Harvest Selah

Jesus made some massive claims. One of those claims is that he IS the Light of the World. He backed up those claims and then made huge claims about his followers. He said that Christians ARE the Salt of the Earth and that we ARE the Light of the World. Let’s Shine Bright!

The world is looking for a love that can be trusted, a love that will not fail. The Advent (arrival) of Jesus revealed that he is the love that we have been looking for. Let His love illumine and push out the darkness around you and in you.

Two Amazing Women respond with JOY as they understand the soon-to-be Advent of Jesus the Savior. There is exclaiming, proclaiming, and supernatural declaring regarding what the arrival of yet unborn Messiah would mean. We are meant to join them and Rejoice!

People speak a lot about PEACE at Christmastime. It seems to be at the top of the world’s wish list each year. We are meant to experience Peace with God, Inner Peace, and Peace with others. Good News! Jesus the Messiah can bring the gift of peace to where we need it most.

It’s the dark, darkest time of the year… This is true in the Northern Hemisphere as we race toward the Winter Solstice. Unfortunately, it is not just a seasonal reality across the globe due to the gloom of our sin. Good News! The Light of Heaven has come into our world to set us free!

The Apostle Paul writing from a jail cell (because of his faith in Jesus) reveals the secret of contentment. Mathematically we can understand it this way, there will be some things that need to be subtracted from our lives and there also will be some things that need to be added to our lives.

Reality - sin brings sadness, confusion, and hurt into our lives and our world. You may be in a dark time right now… but know this, if you are Christian, Jesus is right there with you! There is Hope and there is compassion, mercy, and forgiveness found in Jesus.

Welcome to Court — The Living God lovingly confronts his people with their sins. The people of Judah responded by proposing they just offer additional sacrifices. The Lawyer (Micah) tells the people what God wants, which is their obedience, their heart, and their love; rather than more religious acts. Give God your heart.

Many people view the future with fear and anxiety because of the uncertainty that surrounds it. Christians are to see the future differently because we know that our Eternal God and King has all things under his powerful authority. The Future is bright for the followers of Jesus.

Many people fear the future for multiple reasons. For the Christian, we can be filled with present-tense HOPE because our future is Bright! The Best is Yet to Come!

Leadership Matters! Truth Matters! When leadership and truth don’t matter to us, we can know that the consequences will be very real and painful. The Living God loves his people very deeply and he is not afraid to hold us to account when people are are mistreated or led away from him.

The Living God is a Provider. He does not take it lightly when people Covet and take from their “neighbor”. He will bring his perfect discipline to deal with those who mistreat and abuse others for their own selfish gain. His discipline may feel harsh but he loves to bring Hope to the hopeless.

Our God leads with Mercy and Grace. When people refuse His mercy and Grace they receive His Justice. God wants to break through to those with Hard Hearts. He is not afraid to speak firmly and directly to our Hearts to help us hear and respond to him.

Pay Attention to the Intentionality of Heaven. Our world only knows how to live in "reaction mode" to the circumstances around us. As Christ-followers we are to BE Intentional in the way we Love and Serve people.

We need examples, role models… heroes to follow. The Key is to carefully choose whom we follow and imitate. In the third letter from the Apostle John, we are given two Godly examples worthy of imitation and one example from which we should run.

The Truth Matters. The Truth is that Jesus Christ is God's Son who came for us (in the Flesh). As Christians celebrate the truth, we must remain on guard as many false teachers continue to pervert the truth.  

We (Christians) can have certainty in an uncertain world. We have the assurance of eternal life, answered prayer, victory over sin and satan, belonging to God, and that Jesus is the TRUE God. Jesus gives us real confidence despite the ever-shifting circumstances.

Christianity is an informed faith. Our heads and our hearts work together as we look at the evidence for the Savior. There are Three Witnesses that show up and testify on behalf of the person of Jesus - The Water, The Blood, and The Spirit.

Am I confident or living in fear? Am I honest or living a lie? Am I joyfully obedient to God or rebelling? Am I an overcomer of the world or hopelessly overwhelmed. The book of 1 John helps us to answer some of these questions.

God loves us more than we can imagine, and John tells us that we are to love others with that same kind of love. In fact, a way we can test whether we even know God is to look at how well we love others.

Followers of Jesus should be good at distinguishing the truth from the lies - the real from the fake. John gives us a sturdy practice that helps us in testing whether something is from God or if it opposes Him.

Faith in Jesus, love for other Christians, and obeying God’s commands are the major tests of true Christian faith. 

Incompatible - unable to coexist together. Being a Child of God is incompatible with practicing a sinful lifestyle. There will be struggle with sin until we stand completed in the presence of the Savior. According to the Apostle John, the person who “lives in” willful unrepentant sin is not a Christian.

Know Who You ARE. Remember Who You ARE. All Christians need regular reminders that we ARE the Children of God. We have been brought into the family of God, and as Children of God, we should increasingly resemble the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit through our obedience.