No Excuses

"Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming. "For [the kingdom of heaven is] like a man traveling to a far country, [who] called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. And likewise he who [had received] two gained two more also. But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord's money. After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. "So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them. 'His lord said to him, 'Well [done], good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord. 'He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them. 'His lord said to him, 'Well [done], good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord. '"Then he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, [there] you have [what is] yours.' "But his lord answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give [it] to him who has ten talents. 'For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' Matthew 25:13-30 NKJV

In light of what many believers feel is the nearness of the rapture of the Church on God’s calendar, I would hope our thoughts would turn to the question “are we truly ready to stand before the throne to give an account of our service?”  I suppose I could be best described as an extremely conservative investor. As far as my money goes, no risk is the best risk. Your first thought when reading this parable could be that it's a story of different approaches to investing, but as we have come to learn, there is usually much more than the obvious when studying God’s Word.

As always, context is the key to understanding any portion of scripture. Here, Jesus is teaching His disciples about the importance of watching for the coming of His kingdom.  At that point in time they thought that it was about to occur not understanding Jesus had yet to die, so Jesus illustrates that fact by telling this story. The master was going on a journey which would require him to be absent for some time, and during his absence, his servants would be required to administer his estate. In hindsight, we as a Church can see Jesus was painting a picture of the future in that He was going to leave this earth for a time and his disciples, as well as future believers would have the responsibility to administer His talents.

I think the first point we should consider here is that the servants were investing their masters talents, not their own. The message we as believers share is that of God’s grace to mankind and the love He has for us all in that He sent His only Son to die for our sins. Secondly, it is important to notice that the master knew his servants abilities, and as such, he only gave them what he knew they were equipped to handle. In other words, no task or responsibilities were asked of his servants that they would be unable to perform. He did not set them up to fail, but rather gave them everything they needed to succeed.

Eventually we find the master returns, and immediately he calls his servants to "settle accounts" with them. He was not content to just return to his estate and pick up where he left off, but rather wanted to examine the performance of his servants to see if they had fulfilled their responsibilities well. So I believe the third, and maybe the most important point is that if these servants knew their master, they should have known that they would be held accountable for their performance. I wouldn’t think they were at all surprised that he wanted to see how they had done in his absence.

Well, as we read, two of the servants performed up to their masters expectations. They "immediately" went to work with what they had been given, and were faithful to perform their duties. As a result, their investments produced results which according to their master, were not only acceptable, but worth a great reward. It is interesting to note as well that although the two were given different degrees of responsibility, their rewards were the same. The only thing the master required was "faithfulness". 

Now we look at the third servant. By his own admission, he was afraid to do anything but hide the talent. But what was he afraid of? His own master? Quite obviously it appears that the master did not agree with this excuse for he certainly chooses to spell out what he thinks of his servant. "Wicked and lazy"!  What a combination. These two words used together in the Greek describe someone who, by his very nature, is unwilling to put forth the effort to complete a task. So we have someone who not only is lazy, but tries to excuse his lack of effort by blaming someone else and making excuses. This servant receives his "reward" by having what he does possess taken away, and then he is cast out with others of his kind.

The message Jesus is giving us here is not too difficult to understand. Jesus is our master, and He has gone away to "prepare a place for us" and will soon return. In His absence, we have all, as believers, been entrusted with administering His estate. How do we do that? Most scholars agree that the "talents" are opportunities to share the gospel with an unbelieving world. Some of us are given more, some less according to our abilities, but the one thing He makes clear in this parable is that the only thing He requires of us is to be "faithful”. We are expected to take every opportunity He gives us to share the good news, and when He returns, there will be an "accounting". 

The only "risk" involved with this kind of "investing" is the failure to try. The results are up to God, not us. God will not put us in a position to fail by asking us to do more than we are able. The opportunities we experience are given by God, and well within our capabilities. If Jesus' return is as close as we think, maybe we should pay even more attention to the opportunities we find as we watch for His coming. When He returns and calls us for our accounting, will we hear the words "well done thou good and faithful servant"?  

