A Wondrous Vision Beyond Christmas

Revelation 1:7-20

The story is told of a man's little granddaughter, who was found one day diligently pounding on his laptop's word processor. She told him that she was writing a story. “What's your story all about?” he asked. “Oh, Papa, I don't know,” she replied, “I haven't learned to read yet!” I'm sure that when I find my little granddaughter, Lilia, writing such a story, it will be a good one! I am also sure that you have been very blessed as this book's story has unfolded before your eyes—a story of a wondrous vision. Throughout the Christmas Season, we saw it through the eyes of Moses, Jesus, and Paul, as well as in many aspects of the Christmas Story itself. And yet there is something else we all must see—a wondrous vision beyond Christmas. Those who have eyes to see it, see it!

In a vision of the last days, Revelation 1: 9-10 tells us, “I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the Kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet...” Yes, it was the voice of Jesus Himself, and John, “turned to see the voice.” Imagine! A voice that could be seen! But isn't that actually the essence of a wondrous vision—a message from God that must be seen and obeyed? In this case, it was Jesus Himself. Oh, not the baby in the manger, or the itinerant preacher of Galilee, but the risen and glorified Christ, as He can—and must—be seen today! Daniel saw Him, and told the story in 10:5-6—now it was John's turn. As Jesus walked among the lamps of His churches, He could be seen in majesty. With a golden sash across His chest, one might think of a high ranking official at a formal event. But that is not the vision—the Greek word for this “sash” speaks of a yoke and servitude that took Him to the Cross to set His people free. Not only that, but His hair is now white as snow or wool, and His eyes are on fire!

Isaiah saw it—”Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.” (1:18-20) Hebrews 4:12 saw this sword in the mouth of the Lord, too—”For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword...,” cutting through everything, and even revealing the intents of the heart. They all saw it; they all told their story. Do you see it, and will you let your entire life tell the story? The Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is coming again soon—will you be ready? The Psalmist says, “Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!” (107:21) In the days ahead, let your whole heart and life pound out the story, for Jesus has let His people go—free to love and serve Him! Praise God—may your story be a very good one!

~ Rev. Roy D. Warren, Jr.

A Wondrous Christmas Vision

Luke 2:1-20

Hi, world! My name is Lilia Joy Frantz, and I was born one beautiful Tuesday morning, during this past early springtime, right along with all of the other Lilies! I just want to tell you that even though I'm just a “little” bundle, already in my lifetime, God has told me some great “big” things! Big things that a lot of older people have already forgotten. Let me tell you the things I know...

I know what it is to be a baby, and I know how to be dependent on Mommy and Daddy, just like Baby Jesus. I know the sweet feel of loving arms around me, just like Baby Jesus. I know the soft comfort of a swaddle blanket, just like Baby Jesus. I know the warm happiness of being tucked safely and lovingly in bed at night by Mommy and Daddy, just like Baby Jesus. I know how it is to feel loved when people come and gaze at me, admire me, and give me gifts, just like Baby Jesus at His first Birthday...Christmas. Jesus and I came into the world in pretty much the same way, and we were probably about the same size, with maybe even the same amount of hair! He was small, but had a BIG heart of love, one big enough to love and save every single person, from the babies to the “big people.” No one is too grown up, and no one is too little...ALL of us have a BIG need...to bow at the feet of our Savior.

I am so small, but I can see and love a very BIG God. I can see, too, that He wants to use me in a BIG way...to teach many a simple lesson—the need to come to God's throne with the heart of a child, for “of such is the Kingdom of Heaven,” as He says. We can go there with soft, changeable, humble, childlike hearts, and a big trust in our Father's care, and He will gather us onto His lap, folding His arms around us. “But,” you say, “How can you know this? You are so young and little!” How do I know? Only because I've been there! Now I know that God loves me...Next time, won't you come with me?

~ Lilia Joy Frantz

The Vision of the Wisemen

Matthew 2:1-12

Of the four Gospels, two explain Jesus' birth, and only Matthew records the visit of the wise men from the East. The wise men, or magi, were from Persia or Arabia, and were learned men. In Daniel's time, they were astrologers, magicians, and soothsayers. The wise men understood the times, and were the ones that the king turned to for answers.

Let's back up a bit here. Between 500 and 700 years before Jesus was born, the Israelites had been exiled to Babylon for their disobedience. When the time came, not all of the Jews returned to Jerusalem—some stayed behind in Persia, and their descendants could have still been living there at the time of Jesus birth. I am pointing all of this out to suggest that these were not just astrologers, who saw a star and came to check it out. These wise men knew who God was, and they were watching and waiting for this very moment.

The Magi's very coming may have enraged a tyrant, and led to the deaths of many young babies in Bethlehem, but God knows all things, and prophesied every event in the Old Testament. He even appeared to the Magi right before they were to leave, and warned them not to return to Herod, and so endanger Jesus' life.

After years of waiting and watching, they finally saw His star in the east, and left immediately to see the new king. I can hardly imagine what would have been going through the minds of these men as their eyes gazed upon the manifestation of a 3,000 year old promise! Have you ever wondered if these wise men could have even known the full meaning of Jesus birth? Would they have ever thought, that at just 30 years old, He would start a ministry that would last just 3 years, and yet change the course of history forever? It's easy to look back in the Scriptures, and see the whole picture, and yet these men got up and followed a star. They believed God for who His Word says He is; do we? Would we be willing to leave everything, and go on a long and dangerous journey, if it was God's will? These men traveled very far in order to just see God, and yet we have God living among us now in Spirit. We don't have to travel anywhere; all we have to do is bow are heads in prayer and seek His face. He is real—do we believe this? There is a saying that goes, “wise men still seek Him.” It was true then, and true now—do the wise thing, and seek Him today.

~ Jason Frantz

Joseph's Vision

Matthew 1:18-25

Have you ever endured a life experience that you would consider to be a nightmare? It is possible Joseph went from a nightmare experience, to a dream and a vision of reality. Joseph was the espoused husband to Mary, having plans and hopes for the future. Then it was discovered that Mary is with Child, and it was not his child. His future was now taking a very different direction, and may have looked quite frightening. His natural response would be doubts and fears. Scripture explains that this child was of the Holy Spirit, but Joseph isn’t told this until he “was minded to put her away privily.” In spite of the presumed violence affecting their relationship, Joseph displayed a gracious and loving spirit.

Joseph was meditating on the Lord, and his thought-out plan came directly from the Scriptures. It is written in Deuteronomy 24:1—the ability for a man to give a bill of divorcement to his wife if some uncleanness had been found in her. Joseph was following the orderly way that God had provided in the Old Testament. Joseph was not acting independently of God; everything he did was in dependence upon God. Yet the Lord was doing a wondrous work, and ushering in the New Testament. Scripture tells us he was a just man, righteous, upright, and virtuous, observing divine laws. For Joseph to be a “just man,” he had to have had a vision of God even before the vision of the angel in his dream. Joseph had a relationship with the Lord that would cause him to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Being a just man, he did not want Mary to be subjected to public humiliation, for he loved her. Joseph did not rely on human reasoning, he waited on the Lord, and while he thought on these things, an angel of the Lord appeared unto him expanding his vision through a dream. His eyes were on the Lord, and he quickly received the word that had been spoken by the prophet. “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” Joseph surrendered his own control and quickly listened to the Lord, obedient to the vision of God’s wonderful plan of salvation. “Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife.”

