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December 25, 2008 04:18:34
Posted By Kathi Macias
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1. And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.
2. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria.
3. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.
4. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,
5. to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.
6. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered.
7. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
8. Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.
10. Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
11. "For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
12. "And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.''
13. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
14. "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men!''
15. So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.''
16. And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.
17. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child.
18. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
19. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.
20. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.
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December 23, 2008 07:15:17
Posted By Kathi Macias
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¡Bendito el que viene en el nombre del Señor! (San Mateo 21:9 RV)
Cuándo Jesús hizo Su entrada triunfal en Jerusalén una semana antes de Su crucifixión, las muchedumbres llenaron las calles, agitando ramas de palma y gritaban, “Bendito es Él que viene en nombre del Señor!” Pero cuando Él hizo Su entrada en el mundo como un bebé diminuto, indefenso, nadie estaba allí para darle una bienvenida. Su madre y padrastro tuvieron que conformarse con una cuna de heno para poner a su Hijo recién nacido, con los únicos espectadores visibles al gran acontecimiento que eran los animales que habitaron la pequeña y humilde vivienda.
¿Pero a donde estaban los testigos allí invisibles de este gran acontecimiento asombroso? Sin duda que allí lo estaban. ¿Si los ángeles fueran enviados para anunciar el nacimiento a pastores en un campo, no es lógico pensar que habían también ángeles enviados al lugar del nacimiento? ¡Y es igualmente lógico imaginar que aquellos ángeles lanzaban un grito, “¡Bendito es Él que viene en nombre del Señor!”
Aunque José y Maria puedan no haber oído aquellas declaraciones angelicales, todos aquellos que moran en aquel “otro reino” los oían - Satanás y sus multitudes demonicas incluidos. ¡Qué ondulación de terror y angustia debe haberse hecho rodar por aquellas multitudes de espiritus malignos aquella primera mañana de Navidad! El que quién viene en nombre del Señor había llegado — y nada en la tierra sería el mismo otra vez.
Sí, Satanás siguió funcionando en este planeta, hasta al punto de haber disfrutado de una victoria temporal cuando El que quién había venido en nombre del Señor fue crucificado y sepultado. ¡Pero ah, cómo la tierra tembló y los demonios temblaron cuando Él fue levantado otra vez de entre los muertos! ¡Y cuánto más van a aquellos demonios a enconderse cobardemente en el miedo cuando Él venga otra vez para tomar Su trono legítimo, donde nosotros que lo hemos recibido como Señor y Salvador gobernaremos y reinaremos con Él en todas las partes de toda la eternidad!
¿Tiene usted la seguridad que usted le pertenece, que Él vive en su corazón y viene otra vez — por usted? ¡Entonces alégrese, querido, sin tener en cuenta la recepción que usted recibe (o no!) aquí en esta tierra. ¡Cuándo usted se presenta a predicar, enseñar, escribir, cantar, o de cualquier modo proclamar el evangelio glorioso de Jesucristo, aun si usted no escucha una sola voz que lo recibe y le da la bienvenida, recuerde que el anfitrión del cielo está preparado en el reino divino, proclamando en una voz triunfante, “Bendito es él que viene en nombre del Señor!” Si le pertenecemos, entonces Él nos ha llamado para salir en Su nombre y extender las Noticias Buenas de Su triunfo sobre pecado y muerte. Vayan vigorosamente, queridos amigos, ya que estamos siempre en buena compañía cuando vamos adelante “en nombre del Señor.”
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December 18, 2008 03:06:21
Posted By Kathi Macias
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“Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Matthew 21:9).
When Jesus made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem one week prior to His crucifixion, crowds lined the streets, waving palm branches and crying out, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” But when He made His entrance into the world as a tiny, helpless baby, no one was there to call out a welcome. His mother and stepfather had to settle for a bed of hay in which to lay their newborn Son, with the only visible spectators to the great event being the animals who inhabited the humble little outside dwelling.
But were there invisible witnesses to this amazing occurrence? No doubt there were. If angels were dispatched to announce the birth to shepherds in a field, isn’t it logical to think there were also angels sent to the place of the birth itself? And it is equally logical to imagine that those angels were crying out, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”
Though Joseph and Mary may not have heard those angelic declarations, all those who dwell in that “other realm” of the heavenlies did—Satan and his demonic hordes included. What a ripple of terror and anguish must have rolled through those evil ranks that first Christmas morning! The One who comes in the name of the Lord had arrived—and nothing on earth would ever be the same again.
Yes, Satan continued to operate on this planet, even to the point of having enjoyed a temporary victory when the One who had come in the name of the Lord was crucified and buried. But oh, how the earth shook and the demons trembled when He was raised again from the dead! And how much more will those demons cower in fear when that One comes again to take up His rightful throne, where we who have received Him as Lord and Savior will rule and reign with Him throughout all eternity!
