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It’s hard to believe there are only a few more days until Christmas. Yes, as the song says: “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” It really is wonderful! We are flooded with Christmas music, Christmas lights, and lots of Christmas “activities.” And although the Christmas “fluff” is often distracting, most of us are able to see through the bells and bows. In spite of the world’s attempt to pull us away, we generally make time to gather with family and friends and celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.

But many will find this time of year to be very painful. The memories of past hurt, which may remain hidden throughout the year, are now driven to the surface. Many are required to face someone who has caused them pain, or face the memory of a past Christmas which brings the person, and pain, back into view.

Obviously, this is not the turmoil which God intends for our life…especially not as we celebrate the birth of His Son.

Ephesians 4:32
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

We cannot properly celebrate the birth of Jesus without reflecting on why He was born. Through His life He offered us a message of eternal hope, and through His death on the cross He offered us the complete forgiveness of sin. With this single act of unbelievable love, Jesus removed the sin which would otherwise keep us eternally separated from our Heavenly Father. This is the manner in which we are to love and forgive others.

Jesus told a parable about a servant who had an enormous debt canceled: “The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go” (Matthew 18:26-27). But when the servant went away, he refused to cancel the relatively minor debt a fellow servant owed him; “Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt” (Matthew 18:30).

Jesus used this parable to show that unless we completely forgive others from deep within our heart, we have somehow failed to understand the forgiveness we have already received; “Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?” (Matthew 18:33). Any sin which others may commit against us is small when viewed in light of the many sins we have committed against God! We have been completely forgiven of sooooo much!!

During this most wonderful time of the year, let’s reflect on the awesome gift we have been given through our Savior. Then, let’s give to others as we have already received. Let’s love and give the gift of true forgiveness.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

When God called Jeremiah to be a prophet, the people of Jerusalem had been living in sin for a very long time. It had been 300 years since the kingdom of Israel divided; and, despite God’s patient warnings, the people continued to rebel and worship other gods.

God finally told Jeremiah He would no longer endure this continued rejection; “I have withdrawn My blessing, My love and My pity from this people” (Jeremiah 16:5). God also said that because of the many years of rebellion, destruction was now certain; “I will bring an end to the sounds of joy and gladness” (Jeremiah 16:9). He then told Jeremiah how to respond to the inevitable cries and complaints.

Jeremiah 16:10-12
“When you tell these people all this and they ask you, ‘Why has the Lord decreed such a great disaster against us? What wrong have we done? What sin have we committed against the Lord our God?’ then say to them, ‘It is because your fathers forsook Me,’ declares the Lord, ‘and followed other gods and served and worshiped them. They forsook Me and did not keep My law. But you have behaved more wickedly than your fathers.'”

This is a difficult message. God is characterized by extreme grace and patient love…but He has His limits. He will not tolerate continual disobedience. If we claim to be a child of God we must deal with the very real issue of sin. God hates sin because it causes separation from those He loves.

Continual and unrepented sin causes us to lose the ability to recognize our sin. It becomes a cancer which causes our heart to turn cold and dark, unable to even hear the conviction of the Holy Spirit; “For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened” (Romans 1:21). Sin clouds our vision and causes us to drift further and further from God’s path.

The people of Jerusalem could no longer recognize their sin – they stood before God in their wickedness and boldly asked: “What wrong have we done?” Today, we are at risk of becoming equally darkened anytime we fail to address the sin which continues to push into our lives. What activities have we begun to tolerate? What behaviors have we begun to accept? What “teachings” from the modern media have we begun to receive? What sin has begun to fill our heart?

If our eyes were truly opened, would we be surprised to see how far we’ve compromised and strayed? Let’s recommit our lives to holiness, purity, worship, and absolute love for God. Let’s allow His light to indwell EVERY area of our life. Let’s repent of our sin and refuse to live with a darkened heart.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

In the message “Never Forget” we saw that God’s gift of Salvation through faith in Jesus is our greatest blessing – a blessing we must never forget as we tend to become discouraged. In the beginning, “God created man in His own image” (Genesis 1:27). Then, when sin entered the world and man became separated from God, “He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

This is the greatest love story in all history; “While we were still {lost} sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). He died for you and me, and also for all those other lost sinners scattered around us. Jesus Christ, “who being in very nature God” (Philippians 2:6), was born in a dirty stable; “He made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant” (Philippians 2:7). He lived His life with the single purpose of dying so that ALL who believe could be eternally restored to the Father; “the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men” (Romans 5:18).

God loves us VERY much! And He doesn’t just love those who love Him in return or faithfully serve Him – He loves ALL. We are precious! Yes, He hates sin and will one day judge with an eternal damnation all who fail to believe; but His love – His offer of Salvation – extends to all…even to our noisy neighbor and difficult co-worker, our obnoxious family members, and the disrespectful kids who wear “strange” clothes.

