What is a gift?
allowance, alms, award, benefaction, benefit, bequest, bestowal, bonus, boon, bounty, charity, contribution, courtesy, dispensation, donation, endowment, fairing, favor, giveaway, goodie, grant, gratuity, hand, hand-me-down*, handout, honorarium, lagniappe, largesse, legacy, libation, oblation, offering, offertory, philanthropy, pittance, premium, present, presentation, provision, ration, relief, remembrance, remittance, reward, souvenir, subscription, subsidy, tip, token, tribute, write-off

These are the words that mean GIFT. But they do not tell us what a GIFT means. The following is to help us think deeply about the GIFT that God Gave Us.

Some of us are “Gift People” and some of us are “Card People”. They often find each other and they often find that Christmas and Valentine’s Day becomes rather sad.

You see, the card person goes from store to store to find the perfect card to attach to a gift, while the gift person goes from store to store to find the perfect gift to attach a card to. When they exchange, that which should make the other happy, here is what happens.
The card person takes the gift, removes the card and opens it and reads it forgetting the gift. The gift person takes the gift only to open the gift while sometimes forgetting the card. Givers are offended when, what they spent most of their time on is put aside for that which was less important to them.

As to God’s Gift
He spent a great deal of time on His Gift and His Card. He composed a card to attach to His gift. The card is what we call The Bible. It took Him thousands of years to compose it and to be sure that it expressed His love for us. It is easy for us to concentrate on His gift (His Son) and to neglect His Card (the Bible) that is attached to it.

The Poets Thought
Thank you, God for the gift that men have marred!
Help us to not neglect your very special card.
Thank you for the years you took as you thought of us
Help us not to lose sight (amid the Christmas fuss) Of the value of the card that makes up your precious Book
May we take the time today(and every day) to just to look!
Thank you, again, for as we have often heard,
Your Gift and Card are both called THE WORD. (John 1:1)

A gift is not some trinket, bought at the last moment, in a gift shop at an airport. It begins with a heart of caring. Caring long before the gift was chosen, purchased, and wrapped. Think today about how much God cared, to take such time and to pay such a price and to prepare the Gift that He gave to us at Christmas time. — Pastor George Van Sandt is a friend of the ministry of America’s KESWICK and has been an instructor for the Keswick Institute of Biblical Studies

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 8; Daniel 8-10; 3 John

Think About This: The most glorious promises of God are generally fulfilled in such a wondrous manner that He steps forth to save us at a time when there is the least appearance of it.– C. H. von Bogatzy

The Second Sunday of Advent (Mark 1:9-15)

Do you remember the quote about Advent that I shared with you last week? It was from Robert Webber, one of America’s finest thinkers about worship before he went to heaven. He said Advent is “a time when God disturbs the waters of our lives.” God addressed every need man has by sending His Son, Jesus, into our world. And He walks into our lives to make sure we don’t miss His work.

Unfortunately, too many people in Jesus’ day and ours do miss His arrival and His desire to work in our lives. More people missed Jesus’ birth than noticed it. I preached a series of messages one year during Advent that I called “The People Who Missed Christmas.” Those who missed it then and those who miss it now, do so for the same reason. They’re not paying attention!

John the Baptist came to prepare the way for Jesus’ public ministry. The first words Jesus spoke as He began His public ministry announced what so many were missing. “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the gospel.” (Mark 1:15) People weren’t watching and waiting. Even with all we know (Hindsight is always 20-20!), many in our churches aren’t watching and waiting. The kingdom work continues, but too many live with little or no awareness of that work.

That’s why Advent is so important. The emphasis reminds us to live watchful lives. Watchfulness may be the lost art of the 21st century! We live in the moment, with little thought of “big picture” issues. We don’t see Jesus at work in our lives or our churches. Instead of living with watchfulness and anticipation, we live without focus and everything blends together. Advent encourages us to slow down, to pay attention to what is really important.

Part of the Advent celebration in many churches is the Advent wreath with its candles. We thought about the “Candle of Hope” last week. Today Christians will share in lighting the “Candle of Love,” reminding us that God loved us enough to send us Jesus, the Light of the World. The light of the candle is an aid to our watchfulness; lighting the way and helping us remember to watch for Jesus’ love in our lives and in the lives of those around us.

