Can Newt Gingrich Stand Winning? Can You?

If you know me, you know something to be true. I am incredibly political. I have always been that way. Even in my youth. So this season is always exciting as I watch the various candidates vie for the most powerful position in all the land. I know there are a lot of debates and every aspect of their lives are called into question, but if you are running for President one could argue that it makes sense.

With that being said I am immensely impressed with ALL of the candidates who are running and who have run. Yeah you have to have a huge ego to even say “I am qualified to be President,” but think about it a little deeper. When you turn in the application for the job you know three things to be true.

·         There will be something embarrassing from your past that will be in the papers and on TV.

·         You will have to spend at least 6 to 8 years of your life preparing to and running for the office.

·         You will have to be very fortunate.

So with that being said, I watched the Republican Debate a few nights ago and in watching it I paid particular attention to Newt Gingrich. He has been an interesting figure for many years and it’s amazing how he looks as we examine him up close and personal. Yes, he was the Speaker of the House—but we don't elect a person for such a position so you can argue that the only people who REALLY knew him were in his congressional district. So as we see him up close, he reminds me of a character we don't talk a lot about in the bible by the name of Gomer. Now if you know your bible you are scratching your head with the thought of such juxtaposition but I promise you I will land the plane safely.

Speaker Gingrich is fond of speaking of his grandiose ideas and he is hoping to ride a wave of anger from people fed up with the status quo into the White House. One can say he is hoping to ride the Newt-mentum all the way to 1900 Pennsylvania Ave. But then something happened between the South Carolina Primary and America’s first step toward establishing Moonlandia as its 51^st state. He became the leader of the race and on Thursday night he proved once again he is better fighting for than controlling the lead when he is ahead.

To use a boxing analogy during the debate, Mr. Gingrich looked like the fighter who looks great the first round until he is cold cocked—and he gets that deer in the headlights look. Speaker Gingrich looked that way most of the night. So why is that? How can a person be so good when they are losing, yet look so bad when they are winning? (Hold on to that thought as we will revisit it momentarily.)

I heard Speaker Gingrich referred to as “The Angry Teddy Bear.” I giggle when I think of the analogy because whenever my son walks in the room and sees his face he laughs. When I ask him why he says it’s the haircut. “Looks like he has a little school boy haircut,” he says. And if you dropped in from out of space (Okay insert your Gingrich joke here) and saw a picture of the Speaker you would view him as a kind warm and friendly type of guy. And that's the guy they seem to want America to see. But every time America gets closer to him—he says something to push her away and his poll numbers fall.

When you look at his life and how his two previous marriages ended there is a parallel between his failed marriages, his run for the presidency and Gomer. (Yes I will connect the dots.)

Based on press reports, biographers and the “limited” information we have, Mr. Gingrich pursued both of his previous wives and left them when life may not have been going their way. There is no way they could have wanted or needed him more than the day he walked out of their lives. He also seems to focus intently on being the Republican Nominee—until he starts leading the polls. And then he starts making outrageous comments like "People like me are what stand between us and Auschwitz." You know? Something so bazaar you want to ask, “What was that again?” In hopes that you heard incorrectly.

So what is it in the character of the “Angry Teddy Bear,” that will not allow him to lead the race, to be loved by the Republican Party or to stay married? I am of the opinion that the same thing that causes him to not be embraced by the voters once he is leading the race is the same thing that causes him not to be embraced by the G.O.P. And the same thing that causes him to not be able to be embrace by the Republican Party in part led to the end of his marriages. The inability to be loved. Now before I connect the dots allow me to pull out my Word.

In the bible 760 years before Jesus was born there was a man named Jeroboam II. Don't get caught up on the name. Jerry-BO’ham. See it was not that hard. So this guy, Jeroboam II was on the throne of the northern kingdom of Israel, and his military exploits had extended Israel’s borders farther than they had been since the days of Solomon’s glorious kingdom. Let’s just say he had a thing for war. Now in keeping with our comparison to the political landscape of today you might compare him to George W. Bush. The son of a king—but was not really equipped to wear the crown.

Well; money from subject nations were pouring into the treasury at the capital city of Samaria, and the people of Israel were enjoying a period of unprecedented prosperity. Sounds like the United States post “W” right?

