Dear friend in Christ,
Christmas is truly my very favorite holiday! My heart and my mind are bursting with wonderful memories of my own childhood, but more importantly, I am filled with the knowledge of Jesus Christ as my own personal savior. The day Jesus was born is the day the Kingdom of God had come to the earth, and the Father's great plan for the fullness of the blessing without measure went into it's final phase!
As I sat before the Father this week and asked Him what He wanted me to share with you this month, He told me to tell you about His Love and His peace. Luke, chapter 2:13-14, says, " 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, good will toward men." The angels were praising God because peace was being declared between God and man; between heaven and earth. Not between men or among men, but peace from God toward you and me.
But how could peace be declared between God and man before Jesus had faced one test, or before He had gone trough even one temptation, or before one person had ever been healed or delivered under His ministry? How could God send the angels to say such things when the battle for our redemption was still 33 years away? Jesus was just a tiny infant lying in that manger.
Romans 4:17 tells us that God calls things that be not as though they were. So as as far as He was concerned, it was done. He had already set His faith on our redemption. He began treating men as though they had never sinned. And He reached out to them in His great love and totally offered Himself to mankind as though Jesus had already gone to the cross.
1 John 4:16 tells us, " And we have known and believed the love that God has for us." We've all read about His love. We've all heard about it, but I don't think that most of us really believe it. If we really believed the Love He has for us , it would totally change everything about us and everything around us. Jesus told us in John 13:34, "A new commandment I give to you that you love one another as I have loved you..." What a change that will make when you get the revelation of just how much He loves you and then you begin to walk in THAT love toward others. The Scriptures tell us that "God is love"! And He is so in love with us that He has given you and me everything He has through His grace. Jesus said, "I have come to give you life and to give life more abundantly."
Hebrews 4:15-16, "For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in ALL points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come BOLDLY to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in our time of need." Jesus has personally experienced everything that we've ever had to face. And in the Book of John 14:27, He told us, "My peace I give you, not as the world gives..." In other words, He is the true source of our peace because there is no peace in this world without Him.
Our heavenly Father loved us so much that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should NOT perish but have everlasting life. Jesus is the first born of every creature, and as the first-born, He is given a privileged position. He existed before all creation and God the Father appointed Him heir and legal owner of all things. As born again children of God, we are joint-heirs with Christ.
He was in the beginning with God, Who spoke the world into existence, and He was ONE with God. "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was WITH God and the Word WAS God...", and yet He stripped Himself and laid aside His Glory and His Divine abilities and came to earth in the form of human flesh, with a Divine purpose...to destroy all the works of the devil, to break the power of sin and death, and to restore us to our original position of holiness and righteousness!
His Blood has made you whole! Colossians 1:21-22, "And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present YOU holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight." The moment you received Jesus as your Savior, you were not only cleansed of all sin and clothed with His righteousness, you were made whole!
We started this letter with the words the angel spoke on that first Christmas morning: "...and on earth, PEACE, good will toward man." God has planned for you to have His peace right in the midst of all the problems that seem to be facing us in this hour. His peace is IN and THROUGH the Blood of Jesus Christ. He paid the ultimate price so that you would be able to have His peace. It belongs to you, but you have to appropriate it in your own life by faith. So no matter what you may be facing today, God has made the way for you to come boldly into His very Presence and receive His Grace, His Mercy, and His Peace.
This Christmas Day as we gather together with family and friends, let's reflect on the true meaning of Christmas, and let's celebrate the blessing! Let's celebrate Jesus! Let's celebrate His peace, His righteousness, and His love. That's what Christmas is all about. It's about the joy of the celebration! God the Father gave us Jesus Christ, and in Him, He has freely given us all things that pertain to life and godliness. He has provided everything we would ever need to open our hearts to His blessing and to walk in His peace and His Love.
Have a very Merry Christmas!
love,
Paula
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Tune In
Hear Pastor Paula's Christmas Eve message:
December 24, 2009
2:30 pm
on
KDKR 91.3 FM
Dallas/Ft. Worth
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Don't Miss It!