The disclosure of the coming Messiah as this child JESUS, who would “save His people from their sins,” was the very message given so long ago, “Let My people go.” Sin and self holds each of us in captivity. Jesus came to do a wondrous work—to seek and save the lost, set us free from sin and the power of guilt, and to baptize us with the Holy Spirit and fire. Our hopes and dreams may vanish before our very eyes, but God has a vision to give us of a wondrous work that He is doing in so many lives. We can trust the Lord with our future, even when our plans go awry, and fear tries to creep in. Therefore, in our worst nightmare experiences, by God’s grace and mercy, we can receive vision to see things as God sees them. This Christmas, let us wait on the Lord in trust, hope, and expectancy for the glory of His name, rather than the success of our plans.

~ Rosemary Parrotta

Mary's Vision

Luke 1:26-38

“And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth. To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary, and the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou art highly favored, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women.”

Amazing! What a vision! From what follows, we see that Mary had an open heart and spirit towards God. She had come to realize her “need” for God and His forgiveness. As she praises God, she declares, “...My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.” (vss. 46-47) Obviously, she knew she was a sinner, or she wouldn't have seen God as her personal Lord and Saviour. She willingly submitted herself to His will, and completely trusted HIS WORD! Her humble and godly life of faith pleased God so much, that she was the one chosen for the most important task—to carry, bring forth, and raise the Son of God. Mary's blessing brought her both great joy and much suffering, for her Son would be rejected and crucified. This, she would find out later through Simeon at the baby's dedication—“Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thine own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” (2:34,35) What a vision!

You see, “God's Vision” has become “Mary's Vision,” because she is one with the God of the Universe. She merits our respect and honor, but Jesus is the only one that deserves our Worship and Praise!! Both Matthew 1 and Luke 1 state explicitly that Jesus was born of a virgin—a miraculous deed of God, and therefore, absolutely free from the taint of sin! Because she sought the Lord every day, she had GOD'S VISION AND WILL in her life. She was very much open to seeing her own life, and how it fit into the over-all plan of God, that she saw things as God saw them. She was the humble and willing vessel God wanted. She had seen her own need for God, and did not exalt herself above others! Remember what all had been revealed in the vision:

“He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David; And He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end.”

And her response? “Behold the handmaiden of the Lord, be it unto me according to thy word.” God can use that kind of vessel. When we seek His will and His word, we see with His vision!

~ Nancy Faust

Zechariah's Vision

Luke 1:5-25

“The Angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.”

Generally, when I think of someone having a vision, I think of somebody seeing an angel, having some sort of heavenly dream, or in some other way, physically seeing the glorious greatness of God. Throughout this book, we have discovered many wondrous visions of God that included seeing a mighty God working in many of life's impossible situations, and seeing how God reveals Himself to His people through His words, His acts, and other aspects of life. Today's story is about a vision in the traditional sense. Zechariah went into the temple to burn incense, and he saw an angel standing beside the altar. The angel told Zechariah that his wife was going to have a baby, and that he would be a forerunner to Christ, turning many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. This vision told of a great thing that God was going to do. In fact, it was also a seemingly impossible thing—Zechariah's wife Elizabeth was barren, and they had prayed to God for a child.

Most of us may never see a vision of an angel sent from God, but that doesn't mean that we won't see God. Zechariah did not just see a vision of an angel; he saw a vision of God. He saw a vision of the forerunner to the Messiah. He heard a word straight from the heart of God, delivered by an angel. God still gives us this vision today—revealing His plan of salvation to His people.

Perhaps this particular plan of God seemed to be impossible to Zechariah. Did Zechariah not see God as great enough? After the angel told him about John's birth, and how great he would be, Zechariah responded, “How shall I know this?” (1:18) He went on to explain that he and his wife were old and could not have children. God's messenger told him of God's plan, and he asked, “How shall I know this?” The angel responded, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings.” (1:19) The angel had come from the very presence of God! He brought the truth straight from God's heart! Zechariah saw a vision of the very truth and glory of God. But initially, he did not see God as great enough. Have you seen a vision of God's plan for you? Have you seen God's answer to prayer in the middle of an impossible situation? Did you trust Him? Did you believe that answer? No matter how impossible the situation is, God is able! It didn't matter to God that Zechariah and his wife were too old to have a baby that would be a great man of God. It was God's will and in His plan, so He did it! We need to come before God humbly, and see His greatness. He is an awesome God, and He sends words of glad tidings. It's only when we see ourselves, or our own situations, as higher than Him, that we doubt the ability of God. We need to see God as higher than all else. We need to see His power. He is able!

~ Joel Warren

When Vision Becomes 20/20

Acts 9:1-19

“Suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.”

Once again, God reveals His glory—this time in a light from heaven. How often do we read in Scripture that God reveals Himself through light? Remember when God revealed Himself to Moses in the burning bush? Remember when God led the Israelites through the desert at night by light from fire? Today, we see Jesus as a light, described as, “above the brightness of the sun, shining round about.” God is mercifully calling Saul, and Saul was not disobedient to this heavenly vision.

To summarize Saul's life, he was a religious leader of the Jewish religion. He loved his Lord very much. In his zeal to serve the Lord the way he thought best, Saul threatened, imprisoned, and killed the Lord's Disciples. In other words, he persecuted the Church of Christ. Saul made choices that led himself away from the heart of God. He even purposed to obtain the blessing of the High Priest to continue in his own way of thinking. The High Priest, however, did not follow Jesus. Saul sought counsel from one who did not have the heart of God. Saul followed his own heart, instead of the heart of God. Consequently, persecution of Jesus and His Church ensued.

Lovingly, God interceded by showing Himself to Saul in a light from heaven. Saul responded in humility, with a cry to God, “Who are You Lord?” This time, he sought the Lord with an honest heart, seeking to truly know the Lord. God the Father was now able to reveal, in all His glory, “I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest.” Saul recognized his sin. Repentance followed as evidenced by obedience to the leading of Christ. Then Saul stood and opened his eyes. He found himself blind. Oh, how God desires to shut out the world from our vision! With Jesus as our vision, He can lead us to the place of His purpose. Jesus called Saul to open the eyes of the people, to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God. Jesus says, “I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of Life.”

Once Saul saw Jesus as, “the way the truth and the life, and that no one comes to the Father but by Jesus,” he prayed. For three days, Saul was dedicated to prayer alone. He truly longed to know the Lord.

How can we have this heavenly vision? Come as Saul did, in repentance and humility, with a burning passion to see Jesus as the Way, the Truth, and the Life. We cannot choose our own adventure, and expect to see God as He truly is. Rather, seek God first, then let Him lead your adventure as He envisions.

~ Cheryl Helgert

Honestly...Can There Be Any Doubt?