Just as in the current day, with prosperity came waste as well as moral and spiritual degeneration. Secularism and materialism captured the hearts of the people and sin ran rampant. The list reads like twentieth-century America: swearing, lying, killing, stealing, adultery, drunkenness, perversion, perjury, deceit, and oppression, to name but a few. You know when people say times have never been this crazy? They just need to read the bible. But the thing that grieved the heart of God more than anything else was the sin of idolatry. The golden calves set up by Jeroboam I had opened the floodgates to every evil expression of Canaanite idolatry, including drunkenness, religious prostitution and human sacrifice.

As we know, God had a special relationship with the Children of Israel and He viewed her worship of others Gods as spiritual adultery. How would you feel if you watched your wife with another man—over and over again? I rest my case. The Old Testament speaks frequently of Israel whoring after or playing the harlot with other gods. Well God had told Israel from the beginning that this is where he would definitely draw the line. “You shall have no other gods before Me” was the first of his ten great commandments. Pretty cut and dried right? But she (Israel) persistently ignored His command, and by the days of Jeroboam II (W) the situation was intolerable. God was about to speak decisively and He chose first a prophet named Amos. The former herdsman of Tekoa, giving God’s warning of imminent judgment, but the nation paid little attention. So God spoke again, trying to do whatever he could to get the message to His beloved that his love was true. This time he tried to do it through the prophet Hosea whose name meant “Jehovah is salvation.” And this is where Newton Leroy Gingrich comes in.

The very first thing God ever said to Hosea tells us about his relationship with Israel. “Go, take to yourself a wife of harlotry, and have children of harlotry; for the land commits flagrant harlotry, forsaking the Lord.” Not very subtle right? When you read this passage it’s clear that God is commanding this prophet to marry a woman who looked the part yet had absolutely no morals. A woman who’d lost so much even when she was winning she’d find a way to lose. A woman who was the embodiment of Israel. A woman who obviously cannot handle being loved. A woman ironically enough like our Newt Gingrich because the more Hosea (The Republican Party) loves her—the more she pushes him away.

Just like some in the G.O.P’s early infatuation with Mr. Speaker, the early days of their marriage between Hosea and Gomer were beautiful. There love was in full bloom. I'm sure part of the reason was because Gomer was on her best behavior possibly shocked that such a man was in love with her. (Are you seeing obvious correlation?) So because they were in love God blessed them with a son (primary win) and I am sure Hosea must have felt as if he was on top of the world. He and the G.O.P. were convinced that his marriage would be better than ever with this little one to brighten their union.

But it was after the birth of the child named Jezreel that Hosea seems to have noticed a change in Gomer. She became restless and unhappy, like a bird trapped in a cage. Being a prophet he continued doing what he was called to do. His message was simple. “Return unto the Lord!” and he preached it over and over again. But Gomer seemed less and less interested in doing what he was called to do. Gomer (and Newt) had her own agenda. And she began to find other interests to occupy herself, and spent more and more time destroying the thing she once valued so much.

So when you look at it from a distance you can see that the Speaker may have a hard time being loved. But question? Can you? Can you really stand being loved? A love without limits? Can you accept the love Israel walked away from? Can you accept being love by one willing to put your life before His own? Remember the previous question? How would you feel if you watched your wife with another man? If you have not given Christ your heart; that is how he feels every time he looks at you.

Yes it’s easy to look at the foible of Newt and the Children of Israel when they display self-destructive behaviors but are you any different?

Oh yeah, make this day—the first day of the rest of your life.

By Timmothy B. McCann

Can You Stand To Be Blessed?

This morning I was running. Believe it or not I am training to run a mini marathon (please pray for me) so I’m trying to run a little each day. Well, being a technophile I run on the treadmill watching my iPad and discovered that The Passion of Christ was on YouTube. So I thought, “Whoa, why not watch The Passion, and get my work out in.” So as I was watching the first thing I noticed was the fact that Jesus was anti—a lot of what we see in today’s church. One of those things in my opinion would be some ministries approach to prosperity. I mean think about it. The word itself is a wonderful word. It’s a word on par with healthy. Wise. Dignity. But somehow the latter day church (not The Church of The Latter Day Saints per si but the church of today) has given an evil and one can say even a bitter taste to a wonderful word.

One of the reasons why is because there is a cavernous error in prosperity ministry. We have been so attuned to judging peoples success by their homes, their cars and the clothes they wear we tend to transfer that to the body of Christ. After all if you have two neighbors, one wearing the best of the best and living in a McMansion and the other living in a trailer than which one would be thought by most people to be the most successful? Regrettably you cannot judge Gods children by earthly standards. I mean when you think about it, Pimps, Hedge Funds Thieves and Murderers have nice houses. But unless they repent they will go straight to hell.

