*Christmas is the centre piece of time. Everything we measure time wise is before Christ of After Christ.. (B.C or A.D)

Every thing centres on Jesus. 

‭‭Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews‬ ‭13:8‬ ‭

To save Israel God sent Moses and Joshua. But to save us He sent nobody, He came Himself.!! 

Jesus Christ the Son of God ,He in person came for you and came for me. 

Jesus was born as  Saviour. 

Jesus was born as King. 

No body made Jesus a King He was born as a King, not as a Prince one day would become a King... Jesus was born a King.. The King of kings and The Lord of Lords.. 

Isaiah and psalmist prayed.. 

‭‭Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you! Isaiah‬ ‭64:1‬ ‭

‭Part your heavens, Lord, and come down; touch the mountains, so that they smoke.Psalms‬ ‭144:5‬ ‭

He came down 2000 years back. His arms are wide open.. 

Immanuel .. God with us.. 

Blessed day with Jesus. 

*selected

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life .John 3:16.

 

*There is a difference in presents and presence. The story is told of a little boy wishing for one thing at Christmastime—something from his Daddy who was serving in the military in Southeast Asia. Hearing a knock on the door, the little boy rushed to open it and there stood his father. He didn’t ask, “Daddy, what did you bring me?” He threw his arms around the father’s neck and said, “Oh Daddy, this is the best Christmas present I’ve ever had!” His father’s presence.

We don’t usually think of a person as a gift, but actually interpersonal relationships are the most valued and cherished gifts of all. The Bible teaches that God gave a Person as a gift to every one of us, and that Person is Jesus Christ.

Christmas is a time when people focus on folklore and gift giving, but Christmas is actually a glorious reality, not a myth, not a tradition, not a dream. It is a time of joy. What happened in Bethlehem that marvelous night became the link that bound a lost world to a loving God. From that manger came a Man who not only taught us a new way of life, but offered us eternal life in His presence. God loves us so much that He was willing to give His Son Jesus to a lost world, to redeem a people for His own. 

*Billy Graham 

 

Here is an incident from the life of Leo Tolstoy, the  novelist.

Leo Tolstoy was walking along the street. He saw a poor beggar on the way. The poor man stretched out his hand to Tolstoy, expecting something. He searched the pockets to find something to give this man. But they were empty. He put his hands on the poor man's shoulders.
Tolstoy said..
"Don't be angry with me my
brother, I have nothing to give you."

Suddenly, the man began to cry
out of joy. He said, “But you called
me brother - that is a great gift. It has made me so happy that no amount of wealth will be equal to it. It is strong enough to keep
me alive for many years."

To the loved, a word of affection is a morsel, but to the love-starved, a word of affection can be a feast.....

* 

Can we give a gift of words of love and compassion to the needy? 

That will be a great gift we can give... 

Let us follow the foot steps of Jesus Christ... 

May this season be  time of showing love to others.... 

📖

For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,  saying: “I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.” Hebrews‬ ‭2:11‭-‬12‬ ‭

 

*A Guy Named Bill

His name is Bill. He has wild hair, wears a T-shirt with holes in it, jeans and no shoes. This was literally his wardrobe for his entire four years of college. He is brilliant. Kinda esoteric and very, very bright. He became a Christian while attending college.

Across the street from the campus is a well-dressed, very conservative church. They want to develop a ministry to the students, but are not sure how to go about it. One day Bill decides to go there. He walks in with no shoes, jeans, his T-shirt, and wild hair. The service has already started and so Bill starts down the aisle looking for a seat.

The church is completely packed and he can't find a seat. By now people are looking a bit uncomfortable, but no one says anything. Bill gets closer and closer and closer to the pulpit and when he realizes there are no seats, he just squats down right on the carpet. (Although perfectly acceptable behavior at a college fellowship, trust me, this had never happened in this church before!) By now the people are really uptight, and the tension in the air is thick.

About this time, the minister realizes that from way at the back of the church, a deacon is slowly making his way toward Bill. Now the deacon is in his eighties, has silver-gray hair, a three-piece suit, and a pocket watch. A godly man, very elegant, very dignified, very courtly. He walks with a cane and as he starts walking toward this boy, everyone is saying to themselves, You can't blame him for what he's going to do. How can you expect a man of his age and of his background to understand some college kid on the floor?