I urge you to live in “watch mode.” Choose to listen for God’s voice in your life as He shows you His work in your life and your world. Let the Advent season renew you and remind you that you live for more than now. As followers of Jesus, all of us live with an eye toward heaven. We watch for His work and His second coming into our world. — Pastor John Strain is Senior Pastor of First Baptist of Toms River

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 7; Daniel 5-7; 2 John

Think About This: The most important prayer in the world is just two words long: “Thank you”.

Join us today at 4:00 PM for a special Christmas concert with the Christian Community Choir of Allentown, NJ. The concert will be a benefit for the Colony of Mercy. The concert will be held in the Activity Center. Come and enjoy the Christmas Tree Exhibit before the program. For information, call 732-350-1187.

Surviving the Twists and Turns of Life (Isaiah 55:8-9)

Years ago, my wife heard a lady speak at conference about her “Survival Scriptures.” She went on to explain that God had worked into her life some particular scripture verses that helped her through various kinds of difficult circumstances. She carried them in heart and mind and had them typed onto a piece of paper which was taped to the inside cover of her Bible.

Bobbie liked the idea, and over time she discovered her own set of “Survival Scriptures.” They have encouraged her through the years. God has also allowed her to share them with other women, encouraging them and challenging them to let God lead them to their own set of “Survival Scriptures.”

After seeing how the process brought blessing to Bobbie, I decided to ask God for my own “Survival Scriptures.” I’ve hardly ever shared them with others; they’re just very personal to me. God may someday give me freedom to share them, but so far they’ve just helped me through those twists and turns of life.

You may need to work through the process of finding your own “Survival Scriptures.” We all discover curves in the road we hadn’t expected. Things come at us that we don’t understand and may not know how to handle. Sometimes we just don’t have answers. When we can’t explain what’s going on, we need to know that someone does and that He’s there to guide us through the bumps and potholes life throws in our way. Don’t expect that you won’t have those bumps and potholes. “If” they will come isn’t the issue. “When” they’ll come better defines life for us.

Isaiah saw those days when life didn’t make sense. He couldn’t see God at work. God helped him understand, however. Here’s what God gave Isaiah-I wonder if it became a “Survival Scripture for him! “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

That isn’t one of my personal “Survival Scriptures,” but it could be. Let God prepare you for the twists and turns of life by giving you some “Survival Scriptures” that will sustain you when life just plain doesn’t make sense. — John Strain is the Senior Pastor of First Baptist Toms River

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 6; Daniel 3-4; 1 John 5

Think About This: The boundless stores of Providence are engaged for the support of the believer. Christ is our Joseph, who has granaries full of wheat; but He does not treat us as Joseph did the Egyptians, for He opens the door of His storehouse and bids us call all the good therein our own. He has entailed upon His estate of Providence a perpetual charge of a daily portion for us, and He has promised that one day we shall clearly perceive that the estate itself has been well-farmed on our behalf and has always been ours. The axle of the wheels of the chariot of Providence is Infinite Love, and Gracious Wisdom is the perpetual charioteer. Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Join us tomorrow at 4:00 PM for a benefit concert with the Christian Community Choir from Allentown, NJ. The offering will be taken for the Colony of Mercy. The concert will be held in the Activity Center.

Today’s devotional is from our devotional, REAL VICTORY FOR REAL LIFE. This is a great Christmas present! We are running a special — buy one at $14.95 and get one free. If you’d like to purchase this special, respond to this email. It will be a great blessing in YOUR life and in the life of someone you want to see experiencing victory!

WHAT ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT?

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28)