Make plans now to join us at our
Christmas Eve Service
Celebrating the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ
10:30 am December 24, 2009
Collinwood Nursing Home
3100 South Rigsbee Drive
Plano, TX 75074
Thursday, October 29, 2009
November Newsletter
Dear Friend in Christ,
Fall is truly one of my favorite seasons. I love the undeniable aura that surrounds it. The beautiful landscape as the leaves change color. And the crisp, frosty mornings are a refreshing change from the oppressively hot days and the sweltering nights. A pleasant reminder of my childhood as my dad watched football in the living room with my grandfather and uncles, and the aroma of freshly baked apple and pumpkin pies in the kitchen, as my mother, grandmother and aunts prepared the Thanksgiving Day feast. A nostalgic reminder that God has indeed "shed His grace on this Nation". We have so much to be thankful for as we sit at our dinner table celebrating the bounty; a table that is overflowing in the abundant harvest of all that He has provided for us.
This is a season of reflection. It's a time to gain a new perspective, and to take the time to evaluate what we accomplished the past year, and establish the goals we want to reach. This all implies change, and our Heavenly Father graciously moves upon us by the Holy Spirit, taking us from summer to autumn, and patiently He waits for change to begin in our lives.
At the roots of His agenda is this promise in Philippians 1:6, and we need to think of it as a guarantee. "Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;" In other words, the One who started this good work within you, won't leave the work unfinished. He won't quit and He won't fail. And He doesn't expect you to figure out for yourself how to get the work finished.
Thanksgiving is a reminder that God has been faithful. It's a time of quiet reflection on the past and a time to focus on the solid and simple things of life, so that everything else fades into insignificance. It's a time for you and me to usher in the sincere spirit of gratitude, and truly walk in His Love, and extend His mercy and grace to others.
We have so much to be thankful for, especially as we celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday. But the part of Thanksgiving that most believers have missed is the element of honor. As Christians, we reverence and honor God by walking in His ways and following after the leading of the Holy Spirit. And as I said, we have so much to be thankful for. Knowing every ugly thing we've ever done, and still, His mercy endures forever! That's exactly what Psalm 136 tells us. Giving honor and praise and worship to God is something that we should desire to do, and to do that in excellence of worship, in thanksgiving for all He has done for us.
1 Chronicles 16:25 says, "For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised; He is also to be feared above all gods..."; verse 27, "Honor and majesty are before Him; strength and gladness are in His place."
This scripture tells us to fear God and worship Him in His holiness, not because we are afraid of Him, but because His mercy endures forever. Verse 34 says, "Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever." That's why we worship and praise Him; because His mercy endures forever! That's the reason we are to separate from the world and walk holy before Him. We praise and worship Him because His mercy endures forever, and His mercy and His grace are stronger than anything, and will outlast everything in our lives.
God established many feasts of thanksgiving under the Old Covenant. He told the people to shout and dance, rejoice and praise Him. And that's what they did. They celebrated their covenant with Him, thanking Him for blessing them. Deuteronomy 8:18, "But you shall remember the Lord your God; for it is He that gives you power to get wealth..." And in the Book of John 10:10, Jesus said, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." And that's something to shout about!
When was the last time you praised God and thanked Him for the abundant life He's provided for you? Giving thanks and honoring Him is very powerful. When you honor Him, He will honor you and take up your part, and that praise and that thanksgiving will bring deliverance and freedom to your life.
We are blessed as a nation to have Thanksgiving as a national observance to thank God and honor Him for everything He has given to us. But in reality, we as Christians have something to celebrate in Jesus every day of the year. And the foundation of our thanksgiving to God is the Covenant we have with Him. In that covenant we have protection, strength, and the power of God as a Father to His children. And it's His desire that we remember everything this covenant contains and means to us.
As believer's, it's absolutely essential that we know and understand God's grace and His mercy, but so often, the religious world misrepresents God to us. If we are to have faith and confidence in Him, we have to be able to trust in His mercy. And this confidence doesn't come from man's attitudes about God; it will only come from a relationship with Him and spending time in His Word.
Psalm 30:4-5, "Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness. For His anger endures but a moment."
Psalm 145:8-9, "The Lord is gracious and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of GREAT mercy. The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works." As new creatures in Christ Jesus, we are His workmanship. Therefore, His tender mercies are over you and I all the time.