But can I tell you one of the hidden problems with the prosperity ministry of today? There is also an arrogance attached to it that is like a hidden cancer and lies dormant for years and is only found at times when it is too late. Sometimes we can go higher in terms of this worlds standards and get haughty. Think about it; if we really excel and if everything we want in our lives succeeds beyond our wildest imagination, would we really know how to handle it?

What we don't realize is if you achieved success in a phenomenal way you will receive test in a phenomenal way. Let’s say you have three people in your life that really dislike you now. If you were to win the lottery tomorrow that number would increase tenfold. Can you handle success? Could this be why God does not bless some of us? Could this be why the litmus test of our Christianity may not be measured just in the size of our car?

Paul wrote to the Philippi church, 2:5-11, that God will bless us when we are little in our own eyes but as soon as we start smelling ourselves we will mess round and lose the kingdom. Some people will start out serving God with humility and as SOON as God bless them they trip. Can we stand… to be blessed?

We must understand that often God sees something in our hearts that will allow him to dole out blessings upon us. But we kill it if we show him by our actions that we cannot stand to be blessed.

There is no way David should have been, nor deserved to be promoted to king. Yeah he killed a lion and that was on his resume. He killed a bear and that was on his resume. He killed a giant everyone feared in front of his boys and that was on his resume. In fact in many people eyes he was not even the most qualified in his own family. He was still smaller than many of the other kings. Heck he was even smaller than his own brothers. He did not even know who to bow to; knew nothing about protocol. He did not come from a royal blood line. At the end of the day he was still a little Sheppard boy. A child at heart. So why did God look past all the other more qualified applicants? A little difference that made a big difference to God. David knew how to take his praise and adoration to a higher level. While they were out sword fighting and learning other tongues and being educated, David was up in the mountain singing songs, praying prayers, dancing around trees and giving God all the glory.

What caused one out of every three angels to fall out of heaven? What caused Lucifer to be sent to Hell? The most beautiful angel in heaven, dammed to eternal damnation. So beautiful he was referred to as “The son of the morning,” to fall from heaven? Something called hubris.

What is hubris? It’s defined as excessive pride or excessive arrogance. Having a little pride in who you are is actually a good thing. But it’s when it becomes “hubris” that it can lead to our demise. See Lucifer was not satisfied to be over the worship and praise team. See we have goals and we are pushed towards those goals and dreams by our ambition. But hubris comes in when even the achievement of the goal is not enough. When they feel unfulfilled although they have achieved what they set out to achieve. Some men can set their sights on a beautiful woman who would typically not give him the time of the day. Some people can set their sights on a position at they know they don't deserve and then get it. Some success or prosperity can become a drug and it can cut any throat, step on anyone’s head and become an obstacle between the person and their relationship with God.

They will justify it like the former NBA star Latrell Sprewell did in 2000 when he was offered a three million dollar contract to play a kids game. His infamous retort was,  “I got to feed my kid!, I can’t live on 3,000,000 a year.” Well as fate would have it, in 2008 he filed bankruptcy. Hubris occurs when people can never reach a level of satiate.

Lucifer was over praise and worship IN HEAVEN of all places and that was not enough for him. He set his sights on Gods job. “I will set my sights on the most high. I will exalt myself above the most high God. I will ascend into the heavens.” Be careful with your I’s. There are two things that can get you in trouble. Your eyes and your I’s. Keep your eyes’ and your I’s on God and you will begin to be all you can be in the Kingdom of God. But start looking at yourself and saying what “you” can do and you are on the road toward hubris, and that's the subtle hidden danger of the prosperity ministry.

“They don't know who I am?”

“I will do this my way!”

“I don't ever get the recognition I deserve.”

Want to know your place in the Kingdom of God—start by simply knowing your place. Why? There is a man or a woman on I-75 holding up a sign for food that God will clean up and put in your position if you don't remember it’s never about you but it’s always about Him. There is a person in a soup kitchen who can out sing you, out think you, and if you are not taking care of your wife or husband they can out wife or husband you and they will take your position if you don't humble yourself. The bible says it very clearly—“Set your affections on things above, not on things of this earth.” And yes the things of this earth would also include a focus on prosperity.   