John 20:24-31

In these verses, we read of Thomas, the disciple who announced that he would not believe that Jesus arose, unless he could see and touch His scarred hands and side. Throughout our lives, we have known and referred to him as “Doubting Thomas.” It would have shown much greater faith if his belief had not merely been based on his “earthly vision,” but had been lifted higher, becoming “faith without sight.” We do have to notice one major difference between Thomas and much of today's “complacent church,” and that is his response of repentance. As we read the words of this story, we can see Thomas' humility that caused him to drop to his knees at Jesus' feet, and we “hear” the praise and adoration in his voice as he exclaimed, “My Lord and my God.” This is a repentant heart that truly begins to believe God, and as God promises, this heart will be blessed because of it.

One of the lessons that God has been faithfully teaching me the last few months, is “trust”... “Trust” in the God who holds the “whole world in His hands,” and true belief that He has the strength, power, and the desire to answer my prayers, all within His mighty will and plan. As a new mother, I am no stranger to worry, but in many instances, this has led me to mistrust. There are so many unknowns, not to mention the “what-ifs,” and even all of the honest questions that arise. When I step back and take a look at those feelings and thoughts, I realize that it is all meant for a purpose—to fill my waiting heart with belief in a mighty God. So even though I cannot see the end from the beginning, I can humbly drop at the feet of the God who guides me. As my daughter trusts me, so must I trust my Father's leading, because her needs rise far above and beyond clean clothes, diapers, a full tummy, and lots of kisses. My little “Joy” is in need of a mommy that will lead her to the throne room of God—to present Him with her life and heart.

This message and these thoughts are not only for the encouragement of those with young infants, but also those who may have already watched their children grow. It is even for those who have generations of children sitting at their feet, and those also who have no children. In summary, this message of “belief” is for all. We have a God who is able to open our eyes to the vision of Himself, His salvation, and His great presence in our lives, and that is a thought that should lead us to bow...so we pray...“Dear Father in Heaven, we enter Your presence humbly, not standing, but on bended knee. Far too often, we see our lives and circumstances through eyes of simple human eyesight, and Your vast saving and guiding Hand is missed or ignored. We ask that you would fill our hearts with the kind of childlike trust that befits a Father, who, “if His child asks for bread, He will not give him a stone.” Luke 11:11. We praise You for Your true heart and Your great faithfulness, for because of this, we bow. In the Holy Name of our Lord, Amen.

~ Kara Heather Frantz

Some Soldiers Did See Jesus

Matthew 27:54

“So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earth quake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, 'Truly this was the Son of God!'

In order to see things the way the centurion and the soldiers did, we need to step back a little, and take a look at what led up to the supernatural signs that opened their eyes. There were taunts by the people in verse 40 saying, “If You are the Son of God, save Yourself”, and by the chief priests in verse 42 saying, “He saved others, He Himself He cannot save,” and in verse 44 where even the robbers that were on the crosses next to Him mocked Him. So as a centurion in Pilate's army, it would only seem appropriate to see this “King of the Jews” as the same type of person. Now, I, being prior military, was trained to take specific orders, and was expected to follow them to the very end, without question. If I came against those orders, I knew there would be some kind of reprimand handed down; did I want to be reprimanded—no, of course not. I followed orders—no matter how I felt personally. The centurion and his men are doing the same thing by guarding Jesus. They knew that to come against specific orders could possibly mean death; and who would want to risk that? They were trained that Pilate was their “king” and there was no other. So to look at Jesus as King was not in their vision.

The supernatural signs—the earth quaked and the things that happened at the crucifixion were the things that took place to open the eyes of the centurion and those with him. What miraculous signs! What will it take to open our eyes to be able to say Jesus is the Son of God? Will we need signs and wonders? We have His living word in the Holy Bible. He is the King—He will give each one of us eternal life when we turn to Him, and give our lives to Him to do with according to His will. What more could any of us possibly want? Seek Him out this day and each day following. Let Him be your King, and the orders each of us follow from Him will be the greatest gift we could give in return. Have a blessed Christmas, and seek Him in all things.

~ Melody Krauser

We Would See Jesus

John 12: 20-36

I would see Jesus! I determine to see Jesus—I choose, I prefer, I'm fully about, I delight to see Jesus! He's my heart's Love and Longing, and, “As a deer pants after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.” Are you panting for Jesus today, too? Do you know with your whole being that “without Vision of Him, we perish?” Dare we come to that point of death in our longing and need for the living Christ? Do we believe that truth by our own experience, and so cry to God for the Vision that will save and nurture our lives? We need Him to supply that supernatural eyesight to see into a spiritual realm otherwise unknown to us. And He will open our eyes when we desire, with our whole hearts, to see Jesus as did these two men in John 12:21. Oh, glorious answer from our Lord when He reveals to us the crucified, risen, and reigning Jesus Christ! Awesome, life-giving Vision!

Will you come today for the Vision of God? It has changed my life, and changed the lives of the two in this story, and will change yours, too. No one can see Him and remain as they were! We'll never be the same. These two men came to Christ in connection with His people, and so must we. Jesus, the “Head” will never be separate from His “Body”, so we will come to that supernatural union with His people. Don't believe those who sit off separated in their own private lives, claiming Vision and Life in Christ. It cannot be! It's not God's way! But when we come seeking Jesus, His way, what a Vision He gives! Are we ready for His Vision, or do we cling to what we think we will see—our interpretations and ways—and so remain blind? Jesus shows us His glory, which always reveals our sin and darkness, and puts us on our faces in repentance. It is always so! Jesus shows us His death on the Cross for our sin, and, Oh, how that Vision judges us! He's that kernel of wheat that falls into the ground and dies to reproduce His life in us. Thus, as His followers, we will be as He was in this world—no longer living our own lives, but His!

So do you love your life in this world? If so, you'll remain blind and lose that life you hold so dear. Do you hate—detest—your life apart from Christ? If so, agree with God concerning His judgment, reject the old, let it be crucified with Christ, and you'll receive from Him His own resurrected eternal life! Then He calls us to follow in His footsteps to also be that kernel of wheat that falls into the ground and dies to bring other souls to life. We will know our glorious purpose in Christ—to give all of our lives to and for Him and others, and we will no longer desire to be saved from such glorious service. And most amazing of all, we, too, will hear the Voice from Heaven declaring that through Christ, and now through us, who know His indwelling Spirit, God is glorified and will be glorified again! Then we will be able to cry to Satan, with God's authority, “Let my people go!” and the enemy of souls must surrender them! Now, who will come out of darkness and into the Light? Jesus Christ has opened the way!

~ Cindy Warren

A Watershed Revelation

Matthew 16:13-20

Then Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus had just given a strong warning to His disciples to beware of the teaching of the religious leaders who were going in an opposite direction from Him. He then asked them, “Who do people say that I, the Son of Man, am?” It was confusing, because everyone seemed to have a different answer, naming many of the Old Testament prophets as their final answer. Jesus said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Today the same question is before us.

