in a way that we need, in order that our hearts may open ourselves to Him. It is reasonable to think that pride of position and respectability may have been part of Isaiah's makeup, for they are part of the human condition. What changed his life was seeing and understanding, for the first time, how great and awesome was the God he worshipped: so mighty and great that the temple itself was filled by just the train of His robe! And then he saw the seraphim! They hovered and called out, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven's Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory." And the temple shook and was filled with smoke. (Isaiah 6:1-8 NLT)

Again, Isaiah saw his sin for what it was — for the first time. He repented and experienced God's forgiveness. And when God asked, "Whom should I send as a messenger to this people?" this new man replied, "Here I am. Send me!" (Isaiah 6:8b NLT)

Do you remember where and how you were when you met God? He met me in the depths of the pit that I had dug for myself, from which He raised me up. (This was Psalm 40:2 come to life!) I am sure that you feel the warmth of His love as you recall your experience! God sends His love — His Son Jesus — to us wherever we are, as we call upon Him for our deliverance. "Christmas" comes to us at the temple, or in our pit, or wherever, for there is nowhere we can go that God isn't there already, waiting for us.

Christmas — it's all about Jesus, and our personally encountering Him. He is sacrificing love, He is grace, He is our redemption, He is our peace. Now that Christmas is past, if that has not yet been your experience, pause, and like Isaiah, turn from yourself to Him. He is still waiting to be born in you. And for us who have had this encounter, let's remember with rejoicing, and ask Him to kindle anew the fire of His Spirit within us. Any day can be a "Merry Christmas"!

Prayer: Father of mercy and love, thank You for sending Jesus into our personal world! Enable us to ask Him in to be our Lord and Saviour, and send us Your Spirit to enable us to live in the hope and joy of Your kingdom. In His name, we pray. Amen.

While in my early 20s, I was a nominal Christian. I went to church, but did not know Jesus as One Who died to save me from my sins and give me a "wonderful new relationship with God". Briefly, I worked for a company in Toronto, Canada, that did repairs for ships on the Great Lakes. One day, a section of a propeller shaft had to be straightened slightly. It was a heavy piece of solid steel about eight feet (2.5 metres) long and one foot (30 centimetres) in diameter. The operator suspended it on two rope slings in a press that put great pressure on the shaft to take out the warp.

Joining the other workers, I watched the gauge needle slowly vibrate its way up to a pressure of 600 pounds per square inch. Suddenly, a voice spoke in my mind — neither male nor female — with just a terse, one-word command: MOVE! A second voice instantly followed the first, a kind of wheedling voice that told me, Don't move! You'll look stupid if you move! Nobody else is moving! Don't!

Inside, though, I knew that I had to move, and I did — about ten feet (three metres) away. Seconds later, one of the rope slings broke, and the propeller shaft was launched like a missile from the press. Amazingly, the second sling held and the shaft swung back in an arc until it crushed the operator against the machine. He survived, although with multiple serious injuries. Had I not moved, the shaft would have hit me first and hurled me onto the back of a truck that was loaded with copper piping, on which I would have been impaled.

Why did God graciously warn me and spare my life? He had a plan for my life — as He does for yours. In my experience, I have found two truths that I hope will both warn and encourage us:

• Does our enemy, Satan, exist? YES! He spoke to me in that second voice. What did he hope for me? His desire was simply that I stay and die about five seconds later. Jesus said, "The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy." (John 10:10a NLT)
• Does God exist? YES! He chose to warn me, and He did so even while I was still his enemy! Such is His grace and boundless love, not just for me — I'm not special — but for you as well. And why? So that we will invite Jesus to be our Lord and Saviour. Then, "we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God." Thank You, Jesus!

Prayer: Father, by Your Holy Spirit, allow us to see Your love for us in every way that You work in our lives, no matter how small. Build our faith, and give us the desire and strength to follow You. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

Recently, at our Thursday evening prayer meeting, we were praying for the people of our community and the surrounding area. Pastor Mark has been introducing himself to many of them, but he wonders whether they see their need for a Saviour. Bill then quoted a passage from Job, which spoke to us — as God's Word always does! — and which can give us all some food for thought, now and each day.