Love,
Paula
Fall is truly one of my favorite seasons. I love the undeniable aura that surrounds it. The beautiful landscape as the leaves change color. And the crisp, frosty mornings are a refreshing change from the oppressively hot days and the sweltering nights. A pleasant reminder of my childhood as my dad watched football in the living room with my grandfather and uncles, and the aroma of freshly baked apple and pumpkin pies in the kitchen, as my mother, grandmother and aunts prepared the Thanksgiving Day feast. A nostalgic reminder that God has indeed "shed His grace on this Nation". We have so much to be thankful for as we sit at our dinner table celebrating the bounty; a table that is overflowing in the abundant harvest of all that He has provided for us.
This is a season of reflection. It's a time to gain a new perspective, and to take the time to evaluate what we accomplished the past year, and establish the goals we want to reach. This all implies change, and our Heavenly Father graciously moves upon us by the Holy Spirit, taking us from summer to autumn, and patiently He waits for change to begin in our lives.
At the roots of His agenda is this promise in Philippians 1:6, and we need to think of it as a guarantee. "Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;" In other words, the One who started this good work within you, won't leave the work unfinished. He won't quit and He won't fail. And He doesn't expect you to figure out for yourself how to get the work finished.
Thanksgiving is a reminder that God has been faithful. It's a time of quiet reflection on the past and a time to focus on the solid and simple things of life, so that everything else fades into insignificance. It's a time for you and me to usher in the sincere spirit of gratitude, and truly walk in His Love, and extend His mercy and grace to others.
We have so much to be thankful for, especially as we celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday. But the part of Thanksgiving that most believers have missed is the element of honor. As Christians, we reverence and honor God by walking in His ways and following after the leading of the Holy Spirit. And as I said, we have so much to be thankful for. Knowing every ugly thing we've ever done, and still, His mercy endures forever! That's exactly what Psalm 136 tells us. Giving honor and praise and worship to God is something that we should desire to do, and to do that in excellence of worship, in thanksgiving for all He has done for us.
1 Chronicles 16:25 says, "For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised; He is also to be feared above all gods..."; verse 27, "Honor and majesty are before Him; strength and gladness are in His place."
This scripture tells us to fear God and worship Him in His holiness, not because we are afraid of Him, but because His mercy endures forever. Verse 34 says, "Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever." That's why we worship and praise Him; because His mercy endures forever! That's the reason we are to separate from the world and walk holy before Him. We praise and worship Him because His mercy endures forever, and His mercy and His grace are stronger than anything, and will outlast everything in our lives.
God established many feasts of thanksgiving under the Old Covenant. He told the people to shout and dance, rejoice and praise Him. And that's what they did. They celebrated their covenant with Him, thanking Him for blessing them. Deuteronomy 8:18, "But you shall remember the Lord your God; for it is He that gives you power to get wealth..." And in the Book of John 10:10, Jesus said, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." And that's something to shout about!
When was the last time you praised God and thanked Him for the abundant life He's provided for you? Giving thanks and honoring Him is very powerful. When you honor Him, He will honor you and take up your part, and that praise and that thanksgiving will bring deliverance and freedom to your life.
We are blessed as a nation to have Thanksgiving as a national observance to thank God and honor Him for everything He has given to us. But in reality, we as Christians have something to celebrate in Jesus every day of the year. And the foundation of our thanksgiving to God is the Covenant we have with Him. In that covenant we have protection, strength, and the power of God as a Father to His children. And it's His desire that we remember everything this covenant contains and means to us.
As believer's, it's absolutely essential that we know and understand God's grace and His mercy, but so often, the religious world misrepresents God to us. If we are to have faith and confidence in Him, we have to be able to trust in His mercy. And this confidence doesn't come from man's attitudes about God; it will only come from a relationship with Him and spending time in His Word.
Psalm 30:4-5, "Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness. For His anger endures but a moment."
Psalm 145:8-9, "The Lord is gracious and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of GREAT mercy. The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works." As new creatures in Christ Jesus, we are His workmanship. Therefore, His tender mercies are over you and I all the time.
Love,
Paula
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