In our Scripture, the disciples answered Jesus, saying that men say that He was one of the Old Testament prophets, who had come back from the dead. Those prophets had pointed into the future, to the day that Jesus would come and save them from their sins. Peter had been given a wondrous vision from God, answering His question saying, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Did you hear that? His testimony called Him the Christ, the Son of the LIVING GOD TODAY! In the church that Peter now rejoiced in, there would not be just a hope or a pointing to someday in the future. NO! Peter’s testimony was solid on a Rock of stability today. Jesus said that this new life and confession of Christ, IS the foundation on which He builds His church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it. His church today does not throw out the Old Testament prophets, but as a confluence of rivers flow into one, so do their testimonies. All the Old Testament prophets pointed to Jesus, because they had been given the revelation that only Jesus and His cleansing blood would make us new. They longed for this day where the religious system, with all the rituals and control, would cease. That’s why, on the cross, Jesus cried out, “It is finished!” God had provided.

Peter’s testimony now calls Jesus the Christ for a very important reason. As Christ, He gives us power to live today to the glory of God. His word, revealed by His Holy Spirit, told Peter that He would give him the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. You see, keys lock and keys open. In His church, there is a lot of locking and opening that is needed. Doors of our forgiven sins need to be locked. Doors to worship God need to be opened. As we receive this new life, we also must receive the gift of His power, to set us free to joy in our salvation and worship our living God. Jesus wants us to come to Him, to be His church empowered by His Holy Spirit, where from us will flow rivers of living water that come from the source – Our Living God. This Christmas, be forgiven, empowered, and set free to worship Jesus Christ.

~ Ruth Ann Ward

A Ruler Comes By Night

John 3:1-24

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

John 3:16

Alleluia! I begin my devotional with praise! His name is Jesus! He calls all to repentance, and to be born again! (...”Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 3:2) (“For the Lord taketh pleasure in His people: He will beautify the meek with salvation.” Psalm149:4) He is Truth, Majesty, Light... Glorious Light! (“That was the true Light , which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” John 1:9) In Him is no darkness, and He calls us to come out of the dark, troubled, self-life, and live in His pure, holy, wonderful presence; full of light and love! (“And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” John 3:19-21) Nicodemus came to Jesus by night. He knew Jesus was a teacher sent from God. He knew Jesus could do miracles because God was with Him. Nicodemus came seeking and asking questions. Our precious Savior answered with grace, mercy and truth. Jesus laid it all out before him in simple terms. The cross is set before us! His blood cleanses our iniquity! There is eternal life when we come to the Light in true confession; for all have sinned against a Holy God. Wonder of wonders! There is new birth! You say you don't understand? Alleluia! Nicodemus didn't understand. I didn't understand. Multitudes have not understood, but in humility, with honest hearts, we come to the light, and our precious Lord and Savior delivers us out of darkness, and we are forever changed, and then there is JOY! JOY! JOY! For our Jesus lives in our hearts! (...”Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” John 1:29) This is your Christmas gift...open your heart, and with pure abandonment, throw yourself into His loving embrace with no thought for anything else but love for Jesus only! I end my devotional with praise! Rejoice! Rejoice! Give Thanks! Sing and shout for the wondrous gift of salvation that can be yours today! May you now begin YOUR life with praise! He is worthy!

“God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:9)

~ Judy Hollobaugh

Water and Wine

John 2: 1-12

I once heard a story about a grandfather who wasn't quite sure if his little granddaughter had learned her colors yet, so he decided to test her. He pointed at things around the room, and asked her what color it was. She told him, and she was always right. Finally, she got down from his lap and headed for the door, but not without saying, “Papa, I think you should try to figure out some of these for yourself!” As we move into the New Testament today, let's keep our eyes open and see if we can identify the beautiful colors of the gospel.

It all happened when Jesus and his family—as well as His new followers—were invited to a wedding in the little town of Cana. A wedding? What would be the purpose of that? John, later in his gospel account, expressly states, “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name.” (John 20:31) And the wondrous work that took place on that wedding day was for the same purpose! In fact, at the end of that story, we see the result—it “manifested forth His glory; and His disciples believed on Him.” (John 2:11) You see, as the wedding celebration proceeded, all of a sudden it became known that they lacked wine. Possibly being a relative to the young couple, Mary, the mother of Jesus, felt some responsibility and went to Him for help. Since this would be His first miracle, there was no precedence for Mary to think in terms of any wondrous works here—she just knew she could turn to Jesus and trust in Him. In fact, after she spoke with her Son, she turned to the servants and said, “Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it?” (vs. 5) In other words, she didn't really know exactly what His true colors were yet, but she would trust and have faith. And then it happened—Jesus looked over and saw the six stone water pots, filled to the brim—anywhere from 100 to 150 gallons altogether. Within minutes, all six vats were filled with wine, and all were amazed—the last was even better than the first. Did He have a vision of centuries earlier—water becoming blood, in the days of Moses? Or was He looking towards the Cross—water and blood streaming from His side as proof of His divine love? I would suggest both—an upper room, where wine would envision His precious blood.

The water was there for the ceremonial washings the Old Covenant had required, but now they had become dead, legalistic rituals. Now a totally new vision could be seen by all who would have eyes to see. The psalmist tells us about our God, “For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone. Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.” (86:10-11) Yes, Jesus was instituting a New Covenant that would shine like a rainbow of brilliant colors—mercy, grace, forgiveness, freedom from sin, and an indwelling Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. Do you know those colors? Are they wondrous in your life? Whatever He says, do it—and your vision of Christmas will be wondrous!

~ Rev. Roy D. Warren, Jr.

Ten Plagues; Ten Commandments

Exodus 20:1-20

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” Ex. 20:2

God called the Israelites out of Egypt, but He hardened Pharaoh’s heart so He could judge the Egyptians while He led them out. When the Lord sent the ten plagues, the Egyptians were living in sin. They were worshiping many gods instead of the one true God, and each plague represented one of their gods. God sent the ten plagues to show that their gods were powerless. Nothing could alleviate the plague but the one true God.

“You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is mine.” (Ex. 19:4-5) The Israelites experienced firsthand the mysterious and awesome works of God. They saw Him cover the land with blood and lice and frogs and, yet, He kept them safe, and victoriously led them out of captivity, so that they would serve Him. Now, He has promised that if they continue to live in His will, He will consider them a special treasure.

The Ten Commandments were written by God to show the Israelites how to live in His will, and they are valuable even today. The laws given by God show us the secret thoughts and desires of the heart. He knows that the human heart is wicked, and He set His law before the people of Israel, and before us, to guide our actions. His greatest demand is love, inwardly and outwardly. It requires perfect, unfailing, constant obedience…no law in the world allows disobedience to itself. “Whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.” (James 2:10) The Ten Commandments tell of our duty to God…to worship Him alone, and they state our duty to ourselves and others…to love your neighbors as yourself. God shows His love to us by giving us the Ten Commandments, but we must surrender to what He is saying, and allow it to change our lives so that others can see Him through us.

~ Kimberly Frantz

The Vision of a High Hand

Exodus 14

And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel: and the children of Israel went out with an high hand.

