ArtistInChrist.com

Where It's All About God

No matter what we are going through there is Always Hope in Christ. He is always there for us and feels our hurt and pain. He understands and reaches out to help us and give us hope if we trust Him. Christ promised that in life there would be trials and tribulation even persecution for following Him. In Christ though we have the Victory and an Everlasting Hope, because He has Overcome the world and is in Control of Everything.

John 15:18-21
“If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you. They will do all this to you because of me, for they have rejected the One who sent me.”

John 16:33
“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

Hope when you don’t understand
God’s ways are always what is best for us. He knows what He is doing. He knows the past and the future and even though we may not understand and in some cases may never understand we must trust Him. Keep following where God leads. Pray and give everything over to God. Lay it at His cross. Trust Him and be still and know He is God and will work everything out. [Romans 8:28 - And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.] Right now you may not understand or see a way out, but with Christ there is Always a way out and Hope. We can only see a part of the picture, but He can see the whole picture. He knows everything and our trials will end when they are supposed to. Rest in His arms. He is always there with His arms open wide calling you to rest in Him. One day you will be able to look back and see that it was for your good and how you grew from it.

Hope when things don’t go the way you planned
Life is unpredictable. It doesn’t always go the way we would like it to, but if our hope is in Christ we know that there is nothing that can happen that we can’t handle with Him. We plan things one way and then plans get changed. Remember that if our life is in Gods Hands He is the one that plans our steps. [Proverbs 16:9 - We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.] He guides us in the right direction and the best way to do things, even if that requires us to go through trials. They are there for us to grow.

Hope when tragedy happen
When bad things happen it is easy to loose hope. You can’t see how it could be good in any way. If we give it to God though, He can work a miracle and make something good come from it. [As Joseph said: Genesis 50:20 - You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good...] Sometimes bad things happen in life. We can’t control them, but God gives us hope. Hope to get through them and hope to move on. We live in a world full of sin and slowly slipping away from Christ, but if you put your hope and trust in Christ he will help you through.

Hope when you sin
We were born as sinners and therefore apart from God. God is Holy and can’t look upon sin. He hates sin, but He also loves us that is why He sent His son to die in our place for our sins. When we sin especially when we sin intentionally we can easily fall into shame and guilt over it. Yes we should be remorseful over our sin, but not to the point that it keeps us from returning to God. The devil likes to make us feel so guilty and shameful over our sin so it keeps us from God. God sent His son to take our place. He took our sin on himself. [As Paul said: 1 Timothy 1:15 - This is a true saying, and everyone should believe it: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--and I was the worst of them all.] [Psalm 103:12 - He has removed our rebellious acts as far away from us as the east is from the west.] So when we sin and His spirit convicts us we need to turn to God and ask for His forgiveness. He will forgive us and help us to resist temptation. He will restore our relationship with Him and continue to guide us. He loves you and won’t hesitate to forgive you if you ask. Return to Him and let Him help you. He is good at taking our messes and making beauty out of them. Give Everything over to Him and watch Him work miracles. No matter what He can make beauty out of Anything.

Hope when you just want to give up
When we go through testing times it is easy to feel like giving up. Giving up can seem very appealing at times. It may seem like the easy way out to not fight anymore. If we give up though God can’t work through us and help us. Christ is Always there reaching out to you. [Matthew 11:28 - Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest."] He came to us and then died for us. He was tortured and mocked for us. He went through the pain of the cross for us and left His spirit here for us to guide us and help us through life. He doesn’t and will Never give up on us so we shouldn’t give up. Trust Him and hold on to Him. Lay it in His hands and look to the cross. He is there for you. Let Him hold you. He will listen and help you. Just trust Him, simply trust Christ. That is all he asks, is for us to trust Him.

Hope when you are afraid
Being afraid is a natural human response to fear. We instantly want to run when we see something that might cause us harm or take us out of our comfort zone. But in Christ we need not fear anything. [Mark 5:36 - But Jesus ignored their comments and said to Jairus, "Don't be afraid. Just trust me."] Christ has overcome this world. He overcame death. He created the world and everything in it. He is the beginning and the end. He is in Control. Nothing is out of His hands. Next time you are afraid, trust Christ, look to Him for Hope and let Him give you the strength and peace to overcome your fear. [John 14:27 - "I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid."]

We can also look to His Word for Hope. Throughout the Bible there are lots of stories of hope. That is why we have it, to give us hope, encouragement, and help us grow in Christ. [Romans 15:4 - Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. They give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God's promises.]

God is always with us and offers us true Hope. We should rejoice when we go through trials and tribulations because He allows us to go through them so we can grow and mature in Him and learn to trust Him more and more. They are part of the process of becoming like Him. It is when we go through trials and testing times that we grow the most. He also uses them to test our faith, obedience, and reliance on Him. Stay true to Christ and let God give you strength and courage. Pray and pour your feelings out to God and praise Him for He is producing growth in you. Stay faithful to God and run the race of life with perseverance, always keeping focused on Christ and following Him to the end. [Hebrews 12:1-4 - Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.]