I was thigh deep in the murky waters of the Brazos River a few weeks ago fly-fishing for large-mouth bass. As I worked my way around a brushy dead fall protruding into the river, I flipped my fly carefully under the branches hoping for the trademark attack of a violent and angry fish. Instead, what I saw gave my heart a start. The largest Water Moccasin I have ever encountered slithered its gray-black body off of the dead fall and into the water with me.
Worry. Anxiety. Fretting. The Bible explicitly instructs us to avoid these enemies. “Do not be anxious,” Paul writes in Philippians 4:6. “Do not worry,” Jesus teaches in Matthew 6:31. “Do not fret,” David says in Psalms 37:8. I can’t help but wonder if any of the three were ever thigh deep in the murk of a muddy river with a poisonous snake.
What are you worried about? It may not be a cold, gray reptile slithering toward you, but it can be just as scary nonetheless. When it comes down to it, I must decide if I am going to let God carry His responsibilities or if I am going to carry them for Him and be guilty of worry.
It has been my experience that letting God have what is His to carry is easier said than done. It is as if I believe massaging and manipulating the stress that plagues me is a noble calling, a duty I must fulfill in order to be diligent.
Just last night I lay awake tossing and turning, and I don’t just mean on the bed. I tossed between giving my burdens to Father and then turning them back toward my mind. I’m not sure if I ultimately won or just wore out! All I know is the clock was reading single digits the last time I looked.
Worry is assuming responsibility for something that is God’s responsibility. He is explicit about carrying burdens that are not ours to tote. Yet, I find myself laboring under loads that I was never designed to carry. Is it any wonder that I struggle and ache inside when I stress myself beyond my Maker’s design and intended use? — Preston Gillham is the former President of Lifetime Guarantee and the son of Bill and Anabell Gillham

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 3; Ezekiel 45-46; 1 John 2

Think About This: If you knew that there was One greater than yourself, who knows you better than you know yourself, and loves you better than you can love yourself; One who gathered into himself all great and good things and causes, blending in his beauty all the enduring color of life, who could turn your dreams into visions, and make real things you hoped were true; and if that One had done one unmistakable thing to prove, even at the price of blood – his own blood – that you could come to him, would you not fall at his feet with the treasure of your years, your powers, your love? And is there not One such? Would you not fall at his feet with the treasure of your years, your powers, service, and love? And is there not one such, and does he not call you? A. E. Whitham

THE JOY OF THE LORD IS OUR STRENGTH

“And do not be grieved and depressed, for the joy of the Lord is your strength and stronghold.” Nehemiah 8:10b (The Amplified Bible)

Nehemiah is one of my heroes. He gives me encouragement to keep on keeping on. Nehemiah, the cupbearer to the king, is given the monumental task of rebuilding the walls that have been broken down and destroyed.

He is a gifted leader and motivator and is able to rally the troops, partnering people together to accomplish a feat that many of his critics thought nigh near to impossible. Despite the criticism and accusations from the “peanut gallery,” Nehemiah forges ahead and in 52 days the wall is rebuilt.

At the completion of the wall, Nehemiah gathers the people together to celebrate and worship their great God. Ezra the scribe is asked to bring the Book of the Law of Moses and to read it to the people. Not get this: he read from morning till noon while the people were standing! (Wow can you see that happening in church today! Yikes!)

In the middle of the celebration Ezra declares: “And do not be grieved and depressed, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!” Nehemiah 8:10b. Why did he make this statement at the end of this amazing adventure?

I have discovered that after some of the greatest times of victory and accomplishment, some of us feel the let down of the weeks and months of ministry, and then comes the crash. I have found in my life that after a week or so, and sometimes more, of intense ministry and seeing God work in amazing ways, days after comes the emotional crash. The adrenaline surge that has sustained us during the glory days wanes, and down you go. Instead of rejoicing in the victory and all the good things that God has done, despair and depression seem to raise their ugly head pulling us down into the pit of self-pity.

I was there yesterday. After several weeks of intensity, I was just plain pooped. I found myself grumbling, grouchy and ungrateful. I found myself in the middle of a big pity party. I looked at the week ahead of me and all that I need to accomplish, and I was overwhelmed and discouraged. And then during the night, the Holy Spirit reminded me – “Welte, the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Wow!

So by God’s grace, today starts a new day. The same pile is looming in front of me. My day off seems weeks away (it’s coming Friday and Saturday …) but I face the week with a new perspective: the joy of the Lord is my strength! And when I am weak, Paul reminds me that this is when HE shows up – His strength is made perfect in my weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).

How about you, guy? Are you needing this reminder? “And do not be grieved or depressed – for the joy of the Lord is your strength!” – Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK.

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 2; Ezekiel 42-44; 1 John 1

Think About This: God has promised forgiveness to your repentance, but He has not promised tomorrow to your procrastination. Augustine

FORTY FIRST DAY?