The passage before us today tells the story of Israel's escape from Egypt through the Red Sea. It is clear to me that this details a mighty God in the midst of an impossible situation. Through a series of plagues, Pharaoh finally came to decide to let the people of Israel go out of Egypt. After the people traveled some away from Egypt, being led by God the whole time, they eventually came and camped by the Red Sea. God hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he pursued the people with his army in order to recapture them as slaves. When the people saw the Egyptian army approaching, they were afraid. They saw the impossibility in the situation: the army was coming and they were trapped by the sea. But it wasn't long before that vision of impossibility would be replaced by a vision of a mighty God: the vision of a high hand. “And Moses said to the people, 'Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever.'” (14:13) God's hand went up in the air, and He made things happen. He showed His strength. He had power over everybody, and over everything. In everything that happened, the people saw the greatness of God, and His ability in the midst of an impossible situation.

In verse 8, we read that the children of Israel went out with an high hand. In other versions, this reads as “boldness.” In verses 21 and 27, we read that Moses stretched out his hand over the sea to split the water so that they could escape, and again, to close the water over the Egyptian army after the Israelites were safe. You read of the people's high hand and of Moses' high hand, but where, you may ask, is the reference to God's high hand? You see, God's high hand is all through this story. In everything that happens, we see the greatness of our God. When Moses lifted his hands to open and close the waters, the people saw the strength and ability of God's high hand: God was using Moses to accomplish a great salvation. “So the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Thus Israel saw the great work which the Lord had done in Egypt; so the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord and His servant Moses.” (14:30-31) The people went out with a high hand, but only because they knew the greatness of their God. God was leading the way and showing which steps to take. The people saw the wondrous works of God's high hand and feared Him and followed in obedience. We need to be awed by the high hand of God, and then (and only then) we can raise our high hand and go out in boldness. And we need to follow God. Otherwise, it is disobedience, which is just rebellion. You will see the high hand of God in impossible times (and joyous times, too). Will you go out with a high hand, or raise your fists in rebellion?

~ Joel Warren

Pillars That Were Seen

Exodus 13:17-22

We have just spent the last 10 days looking at the plagues, and seeing the vision God had, not just to bring Israel out of Egypt, but also you and me. We have been able to see how each one of these plagues increased as God showed His mighty power and ability. One by one, the idols are revealed, and, one by one, God proved only He could destroy them, and bring His people into a place where our vision is no longer on ourselves, but on Him alone.

According to the Scripture we are looking at today, Israel is now in need of some directions, some road maps, some signs, some vision of where to go. When we leave home on a journey, we first get out the atlas and map out the roads we will be traveling on, but they were in a foreign country, and no maps were available. How would they know which direction to go? “And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night.” (vs. 21) A pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire? When the pillar was taken up, the people would journey, and where the pillar would settle, the people would pitch their tents. At the command of the Lord, the people would set up camp, and at the command of the Lord, they would move on. Would they be willing to keep their vision on a cloud, and listen to the command of the Lord through Moses? Will we? We have so many ideas and plans and thoughts and directions for our lives, and God wants to destroy our idols and bring us onto the ground where we belong, with our vision where it should be, and teach us how to walk with Him in the Spirit.

If you read vs. 17 of our text, you will find that God did not lead them the nearest way, but by the way He thought best. Isaiah 55:8-9 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts , nor 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.” Let’s come together out of the bondage to our own thoughts, and set our vision on the cloud, and listen to the command of the Lord through our pastor, and travel through this life in the Spirit of Christ. Just as our text makes clear that even the bones of Joseph were not left behind in Egypt, God will lead us all the way, and not one of our bones will be left behind in this world.

~ Debbie Frantz

Finally, the Firstborn

Exodus 11

All of these plagues, which culminate in this final and most devastating plague—the death of the firstborn—while directed at the Egyptians, constitutes God's condemnation, not only of the Egyptian religious system, but of the underlying condition of all of sinful humanity. The Pharaoh exalted himself above the people, and was considered to be a god. He was a central figure in the lives of the Egyptian people. This position was passed on from father to son, thereby perpetuating this systematic deception through each succeeding generation. This prideful arrogance is of the same spirit as Lucifer's, whose heart lusted after the throne of the very God Himself. This same spirit continues to work to promote this deception, in various forms, through the lives of the unbelieving and disobedient. … the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. (1 John 5: 19).

“You will not surely die...you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Gen. 3: 4-5). Beginning with this first satanic appeal in the garden, up to this present day, every man has chosen to brazenly contend with the Living God in the face of His revelations. Through the previous plagues, Pharaoh witnessed God's power, and still, stubbornly refused to release God's people from bondage. Through the death of his firstborn, Pharaoh soon realized that he was powerless to stop the death of his own son. The God of Moses demonstrated beyond any doubt to Pharaoh, and to all the world, that only He has the power and ability to take life and to give it. He is the One true God who has life and death in His hand, and it is Him who we should fear. Pharaoh came face to face with the futility of competing against God and His eternal purposes. But in the end, this realization only enraged Pharaoh, causing him to attempt to take vengeance on God's people by pursuing them into the wilderness, only to result in the destruction of himself and the entire Egyptian army that was with him. This same pride and hardness of heart is common to all men. Is there a place in our own hearts where we are enraged over the issue of God's sovereignty?

The night in which the Lord struck down the firstborn became known as the passover, and was to be a solemn observance to all Israel for all generations. God gave instructions to the children of Israel that each family should keep a lamb without blemish, kill it, and put the blood on the door posts of their houses. When the Lord sees the blood, He will passover that house, and the plague would not come to them. All of this is a wonderful vision of the plan of redemption and deliverance that God provides for each of us. That which is born of Adam must die, but the firstborn of God will be free and live. Jesus is our passover lamb, giving us life and hope. His blood cleanses us from all unrighteousness as He imparts His spirit within us, making us sons of God. May we all acknowledge and humbly submit to God's authority over us today. He is God, and we are not. Glory, honor, and power are His forevermore!

~ Jim Krauser

Darkness That Was Felt

Exodus 10:21-29

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, darkness which may even be felt.”

When you are without light, it’s hard to move because you just can’t see…there is no vision. I found this out on a Wednesday night as I tried to get ready for my overnight job. My entire neighborhood had no electric power and was in the dark. In this predicament, you tend to grope about, searching and feeling for something familiar, namely, the flashlight. But the darkness that God sent them in Egypt that day was even darker. It was a recipe of misery and sorrow that allowed for the experience of hopelessness. God had a purpose: to call people out of the dark, and to bring them into the glorious light. “Oh,” you may say, “God is too loving to send sorrow into my life.” The truth is that God is so loving that He allows the darkness to touch us so that we will know our need for the Savior Jesus Christ, and turn from our sin. “What sin?” you ask. The Bible makes it clear that from the beginning, people have desired to be independent of God because of one thing: sin. “And this is the condemnation that the light has come into the world and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.” (John 3:19) God wants to lead us out of that self-reliant darkness, and into His kingdom of light by way of the Cross of Jesus. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

In our Scripture today, Egypt was headed up by Pharaoh, who had a very defiant attitude, with no desire to be led by God’s messenger. Many times, I have seen, that we ourselves, can have a bad attitude with our own brand of stubbornness, refusing to loosen our grip on just about everything. We turn ourselves into little Pharaohs trying to hold on to control of those before us. But God, in His mercy, brings a darkness of misery that can be felt, in order to break the control we have over our little kingdoms. God wants us to come out of this dark place, and enter in to the true worship of God Himself.