When I read this parable, I am immediately reminded of my experiences as a youth when it was time for the “accounting” we all received periodically at school. I don't know about you, but I was one of those students who normally was absolutely terrified when the time arrived to receive my report card. I think some of my best work as a student revolved around constructing logical and convincing arguments for abolishing report cards, none of which bore any kind of fruit whatsoever.  That said, there is a perfect example of Jesus giving out report cards and it is found in the letters written to the seven churches in Revelation.

"And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, 'These things says He who is holy, He who is true, "He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens": "I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.” Revelation 3:7-8 NKJV

The seven letters to the churches of Revelation is exactly that, a report card of their success or failure to do God's will.  The church in Philadelphia was the only church in Revelation that Jesus had no complaint against. In other words, they got a passing grade! Why was that, and what exactly were they doing that the other churches were not?  I think we as believers should not only ask that question, but imitate what they were doing so that we won’t be placed in a position like the unfaithful servant in trying to make excuses for our unfaithfulness. 

" I know your works". The first thing Jesus tells them is that He knows of their works. The one thing a report card shows is what you are doing right, and what you are doing wrong. By mentioning their "works" first, I believe Jesus is telling them that this is the most important part of their success, and everything else follows as a result. 

"I have set before you an open door".The second thing Jesus says is that He has opened a door for them to walk through. As a youth pastor for many years, the one question I probably heard more than any other is "how do I know what God's will for my life is"? What I have told so many kids is this; in order to know what God's will for your life is, you need to be busy "doing" in order to find the open doors. So many believers simply sit still in one place waiting for something to happen before they take a step, when the key to finding an open door is to walk! 

"For you have a little strength". How strong do we need to be in order to be used of God? The Greek word for “little” used here is "mikros", which is where we get the word micro. An excuse I have heard a lot, and unfortunately used myself, is "I'm not strong enough to do that".  We as believers tend to think that the greatest accomplishments have to be performed by those with the greatest strength. I would argue that in this phrase we are told that is certainly not the case at all.  It's obviously not our strength that matters, rather God's strength that carries the day. What is required of us is to have just enough strength to "do", and God then opens the doors and does the heavy lifting.

"have kept My word, and have not denied My name".   I think what this phrase is telling us is that everything that is occurring in this church is a result of their faithfulness. They are busy "doing" with what little strength that they have, and remaining "faithful" to keep God's word and to give Him the glory. In some ways many believers might argue that what we are called to do, and what these verses teach, is really rather simplistic. The truth is, when I was young I knew what it would take to get a good grade on my report card. The problem was I had little interest in doing the work it would take to accomplish that. The believers in Philadelphia were willing to do the work and were commended for that.

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”  Ephesians 2:10 NKJV

If we are as close to the rapture of the Church as so many believe, don’t you think our thoughts should be on the accounting we are about to receive?  Before we even made the choice to believe, God knew that we would and prepared “works” especially for us and we will all stand before God and answer for how we managed His accounts with us.  Just as in the parable above, there is no excuse we can give Him which will He will accept.  While the Word of God makes it clear that no one will lose their salvation, we should all desire to receive the words “well done thou good and faithful servant”.

Of course, to be a faithful servant one must be a part of the Church, the body of Christ, and have accepted the gift of eternal life with Him afforded by His sacrifice in dying for our sins.  If you have never made the decision to accept that free gift I encourage you to do so today.  Simply ask God to forgive you of your sin based on your belief that Jesus died to pay the price for your sin, and turn over control of your life to Him.  You can do that right now by praying a prayer just like this one;

Dear Father in heaven, I believe in your son Jesus. I believe that He died on the cross for my sins, that He rose up from the grave, and that my sins are forgiven.  Forgive me of my sin, help me to walk with you, and thank you for saving me. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

If you have made the choice to accept His gift, look for any opportunity to share that good news when God gives you the opportunity to do so.  In that way you can be assured you will hear the words “well done”.

Keep watching.

We Can See the Day Approaching

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.Therefore comfort one another with these words.”  1 Thessalonians 4:16-18  NKJV

After the holidays are past and we enter a new year it seems reasonable to wonder what might transpire in 2026.  I recall that in my youth there were always predictions from so called “clairvoyants” who professed to know what would happen in the coming year.  I also recall that generally speaking they all failed miserably or predicted in such a broad manner that it was almost impossible to fail.  Yet as I consider the prophecies contained in the scripture which have a one hundred percent accuracy in their fulfillment, I can certainly speculate on what might occur in the coming year.