This weekend America’s KESWICK hosted our annual Single’s Weekend and our speaker was Dave Edwards. He shared a powerful message on Friday night and shared something from the Word that I had never heard before. It was such an encouragement, that I thought I would pass in on to you this morning.

He was teaching about the life of Joseph from Genesis 40. At the conclusion of his message he shared that for many of us, life gets stuck in the 40’s! Joseph’s life was not the easiest, yet God was up to something God. He was molding and shaping Joseph’s life for something better — and life for Joseph turned around in Chapter 41. In God’s economy, there is always a 41 after 40.

Think about it: Noah and his family were on the ark for 40 days and 40 nights — and on the 41st day — life turned around! Moses and the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness for 40 days and on day 41 they entered the promised land. The Philistines taunted and messed with the Israelites for 40 days and on the 41st day, a little shepherd boy slew Goliath.

The Lord Jesus did battle with Satan in the wilderness for 40 days, but on the 41st day He came out of the wilderness victorious! After Jesus came out of the grave, He appeared to His disciples and was seen by many and on the 41st day, He ascended back in heaven where He now sits at His Father’s right hand interceding for you and me!

During our Branson trip we heard comedian Yakov Smirnoff use this phrase: “Bet you never thought about it like that before — you will now!” Well that’s how I felt hearing this message. Have you felt like life has been stuck in the 40’s of life? Hold on, men — the 41st day is coming! God’s is up to something special in your life. Allow Him to continue the molding, shaping and refining process — then wait to see what He is going to do in and through you. Remember 41 is coming!!! — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 1; Ezekiel 40-41; 2 Peter 3

Think About This: The event of Christ is the only event in human history that promises relocation and centering, meaning and purpose. This promise and its fulfillment evoke passionate and heartfelt praise and thanks, especially for those aware of their own brokenness and the healing which Christ brings into their lives. — Robert Webber

The First Sunday of Advent (Galatians 4:4&5)

Robert Webber, professor and author who is now with the Lord, describes Advent as “a time when God disturbs the waters of our lives.” God breaks through into our human world and says, “Here I am!” He might as well ask the question, “What are you going to do about it?”

Through the history of the church, people have looked at Advent from three perspectives. First, we must remember that God did step into our world and become like us-flesh and blood, but without sin. Jesus walked into the waters of our world through a supernatural birth. It was unlike anything that had ever or will ever occur again. As He began His public ministry, He stirred the waters by reading from Isaiah and announcing that they were looking at the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy.

The Apostle Paul described this perspective of Advent in these words: “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” The first way of looking at Advent simply announces that God sent His Son into our world. His purpose in coming focused on people like us, people who needed redemption. The people of Jesus’ day were alienated from God. So are we. The only way to re-enter God’s family is Jesus, the One who satisfies the law that condemned all the rest of us.

Some of you are familiar with the Advent wreath. Our church puts one on the communion table each year. It has four candles placed in a circle around the wreath and one large white candle in the middle. Some say that the four candles speak of the four centuries between the last prophet to Israel and the arrival of Jesus. The white, large center candle is called the “Christ Candle. ” We light it Christmas Eve to announce Jesus’ arrival into our world.

The first week of Advent brings us to the candle of hope. It is because Jesus comes into our world and stirs the waters of our lives that we can have hope. We have hope because Jesus brings redemption and adoption. Without those gifts from God, we’re hopeless. Everything we know about God and His love tells us that He does not want us to live without hope. He sent His Son to make sure we wouldn’t know hopelessness.

Take some time this week-maybe each day of the week-to reflect on the hope that lives in your life because Jesus came into our world. Think about what life might have been like had not Jesus, “in the fullness of time,” been born in Bethlehem. Think about what life IS like for you-a follower of Jesus-because He experienced that entry into our world. Pastor John Strain is the Senior Pastor of First Baptist of Toms River

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 30; Ezekiel 37-39; 2 Peter 2

Think About This: “When captivity is led captive, the Eternal God is the refuge of his people…Our sins which pursued us so hotly have been drowned in the depths of the Savior’s Blood. They sank to the bottom like stones, the depths have covered them, there is not one, no, not one of them left, and we, standing upon the shore in safety, can shout in triumph over our drowned sins, ‘Sing unto the Lord for he hath triumphed gloriously, and all our iniquities hath he cast into the midst of the sea.” Charles Spurgeon

Choosing Our Friends (1 Corinthians 15:33)

Reminders have come my way recently that the people we hang out with influence us. We often think we’re strong, that we can be the “influencer” instead of the “influencee.” Most of us who read Freedom Fighter know how often it doesn’t work as we think it will.