Pharaoh had released some of his hold on Israel, but still had a tight grip and was still calling the shots. But Moses gave him God’s message, “not a hoof shall be left behind…” All must be given over to God. Worship that truly honors God comes out of the dark, and enters into the commitment of light, letting God lead. “The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness and let us put on the armor of light.” (Romans 13:12) “Let there be light!” is God’s heart cry from the beginning. “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare it to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.” (1 John 1:5) “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death upon them a light has shined.” (Isaiah 9:2) Hope is found in the light of Jesus Christ!

~ Ruth Ann Ward

Locusts Over the Face of the Earth

Exodus 10:1-20

How many times have you started a project with a clear vision of it’s outcome? Maybe you were building a deck on your house, and could almost picture yourself lounging on it, on a warm summer afternoon, with the sun shining brightly. Or maybe you were baking a birthday cake for a friend, and could picture the look on her face when you brought it out with all of the candles gleaming. In either case, you started the project with a clear vision of the outcome. Maybe the end result turned out slightly different than what you had planned; maybe you had to modify your approach along the way, but chances are, your goal was still reached. This analogy is exactly what comes to mind when I read today’s Scripture passage.

So what is this clear vision that I saw in this Scripture? It is the vision that God has when He reveals to Moses in the first verse of Exodus, Chapter 10, “Now the LORD said to Moses, ‘Go in to Pharaoh; for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants, that I may show these signs of Mine before him, and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and your son’s son the mighty things I have done in Egypt, and My signs which I have done among them, that you may know that I am the LORD.” When we first look at this Scripture, we may think that God is being cruel when He starts out by hardening Pharaoh’s heart right from the start, but he had a bigger picture in mind. He wanted to show His strength and power to the nation of Egypt, a nation who prided themselves on their innovation, advancement, and ability to provide for themselves. They even had their own god dedicated to protecting and growing the crops; a god they called Seth. The Egyptians probably thought that surely Seth could protect their crops—after all, it was his only job… right? WRONG. God sends a swarm of locusts… yes, INSECTS… to completely destroy all of the vegetation in the land of Egypt. And what was the purpose of all of this destruction? God had a vision from the start, to show the Egyptians that He is the one true God, despite what their history and their intellect might tell them.

How many times in our lives have we hit a roadblock that may hinder us from reaching the goals that we had envisioned for our lives? Did we wonder why it seems to be so difficult? These are the times that we need to step back, and think about what God is showing us, and stop insisting on our own way. God wants us to surrender to Him so He can show us the vision that He has for our lives.

~ Eric Frantz

Hail and Fire From Heaven

Exodus 9:13-35

Egypt has now experienced six plagues, and as the number of plagues increased, so do their intensity. This is the seventh plague. The other six were not nice, but now God says that He will strike at the heart of the nation. (vs. 14) We can see this as in a battle where some wounds are superficial, while others are fatal—like the difference between being hit in the arm, or being hit in the heart. God is going to make an example of Egypt, that they, as well as the world, would remember throughout history. Egypt was a great nation at this time. History shows it would never regain it’s stature in the world, “thou shall be cut off from the earth.” vs. 15

In Pharaoh, we see a picture of the fullness of Satan’s control of the natural man. First, his pride would not let him submit to God rule. It is almost miraculous that after all that’s happened to Egypt, Pharaoh is still refusing to bow. Am I this hard? Are you? It is because the natural man hates God’s word. Moses came with the word of God, “Let My People Go,” but Pharaoh refused. The world also hates God’s people, just as Pharaoh held the Jews in bondage. We see the fullness of Satan’s wrath against God’s word and His people in Pharaoh.

God does not hide the fact that we, as His people, will have a hard time of it. We can see nation after nation rise up against His people—Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, and in our history, Nazi Germany, just to name a few. In our daily news, we still have the threat of war in the middle east, and it happens every day outside our news in countries like North Korea, China, Indonesia, India, etc. Christ’s people are being persecuted. But through it all, many are being saved; maybe I should say, because of it all. When people see that Christians are different, that they have something the natural man doesn’t, many will desire to have it. Even in ancient Egypt, we see some that are starting to fear the Lord. “He that feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee into the houses.” vs. 20

The world will always try to hold God’s people in bondage, even after a hail and fire storm like never seen before. And what do we do? Trust God and His word, for God has a wonderful vision of a people who are free to worship Him. Believe His word, and love His people. Amen!

~ Jim Frantz

Boils

Exodus 9:8-12

Many times throughout life, people go through pain and suffering. In Exodus, the Egyptians went through many plagues, all to show them that God was the one in control, not Pharaoh. Each and every plague had its reason and purpose, and a meaning behind it.

In Exodus 9:8-12, we find the sixth plague, boils. Boils are extremely painful, red, tender pus-filled lumps. They weren’t a very pleasant thing to have, but God was going to use them to try to speak something to the Egyptians. The Egyptians were, at the time, serving false gods, instead of the one true God. One of their gods was Isis, the goddess of fertility, life, and healing. God gave them boils, and their god couldn't heal them. God was calling the Egyptians to see that only God can truly heal. Isis couldn’t heal their boils, let alone their hearts. However, the Egyptians still wouldn’t see that the God of Israel was the one in control, and not their gods, goddesses, and even Pharaoh.

In many of the other plagues, Pharaoh had the magicians try to imitate the plagues. However, this is one they didn’t imitate, nor could they. Exodus 9:11 says, “And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians and on all the Egyptians.” The magicians couldn’t escape or “trick” their way out of having the boils. In life, we can think that we have all the “tricks” to somehow escape the judgment of God. We can think we are invisible or that nothing bad could ever happen to us. However, no one can escape judgment, just as the magicians couldn’t escape the boils.

Painful boils will come into our lives, and our hearts will continue to be hardened as the Egyptians were, if we do not heed the Word of God. He can heal all of our “boils” and our hearts!

~ Jillian Krauser

Cattle, Horses, and Sheep...Oh My!

Exodus 9:1-7

God wasn't fooling around when He sent Moses unto Pharaoh. God had decided it was time to get His people Israel out of bondage in Egypt, and He was serious. In our culture, and in our day and age, living in a (relatively) free country, I know I can have a hard time grasping the severity of the situation. The Israelites were slaves, and they were heavily oppressed. But God wanted them to come out of Egypt, and to go into Canaan, and be His people.

As I study this, I am becoming more convinced that these ten plagues were not only directed at Egypt. You see, all ten plagues were not random. Each one was aimed at a specific thing that the Egyptians worshiped as idols. Yes, God was punishing the Egyptians, so to speak, but He was also proving to the Israelites that He was much greater than any idol any of them could come up with. God did not want His people to leave bondage in Egypt and enter the promised land, only to turn their backs on Him by following the false gods of their neighbors. That's why the fifth plague was aimed squarely at “Apis,” the sacred bull. The Egyptians had several animals that they had decided to worship, but Apis was the most sacred of them all. The bull was considered a symbol of strength and fertility. It was also considered to be a manifestation of Pharaoh himself. So much so, that when the Pharaoh died, the bulls were killed and buried with him.