“So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years.And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.”  Genesis 5:23-24. NKJV

lāqaḥ: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away

harpazō: to seize, carry off by force, to seize on, claim for one's self eagerly, to snatch out or away.

It should not come as any surprise that, like many, I am eagerly waiting for the rapture of the Church.  Also, it goes without saying that many would also say that it is impossible to know the “day or the hour” when Christ will return in the air to call His bride home.  That said, if you compare the two words I chose to highlight from the passages above, one from the Hebrew and the other from the Greek, you can easily see the similarities of their definitions.  Enoch was certainly, in my opinion, a foreshadowing of the Church in that he was “snatched” away before the judgment of the flood just as the Church will be “snatched” away before the judgment of the tribulation period, the word snatched obviously implying a surprise event.

So right about now you are asking yourself if today’s subject is what might occur in the coming year, and many believe we can’t know the day or the hour of the rapture, where are you going with all of this?  My thoughts for today begin with a wonderfully amusing quote from the late Chuck Missler regarding the rapture of the Church when he famously said, “when you see the Christmas decorations going up, you know that Thanksgiving is near”.  He was, of course, referring to the coming tribulation and the preparations that must take place before it actually begins using Christmas decorations as a metaphor.  

“not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”  Hebrews 10:25. NKJV

Are you wondering why the word “Day” is capitalized here?  Examining this verse within the context of the complete passage it becomes clear that the day being referred to is Christ’s second coming at the end of this age, which in turn is preceded by the seven year tribulation.  Part of the definition of the word day is as follows; hēmera: "of the last day of this present age, the day Christ will return from heaven, raise the dead, hold the final judgment, and perfect his kingdom”.  So putting it all together, the author of Hebrews is telling believers that if they watch, they will be able to see events which will portend the coming tribulation period.

So the question for you is do you see the day approaching? Fortunately for me as a watcher, I am certainly not alone in believing that we can and are.  There are a great many others within the body who choose to watch as God has commanded us to do and they all see the exact same things that I am seeing.  I believe I am safe in saying that the consensus opinion of watchers today is that as Chuck Missler said, we see the decorations for the tribulation going up in an increasingly rapid frenzy.  It seems that the signs we are told to watch for are coming so fast and becoming so apparent, that even those who choose not to watch are realizing something in this world is amiss.

So to return to the question at hand, what do I believe may happen in the coming year?  Not only do I believe we will see even more signs of the coming tribulation, I am willing to go out on a limb here and say I think it is entirely possible, if not probable, that the tribulation will begin sometime in 2026.  Now obviously I could be wrong about this and I am certainly not predicting that it will definitely begin, yet it just seems inconceivable to me that this world can continue as it is for much longer before it enters that particular time in which the Bible speaks so much about.

That said, if we accept the possibility that this will be the case, then it also follows that there is another, more anticipated event that has to take place sometime before the tribulation begins.  I am, of course, speaking of the rapture of the Church.  However, if one wishes to experience that joyful occasion, you must be a member of Christ’s Church. If you have never made the decision to accept that free gift I encourage you to do so today.  Simply ask God to forgive you of your sin based on your belief that Jesus died to pay the price for your sin, and turn over control of your life to Him.  You can do that right now by praying a prayer just like this one;

Dear Father in heaven, I believe in your son Jesus. I believe that He died on the cross for my sins, that He rose up from the grave, and that my sins are forgiven.  Forgive me of my sin, help me to walk with you, and thank you for saving me. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Keep watching.

https://rev310.substack.com/p/2026-top-ten-prophesy-observations

https://harbingersdaily.com/we-are-the-convergence-generation-top-ten-bible-prophecy-stories-of-2025/

https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-35306783/documents/ece6c7bdce8a4742970687d415910dac/The%20End%20Is%20Near%20-%20Trumps%20Year%20End%20Push%20For%20Peace.pdf

https://rev310.substack.com/p/11-irrefutable-signs-we-are-in-the

Not Your Baby in a Manger

“So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.”  Mark 2:15-16. NKJV

If you were to ask someone, especially during this Christmas season, how they picture Jesus in their mind I expect many would say they see Him as a baby lying in a manger.  This is, of course, a beautiful picture of Jesus as He appeared when He first came to this earth on His mission to save the world from their sin.  We do know though, that He will return to the earth again and I think you may already understand there is a rather big difference in His appearance when He comes the second time.

“Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”    Revelation 19:11-16. NKJV

This picture of Jesus at His second coming is certainly not of your baby in a manger.  Rather we find a vengeful Jesus coming to this earth to make war on those who have chosen to reject Him. I have said before that when I encounter something unusual or out of the ordinary when studying scripture, it is usually Gods' way of making a point. Consider the following as an example. In the Old Testament, there occurs an unusual verse in the book of Zephaniah I want you to read. Why unusual? It is the only time in the entire Bible where every letter of the Hebrew alphabet is contained in just one verse. Can you guess what the subject of that verse is? That's right; Gods' coming judgment of this world.

"Therefore wait for Me," says the LORD, "Until the day I rise up for plunder; My determination [is] to gather the nations To My assembly of kingdoms, To pour on them My indignation, All My fierce anger; All the earth shall be devoured With the fire of My jealousy.”    Zephaniah 3:8 NKJV

Do you think it's possible God is trying to make a point here? Is it possible this verse is His way of emphasizing that making a decision to reject Him and His laws has only one result? We know that the time where all the nations of the world will be gathered spoken of here is at the end of the Tribulation. The Bible also makes it abundantly clear what the scope of that coming judgment is.

“That day [is] a day of wrath, A day of trouble and distress, A day of devastation and desolation, A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick darkness, A day of trumpet and alarm Against the fortified cities And against the high towers "I will bring distress upon men, And they shall walk like blind men, Because they have sinned against the LORD; Their blood shall be poured out like dust, And their flesh like refuse." Neither their silver nor their gold Shall be able to deliver them In the day of the LORD's wrath; But the whole land shall be devoured By the fire of His jealousy, For He will make speedy riddance Of all those who dwell in the land.”    Zephaniah 1:14-18 NKJV

Have you ever wondered why Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey at His first coming but rides a horse at His second coming?  It wasn’t until recently that I became aware of the fact that in ancient times, during times of peace a king always rode a donkey, but in times of war he always rode a horse.  Understanding that explains the fact that at His second coming Jesus is riding a horse, and that He is coming to make war.  God has seen enough, the time of Jacob’s trouble is about to be concluded, and Jesus Christ returns to put an end to all that the man of sin, Satan, and the false prophet have tried to accomplish in the last three and one half years.

“Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God “that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.” And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.”   Revelation 19:17-21  NKJV

While the Church is invited to partake in the marriage supper of the lamb with Jesus in heaven after the rapture, the kings of the earth and their armies are invited to be the main course at the end of the tribulation for the birds of the air!  I also hope you noticed that in these verses it appears that there is someone missing?  Although Satan chooses to indwell the antichrist at the midpoint of the tribulation, it would appear that he is quick to leave when judgment arrives.  In the Greek, the word translated capture carries within it the idea of pursuit and apprehension.  Can you just see these two running for their lives believing that somehow they can escape, only to be caught?  I can also see Satan coming out of the man of sin at that point thinking he too can keep on running while leaving the other two behind?  Not to worry though because no one escapes the judgment of God.

“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.”    Revelation 20:1-3  NKJV

We see the signs of that coming time all around us today, and as the Bible tells us, when you see the signs you know He is near. Standing up as believers and speaking out about what we see, and using that as an opportunity to affirm Gods' laws and expectations of His people will most certainly occasion a response accusing us of judging others. But we are not the judges because we only speak out about what we see. The responsibility to judge and pass sentence is Gods' alone and as we have seen in these passages of scripture, He has promised He will certainly fulfill that duty. 

The good news is that God is a forgiving God, and has promised to deliver anyone from that coming judgment by simply accepting His free gift of salvation and striving to follow His laws. As we watch society rapidly preparing itself for the tribulation, the conclusion that the rapture must be near is virtually inescapable.  As believers, we can rejoice and take comfort in knowing we have been promised an escape from that time of God’s vengeance on an unbelieving world.  May we never forget to give thanks to God for His gift of salvation to us through the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ.  