Do you have that assurance that you belong to Him, that He lives in your heart and is coming again—for you? Then rejoice, beloved, regardless of the reception you receive (or not!) here on this earth. When you show up to preach, teach, write, sing, or in any way proclaim the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ, even if you don’t hear a single voice call out to you in welcome, remember that the host of heaven is standing by in the heavenly realm, proclaiming in a triumphant voice, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” If we belong to Him, then He has called us to go out in His name and spread the Good News of His triumph over sin and death. Go boldly, dear friends, for we are always in good company when we go forth “in the name of the Lord.”
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December 15, 2008 05:14:05
Posted By Kathi Macias
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“Jesucristo es el mismo ayer, hoy, y por los siglos.” (Hebreos 13:8RV)
En este tiempo y cultura cuando cada uno parece hablar acerca de nuevos cambios – buenos, malos, o como sean - yo me vuelvo muy a menudo a este verso en particular. Es importante que recordarnos que independientemente de lo que más puede cambiarse, Jesucristo no va a cambiar nunca. El mismo y único Hijo de Dios, que con Su palabra formó el mundo en la existencia, anduvo por las calles polvorientas de Galilea, dió Su vida en la cruz y luego resucitó, y también vendrá otra vez para llevarnos a casa para estar con Él para siempre. Si esto nos pasa a nosotros individualmente cuando nuestro tiempo aquí en la tierra se termine, o somos todos alcanzados juntos, lo importante consiste en que Él que es fiel y ha prometido llevarnos bien a casa no romperá Su promesa. Pueden confiar en su Palabra; Su carácter es verdadero; Su amor es incondicional.
Creo que es importante acentuar estas grandes verdades fundamentales, particularmente cuando nada más parece estable. Las cosas de las que hemos dependido durante años a veces nuestras vidas enteras — están ahora en un estado de flujo. Todo está cambiando delante de nuestros propios ojos. Como creyentes, muchos de nosotros hemos esperado y hasta hemos predicho algunas cosas que atestiguamos ahora, pero me pregunto si REALMENTE creíamos que estas cosas pasarían en nuestras vidas — o solamente hablabamos de estas cosas como un pasa-tiempo, especulando sobre como seria para aquellos que vivieran en esos tiempos.
Mis amigos, vemos la historia desplegarse, cada día. Y cada día parece traer un cambio radical. Por supuesto, la historia siempre se desplegaba, de día en día, y esto siempre traía el cambio. ¿Pero tan radicalmente y rápidamente? No estoy tan segura.
Si toda esta agitación económica y social es sólo otro punto luminoso cíclico en la pantalla de radar o algo mucho más significativo, no pretendo decirlo con autoridad. Sin embargo, puedo decir esto: Pase lo que pase, independientemente de los cambios que vienen, independientemente de las alegrías o las penas que nos acontecen a nosotros. Jesucristo es todavía el mismo ayer, hoy, y para siempre. Si mantenemos nuestro enfoque en aquella gran verdad inalterable, nuestra fe estará siempre de pie y fuerte, nuestros corazones estarán estables, y nuestro testimonio será puro.
¡Que la paz y fuerza que fluye de aquella gran verdad sea nuestra motivación al ministerio este día, y para siempre!
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December 11, 2008 03:49:27
Posted By Kathi Macias
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Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever (Heb. 13:8).
In this time and culture when everyone seems to be talking about change—good, bad, or otherwise—I return to this particular verse often. It is important to remind ourselves that whatever else may change, Jesus Christ won’t. The same and only Son of God, who spoke the world into existence, walked the dusty streets of Galilee, gave His life on the cross and then rose from the dead, will also come again to take us home to be with Him—forever. Whether that happens for us individually when our time here on earth is finished, or we are all caught up together, the important thing is that the One who is faithful and has promised to carry us safely home will not break His promise. His Word can be trusted; His character is true; His love is unconditional.
I believe it’s important to stress these great foundational truths, particularly at a time when nothing else seems stable. Things we have depended on for years—sometimes our entire lives—are now in a state of flux. Everything is changing, right before our eyes. As believers, many of us have expected and even predicted some of the things we are now witnessing, but I wonder if we REALLY expected them to happen in our lifetimes—or was it just fun to talk about them, to speculate about what it would be like for those living at that time.
Folks, we are seeing history unfold, each and every day. And each day seems to bring radical change. Of course, history has always unfolded, day by day, and it has always brought change. But this radically and rapidly? I’m not so sure.
Whether all this economic and social upheaval is just another cyclical blip on the radar screen or something much more significant, I don’t pretend to say with authority. However, I can tell you this: Whatever happens, whatever changes come, whatever joys or sorrows befall us—Jesus Christ is still the same yesterday, today, and forever. If we will keep our focus on that great unchangeable truth, our faith will stand strong, our hearts steady, and our witness pure.
May the peace and strength that flows from that truth be our motivation to ministry this day, and always!
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