Even Christ said, “Father glorify me with the glory I had with you.” Not the things here on earth, but the things above. And when he says this does he go to heaven? Not hardly. He went alright. Up on a cross to die.

Have you ever wondered why you go on a fast, and you are walking in your anointing and then the devil hits you in the face with a 2x4 of troubles when you are  getting close to God? It’s because we have to understand, in order to receive the blessings of God, before we go up, we must come down. But when this happens… when you feel yourself going down, when you feel that cross on your back, when you  feel the nails in your hands and feet, get ready because you are about to go up to a higher level. One higher than you have ever experienced. But to do so focus on God—not on prosperity and you will display to God that you deserve—opps not deserve but you are in fact ready to be blessed.

And believe it I got all of that—while running on a treadmill watching a movie.

Oh yeah, remember today--this day, is the first day of the rest of your life.

How To Study The Bible 101

Dig, its 3:12 a.m. in the morning and I cannot sleep. I tried watching TV and there was nothing there to excite me so I decided to write until I got sleepy. Hopefully something will come out that will edify your spirit.

Recently I was listening to a minister discuss ways to study the Word and it inspired me to write about a topic that is not taught often enough in churches. How to study the word of God. Are you ready? Let’s get started.

First and foremost when you are studying the Word of God and you are not used to studying it—expect to get sleepy. It happens. Now if you are adept at decoding and deciphering the Holy Writ you will not have an issue with this, but if you are a neophyte—just expect it to happen and remember it’s not a sin o be sleepy. Don't be so hard on yourself. Now let me tell you why this occurs.

Recently I was speaking to my cousin Jacquetta, and yes I am using her name because “IF” she reads my blogs she will mention this reference next time I talk to her. If she does not then when we speak and she does not bring it up she’ll be busted. J But in our conversation she mentioned she was going to get back in shape in 2012. She mentioned a gym membership or possibly buying gym equipment for the house. I advised her not to but instead to just do a little running first in her neighborhood. She said “Timmy (yeah they call me Timmy) I can’t. When I start running I always get a pain in my lower back and pelvis area.” I assured her that was her bodies way of protesting her change in lifestyle. Look at it as a physiological “Occupy the Body” movement.

Well when you first start reading the bible on a neophyte level there will be an “Occupy the Body Movement” within you and you will get sleepy. I look at it as a way for the carnal man to interrupt the feeding of the spiritual man who is thirsting for the truth that can only be obtained by studying the Word. So when it comes to studying the Word and getting sleepy—I’ll give you the same advice I gave Jacquetta. Fight through it. Sit up. Put water on your face. Set an objective to read a certain number of pages each night but determine that no matter what—you will feed your spirit man.

Now once you get past the “Reading-the-Bible-makes-me-sleepy-so-I-can’t-study” stage what's next?

I am a firm believer that most people attack reading and studying the Word of God much like they read and study a text book. With highlighters in hand they read it and try to understand what they have just read. Have you ever wondered why many preachers preach on the Prodigal Son and focus so much time on the fact that the kid “came” to himself. They camp out on that one area of the passage. Why? Because they have read the passage as if it’s a text book. But you can never cursory read the Bible because your text book is dated. In other words what's true today in it may or may not be true this time ten years from now. But most importantly your text book cannot breath. Your Bible on the other hand can inhale and exhale because it’s the living breathing word of God. So this is how you should attack it.

Pray about it. Before I study I pray and my simple prayer goes a little like this. “God show me something when I read this that I have never seen before.” In other words I am consenting to the Holy Spirit that the knowledge I would like to be revealed in this reading is above my pay grade. It’s a level of knowledge and understanding I have not yet attained or deserve. That it’s something I could never come up with on my own so before I read a word, I am going to need a little help Lord.

Pronounce it. This is very underrated when it comes to studying the word and let me just say for the record nothing aggravates me more than having a man or woman of God not being able to pronounce a name—a city or a nation in the Bible. I tend to immediately ask myself, “Have they even read this themselves?”

When you say the words aloud—correctly often it will unlock the subtext of the passage and you will be given insight into a deeper revelation of what God is saying to us in His Word. Keep in mind that all the words in the Bible are there for a specific reason so when we skip over one or two because we don't know how to pronounce them then we fail to understand the significance of the word. Unlike a previous generation you can use the internet to not only locate the word in question, many sites will also let you hear how it is supposed to be pronounced. Don't miss out on a blessing because you did not feel the necessity of checking it out on Wikipedia.

Picture It. If you really want to see the Word of God in a different way; see yourself IN the word of God. For instance imagine yourself in Judea. It’s hot. It's at least 100 degrees with no wind blowing. It has not rained in MONTHS. People are packed as tight as sardines trying to see Jesus. They brushing up on each other and then you smell something. It’s a woman—with a dress that's bloody, and it does not smell like she has bathe for weeks.

How would you feel?

No one wears deodorant and here is a woman that smells like—well you get the picture.

What would you think?

What did the disciples think when they smelled her?

Now with that in mind—have you ever been dealing with something, and the people closest to you were aware of it but they may not want to get close to you? How do you feel when the ones that are closest to you in life—all of a sudden turn up their nose at you? Now you can get an idea how the woman with the issue of blood must have felt, when people who were close to God—all of a sudden did not want to be close to her. See the Word of God not only from another point of view—but literally put yourself into the story to gain deeper insight.

Prob it. The following is something developed by Rick Warren. It’s an acronym to assist in dissecting the Word of God as if you were holding a scapular. Just remember SPACE PETS. Also if you would like to gain even more insight into how to study the Word I highly recommend Rick Warrens, “Bible Study Methods: 12 Ways You Can Unlock God’s Word.”

Sin to confess? When you read a chapter of the bible—ask yourself this question. Do I need to make any restitution in my life?

Promise to claim? Is it a universal promise? Have I met the condition(s)?

Attitude to change? Am I willing to work on a negative attitude and begin building toward a positive one?

Command to obey? Am I willing to do it no matter how I feel?

Example to follow? Is it a positive example for me to copy or a negative one to avoid?

Prayer to pray? Is there anything I need to pray back to God?

Error to avoid? Is there any problem in this passage that I should be alert to, or beware of?

Truth to believe? What new things can I learn about God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, or the other biblical teachings?

Something to praise God for? Is there something here I can be thankful for?

Paraphrase it. In other words how would you say it? Get past the way it is written—use your own way of applying it to your life. As a child growing up—I thought it was almost a sin to read anything but the King James Version of the Bible when actuality it’s just a Bible that was written the way people spoke in 1611. In fact some people believe it was translated by William Shakespeare. So with that being said, one of my favorite verses in the Bible says, “When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell…”  Now how would you paraphrase that? “Even when people who hate my natural guts come up against me—they will never succeed.” (Did that come alive for you too?)

Personalize it. Frequently powerful passages can lose their effectiveness because we have heard them so often. For instance “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.” No one would argue that this is a powerful passage but what about this for a deeper revelation. “Question? Can I tell you just how much God loved everyone in the world? He loved them so much that he gave His only child just to save them and if Timmothy  was the only person in the world he would have done it just so Timmothy would never die and in fact live forever—with him. That's how much he loved Timmothy.” Do this with the next passage you study. Insert your name in it so you can “feel” what God would have you to understand about the text.

CLOSE in prayer, solitude and meditation. Before you close that Bible, I suggest laying your hand on the passage and asking God to seal it in your heart. We often teach about spiritual disciplines but a couple of disciplines we don't really focus much on are the disciplines of solitude and silence and the discipline of mediation. After a prayer try to just close out the world and then meditate on what God is saying to you. Don't tweet. Don't have the TV playing in the background. Listen with your heart. Understand why you were directed by the Holy Spirit to read and study this passage. Mediate on the journey you have just concluded and where God is about to take you as a result of this experience.

If you follow these steps I can assure you that revelation will come to you long after the book is closed and might I suggest having a pen handy because if you are anything like me, when divine revelation comes it doesn't to tend to stay locked in my mind. I have to write it down or I am kicking myself all day.

With this being said its now 5:26 a.m., I’m still wide awake but I pray that this has helped you and that the next time you read your Bible you will see things you never saw before in Gods Holy Writ.

(I wonder if McDonalds is open.)

Oh yeah—make this day the first day of the rest of your life!

You Have Been Touched By An Angel

Remember the TV show Touched By An Angel? It premiered in 1994 and was one of the most watched shows on CBS. Well I saw the star of the show, Roma Downey on Piers Morgan Tonight. She recounted the joy the show brought her which made me wonder how the show became such a success. And this got me to thinking about angels.

 

Many times we have to move out of our comfort zone to help others. It’s easier to stay in your comfort zone because it’s safe. Just say no, as the slogan goes, works for more than just abstinence from drugs. When you say no, there is no reward—but there is also no great risk involved. How many times will God tell you to get up? How can God get you to bless others when you are in your comfort zone of just saying no?