I found it fascinating, that in the first two plagues, the Bible mentions how the magicians had been able to reproduce the miracle, but the third, they were unable to reproduce. However, the Bible never mentions whether the magicians had tried to stop the plague from happening. The devil was an angel, and he can copy some things God can do, but he is powerless to oppose God. God showed, in one day, to the Egyptians, Israelites, and us, that He is more powerful than all the animals that the Egyptians thought had power. You see, people, both in their day and ours, have worshiped many things, but it's actually always the same thing—man worshiping the creation in order to have eternal life. That is the very definition of “religiosity.” God, however, proved to Israel, and to us today, that He is in control of all nature, and He wants us to only worship Him. Now you might be thinking to yourself, “OK, that is all fine, but what has He done for me?” Well, let me tell you! The Scriptures say that all men have sinned, and that the punishment for sin is death. So, in His infinite mercy, He sent His Son to pay our price for sin. If we will repent and believe that He is God and Creator of all nature, including us, then we will have eternal life also. God does everything for a reason, including giving His Son for our ransom. Let us now humbly respond...giving Him what He paid for—our hearts.

~ Jason Alan Frantz

Swarms of Flies

Exodus 8:20-32

Picture this: You are an Egyptian farmer living in Bible times. You get up in the morning to do your chores, just like any other day. You kiss your spouse, make breakfast for your kids, and feed the cat. You go to the front door to get your copy of the Egyptian Herald, but when you look outside, you notice something unusual. It is dark outside, as if a storm is brewing, but you see no rain, and hear no thunder. You look closer, and shudder with fear when you realize the cause of the darkness: Swarms of flies so thick that even the sun is blocked by them. The ground is covered by them, as is everything around you. They are everywhere outside, and the instant you open the door, thousands of them enter your house. You run outside trying to escape the cloud of them, but you cannot, because it seems the entire land is covered by them. The further you go, the more flies you see. Suddenly, you see a clearing ahead. As you crest the next hill, you emerge from the cloud of incessant flies to see the land of Goshen, the land of the Israelites, a land completely free of flies. You are filled with fear, wonder, and confusion. Why is this happening? What is the point of all of this???

You see, God had a vision in all of this madness and confusion. If we look at verse 23 of chapter 8, we see exactly what God had in mind: “I will make a difference between my people and your people…” Wow, what a difference that must have been! The land of Egypt completely blanketed by swarms of flies, and right next door, in the land of Goshen: NOTHING.

God still does this today. How many times have we been cruising along, content with our own lives, thinking we have everything in control, and a storm of flies blankets our “perfect” world, and blackens the vision that we had in our minds. We can wonder “what do I do next” or “where do I go” or “why are all of these flies ruining my perfect life?” This is when we need to go to the land of Goshen, where God is in control, and allow Him to rule over our lives. So many times we see the clear distinctions that God puts before us, but we insist on traveling on our fly-covered pathway. Stop, ask God to show us the vision that He has for our lives, and allow Him to guide us into the land that He has set apart for us. God will put distinctions before us; which way will we choose to go?

~ Eric Frantz

Lice: The Finger of God?

Exodus 8:16-19

Today, we are going to look at the third plague—Lice. A Wondrous Christmas Vision in lice? Well, let’s see what we can find out. As you can see, these plagues are increasing. The plague on the water and then of the frogs were great inconveniences to the people, but the lice was directly upon the people. Lice on man and beast. This time, when the magicians tried to duplicate it, they had to admit they were overpowered, and declared, “this is the finger of God.”

There are many references to the finger of God all through the Scriptures. In Psalm 8, God says to “consider the works of His fingers.” Think about it, God has been giving us a vision of who He is by using that one mighty finger to create all the heavens and the earth. The Ten Commandments were written upon two tablets of stone by the finger of God back in Exodus, calling us out of sin and into a holy life. In Daniel 5, the finger of God appeared and wrote Belshazzar’s sin upon the wall. “The God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified.” (vs. 23) Belshazzar’s sins were written upon the wall, and everyone could see that “he had been weighed in the balances and found wanting.” vs. 27 The problem was he did not surrender to it, and he died. Why did he die? He saw his sins written upon the wall, but he did not let God write a new law of life upon his heart. In Jeremiah 31:33, the Lord says, “this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God and they shall be my people.”

Scripture says in Romans 3:23, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” It is God only who is able to write His law upon our hearts, by His Spirit, which is the finger of God. God desires to write His will upon the tablet of human hearts, if we would let Him. In vs. 19 of our text, Pharaoh knew that the lice were from the finger of God, but his heart grew hard. Belshazzar saw the hand of God writing his sin upon the wall, and refused to repent, and died. Can you declare that you have been overpowered by God, and admit the finger of God has changed you? This vision has been put before you today. What are you going to do? God is looking for a people to call His own. Do you want to be one of them?

~ Debbie Frantz

Frogs Galore!

Exodus 8:1-15

Do you have a favorite frog? I well remember my favorite frog! He was gray with beautiful, bright yellow legs! When I found him I was just a child living at the lake and enjoying all the blessings of a child's summer, loving God's amazing creation and all of His wonderful works. Then there he was—a lovely frog—sunning himself on Uncle Ed's gray ladder—hence his gray coloring, which changed with his location. He became my special frog friend, playing and going with me everywhere I went. He taught me much about frogs! They're fast and very hard to catch, and they're so slippery and almost impossible to hold onto! With his camouflage abilities, I needed special vision to spot him. Yes, I loved him. And then the unthinkable happened! I was giving him a bath under the faucet in the cottage sink—he was truly enjoying it—when he slipped from my hands and went down the drain! I was devastated, till Dad assured me he was fine, as the sink only drained into the sand under the cottage. Dad took me out to look, and sure enough—there he was! My friend, but no longer in my control! Now you might think I'm crazy to tell a childhood story here, but let me ask you again—do you have a favorite frog?

Before you answer too quickly, let me tell you that frogs were gods to the Egyptian people, who are a symbol of us all without Christ. What are our gods? What do we give our lives to to love and serve? How do we spend our time and affection? They're everywhere! Frogs—gods—galore! If only we had vision to see them, we would know that what is so precious and desirous to us becomes a curse when it is given such a wrong place in our hearts—a place that belongs only to the one, true God. That's exactly what happened to the Egyptian people—people who would not honor the Lord our God. He judged their gods, showing them to be powerless, and even a Plague to them. If you haven't given your life to Jesus Christ, or if you have, but harbor a rebellious spirit, you are spiritually blind and cannot recognize the frogs—the idols in your life. Cry out to Jesus and He will give you vision of a realm you've never seen before. You'll see your gods of self, family, and material lusts as curses to be rid of. Don't just shove them down the drain into the sand—they'll be back. But let us deny self—be crucified with Christ—that we may have new holy lives in Him, with new desires and a new God—the one and only true and living God of the Universe. Remember—false gods are fast and slippery—they won't be caught by us—it's only in Jesus Christ that we have salvation and deliverance! Let us, with God's vision, cry out with Moses, “Let my people go”--all the “people” of my heart and life so that I, with united heart, may love and serve the living God. When asked when he wanted the plague to be lifted, Pharaoh answered, “Not now, tomorrow! Odd! Or is that our answer, too, as we desire to hold on to our idols yet another day? Let us not wait for tomorrow! Today is the day of deliverance! (2 Cor. 6:2) Be free in Christ this Christmas! What a wondrous gift!