God’s love is so much a part of who He is, and of who we ought to be, that Jesus commands us by His example: “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34). We are to love as Jesus loved; and as if this was too difficult a concept for our finite minds, we are commanded to love in terms we can all understand.

Galatians 5:14
“The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'”

God wants us to love others primarily because He loves them and desires His love to be expressed through us! He encouraged this love by creating us with a natural capacity for love. When we are hungry we feed ourself; when we are hurt we care for ourself; and when we are down, we pray to be lifted up. These are natural expressions of self-love – the same love God desires we show to ALL.

Let’s evaluate our thoughts, words, and actions in terms of their effect on others. Are we encouraging or adding burdens? Are we building up or tearing down? Are we bringing others closer to Jesus or pushing them further away? Are we as loving to others as we are to ourself? Let’s be His hands, feet, and voice of love in the world around us. Let’s begin to see others as through His eyes; and remember, we are ALL precious in His sight.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

Joseph’s life was filled with one difficult situation after another. By the time he was a teenager, his brothers had developed an intense hatred toward him which led to an attempt to take his life. But rather than kill him, they sold young Joseph into slavery (Genesis 37). And then, as a slave, Joseph was falsely accused of rape and thrown into jail (Genesis 39).

It’s never really explained how Joseph learned to trust God – but he did! He could have become very discouraged when he became a slave, but somehow Joseph adjusted to his circumstances and thrived; “The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered” (Genesis 39:2). When tempted with sexual sin by Potiphar’s wife, he kept himself pure because he did not want to “sin against God” (Genesis 39:9). But false accusations still sent him into prison.

Even after spending several years in jail, Joseph continued to place his complete trust in God. When asked to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams, Joseph risked his freedom and rightly gave all the glory and praise to God rather than take credit for himself; “I cannot do it, but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires” (Genesis 41:16).

Joseph was rewarded with much more than his freedom; he was placed in charge of the entire land of Egypt during a great famine. He was also reunited with his family and able to keep them from certain starvation. Several years later, after their father died, Joseph’s brothers came and fearfully asked for his forgiveness. Joseph could have taken great revenge, but he continued to demonstrate his understanding of how God cares for His children.

Genesis 50:19-20
“Joseph said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.'”

When Joseph was sold into slavery, he had no idea of God’s awesome plan. He would spend many years in jail before receiving even a hint of God’s purpose. But God is ALWAYS at work in the lives of those who love Him. Joseph’s life must encourage us to draw near to God during times of hardship – to continue trusting and honoring Him in all we do…no matter what our circumstances!

We all go through “dungeon” seasons when life seems to take unplanned and seemingly “unfair” turns. We all, at times, feel abandoned and alone: “Has God forgotten me? Does He no longer care?” We may not understand why things happen the way they do, but if we will continue to love Him with all our heart and consistently trust Him in and through all our trials, we can be certain (and one day we will truly see) that God is in control and every situation is truly intended for good.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

During the time of King Jehoshaphat (approximately 860 B.C.), several armies began to invade the land of Judah. Being greatly outnumbered, Jehoshaphat called for a nation-wide time of fasting and prayer to seek guidance from God: “O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You” (2 Chronicles 20:12).

The king needed to formulate a plan. He was the appointed leader and responsible for the safety of his people. King Jehoshaphat’s “plan” was to place the fate of the entire nation into the hands of God. Many see such action as weakness, but it took great strength to recognize he was powerless; even greater strength to know where to turn and Whom to trust!

God answered King Jehoshaphat’s cry for help through a Levite named Jahaziel.

2 Chronicles 20:14-15
“Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel…’Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.”‘”

Knowing that our battles belong to God is great comfort when we face trials which appear much bigger than anything we can handle. But there is more to the story! God didn’t tell Jehoshaphat to just sit in his tent while the battle was won. Rather, He gave specific instructions to confidently stand before the enemy.

2 Chronicles 20:16-17
“Tomorrow march down against them…{But} you will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.”

It’s inevitable that our life will contain such battles – many are facing overwhelming battles right now. And as with everything we encounter on our Christian walk, battles have a purpose. Many times the purpose of our battle is to understand a fundamental truth: “Apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Reaching the end of our own strength is the real battle; turning to God and trusting Him for every step of our walk is the real victory!

As we trust Him with all our heart and seek counsel in His presence, He will tell us where to march and where to stand. Let’s boldly follow our Lord each and every day and refuse to become discouraged. He is in absolute control…for these ARE God’s battles!

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries