Good Tidings of Great Joy

Luke 2: 10-11 Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 

Last night I was chatting online with a friend from Honduras. He lives in an area of the city not far from where I lived during my year in Tegucigalpa, the capital. That side of town is known to be quite dangerous in places. I was asking him about about the safety of that area. He said it was about the same as when he first went there in 2001. When I told him that the reports I hear all tell how bad the city has gotten he had this reply: Man, it is the same as it has always been. The reason that people think it is worse is because the media only reports the bad things. They put gruesome crime scene photos in the papers that would not be put in the papers in the United States. The purpose is to be sensational because it makes a good story. No one, it seems, wants to read about good news. 

This world is indeed full of bad news. There is always another story about a murder, rape, or robbery. But for the Christian there is always good news. Our good news is that Jesus Christ came into the world to save us from our sins. We who believe in him are eternally set free from our sins through the His atoning blood on the Cross. We need never hang our heads in shame, fear, or doubt. No matter what happens in this life there is one thing that never changes. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Riches come and go and fame fades. Governments rise and fall. There will always be wars and rumors of wars. But the Christian has a constant hope. God will always be by my side and that is what gives me my joy. No matter what the papers say, there is good news today. Jesus Christ Lives!

Loving Jesus,

Sullivan Jones 

A Hiding Place

Psalm 32:7 - You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.

Isaiah 32:1-2 - Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment.

And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.

Corrie ten Boom, the holocaust hero, heard her father read these words as a small child. "What kind of hiding place?", she wondered. "What is there to be afraid of?" Later on the Nazis invaded their land and the atrocities began. She and her family began to hide Jews in their home and had a secret room built for times of search. At the families arrest it kept five people safely hid from the Nazis. All but one escaped arrest and lived through the war. 

But it was later in prison that Corrie found the real "Hiding Place." When she was alone in solitary, HE was there. When she was treated cruelly by the guards, HE was there. When she afraid, HE was there. Who is this HE? The only real hiding place. The best friend you will ever have. His name is Jesus. He is the one the prophet was speaking of when he said, "A man shall be as a hiding place ... the shadow of a great rock in a weary land." 

Corrie found out that neither her secret room nor her family could protect her. But she was never alone. Most of us will never be arrested for our faith, nor asked to endure what Corrie went through. But we all have our own struggles. Whatever they are today, you are not alone. Jesus, the rock of all ages, is nearby. He will be your shadow of comfort in a weary land. He is as close as the mention of his name. Call on him today. He will not let you down!

Trusting in Jesus,

Sullivan Jones 

God Knows Me.

Job 23:10 - He knows the way that I take ...

There are an unlimited number of ways that the enemy tries to creep into our lives. Like a lion, he is constantly on the prowl for a saint of God who has let his guard down. His tricks are not knew; they have worked since the beginning of time. A misconstrued word,  a misunderstood action, these are just a few of the things he will try to use to bring division among the body of Christ. According to Proverbs, "a word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver." Our words are powerful; we must guard them carefully.

We must also guard our minds and spirits. A second glance in the wrong direction may be all it takes to start a chain of events we will be sorry about forever. Never underestimate the weakness of our human frame. It will deceive us every time. We must constantly be in prayer to keep our spirits, hearts, and minds pure and free from the lust and enticements of this world. The flesh will never stop wanting what it can not have. The Spirit will never be satisfied when fed by the flesh. Its only satisfaction come from God alone. We must feed our souls daily with the word of God and prayer. This is the nourishment that gives us strength for when the enemy attacks.

God is  faithful to always deliver us in the hour of need. Whether it be personal temptation, attack from without, physical infirmity, or some other cause, it matters not. The devil's purpose is to make us discouraged enough to quit. The mature Christian can learn to sense when their is a trick of the enemy at work and act accordingly. The most improtant thing we can do is pray daily for ourselves and those around us that God will keep us safe from enemy attack. Ask him to grant us wisdom to understand when the devil is trying to reak havoc in our lives. Claim the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of Peace in your life and meditate on God's word.

The apostle Peter wrote that we must add to our basic faith in Jesus Christ, virtue, knowledge,  temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness and charity.We add these things to our lives through close communion with God in prayer, meditation, and Bible reading. The importance of this can never be overstated. Our salvation depends on it. How important is it? Peter said, "if you do these things you shall never fall." 

The word of God and prayer have the power not only to to bring us into the kingdom of God through salvation, but to keep us there as well. We must be careful to have a steady diet of them. Remember, the adversary is always around the corner.We must never be afraid of him for "greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world." At the same time we must be constantly alert and sensitive to the voice of God. His voice will keep us from many perils if we will but heed it. 


Trusting in Jesus,

Sullivan Jones