And this brings me to Mrs. Downey. One way to bless others is to hit them with the concept of angels. For some, angles are analogues to dwarf or trolls. Fairy Godmothers or others things produced by Hollywood. Movies have shown angels as saints, sinners, brethren or buffoons. But in spite of this, angels are closer than you think. Let’s talk a little about angels.

In the bible we see angels in nearly every book of the bible but could you have actually have met an angel? Well let’s see. One of the key characteristics of angels is a person you see who is an ordinary person who is an extraordinary desire to please. An ordinary person—who you are drawn to but cannot put your finger on as to why. Ever met such a person?

Some of us MAY have friends who are angels. Some possibly parents who are angelic. Some of our kids are average ordinary teenagers, and then once in while they will say something that’s like a flash of brilliance from nowhere. And you think, “This child may possibly be an angel. Where did that come from?”

In an old R&B song the writer pinned the immortal question, “Didn’t I blow your mind this time, didn’t I?” I am about to blow your mind with this one. HERE GOES.

I am a firm believer that you are indeed angelic and with the capable of doing the miraculous. No matter who you are, someone is looking forward to seeing you and the smile you will put on their face. Take a moment and think about them. Some of you can think of several people. Others may not be able to think of any one—but the fact that you don't know who those people are do not mean they do not exist. Trust me, the mere mention of your name will make something turn in someone's heart. In actuality, it’s not for you to know who this person or these people are. But that thing that turns inside of them turns because God has planted something in them that is like a magnet to your steel and they have been strategically placed IN your life for you to do mission work and for them to notice your good deeds. I often say the most powerful sermons are never spoken from a pulpit. They are seen in the way we live our lives.

So are their others ways we can test if a person is angelic? I am glad you were thinking that.

Angels and people who are angelic will tend not to get too close. They tend to come for a reason a season and a purpose and then they go.  To understand this we must forget the Hollywoodfication of Angels and chart them throughout the bible. If there is anything that is consistent about their behavior they are here and then gone.

The literal meaning of an angel in the New Testament is a messenger. They tend not to sit around and let moss grow. The UPS guy doesn’t hang out, watch the game on TV and then have dinner with the family before delivering his next package. He drops the package (message) and then he bounces. We see this attribute in angels as well. But often we transgress because we try to hold on to angels. To keep them around forever. The next time you reach out for an angel they may not be there… although they were there the last time you needed them for a specific problem. What we need to do is never depend on the angle for consistency because they are not given the charge to be consistent. We need to hold on to God because he is always and will always be consistent.

Sometimes when you are on the mission from God to do angelic work, at times it can be frustrating. Why? You don't understand what happened. You toss and turn at night and try to put it into context but you cannot get the pieces to fit. It could be a good relationship that you break off and have no idea why. It could be a good job that you left. It could be a good church that was life changing at one time—then all of a sudden you feel out of place there and you left. You don't know why but you know your times had come to an end. But the reason you don't understand it, the reason you find yourself tossing and turning is because you were doing angelic work for the moment.

The most powerful thing about angel is the fact that there is a little bit of God in each one of us. That God can use each of us to deliver a message. Not just the preacher on Sunday—but the Attorney on Wednesday and the Garbage man on Saturday. If we just let God be God then we can be used for the kingdom. If we let God be God we can feel angelic power. You can list a cavalcade of names in the bible that followed this path.

God was God inside of David. What mortal man could do what he did?

God was God inside of Paul. What manner of man could write what he wrote sitting in prison awaiting his death? Here he was waiting to die telling the world for centuries to come how to live.

But most importantly we see God putting on the flesh and being born in a manger.

But it goes deeper than then the people we expect to be angels or angelic. God can use a child to speak a word into your life that changes the course of your life forever. He can use a photo and bring you to your knees crying like a baby. God is so God he can use a homeless person to let you appreciate life. The angelic power of God has been used in all of these things. If he can use a donkey to stop a man such as Baalm from killing himself; he can use anything to get you where he would like you to be.

The bible teaches says in Hebrews 13:2 “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”

In closing think about that for a moment.  When life does not make sense think about that. When you are drawn to someone think about that. When someone you are attracted to leaves an indelible finger print on your life—think about that. And when you do remember that no matter what it takes God will always get a message to His children.

Remember today--this day, is the first day of the rest of your life.