Through them He teaches us new things so we can help others. We also learn more about who God is as He reveals Himself more to us through the tough times. Trials also show us how much we need God and to lean on Him. We truly do need Him in Everything. Without Him we can do Nothing. We were made to lean on God and if we trust Him we will find true Peace and Hope. In Him Everything we need is found. Through them we learn to trust Him more. Because He knows all things and knows what is best for us, He knows the best path. It may not be the easiest path, but it is the best. Remember God will never give you or allow you to go through something that is more than you can handle. And God is Always with you even through the trials of life. He will walk with you through them. He will never leave you and will help you through. He walks with us always, even when we don’t feel Him with us, He is there. Pray when you go through tough times and Trust Christ. God hears the cries of His children and will rescue you in His Timing. [Ecclesiastes 3:1 - For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.] He hears our prayers and understands our hurt. He will deliver us for through God all things our possible. [Mathew 19:26 - Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”] Look to Him, to His cross. He will raise you up again. He can turn your trials into joy and growth in Him if you trust Him.

Everyday we encounter challenges and we should rely on God to help us overcome them and also thank Him for them. [James 1:2-4 - Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.] [1 Peter 1:6-7 - So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while. These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold--and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.] When you find yourself in tough times, pray, rejoice, and trust Christ. Remember we have the Victory in Him.

Psalm 13:
O LORD, how long will you forget me? Forever?
How long will you look the other way?
How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul,
with sorrow in my heart every day?
How long will my enemy have the upper hand?
Turn and answer me, O LORD my God!
Restore the light to my eyes, or I will die.
Don’t let my enemies gloat, saying, “We have defeated him!”
Don’t let them rejoice at my downfall.
But I trust in your unfailing love.
I will rejoice because you have rescued me.
I will sing to the LORD
because he has been so good to me.

Psalm 121:1-3
I look up to the mountains–
does my help come from there?
My help comes from the LORD,
who made the heavens and the earth!
He will not let you stumble and fall;
the one who watches over you will not sleep.

Philippians 4:13
For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need.

Hebrews 6:18-19
So God has given us both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can take new courage, for we can hold on to his promise with confidence. This confidence is like a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain of heaven into God’s inner sanctuary.

Hebrews 10:23
Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.

1 Peter 1:21
Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And because God raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory, your faith and hope can be placed confidently in God.

James 1:2-4
Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.

There is ALWAYS HOPE in Christ!!

GOD BLESS!

Ah, it’s that time of year again, Christmas. What comes to mind when you think of Christmas? The holidays, presents, family, decorations, Christmas trees, sales, joy, red and green, Santa, memories, etc.? Or do you think of Christ, Advent, the Star, the Manger, the Wisemen, Joseph and Mary, Angels etc.? Not that the first things I listed are bad, they are good, as long as we don’t forget the True meaning of Christmas. Christ’s birth, the day he came to earth in human form just like you and me. He became his Creation. God became Man. He did this to understand us, to show us His Great Love for us by dying on the cross and rising three days later, conquering death, to redeem us. He is our Redeemer, our Savior. REJOICE!!! CELEBRATE!!! Our Savior has come!! “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.“ John 3:16

Here is the Christmas story from the books of Matthew and Luke:

Matthew 1:18-25
The Birth of Jesus the Messiah
Now this is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Joseph, her fiance, being a just man, decided to break the engagement quietly, so as not to disgrace her publicly.

As he considered this, he fell asleep, and an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to go ahead with your marriage to Mary. For the child within her has been conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All of this happened to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet.

“Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
She will give birth to a son,
and he will be called Immanuel
(meaning, God is with us).”

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord commanded. He brought Mary home to be his wife, but she remained a virgin until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.

Matthew 2:1-12
The Visit of the Wise Men
Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We have seen his star as it arose, and we have come to worship him.”

Herod was deeply disturbed by their question, as was all of Jerusalem. He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law. “Where did the prophets say the Messiah would be born?” he asked them.

“In Bethlehem,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:

`O Bethlehem of Judah,
you are not just a lowly village in Judah,
for a ruler will come from you
who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’”

Then Herod sent a private message to the wise men, asking them to come see him. At this meeting he learned the exact time when they first saw the star. 8Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”

After this interview the wise men went their way. Once again the star appeared to them, guiding them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house where the child and his mother, Mary, were, and they fell down before him and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. But when it was time to leave, they went home another way, because God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

Luke 1:26-38
The Birth of Jesus Foretold
In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”

Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. “Don’t be frightened, Mary,” the angel told her, “for God has decided to bless you! You will become pregnant and have a son, and you are to name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

Mary asked the angel, “But how can I have a baby? I am a virgin.”

The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby born to you will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she’s already in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.”

Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant, and I am willing to accept whatever he wants. May everything you have said come true.” And then the angel left.

Luke 2:1-20
The Birth of Jesus
At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) All returned to their own towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, his fiancé, who was obviously pregnant by this time.

And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the village inn.

The Shepherds and Angels
That night some shepherds were in the fields outside the village, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terribly frightened, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news of great joy for everyone! The Savior–yes, the Messiah, the Lord–has been born tonight in Bethlehem, the city of David! And this is how you will recognize him: You will find a baby lying in a manger, wrapped snugly in strips of cloth!”

Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others–the armies of heaven–praising God:

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and peace on earth to all whom God favors.”

When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Come on, let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this wonderful thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

They ran to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. Then the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary quietly treasured these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their fields and flocks, glorifying and praising God for what the angels had told them, and because they had seen the child, just as the angel had said.

With all that goes on around the holidays, it is easy to forget the true meaning of Christmas. So as we celebrate with family and friends this Christmas remember what it is all about, the birth of Christ our savior.

HAVE A BLESSED CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR!!