~ Cindy Warren

Water and Blood

Exodus 7:14-24

We have before us today the first of the ten plagues God sends on Egypt. God had a vision of a people who are free to worship Him, and these plagues were sent to break the stronghold of Pharaoh, who held them in bondage. This first plague was on the Nile River, a source of life for all Egypt. It watered their crops, as well as livestock, and was an avenue for trade, but it had become a god to them. The name of the god of the Nile was Hapi. God was going to show all Egypt, as well as His own people, that He was the one and only God.

We find Pharaoh at the river's edge in the morning, worshiping it. So that is where God sends Moses and Aaron with a message to let His people go, or He would turn it into blood. God always forewarns of His coming judgments because He “is long suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9) If there is one thing that the skeptics and atheists don’t have an answer for, it is prophecy. Only a true God can say what He is going to do, and then fulfill it. The whole nation of Israel is an example of God’s prophecy being fulfilled, even before our eyes today.

So Pharaoh is confronted and forewarned to let God’s people go, or else. As God prophesied, he refused, because his heart is hardened. As predicted, Aaron smote the water, and turned the once life-giving river into a death-giving river of blood. This was done by a God that Pharaoh wouldn’t obey, or even acknowledge. “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice?” (Exodus 5:2)

Pharaoh, in the hardness of his heart, is not moved at all to repentance, but instead, calls for his magicians to see if they can duplicate this miracle. God, in His wisdom, allows for them to do it, which only hardens Pharaoh's heart more. It is interesting to note why didn’t Pharaoh have his magicians reverse the plague, and turn the blood back into water? Instead, he makes more blood, only furthering the plague. I guess a hard heart is also a foolish heart. So God’s judgment fell upon the water of Egypt, and there is no fish to eat, no water to drink, only the smell of death. But even in judgment, God shows His mercy. Seems there is still fresh water in the banks of the river that can be had with some diligent digging. God is merciful; His judgments are followed by His mercy. Moses’ first miracle was to turn water into blood. Moses brought the law, which brings judgment of sin. Christ’s first miracle was to turn water into wine, a sign of gladness of heart. A heart is glad when it is delivered from judgment. Judgment and mercy; can you see it?

~ Jim Frantz

A Burning Vision: Let My People Go

Exodus 3

A little girl was visiting her grandparents one day when she asked, “Papa, do you know how you and God are alike?” As he mentally polished off his halo, he inquired, “No, how are we alike?” She replied, “You're both old.” That was not exactly the response he expected, but it was nonetheless quite true. Maybe I am just looking to the soon-to-come day my new little granddaughter, Lilia, can say the same, but, in the meantime, let it be an illustration of what might have been going in the mind of Moses as he received his awesome vision.

You see, Moses had had quite a journey up to this point. Having been rescued by Pharaoh's daughter from the Nile River as a baby, he was raised in the palace as a prince. When he was forty, he found himself in Midian, herding sheep for his father-in-law. After 40 years of that, God revealed Himself and His plan to Moses. At this point, he was already 80 years old, and I wouldn't think that he really expected to have yet another purpose besides taking a few sheep to pasture. One day, while he was on Mt. Horeb, “...the angel of the Lord appeared unto Him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.” (vss. 2,3) Moses stopped what he was doing and came closer. It turned out it was not just an ordinary brush fire—it was God! The Lord had heard the cries of His people in bondage in Egypt, and was now commissioning Moses to be the one to tell Pharaoh, “Let my people go!” Being frightened and feeling ill-equipped for the task, Moses started to think up some excuses—he didn't know God's name; he didn't think he could speak well enough; and so on. I noticed that Moses never brought up the age issue—perhaps he knew that the God who was calling him was even older, and could obviously handle all the details. But then came the kicker—when you are trying to get somebody to do something for you, you don't usually try to make it sound impossible—but God did. The Lord told him, “...I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand. And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go.” (vss. 19-20) You see, the vision of God will always be impossible in our own strength, but not in God's!

Yes, the vision was given. The coming days would be filled with plagues for a purpose—to get Pharaoh to let the people go. And isn't that the vision for all of life—to let the people of God live in freedom and victory? In this Christmas Season, will you turn aside from your busyness to see the great burning vision that God has for you and your life—salvation at the hands of the One who came to be born to die on the Cross, and to be sanctified—baptized in Holy Ghost and fire? “Let my people go,” will always be the wondrous vision of God, and everything He uses to get us there will be wondrous, too!

~ Rev. Roy D. Warren, Jr.

Introduction

Just as soon as the title of this book, “A Wondrous Christmas Vision,” passes before our eyes, I suppose we can't help but think of the famous Christmas poem, “The Night Before Christmas,” by Clement Clarke Moore. Within those famous stanzas, we find the line about visions of sugar plums dancing in the heads of the little children. Oh, but the concept of visions, and most certainly the Christmas Vision, goes so much deeper than that.

The Holy Scriptures emphatically state that, “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” (Proverbs 29:18) In the Hebrew, the original language of the Old Testament, the word, “vision,” refers to a mental sight, often in the form of a dream, revelation, or even a prophetic word. Its root word describes a gazing at something in order to perceive and contemplate it with pleasure. While sugar plums may be pleasurable, I'm sure you can see that the Biblical use of the word “vision” is much more meaningful. From the aforementioned Scripture, I am also sure that you can see the seriousness of not having a vision—it is equated with being in disobedience to God, and disobedience is rebellion. So how are we to understand the various uses of this word in the Bible? Well, first of all, a vision was presented to give supernatural direction, as in the case of Abram—“After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.” (Gen. 15:1) Secondly, a vision was given to develop the Kingdom of God by revealing the moral and spiritual deficiencies of God's people in light of His requirements for maintaining a proper relationship with Him. The visions of prophets, such as Isaiah, Amos, Hosea, Micah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and John, are good examples of this aspect of revelation. In fact, the word “vision” is mentioned 10 times in Ezekiel and 19 times in Daniel alone. In some places in the Bible, the word is simply describing the literal sense of sight—just the ability to see something with our eyes. In still other references, the word “vision” speaks of a way in which the future is actually revealed.

Obviously, a vision can be taken very broadly, and this is the way we will be seeing it—literal visions, dreams, and even events the Lord uses to speak forth His expectations for His people, as well as His enemies. In the first two weeks of these daily devotionals, our focus will be on the ministry of Moses, specifically looking at the exodus of God's people from bondage in Egypt, and many of the events that took place to make that happen. In the third week of the Advent Season, we will fast forward ahead and briefly focus on the ministries of both Jesus and Paul. Then, in the last week, we will backtrack and dive right into the Christmas story itself, and see very emphatically how everything points to the wondrous vision of Christmas. It is our desire that we all come to learn to have the vision of God—to see things as God does. Yes, it all reverberates with the original call, “Let my people go!” What lies before you is far sweeter than sugar plums—God's plan of salvation, as revealed this Christmas, is the sweetest thing you will ever know. Have a very Blessed Christmas Season!!!