It takes a long time for the man to reach the boy. The church is utterly silent except for the clicking of the man's cane. All eyes are focused on him. You can't even hear anyone breathing. The people are thinking, The minister can't even preach the sermon until the deacon does what he has to do. And now they see this elderly man drops his cane on the floor.

With great difficulty he lowers himself and sits down next to Bill and worships alongside him so he won't be alone. Everyone chokes up with emotion. There seems to not be a dry eye in the entire congregation.

When the minister finally gains control he says, "What I'm about to preach, you will never remember. What you have just seen, you will never forget."... 

🌲🌲🌲🌲⭐ 🎈🎈🎈🎈

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.John 1:14

Jesus Christ came in to this world to save sinners. 

We Rejected Him.. He Revelled in us

We forgot Him.. He remembered us

We moved away from Him.. He came closer to us. 

We said "no room".. He said in my Fathers house there are many rooms for you.... 

O what a love... Jesus loves you!!!!His Name is, Emmanuel.. God with us.. 

What a friend we have in Jesus..... 

Jesus is the reason for the season... 

Blessed day..... 

* selected...Rebecca manley pippert

 

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.Luke 2:10‭-‬11

Great Joy for all the people*
1)Ordinary people.
In those days Shepherds were treated as common people. They suffered a lot in taking care of the sheep. Lived like nomadic people, staying outside their homes . They were poor people.
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 Luke 2:8‭-‬11

Yes the good news is for common men like shepherds

2) Wise men
The good news is not only for ordinary people or illiterate, but for intellectual or philosophers.
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”Matthew 2:1‭-‬2

 
They were learned people having much knowledge...

 
When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.Matthew 2:10‭-‬11

 
Yes the good news is for wise men or women.

3) Religious people.
The good news is for religious people who always spend their time in matters of religion. In prayer,good works, etc
And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.Luke 2:25

 Simon was Praising God..

 
So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,Luke 2:27‭-‬31

The gospel( good news) is needed for all.
For common men, the wisemen and for the religious... 

 
If you belong to any of above, this Joyful season be a time of receiving the greatest gift .

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, (Jesus Christ) that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.John 3:16

*selected

 

And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”Matthew 1:21 

*"Longing to leave her poor Brazilian neighborhood, Christina wanted to see the world. She was discontent with a home having only a pallet on the floor, a wash basin, and a wood-burning stove. And she dreamed of a better life in the city. One morning, she quietly slipped away, breaking her mother's heart. 

Knowing what life on the streets would be like for her daughter, Maria, her mother, hurriedly packed and set out to find her. She went into a photo studio to get one last thing, pictures. She sat at the photograph booth and closed the curtain and spent all the money she could on pictures of herself. And with her purse full of small, black-and-white photos, she boarded the next bus to Rio de Janeiro.

Maria knew Christina had no way of earning money. She also knew that her daughter was too stubborn to give up. When pride meets hunger, a human will do things that were before unthinkable. Knowing this, Maria began her search. Bars, hotels, night clubs, any place where the reputation for streetwalkers , she went to them all. And at each place, she left her picture taped on a bathroom mirror, tacked to a hotel bulletin board, fastened to a corner phone booth. And on the back of each photo she wrote a note. It wasn't long before both the money and the pictures ran out and Maria had to go home. The weary mother wept as the bus began its long journey back to her small village.

And it was a few weeks later that young Christina descended the hotel stairs. Her young face was tired. Her eyes spoke of pain, and  fear. Her laughter was broken. Her dream had become a nightmare.  Yet, the little village was, in too many ways, too far away. As she reached the bottom of the stairs on that fateful day, her eyes noticed a familiar face. She looked again, and there on the lobby mirror was a small picture of her mother. Christina's eyes burned and her throat tightened as she walked across the room and removed that small photo. Written on the back was this compelling invitation: "Whatever you have done, whatever you have become, it doesn't matter. Please come home".

And she did. And I want you to know that that's what the message of the gospel is all about. Did you know that the Bible says that, "Jesus Christ has come to seek and to save that which is lost"? And Jesus Christ is God's picture to us. Did you know that? The Scripture says, "If you have seen me, you have seen the Father". Jesus said that. Do you want to know what God is like? He's pictured in Jesus. Jesus is God, but He's a picture of who God is. And Almighty God sent His picture down here. It's taped on the podium of churches. It's heard on the dial of radio stations. It's seen in television christian programs. And on the back of the picture is this message: "Whatever you have done, whatever you have become, come home".

