Matthew 20:29-34
²⁹ As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. ³⁰ Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”
³¹ The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”
³² Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.
³³ “Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.”
³⁴ Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.

I find this Jesus’ question fascinating. What would you say if Jesus came up to you in the flesh and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” Notice the blind men didn’t get super spiritual and talk about wanting a deep relationship with God. They didn’t talk about wanting to end world hunger. They simply asked for their sight.

In Mark 5, Jesus heals this man possessed by a legion of demons. Before Jesus, he was living in the tombs, cutting himself with rocks, screaming and being totally out of his mind while roaming the hills naked. After Jesus, he sits at Jesus’ feet, clothed, in his right mind and ready to do anything for Christ. Look at Jesus’ response:

“Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how He has had mercy on you” — Mark 5:19

During this Christmas week, let’s reflect on God’s amazing gift of Christmas by letting the Scriptures tell us the story. No pictures. No videos. No commentary. Let God’s Word speak to you. Take time to meditate on these passages, some of which are so familiar, but can become new with pause and reflection. Let the story of Christmas fill you with awe again as you read the Word each day. Merry Christmas!

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people” — Luke 2:10

When you go throughout the day, where does your mind travel when you’re in default mode? You know, when you’re not intentionally thinking about anything in particular, what does your mind go to? Is it your spouse? Your boyfriend/girlfriend? Does it begin thinking about food and your next meal? Does it wander off to the last video game you played or the one you hope to play as soon as you get home? Does your mind default to fear, thinking of all the problems awaiting your attention: The kids, your debt, your workload, the repairs that need to be done on the house, the fear of your parents splitting up, worry about whether or not someone is mad at you? Maybe it defaults to sins like lust, or worry, or revenge?

Have you ever witnessed to some one and tried to share the Gospel only to have them reject the message? Maybe not just once or twice, but several times? I certainly have and it’s actually one of the main reasons Christians don’t share their faith at all — the fear of rejection.

A journey with God

Take time right now to pray.

Pray for God’s healing.

Pray for God to reveal His plans for you.

Pray for family, friends and enemies.

Pray for your country, your church and your world.

As you move on to the next page ask God to speak to you through His Word. It’s not a race to finish—just spend time with God. Try to get lost in His love, His mercy and His grace.

As most of you know, the founder of Tenthdotministries.com is Danny Ray, the world class Christian magician. If you’ve ever seen him perform, you know how amazing his talents are! The first time Danny came to our church for a youth outreach event I was totally captivated by his sleight of hand card tricks and illusions. I watched….

* A giant bowling ball fall out of a cup big enough to hold only a tennis ball!

* A quarter, then a lime!, get cut out of a diet coke can that he opened and drained in my presence!

* Danny make cards appear out of thin air!

* Two rubber bands cross right through each other, 6 INCHES FROM MY FACE!

* Cards change hands WHILE TWO PEOPLE WERE HOLDING THEM!

The list goes on and on and if you’ve seen Danny perform, you probably have a few of your own favorites, too.

“Let’s Roll”

Majesty

maj·es·ty

[maj-uh-stee]
supreme greatness or authority; sovereignty

I am excited about the New Year. I am excited to see the adventures, the struggles, the victories, and the life that lies ahead. The journey of 2010 is in God’s hands. My prayer is that this year is the year that I experience Him more, live for Him more, touch more lives, love Him more, love others more, follow Him into the unknown, jump into the river of life, run the race marked out for me better than ever before, and that my life becomes more and more a reflection of His life in me. We were made by Him and for Him. May our lives reflect that everyday. 

 John 1:46, "Nazareth!  Can anything good come from there?"

John 7:52, "Are you from Galilee, too?  Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee."

We will focus on the underlined parts of this passage today.

Galatians 5:16-26

¹⁶So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. ¹⁷For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. ¹⁸But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.

 ¹⁹The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

 ²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. ²⁵Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. 

 We live in a day and age where we rarely see real bloodshed. TV and movies are full of violence, but we don’t often see real blood taken from a man or an animal. I think it is hard to imagine the significance of Jesus really shedding His blood for us. Really giving us His all. I could show you pictures and movies, but I thought it would be better for you to wrestle with the Scriptures. They are full of blood filled stories that seem rather gruesome, but when we understand their importance, they are profound.