Why Bethlehem?

Mic 5:2 But thou, Beth–lehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

There is nothing in Gods word that happens by chance. God has a plan for everything. The people involved, the location, and the timing is all things that are of importance for God. The Bible says, in the fullness of time, God sent forth his son. The time was carefully appointed and chosen by God. So were the people involved. Mary had found favor with God and was chosen to carry forth the Messiah. But what about the place of birth, Bethlehem? Why Bethlehem?
First of all, the very name Bethlehem means the House of Bread. Jesus was the Living bread coming down from heaven. It was also the place where Boas became Ruths kinsman redeemer, as an example of Jesus becoming our kinsman redeemer. Here was King David born, and Jesus was to become the son of David. Here Rachel gave birth to Benjamin. She died giving birth, and named him Benoni, meaning the son of pain. But Jakob renamed him to Benjamin, meaning the son of the Right hand. Jesus was first the son of pain on Calvary. Then he resurrected and became the son of the right hand.
But maybe the greatest reason why Jesus was born in Bethlehem was because that’s where the Shepherds were close by. These Shepherds was not just any kind of Shepherds. These were specialized Shepherds whose job was to find the perfect Lamb for the Temple sacrifice. Some historians have said that when a perfect Lamb was born, they put it in Swaddling Clothes to make sure it stayed clean and pure. When God told them to go see this baby, he said this you will have this as a sign. He will be wrapped in Swaddling clothes… It was almost as God sent them to examine and check that this Lamb of God was indeed spotless and perfect and ready to become our sacrifice. Not that there were any doubt, but this was the procedure to be kept. Tha Lamb needed to be approved by these Shepherds. 
How marvellous and mysterious Gods plan is.

Worship the Creator, not his creation

Rom 1:25Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

We live in a day and time where the worship of the creature have reached levels we have not seen before. Every day media, and social medias are flooded with pictures and videos of all the incredible things people and animals can do. We like, share and are wowed by all the small and big things people can accomplish. Look at this little boy, how he can play the piano. Look at this little girl how she can dance. Watch how this crazy man skiis down the mountainside, and how another do the same in the summer on a bike. Watch this dogs what we trained them to do, and on and on and on. IT seems our appetite for videos and pictures that can amaze and wow us from Gods creation is unlimited.

But when were the last time you allowed God to Wow you? When were the last times you looked at his creation and were amazed at his power and handiwork, and it caused you to worship him? When were the last time he revealed himself to you in the word, and you saw his unbelievable wisdom and plan unfolded before you, leaving you speechless?

I don’t think God is against us being impressed by one another and what we can do. But our adoration, and worship only belongs to God. Whatever people can do is something God made them able to in the first place.

Protect your joy

Because joy has withered away from the sons of men… (Joel 1 12)

      Joel chapter one is painting a depressing picture of a nation that had lost everything. Their crop had been attacked from so many different sources, till the point that they had lost it all. V 10 says “ The fields are ruined, the ground is dried up; the grain is destroyed, the new wine is dried up, the olive oil fails.” He then goes on to say that ALL the trees of the field are dried up. What had caused this tragedy? How could all this happen? In v 12 he says; “because JOY has withered away from the sons of men….”  Whether the lack of joy was the cause of it, or the result of it can be debated of course. However the truth still is that the Joy of the Lord is our strength.
I believe that the enemy is trying all he can to steal and destroy our joy. Don’t let anything steal your joy. Don’t let anything stop your worship and song. If you loose your joy, you will loose your strength, and then you will be an easy target for the enemy. Even if I find myself in the darkest situation, like Paul and Silas, still I will sing, and nothing shall steal my joy!

Stir up my nest

     Deut 32:11 like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads wings to catch them and carries them aloft.

     When the eagle builds its nest, it builds it as high up as possible. The nest is built with sharp and sticky branches that are covered with soft moss from the ground and its own feathers. When its eaglets is getting close to the time they should learn how to fly, the eagle mother start to stir up the nest, throwing out all the comfortable moss and feathers, exposing the sharp and uncomfortable sticky branches. At the same time, the eagle father is hovering over the nest, watching it all. As the nest is getting more and more uncomfortable, the eaglets are being forced to leave the nest, and while they fall down, trying to fly, the eagle father are making sure they will not hurt themselves, if they fail the attempt to fly. 

     God is using this example to tell Israel how he led them from Egypt and to the Promised Land. He was saying that all the trials in Egypt was him stirring up the nest, forcing them to leave the comfort of Egypt, and to spread their wings. While he was watching over them all the time, and helping when their faith failed them.

     Sometime we go through trials we don’t understand. Maybe its God stiring up our nest? Hoping we will take the jump to spread our wings? We are the church of the living God. We are meant to fly. Not to find ourselves in a comfortable nest somewhere. Are you flying? If not, maybe you are reaching the time when God will stir up your nest? Don’t be afraid. Your Father is hovering over your nest, to pick you up if you fail.

Dont multiply the horses

Deut 17:16But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the Lord hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.

This was one of three commandments in the royal law that God gave to the future Kings of Israel. Don’t multiply the horses, don’t multiply the silver and gold, and don’t multiply women to yourself. Horses represented military power. So in Gods wisdom he knew the three things all leaders fall for. Power, money or women. 

There are three reasons why you don’t need to multiply the horses in your life. 

Nr1) The prophet was called the chariot of Israel and the  horsemen thereof…
What you need in your life is not horses. You need a man of God

Nr 2)Psalm 20:7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.

What you need in your life is not horses. You need the name of the Lord

Nr 3)

God promised that we should receive POWER after that the Holy Ghost came upon us.
What you need in your life is not horses. You need the Holy Ghost

If you have a man of God in your life, and if you have been baptized by water and by Spirit, you have all the power you need.

Dont stop

1 Sam 20:38And Jonathan cried after the lad, Make speed, haste, stay not. And Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows, and came to his master.

This was a decoded message to David that was hiding behind a rock. The message was clear. Run, and don’t stop. DON’T STOP. It was the same message that was given to Lot and his family. Run to the mountains, and don’t stop. In the first story, David is running from a backslidden religious leader. In the second story, Lot and his family are running from Sodom, a picture of the world. Whatever brought you to the truth, whether from a fallen church or directly from the world, the message is the same; don’t stop! 

The Devil only has one agenda. To him, it’s not over when you became born again. To him it’s not over when you gave your life to Christ. He knows he still have a chance, if he can stop you before you cross the finish line. So, today, remind yourself that to quit is not an option. DON’T STOP!

When they climb Mount Everest, and they got close to the top, there is one important rule. Stick together and keep moving, and don’t stop. Because of the height, because of the temperature, and because of the altitude, the danger of stopping is higher than any before. This is also true in a spiritual sense. The higher we get, and the closer we get to the coming of the Lord, the more dangerous it is to stop. We have to encourage one another to keep moving. If you see someone stopping up, give them a gentle push and remind them; hey, we are almost there. DON’T STOP now.

WAKE UP

Matt 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.2  And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.3  They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:4  But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.5  While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.

They ALL slumbered and slept. It seems like the closer we come to the coming of the Lord, its harder and harder to stay awake. God has given us signs that will remind us of his close coming. Some of the signs have been like a huge alarm clock for the church. When Israel got their land in 1948, it was like an alarm that woke up churches and Christians all over the world. But after some time, the church went back to sleep. Then the end of the cold war, and the fall of Soviet Union, and the fall of the Berlin wall served as another wakeup call. Again the church went back to sleep. After this the 9/11 attacks and the following war against Iraq. Saddam Husseins attempt to drag Israel into the war, by sending Scud Missiles against Israel woke many churches up. Again as things normalized, churches fell asleep. I remember also how the big Tsunami, Christmas of 2004 reminded us on the prophesy in Luke 21.25.
How is it that the church always goes back to sleep? What we need is the biggest and best sign of them all. In the last days sayeth the Lord; I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh. We need a Holy Ghost outpouring revival, which literally means awakening. Let us pray for a worldwide wakeup call, that will keep us awake till Jesus comes.