I think we all have seen the perimeter of security that the Secret Service form around the US President when he is in public places. The security team clears a path and maintains a safe area to allow the President to go about his movements freely, but protected.

This is the image that comes to my mind when I read Psalm 34:7 which says, “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.”

What a comfort this message should provide us, that we have our own security force protecting us from evil. We cannot see it, but we can know it, if we put our faith and trust in God.

Dear Lord, we thank you for the comfort and confidence we can have when we rely on your promise to protect us. Help us stay faithful to you, so no matter what we encounter, we know your angel is there protecting us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Have you ever learned one of those things that are impossible to do unless you commit completely and expect success; something that you cannot do “kind of” or “a little.” For example learning to do a flip off the diving board, if you don’t commit, you end up landing on your back; How about getting up out of the water when water skiing, if you try to do it slowly, you end up with a face full of water, and the rope yanked out of your hands; Or stepping onto a boat as it is slowly moving from the dock, if you don’t get both feet and your body all the way onto the boat, you end up doing the splits and falling in the water.

In ways, our Christian faith is similar. In a number of Bible accounts, Jesus tells people that it is their faith that heals them. Matthew 9 includes the story of Jesus healing two blind men, and in verse 29 he says, “Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.”

Acts 9 tells the account of Saul’s conversion from persecutor of Christians to Apostle. Saul was on his way to Damascus to find, imprison or kill the early Christians, but on his way Jesus comes to him in a bright light and makes him blind. In another part of the town, God came to a man named Ananias in a vision and said to find Saul and heal him. Ananias was aware that Saul was persecuting Christians and did not know Saul had been converted. Ananias had to act in faith and trust that God would protect him.

In Deuteronomy 31:6 God says, “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”

He will not leave us or forsake us if we move forward boldly to do what we hear him calling us to do.

Dear Lord, Thank you that we can know that you are always with us and will protect us. Give us the courage to do the scary things we know we should, trusting in your protection. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Do you read biographies? You can find the stories of many famous and historic people in bookstores and libraries.

I heard an interesting description of the Book of John in the Bible, calling it, “the fourth biography of Jesus Christ.”

Though we may not typically think of it this way, the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are biographies of Jesus Christ.

The final two verses in, John 21:24-25 write, “This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true. Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.”

The Bible is part, history book, part biography, and part instruction book, inspired by God to bring us to Jesus. Paul tells us in Romans 10:17, “So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ”

Dear Lord, How wonderful it is to have the Bible, your path to hearing the Good News of Salvation. Help us never forget that the Bible is Your words, written by men. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

One of the complexities of Christianity is addressing sinful behavior. Some people make it a high priority to point out the sinful behavior of others, and that pushes people away. On the other side, some people don’t want to “judge” others, so are reluctant to address other’s sinful behavior.

In Ephesians 4, Paul is explaining how great it will be when the people of the church grow in their faith and knowledge and become “mature in the Lord.” What he writes in Ephesians 4:15 struck me as the way we should handle difficult conversations as Christians, “Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.”

“Speak the truth in Love.” If only we could have this discipline to hold fast to right and wrong, the truth, but share and communicate with love and grace.

Dear Lord, you show us how to speak the truth in love through Your life in the Bible. Help us learn from the lessons, and show love to all, but never compromise our conviction and faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

In John 3:16,17 Jesus tells Nicodemus, who was a Jewish Scholar, the now familiar text, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

And today we celebrate the birth of Jesus who came to earth to save us, like those in Luke’s account of the shepherds being told of Jesus’ birth. “Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” Luke 2:13,14

Thank you Lord for the gift of our Savior Jesus Christ whose birth we celebrate today. What joy we can have knowing that he came to save us. In His name we pray. Amen.