The Christmas Angel
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
We call it “CHANGE!” 90% of all the items in the supermarket did not exist 10 years ago. 50% of the college graduates are going to jobs that didn’t exist when they were born. Someone observed, “My great-grandfather rode a horse, but he was afraid of a train. My grandfather rode a train, but he was afraid of a car. My father rode in a car, but he was afraid of an airplane. I ride in an airplane, but I’m afraid of a horse!” In this case change has come full circle!
Some people embrace change and see opportunity whereas others discourage change and see turmoil. We abhor the change Putin has brought upon the people of Ukraine but pray for the change that would come from a country-shaking spiritual revival. We regret the change resulting from a loved one leaving us but would welcome the change brought by our Lord’s return. We may conclude that how one views change is often determined by how satisfied we are with the status quo.
For example, Jesus arrived as a babe two thousand years ago and what a change he brought! “Never has man spoken like this man!” “What manner of man is this that even the wind and the sea obey His voice?” “Who has ever made the blind to see or the lame to walk?”
Jesus brought so much change into the world that the world could not handle Him!
Has Jesus changed your life? One of my childhood songs begins, “What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought, Since Jesus came into my heart. And I’m happy, so happy as onward I go Since Jesus came into my heart!” Amen! I remember that hour, how about you?
Jesus came that we might have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10), that we might be delivered from darkness into His awesome light, that our eternal address could change from the flames of hell to the perfections of heaven. Therefore, we can say with the Christmas angel, “Glory to God in the highest!”
Yes, Jesus brought change to my life. I do not regret those changes; rather, I am most thankful for those changes. I have never been drunk…not once. I have never gotten high on drugs…not once. I have never gambled away my paycheck, never gone hungry, never regretted my decision to follow Jesus. I may struggle with the latest I-phone changes and, yes, I may even struggle at times with the changes that God sends my way but I can confidently say, “Jesus doeth all things well.”
May your confidence continue to grow in Him who loves you so much that He has even made plans for you!
Tom Swartzwelder
Sep 4, 2024 – On September 3, 2024, Tom Swartzwelder completed the race that God had set before him. He is now with Jesus, the author and finisher of his faith.’
Hebrews 12:1-2A
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles
He provides practical how-to-do-ministry resources for the disciples of Jesus Christ at http://www.godsgreenhouse.net. Tom’s latest book is “God Speaks–Today!”
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