May this season be a time of repentance and turning back to God.. 

Jesus is the reason for the season... 

But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.I John 1:7‭, ‬9 

*selected

Preparing our hearts to share the Joy

 

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.James 1:17

⭐

God Loves you. Personally. Powerfully. Passionately. 

Others have promised and failed. but God has promised and succeeded. 

He loves you with an unfailing love. And His love can fill you and leave you with a love worth giving... 

⭐.. That's what love does. It puts the beloved before itself. Your soul was more important than His blood. Your eternal life was more important than His earthly life. Your place is more important to Him than His place in heaven. So He gave up His so you could have yours... Max lucado

⭐

Once in our world, a stable had something in it that was bigger than our whole world.".. C S Lewis

⭐

What can I give Him,

Poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd

I would bring a lamb.

If I were a Wise Man

I would do my part,

Yet what can I give Him?

Give my heart... christina Rossetti

⭐

So God throws open the door of this world — and enters as a baby. As the most vulnerable imaginable. Because He wants unimaginable intimacy with you. So vulnerable that His bare, beating heart could be hurt? Only the One who loves you to death."Ann Voskamp

⭐

All the Christmas presents in the world are worth nothing without the presence of Christ.".. David Jeremiah.. 

* The true story has been told of a believer Frederick Nolan, who was fleeing from his enemies during a time of persecution in North Africa. Pursued by them over hill and valley with no place to hide, he fell exhausted into a wayside cave, expecting his enemies to find him soon.

Awaiting his death, he saw a spider weaving a web. Within minutes, the little bug had woven a beautiful web across the mouth of the cave. The pursuers arrived and wondered if Nolan was hiding there, but on seeing the unbroken and unmangled piece of art, thought it impossible for him to have entered the cave without dismantling the web. And so they went on. Having escaped, Nolan burst out and exclaimed:
“Where God is, a spider’s web is like a wall,
Where God is not, a wall is like a spider’s web.”
There is no need to wonder how God will take care of you; just be assured that He will.

"The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!"

Psalms 34:7‭-‬8 

*selected

Be Joyful.. Be Thankful...

**I have everything I need for joy!" Robert Reed said. "Amazing!" I thought.

His hands are twisted and his feet are useless. He can't bathe himself. He can't feed himself. He can't brush his teeth, comb his hair, or put on his dress. His shirts are held together by strips of Velcro'. His speech drags like a worn-out audio cassette.

Robert has cerebral palsy.

The disease keeps him from driving a car, riding a bike, and going for a walk. But it didn't keep him from graduat­ing from high school or attending Abilene Christian University, from which he graduated with a degree in Latin. Having cerebral palsy didn't keep him from teaching at a St. Louis junior college or from venturing overseas on five mission trips.

And Robert's disease didn't prevent him from becoming a missionary in Portugal.

He moved to Lisbon, alone, in 1972. There he rented a hotel room and began studying Portuguese. He found a restaurant owner who would feed him after the rush hour and a tutor who would instruct him in the language.

Then he stationed himself daily in a park, where he distributed brochures about Christ. Within six years he led seventy people to the Lord, one of whom became his wife, Rosa.

I heard Robert speak recently. I watched other men carry him in his wheelchair onto the platform. I watched them lay a Bible in his lap. I watched his stiff fingers force open the pages. And I watched people in the audience wipe away tears of admiration from their faces. Robert could have asked for sympathy or pity, but he did just the opposite. He held his bent hand up in the air and boasted, "I have everything I need for joy."

His shirts are held together by Velcro', but his life is held together by joy.

Dear, are you worrying about your  circumstances, about what you don't have? 

Jesus is Enough.. Rejoice.... Worship Him... 

Blessed day!! 

*selected.. The Applause of Heaven. . 

max lucado

 

*On New Year’s Day, 1929, Georgia Tech played the University of California in the Rose Bowl.  The center for Cal was a player named Roy Riegels.

The game was a defensive battle with neither team finding any advantage until, late in the second quarter, Tech fumbled.  Roy Riegels scooped up the fumble and began heading to the end zone. 

The problem was that somehow Roy had become confused and started running toward the wrong end zone.  Finally, one of his teammates overtook him and tackled Roy just before he scored for the opposition.  Roy was inconsolable.