If you have never made the decision to accept that free gift I encourage you to do so today.  Simply ask God to forgive you of your sin based on your belief that Jesus died to pay the price for your sin, and turn over control of your life to Him.  You can do that right now by praying a prayer just like this one;

Dear Father in heaven, I believe in your son Jesus. I believe that He died on the cross for my sins, that He rose up from the grave, and that my sins are forgiven.  Forgive me of my sin, help me to walk with you, and thank you for saving me. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

May we be bold to share that good news with others in a spirit of love and forgiveness as we see the day approaching.

Keep watching.

The First to Know

“Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. "For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. "And this [will be] the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us." And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen [Him], they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard [it] marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered [them] in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.”

Luke 2:8-20 NKJV

As we prepare to celebrate Christmas this week, I wanted to revisit a subject I have always thought to be slightly ignored from the pulpits in many churches when teaching on the nativity, and that is the question why were the shepherds the first to know of Christ’s birth? To many, these words from Luke in the passage above are very familiar, yet I never tire from hearing or reading them. Of course, this story, like the rest of the Bible, has much to say if we but look a little deeper. Today I want to share just a few thoughts on shepherds, and a possible reason that God made the decision to announce the coming of His Son to them rather than kings or rulers.

In that part of the world, and in that culture, shepherds were considered to be the lowest of the low. It took no special talent nor education to be a shepherd, and their responsibilities were extremely simple ones. According to the Bible, a shepherd was expected to feed and protect the flock, (Ezekiel 34:2,12), and rescue them from any danger, (Amos 3:12). In ancient Egypt, shepherds were also considered to be unclean, and thus not allowed to live close by but rather made to dwell away from others.

"So it shall be, when Pharaoh calls you and says, 'What is your occupation?' "that you shall say, 'Your servants' occupation has been with livestock from our youth even till now, both we [and] also our fathers,' that you may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd [is] an abomination to the Egyptians."

Genesis 46:33-34 NKJV

Do you find it interesting as I do then, that some famous people in the Bible were shepherds? People like Joseph, Moses, and David? Of course, we can never forget that Jesus is referred to as a shepherd throughout the New Testament as well. However, even with all this to consider, I still often wondered why God chose to send the angels to announce the birth of His Son to the shepherds in the fields outside Bethlehem?

As I studied this question I discovered something that might explain God's reasoning, and give us an answer. You may recall that shepherds and their sheep were, as a general rule, made to dwell away from the general population. If you wanted to find them, they were well out in the country some distance removed from the city. Yet these particular shepherds were in the fields just outside of Bethlehem, which is only a few miles from Jerusalem. Why then were they so close? It is believed by many that these particular shepherds were tending to the flocks of sheep that were used for the temple sacrifices in Jerusalem. If that was the case, remember how John the Baptist refers to Jesus when he first sees Him.

“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

John 1:29 NKJV

I can't help but wonder if God wanted to tell the shepherds who were protecting the sacrificial sheep that the “Lamb of God” had been born and was in a manger just a couple of miles away? I couldn't help but notice too, that there was no hesitation on the part of the shepherds to leave their flock and run towards Bethlehem to see what the Lord had made known to them.  Of course, that could certainly be a result of seeing and hearing angels, yet I can't help but wonder if their responsibilities towards a lamb that had wandered away from the flock influenced their quick response.  In any case, knowing that the message they had received came from God Himself, they “came with haste” to find the Savior of the world.

As we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, I hope we remember that He was born to die, so that we can live. It was His ultimate sacrifice which allows us to make the choice to accept Him as our Savior, and become one of His sheep which He will soon take home to spend eternity with Him.

If you are reading this today and have never made the decision to allow Jesus Christ to come into your heart, and accept the free gift of eternal life He has offered you, I urge you to do so right now. You can do that by simply praying this prayer and accepting the gift of eternal life God has offered you by the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ.

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner and I believe You died for my sins. Right now, I turn from my sins and open the door of my heart and life to you. I confess You as my personal Lord and Savior. Thank you for saving me. Amen.

Keep watching.