In Job 22:17-18a, Eliphaz, while referring to evil men, said to Job, "They said to God, 'Leave us alone! What can the Almighty do to us?' Yet it was he who filled their houses with good things." (NIV) I clearly remember the years when I was one of those to whom Eliphaz was referring! And so it is today where you and I live: so many people seek good feelings from Christmas decorations, reindeer, Santa, and all, but feel no need for a newborn King to be the centre of their lives. Not yet.

It was just like that at the first Christmas. Over two thousand years ago, several wise men arrived at Jerusalem after a long and arduous journey. They were seeking the newborn King of the Jews. But the priests and scribes, whom they consulted about His birthplace in Bethlehem, didn't bother to check out the good news about the long-expected Messiah. They felt no need.

We long to see revival in our society — it sure needs it! But let us ask God to start that revival right here in our own hearts, for, as Jesus said, "The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." (Matthew 26:41b NIV)

As Bill read further, Scripture continued to speak to us:

Job 22:21-26 – Submit to God and be at peace with him. … Accept instruction from his mouth and lay up his words in your heart. If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored: If you remove wickedness far from your tent and assign your nuggets to the dust, your gold of Ophir to the rocks in the ravines, then the Almighty will be your gold, the choicest silver for you. Surely then you will find delight in the Almighty and will lift up your face to God. (NIV)

Let us seek to draw close to God and to be light and salt to our neighbours. The Way hasn't changed since Job's time: submit, be humble in heart, accept instruction, feast on His Word, repent, and make our priorities right, so that God becomes our gold. His Spirit will gift us with delight, peace, and joy. As we lift up our faces to God, His light will shine through us.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, help us to seek anew the newborn King, Jesus, this Christmas, that we may know Your blessings, and by Your power and grace, live as beacons of light in this dark world. Amen.

For years, it has been a pattern. Evening comes, it's time to get ready for bed, and into my mind come memories and thoughts from the day or the past. Every one is tainted by hurt, and at its heart, by self-pity or my desire for self-justification. Then, with my mind in turmoil, comes the struggle to get to sleep.

In a recent Bible study, as we discussed the enemy's work of robbing us of peace, suddenly, Ted broke in, declaring, "Stop! Check inventory!" He gave counsel: he, you, and I — we have all faced trials and attacks. The hurt that these caused is very real, and our memories can recall the pain in all its intensity. But when old resentments and fears come up, the enemy is putting a wedge between us and God, robbing us of peace. So, first, let's stop! Just stop! And next, let's check our inventory! — God's promises in His Word, preserved for all His children, which includes us. When we are stung by hurt, we often forget that He has given us an inventory of words of comfort and wisdom, which speak to our very situation. What verses have we already memorized, because they touch us deeply? We need to think of them again. Would the anguish and the faith expressed by the psalmists remind us that we are not alone? His Word promises that the Lord "will never leave you nor forsake you." (Deuteronomy 31:6b and 8b NIV) How often I have needed to stop and remember that Jesus, in His death and resurrection, has already freed us from the power of the past, and we do not need to go back there again!

Paul's words in today's verse are not a suggestion that we try to hide in a never-never land of nice fantasies. It is instead a command and a divinely-inspired counsel to turn deliberately from old habits and patterns, and to rely upon what God promises and what Christ has done for us. Jesus said, "If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:36 NIV) He did. We are.

Prayer: Loving Father, help us to turn, in Your strength, from old patterns to find new life in Your words, and thus, to grow each day to be more like Your Son. Amen.

John 15:5 – I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (NIV)

Our Bible study group meets in the evening, down in a large basement room at our rural church. There is a row of small windows in the room, but in the depth of winter, the only light from outside is the twinkling of stars on a cloudless night. Two of the ceiling lights were out, and for several weeks, I meant to bring replacement bulbs and change them. Finally one night, I did remember, and I looked forward to the extra light that they would give. I replaced the first one, but to my surprise, the new bulb didn't work; neither did the second.