Cal was forced to punt and, wouldn’t you know it, Tech blocked the kick and scored a safety as the half ended.  The shocked California players headed for their dressing room amid the hoots and hollers of the jubilant Georgia Tech fans.

Once there, they took their assigned places on the benches in the center of the room – all except Roy who went to a corner and sank down with his head in his hands.

If you have played football, you know that a coach usually has a lot to say to his team during halftime.  That day, Coach Nibs Price was quiet.  No doubt he was trying to decide what to do with Roy.

When the timekeeper came in and announced there were three minutes before the second-half kickoff, Coach Price looked at his team and said, “Men, the same team that started the first half will start the second half.”

The players got up and started for the field, all but Roy.  He didn’t move.  The coach looked back and called to him.  The big center still didn’t move.

Coach Price then went over to where Riegels sat and said, “Roy, didn’t you hear me?  The same team that started the first half will start the second half.”

Riegels finally looked up, his cheeks shining with tears said, “Coach, I can’t do it.  I’ve ruined you.  I’ve ruined Cal.  I’ve ruined myself.  How can I face that crowd?”

Then Coach Price reached out and put his hand on the boy’s shoulder.  “Roy,” he said, “get up and go on out there.”  Then he added, “The game is only half over.”

Roy got up and went out and played.  Oh, how he played!  In fact, players on both teams later agreed that they had never seen a man play like Roy Riegels did in that second half.

 Lord Jesus has come to you and He puts His arm around your shoulders and says"

"My child the game is not yet over. Get up. Run.. and start again.. "

YOU MAY WELL HAVE MESSED UP IN THE FIRST HALF, BUT THE ONE WHO CALLED YOU IS NOT ONLY WILLING TO FORGIVE YOU –  GET UP AND GO ON.  THE GAME IS ONLY HALF OVER.

Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time...Jonah 3:1 

*selected

 

 

                    2023 October 19 (Real Story)

A small team carrying food and other gift items for the suffering, left a church from a foreign country.

The servant of God in that church was encouraging them.

They were met by a young man and his wife on the way.

How is your life? A member of the team inquired them.

We are in great trouble. During the Covid times, I lost my job. The young man answered.

A sister named Carol who was a member of that church asked him seeing the grief on his face.

“Can the servant of God pray for you?” When they agreed, the team got around them.

The servant of God prayed.

“God, you make the paralyzed to walk, gave hearing to the deaf. Jesus all things are possible with you. Be kind to this young man and give him a job…”

Ding…Ding…Ding…

Before saying Amen there was a ring on the young man’s phone.

“I apologize… I am not seeing spiritual things lightly, but may I attend to this call...?” The young man said.

The team which said “Amen” waited .. 

There was a great happiness on the face of the young man.

After two minutes he spoke.

“I got a job. It was a call from a company Thank you…”

The team which was standing by the road side glorified God.

…

Pray… Right now… Whatever be your need… May the name of God be glorified…

 "And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will. answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear." . Isaiah 65:24

 

2023 ഒക്ടോബർ 19(real story) 

വിദേശത്തുള്ള ഒരു സഭയിൽ നിന്ന് കഷ്ടപ്പെട്ടുന്നവർക്ക് ആഹാരവും മറ്റ് ഗിഫ്റ്റുകളുമായി ഒരു ചെറിയ ടീം പുറപ്പെട്ടു.

സഭയിലെ കർത്തൃ ദാസനും അവരെ ഉത്സാഹിപ്പിച്ചു കൊണ്ടിരുന്നു.

ഒരു യുവാവും ഭാര്യയും അവരെ വഴിയിൽ വെച്ചു കണ്ടു.

എങ്ങനെയുണ്ട് ജീവിതം? ടീമിലെ ഒരാൾ അവരോട് വിശേഷങ്ങൾ ചോദിച്ചു .

യുവാവ് മറുപടി പറഞ്ഞു. ഞങ്ങൾ ചില നാളുകളായി വളരെ പ്രയാസത്തിലാണ് .കൊറോണ കാലങ്ങളിൽ എൻ്റെ ജോലി നഷ്ടമായി. 

അവൻ്റെ മുഖത്തെ ദു:ഖം കണ്ട സഭയിലെ കാരൾ എന്ന സഹോദരി ചോദിച്ചു.

