Author: heavenly-inspired
•4:12 AM

Meaning: Salvation, or “the Lord is salvation,” “the Lord Saves.”
“Jesus” is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua which was originally Hoshea (Oshea) (Num. 13:8, 16 - the King James Version of the Bible spells it “Oshea”), but changed by Moses into Jehoshua (Num. 13:16; 1 Chr. 7:27), or Joshua. After the Exile it assumed the form Jeshua, from which came the Greek form Jesus. It was given to our Lord to denote the object of his mission, to save. An angel told Joseph (his foster-father), “You are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21).


JESUS CHRIST - Je'sus, the proper, as Christ is the official, name of our Lord. To distinguish him from others with the same name, he is spoken of as “Jesus of Nazareth” (John 18:7), and “Jesus the son of Joseph” (John 6:42).
The life of Jesus on earth may be divided into two great periods, (1) his private life, till he was about thirty years of age; and (2) his public life, which lasted about three years.

In the “fulness of time” he was born at Bethlehem, in the reign of the emperor Augustus, of Mary, who was betrothed to Joseph, a carpenter (Matt. 1:1; Luke 3:23; compare John 7:42). His birth was announced to shepherds (Luke 2:8-20). Wise men from the east came to Bethlehem to see him who was born “King of the Jews,” bringing gifts with them (Matt. 2:1-12). Herod's cruel jealousy led to Joseph's flight into Egypt with Mary and the infant Jesus, where they waited till the death of this king (Matt. 2:13-23), when they returned and settled in Nazareth, in Lower Galilee (2:23; compare Luke 4:16; John 1:46, etc.). At the age of twelve years he went up to Jerusalem to the Passover with his parents. There, in the temple, “in the midst of the doctors,” all that heard him were “astonished at his understanding and answers” (Luke 2:41, etc.).
Eighteen years pass during which we have no record, except that he returned to Nazareth and “increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52). [Some have claimed that during this period, Jesus went to India and learned from Hindu Gurus? Is this true?]
He entered his public ministry when he was about thirty years of age. It is generally believed to have lasted about three years. Each of these years had particular features of its own.


Author: heavenly-inspired
•3:50 AM

By His fulfillment of prophecy, we are reminded that Jesus Christ is the center of God’s plan for the world.
His resurrection from the dead is further confirmation that Jesus is God’s Son who will deliver on every promise. Jesus in the stable is not a fable. And because the message of Christmas is true, the implications are enormous for you.
It means that God the Son, in love, came to fulfill the meaning of his name, which is “The Lord Saves!” In other words, as one modern writer name him, he is “God to the Rescue!” By Jesus’s death on the cross he paid for your sins and mine. By his resurrection he has opened the way to heaven to all who receive him by faith.
Jesus said, “He who [that is, “whoever”] has the Son has eternal life” (John 3:36). By receiving Jesus into your life you also are made a child of God (John 1:14), receive the forgiveness of sins (Acts 10:46), and become a new person (2 Corinthians 5:17). Your future becomes a life of discovery of His gracious plan for you (Ephesians 1:18f).
A long time ago he was born in a manger. But he wishes to be born within your heart today (Revelation 3:20). This Christmas season receive the greatest gift that can ever be given. Open your heart and let the One who was born in a stable in humility, died on a cross in love, and rose from the dead in power, enter in!
Have you accepted the most precious gift he has for you? You can right now.



Author: Gary Jensen


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Author: heavenly-inspired
•3:37 AM

The historic record of the birth of Christ can be found in Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 2:1-20.Unlike any other baby, the one born that night in Bethlehem was unique in all of history. He was not created by a human father and mother. He had a heavenly pre-existence (John 1:1-3, 14). He is God, the Son—Creator of the universe (Philippians 2:5-11). This is why Christmas is called the incarnation, a word which means “in the flesh.” In the birth of Jesus, the eternal, all-powerful and all-knowing Creator came to earth in the flesh.
Why would God do such a thing? Why would he come as a baby, instead of appearing in power and majesty? Why make himself a true man and live among us, when he knew full well how terribly he would be treated?
It was LOVE!
It was necessary, if you are to be saved!
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