It was only then that it occurred to me to check the source of their power. Sure enough, after finding and flicking a well-hidden switch out in the hallway, they both came on. They had always been on a different circuit from the others in the room.

We had a laugh about the simple solution to the problem and went on to talk about our own need to check the source of the spiritual power that we require to live each day. It is so natural to try to plow through a day in our own strength. However, Jesus made it abundantly clear not only that He wants to be our Source, but also that He is the only source who gives us life … and truth … and the way.

When I first became a Christian, John 15:5 troubled me: "apart from me you can do nothing." Did He really mean "nothing"? But over the years, the Holy Spirit has helped me to discover the truth of Jesus' words. Just as a branch cut off from a vine withers and dies, so you and I cannot find real life if we are not connected to the right Source. There's no false humility in saying, "Yes, Jesus, apart from You, I can do nothing."

Prayer: Father, we thank and praise You for loving us so much that You sent Jesus into our world. Help us each day to be and to stay connected to Him, the one true Source of life. Amen.

Imagine the scene that day: Jesus, the Man who did miracles and spoke powerfully — unlike any other — was making His way down the street, surrounded by His disciples and a noisy, jostling crowd. Everyone was trying to get close to Him, to be seen with Him, to hear His words, or ask a question. In the dust and commotion, the woman just hoped to touch the outer hem of His robe. She was seemingly so insignificant in that whole chaotic scene, unnoticed — except by Jesus.

Do you remember about the day when the blind beggar, Bartimaeus, met Jesus?

Mark 10:46-52 – Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (that is, the Son of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called to the blind man, "Cheer up! On your feet! He's calling you." Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. "What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked him. The blind man said, "Rabbi, I want to see." "Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road. (NIV)

Here also we find weakness, faith, and hope, face to face with the Saviour.

These incidents touch us, I believe, in their revealing how Jesus responds to faith, and to those who humbly seek. No one is insignificant to Him.

Perhaps for many of us, our contributions to and work for God's kingdom may seem to be insignificant in the big scheme of things, or in the monotony of daily life. However, Jesus' call to us is to be faithful. Even if our circumstances may be limiting, we can pray, and maybe, there are yet little ways that we can share God's love and the gospel with family, friends, neighbours, strangers, or even enemies. In little things and details, people can see, and wonder, and be moved by the Holy Spirit. As the Lord said, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." (Matthew 25:40 NIV)

Prayer: God of grace and mercy, fill our weakness with Your strength, and give us faithful hearts that we may "not grow weary while doing good" (Galatians 6:9a NKJV). We ask this in Jesus' precious name. Amen.

In our Bible study group, we were reflecting on the reality of the temptations that we face as we seek to live Christ-centred lives. During the discussion, Ted offered some down-to-earth wisdom: "The birds are going to fly in and out, but do we let them build a nest while they're in?"

Here in Canada, we have a number of birds, such as the barn swallow, which use the overhanging parts of buildings as sheltered locations for their nests. Every day, they fly in and out. So do the temptations that we encounter each day, but do we give them a home? Do we allow them to "build a nest" and stay?

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus cautioned His listeners (and us) about the danger of focusing our eyes too long, too often, on what is unhealthy for us. The temptations that you and I face may be big or seemingly small and insignificant. However, if we let our eyes (and then our thoughts) concentrate upon what is of the realm of darkness in this life, we will become used to and increasingly accepting of the presence of this darkness in our own lives. In the growing darkness, it is so much harder not to stumble and fall. The "nest" is being built.

Jesus said that "the eye is lamp of our body". Upon what do we focus our attention each day? Our Father of grace doesn't leave us to stumble along on our own, though. His Holy Spirit, gifted to us when we ask Jesus to be our Saviour and our Master, is that inner voice and nudging, reminding us of right and wrong. Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12 NIV 2011) The apostle Paul gives us wise counsel: "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things." (Philippians 4:8 NIV 2011)

In your life and mine, temptations will "fly in". May we remember and encourage each other to keep our eyes healthy by fixing them on Jesus and the truth of His Word.

Prayer: Father, thank You for never leaving us to walk alone. We pray, in our weakness, for Your strength, to focus our vision not upon the world, but upon Jesus. Amen.