കർത്താവിൻ്റെ ദാസൻ നിങ്ങൾക്കായി ഒന്നു പ്രാർത്ഥിക്കട്ടെ? അവർ സമ്മതിച്ചപ്പോൾ ടീം അവരുടെ ചുറ്റും നിന്നു .

കർത്തൃ ദാസൻ പ്രാർത്ഥിച്ചു.

""ദൈവമേ അവിടുന്നു മുടന്തനെ നടക്കുമാറാക്കി, ചെകിടന് കേൾവി നൽകി, 

യേശുവേ അങ്ങേക്ക് എല്ലാം സാധ്യം. ഈ യുവാവിനോടു് കരുണ തോന്നി അവന് ഒരു ജോലി നൽകേണമേ......"""

ടിങ്.... ടിങ് ... ടിങ്...

ആമേൻ പറയുന്നതിന് മുമ്പ് യുവാവിൻ്റെ മൊബൈൽ ഫോൺ റിങ്ങ് ചെയ്തു..

" ക്ഷമിക്കണം... ഞാൻ ആത്മീയ കാര്യങ്ങളെ    ചെറിയ കാര്യമായി കാണുകയല്ല .'ഈ  ഫോൺ കോൾ ഒന്ന് അറ്റൻഡ് ചെയ്തോട്ടെ...' യുവാവ് പറഞ്ഞു

"ആമേൻ " പറഞ്ഞ ടീം കാത്തു നിന്നു.

യുവാവിൻ്റെ മുഖത്ത് വലിയ സന്തോഷം..

2 മിനിറ്റിന് ശേഷം അവൻ പറഞ്ഞു.

"എനിക്ക് ജോലി കിട്ടി. കമ്പനിയിൽ നിന്നുള്ള ഫോൺ കോൾ ആയിരുന്നു' നന്ദി ....

വഴിയരികിൽ നിന്ന ടീം ദൈവത്തെ മഹത്വപ്പെടുത്തി..

....

പ്രാർത്ഥിക്കുക ... ഇപ്പോൾ തന്നെ.... ആവശ്യം എന്തുമാകട്ടെ ... ദൈവനാമം മഹത്വപ്പെടട്ടെ....

അവർ വിളിക്കുന്നതിനുമുമ്പേ ഞാൻ ഉത്തരം അരുളും; അവർ സംസാരിച്ചുകൊണ്ടിരിക്കുമ്പോൾ തന്നെ ഞാൻ കേൾക്കും.യെശയ്യാവ് 65:24 

 

Billy Graham shared an incident in one of his  sermon... 

*Albert Einstein hopped aboard a train, heading for an out-of-town engagement.  As the conductor made his way down the aisle, stopping to punch tickets, the scientist began to rummage through his coat.  Then he looked in his briefcase.  He couldn’t find his ticket. 
 
When the conductor arrived, he leaned down and said, “Don’t worry, Dr. Einstein.  We all know who you are.  I’m sure you bought a ticket.”
 
The conductor continued to make his way down the aisle.  Before he moved on to the next car, he looked back and saw Einstein down on his hands and knees, still searching for his ticket.  He came back and said, gently, “Dr. Einstein, please don’t worry about it.  I know who you are.”  Einstein looked up and said, “I, too, know who I am.  What I don’t know is where I’m going.”
 
 
Late in the life, Billy Graham struggled with Parkinson’s.  He made fewer and fewer public appearances. 
 
One of his last ones was in Charlotte, North Carolina, where civic leaders hosted a luncheon in his honor.  Graham, perhaps for the last time, told the story about Einstein on the train.
 
Then he pointed out the new suit he was wearing.  He admitted that his wife, children, and grandchildren had all commented that he had begun to look a bit slovenly.  He had purchased the suit for two occasions.  One was for this luncheon.  The other was for his burial.
 
Billy concluded, “When you hear that I am dead, don’t immediately think of my suit.  Remember this: I know who I am, and I most certainly know where I am going.”.. 

The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.... Quote

What is the purpose of my life? 

Where I am going?? 

Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him for ever.

As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.Psalms 17:15

🎵🎵

In Christ alone, my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

Selected*

 

*Nadin Khoury was thirteen years old, five foot two, and weighed, soaking wet, probably a hundred pounds. His attackers were teenagers, larger than Nadin, and outnumbered him seven to one.

For thirty minutes they hit, kicked, and beat him.

He never stood a chance.