The believer lives with tension. We’re not to let the world (or people in the world) hinder our walk with Jesus. We’re also supposed to engage those who live in the world in an effort to share our faith. Being salt and light without losing our “saltiness” and being overcome by darkness is not easy.

We need to hear Paul’s instruction to the Corinthians. “Do not be deceived: Evil company corrupts good habits.” Paul provides the instruction in the context of belief. Bad company can make us believe wrong things, and wrong behaviors flow out of wrong beliefs.

I knew a man several years ago who knew he had a drinking problem. He hit a wall one day and on his way to talk to me about it, he encountered one of his old “drinking buddies.” His former friend convinced him that one drink wouldn’t hurt anything. You know the story-one drink led to another and another. He got drunk, committed several crimes and wound up in prison for more than ten years. “Don’t be deceived: Evil company corrupts good habits.”

All of us have the responsibility to engage in “redemptive relationships.” We need to spend time with non-Christians, befriend them and earn the right to share Jesus with them. At the same time, we must use caution. Part of the caution for many of us includes understanding the areas of our lives where we are most vulnerable. Some people just don’t belong in our circle of acquaintance because their influence will do us harm.

Perhaps the counsel of James in the first chapter of his epistle gives us another help in distinguishing good company from bad company. “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” None of us is wise enough to know what is best in every situation. That’s why we can ask for wisdom. Choosing relationships will make us or break us. We must guard our hearts and seek God’s wisdom. — John Strain is Senior Pastor First Baptist Toms River

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 30; Ezekiel 35-36; 2 Peter 1

Think About This: When the Word dwells as a familiar friend in the heart to direct, counsel and comfort us, then it is a sign it abides there. The devil knows good and hates it, therefore knowledge alone is nothing; but when the promise alters the temper of the heart itself, then it is engrafted there. Richard Sibbes

Join us live tonight at 7:00 PM for the 2008 Christmas cantata, A Christmas Festival, featuring the America’s KESWICK Festival Choir. To view, visit www.americaskeswick.org.

You can also watch our singles conference sessions now in progress: today at 9:30 AM and 11:00 AM and tomorrow at 10:30 AM. Dave Edward is our speaker.

WALKING BY FAITH

Today’s devotional is a classic from the pen of Pastor Bill Raws. It is written in our 365 daily devotional, REAL VICTORY FOR REAL LIFE.

“As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith.” (Colossians 2:6-7a)

There are some Christians whose lives appear to have transitioned from a faith basis to a works basis. They seem to have the attitude that faith alone is essential to salvation but that one graduates from the simplicity of faith into the complexity of works.The Bible does not support this idea. In fact, the Apostle Paul in dealing with the matter of disputed practices gives the litmus test, “Whatever is not from faith is sin” (Romans 14:23, b).

In Colossians 2:6 the Apostle Paul is dealing with the commencement and continuance of the Christian life. These are connected by two tiny conjunctions (correlative conjunctions, as and so) showing that the two parts of the verse are of equal importance. There seems to be no doubt that faith is the requirement for receiving Christ Jesus the Lord. But how are we to continue? By faith. In writing to the Corinthians concerning our present life versus our future hope, Paul says, “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).

In choosing a figure to express the nature of the Christian life, the Bible often uses the action of walking. The process of walking requires the transfer of dependence from one leg to another in a sequence of steps. Life for the Christian is a continuous transfer of dependence from self to the Savior.

As an illustration of this principle, we remind ourselves of the account of Peter walking on the water (Matthew 4:25-31). He walked in faith based on the invitation of Jesus, come.
However, he took his eyes off of Jesus, turning his attention from the Savior to the storm, and began to sink. His failure was not in continuing as he began – by faith. — Rev. William A. Raws

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 28; Ezekiel 33-34; 1 Peter 5

Think About This: The Lord is my shepherd,” is on Sunday, is on Monday, and is through every day of the week; is in January, is in December, and every month of the year; is at home, and is in China; is in peace, and, is in war; in abundance, and in penury. James Hudson Taylor