1 Cor. 10:13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. That is an encouraging verse! That's the good news about temptation. When God is with us, He promises to provide a way out. W...

Psalm 34:18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. If you're discouraged, one thing I can say with all confidence: God is with you. Is your heart breaking? The Lord is near you. "Where is God When I Hurt?" people ask. The answer to that question is He's with you. He feels your hurt. He feels your discouragement. He knows when ...

Isaiah 43:2 When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. This verse reminds me of the three Hebrew children, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego who walked through the fire. God walked through it with t...

WHEN I'M LONELY, GOD IS MY COMPANION. If we just tune in and recognize it. I need to remind myself that God is my companion. Psalm 25:16 Turn to me and have mercy, for I am alone and in deep distress. Some of us may be lonely now. There are many different kinds of loneliness. There's the loneliness of death of a spouse or friend. There's the loneliness of the business...

Ephesians 3:17-18 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. 18And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 1. GOD'S LOVE IS WIDE ENOUGH TO INCLUDE EVERYBODY John 3:16 "God so loved the world." When our ...

Luke 2:13-14 (KJV) "Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace good will toward men." "Let there be peace on Earth and good will toward men." That's called reconciliation. What is reconciliation? It's when a broken relationship is restored. Restoration of harmony, restoration of peace. What kind of peace does Jesus give to us at Christmas time? First, We Need Pe...

When I was a kid Christmas time was the best time of the year. I'd start circling things in the Sears Catalogue weeks or months in advance. It was great to dream of what I might find under the tree. When I was 16 I wanted the Texas Instruments TI-99 computer. They had come down to about $100. Only they were scarcer than any Cabbage patch doll or Tickle me Elmo ever was. M...

God's presence gives us the motivation to keep on going, the power to keep on keeping on. It renews our strength. It lifts up our heavy hearts. It gives us a new vision. That's what God's presence can do to our life. But we have to tune in. The key to keep on keeping on, to overcoming discouragement, is the phrase "I walk in the presence of the Lord." But, how do you do t...

Luke 2:11 The Savior yes, the Messiah, the Lord has been born today in Bethlehem, the city David. Salvation is three-dimensional. You are saved from something, you are saved for something, and you are saved by something. 1. We're Saved From Sin. That's what Jesus' name means. "Jesus" means "to save people from their sin." In fact, Joseph was told by another angel in ...

Luke 2:8-10 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. Christmas is intend...