Khoury’s mom had recently moved the family to Philadelphia from Minnesota. She had lost her job as a hotel maid and was looking for work. In 2000 she’d escaped war-torn Liberia. Nadin Khoury, then, was the new kid in a rough neighborhood with a mom who was an unemployed immigrant — everything a wolf pack of bullies needed to justify an attack.

The hazing began weeks earlier. They picked on him. They called his mother names. They routinely pushed, shoved, and ambushed him. Then came the all-out assault on a January day. They dragged him through the snow, stuffed him into a tree, and suspended him on a seven-foot wrought-iron fence.

Khoury survived the attack and would have likely faced a few more except for the folly of one of the bullies. He filmed the pile-on and posted it on YouTube. A passerby saw the violence and chased away the bullies. Police saw it and got involved. The troublemakers landed in jail, and the story reached the papers.

A staffer at the nationwide morning show The View read the account and invited Khoury to appear on the broadcast. He did. As the video of the assault played on the screen behind him, he tried to appear brave, but his lower lip quivered. “Next time maybe it could be somebody smaller than me,” he said.

Unbeknown to him the producer had invited some other Philadelphians to appear on the show as well. As the YouTube video ended, the curtain opened, and three huge men walked out, members of the Philadelphia Eagles football team.

Khoury, a rabid fan, turned and smiled. One was All-Pro receiver DeSean Jackson. Jackson took a seat on the couch as close to the boy as possible and promised him, “Anytime you need us, I got two linemen right here.” Khoury’s eyes widened saucer-like as Jackson signed a football jersey and handed it to him. Then, in full view of every bully in America, he gave the boy his cell phone number.

From that day forward Khoury has been only a call away from his personal bodyguards. Thugs think twice before they harass the kid who has an NFL football player’s number on speed dial.

Pretty good offer. Who wouldn’t want that type of protection?

God gives you the same promise. In fact, the writer of Hebrews quoted the words in his epistle:

For [God] has said, ‘I will never leave you or forsake you.’ So we can say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?’ — Hebrews 13:5-6 

Jesus Christ is our beloved friend in need.. 

Call unto His Name.... 

🎥🎥

  Video of the above.. 

https://youtu.be/_O4eipeoh78?si=qOl9N9jezxsajs6r

*selected

 

Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran. So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.Genesis 28:10‭-‬12 

*Jacob’s story is a testimony to divine, unexpected, unrequested, undeserved kindness.

Do you know such grace?

God’s grace isn’t only as good as you are. God’s grace is as good as He is.

God’s grace isn’t available just on Sundays. It claims every tick of the clock.

He set out from Beersheba to go to Mesopotamia (modern-day Turkey): 550 miles.

In the first two days he traveled forty-three miles from Beersheba to Bethel, a barren moorland that lay about eleven miles north of Jerusalem. 

Jacob turned his pillow into a pillar and renamed the place of his pain. The stone pillow, a symbol of all he lacked, became a holy pillar, a memorial to all he found. The land was a windswept badland no longer. It was a place of God.

What is your version of a stone pillow? What reminds you of mistakes you’ve made, things you’ve lost? 

What is your version of a desert? 

An empty house? A hospital room? Or loneliness? 

The promise of Jacob and Bethel is this: the Lord is in the wilderness, in the despair, in the misery, mess, and mayhem, and in broken hearts. 

God will meet you in this unwanted and unwelcome waypoint. With his help your pillow will become a pillar; your barren land will become a place of worship. God will speak, angels will come, and you will soon declare: “The Lord is in this place, and I did not know it."

When you are at your lowest, God is watching over you from the highest. 

May this day be a day of your encounter with God.. With prayers...... 

🎵🎵

Nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!
E'en though it be a cross that raiseth me,
still all my song shall be,
nearer, my God, to thee;
nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!

2. Though like the wanderer, the sun gone down,
darkness be over me, my rest a stone;
yet in my dreams I'd be
nearer, my God, to thee;
nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!

3. There let the way appear, steps unto heaven;
all that thou sendest me, in mercy given;
angels to beckon me
nearer, my God, to thee;
nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!

4. Then, with my waking thoughts bright with thy praise,
out of my stony griefs Bethel I'll raise;
so by my woes to be
nearer, my God, to thee;
nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!

5. Or if, on joyful wing cleaving the sky,
sun, moon, and stars forgot, upward I fly,
still all my song shall be,
nearer, my God, to thee;
nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!

*selected.. Max lucado