Many years ago, a coworker of mine at Old Kent Bank worked on me for months prompting me to be one of her Santa Claus’s at The Woodland Mall that Holiday season. I finally caved to the pressure and agreed but felt uncomfortable every time I put on the costume. I refused to bellow “HO, HO, HO! And this prompted mothers to express appreciation for a gentle Santa. Each time I held a child on my lap, I said, “Santa loves you, but Jesus loves you far more. Some children looked at me, confused while others said, “I Know. But I continued to tell them of Jesus’ love for them. I did not care if I got fired because I wanted the children to know the truth. 

One evening just before the mall closed, it was quiet upon the platform where I sat on my throne. A group of what looked to me like throwback hippies from the late 1960s walked by the display. Yes, I am old enough to remember the 1960s, barely but sadly that old.  

They were commenting about the display and saying. “Hi” to Santa. One gentleman stopped and walked up to the platform. All I could see was his head and shoulders, and he said, “Santa, would you pray for me?” and then before I could respond, he walked several feet away from the platform and sat on a bench alone. I said to my boss (also a Christian), “I am going to go and witness to that man, so if you have to fire me, go right ahead. She said that If I did not go and testify to that man, she would fire me. 

I will never forget sitting next to this disheveled man with long hair quoting John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. I was sharing the truth in spite of the red suit and white beard. I had to hold it together and not laugh as this old guy passed by and witnessed the event with shock on his face. 

I wish I could say that this man prayed the sinner’s prayer with me, but he did not. I pray that I will meet him again in eternity with our Lord Jesus Christ. But I believe that my whole reason for being Santa Clause at the Woodland Mall that season was so that this man would be prayed for, witnessed to and that the children that found their way to that mall heard that Jesus loved them more. I have not since felt prompted to put on a red suit at Christmas because I know that the only red that has ever made any difference in the life of a person is that of the blood of my Lord Jesus Christ. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” Ephesians 2:13

Christine Wyrtzen “Reason For The Season”

If someone came into your home and picked up something of value and then took that item for their own use, how would you feel about that act and that person? Most would call the police and seek to have them arrested. Some may get angry and feel that there was nothing that they could do about the theft. Have you ever wondered why it is OK for some to take something clearly meant for one purpose and then use it for another? Have you pondered the implications of such a choice? In our society, if someone takes the words of another and uses them as a part of their speech or something that they write, this is called plagiarism and it illegal.

Think about this, if you owned a business and paid to have a brand designed and it is displayed and used in all your sales materials then what would happen if someone took your brand to use it as their own? Again this is considered illegal, and the courtrooms in our nation are filled with such cases. One example is a high school principal who was speaking at the commencement address during the graduation, and in his speech, he took the words of an actor almost word for word. Another example is a leading candidate for president who has been caught twice since he announced plagiarising another person’s words.

Now, take, for example, the rainbow.

In Genesis 9:13, the Lord uses the rainbow as his brand proclaiming to the whole world with each new rainbow that he will keep his promises. Can you defend the use and say that it is OK for a group, any group, to take Gods brand and use it to support their choices and agenda. Perhaps, they do not take it as seriously as I do, but I say what belongs to God should not be used for any other purpose. Personally, I believe that it is risky to use the rainbow even for religious purposes if it communicates something different from that of original intent. Take it one step further and use the rainbow in support of a choice that scripture states are the opposite of what God intended,

Romans 1:26-27, Genesis 19:4-5, I Corinthians 6:18-19.

Recently I was unfriended by an individual who said that they could not be a FB friend with someone who hates as I do. In reading the scriptural references that I listed above if that individual used the same standard for Hate they would say that the God who sent his one and only son is also a hater. Is it possible to claim that God hates a group of people because he calls their choice a sin? I find it impossible to think of the one who shed his blood for you and me and continues to redeem you and me as one who hates a group of people. The very opposite is true; He loves them, loves me, enough to give his life for them, and me. The question is not does God love them but do they love God, the one who sent his son to give his life for them?

If you disagree with someone, do you hate them? Look at your spouse, or significant other and think about it this way do you hate them because they hold a different opinion from you. I certainly do not hate my wife even though we may disagree and I also cannot imagine hating someone because of a difference of opinion. I love this individual, and I told them that I would not stop loving them even though we hold different views. I feel bad if this person hates me because of my opinions, but their love or hate will not change what I hold dear. What is most precious to me is Gods word, the Holy Bible, and when God sets a brand, I would not think of taking that brand for my gain. I respect the brand and the brand giver and will not take that lightly. Also, when I quote scripture, I put quotation marks around the text and include the passage, and it’s location.

I take plagiarism and branding seriously. How about you? In our society, if you do not, you may find yourself in court defending your action. God holds the highest court in the universe, and I would not want to be standing in that court defending my choices, how about you? What is most glorious is that none of us ever need to find ourselves in that courtroom. The apostle Paul proclaimed in Romans 2:4

Obviously, from what the apostle Paul said God is rich in kindness and is patient with us because he desires for us to come to repentance. That’s not just my opinion but it is His based upon the God who created the universe and His powerful word the Holy Bible.

You Are Good, Kari Jobe

The word of God in Psalm 139:14 says,

The Psalmist David cannot help but point to the God of creation when exclaiming about the design of man. And in doing so, he expresses worship for Elohim because of the great mysteries of the human body and the detail of Gods work. The awe and reverence that we should extend to Jehovah should be far more significant because science and medicine have revealed far more than David understood in his day.

Today with the understanding of biology and what has been made known by the study of the human body in detail as tiny as DNA should amaze us. We should abandon all foolish notions of man and release wholly and entirely to God our heart soul and mind. Our worship of Yahweh, the God of David, is as a society at a bare minimum. But, based upon science, medicine and with our understanding of what was “fearfully and wonderfully made” Jehovah should be praised with the depth of our soul because He is glorious and He is worthy of our praise. In our gratitude, we should reach out to Jehovah and say, “Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” just as David did when writing the Psalms.

And what we know from medicine and biology is that,

That means that the other 75% of our bones are spread out through the rest of our bodies, therefore affirming the Word of God when it says that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made.”  So when we place our feet on the floor and stand up, it is good to remember that the 25% invested in your feet pays an excellent dividend. After all, the full weight of our body is supported on these bones. Every time you take a step forward and when you begin to run to catch something or someone take a moment to evaluate just how “fearfully and wonderfully” your feet were made. Do you really believe that some evolutionary process caused your feet to capture 25% of your bones or do you embrace the Word of God and trust in His intelligent design?

Then at the end of a long day and feeling overwhelmed about its length and the aching of your feet, take a moment to realize what the Psalmist meant when he wrote, “Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Because if we think about the one “Your works” is referring to and the incredibly intelligent mind that would create what was meant to hit the pavement strong enough to hold up all that we are, and keep us off the ground, it is then that we realize why so much, in the way of bones, was put into our feet.

So the next time you spend the day walking in a park or on a beach, take comfort in the fact that our intelligent designer took His time to carefully create every part of you, including your feet, to lovingly meet your need. And as you walk up a flight of stairs think about how you would design a support system that was strong enough yet so flexible that it could manage those stairs. And what about a steep pathway that leads up to a waterfall in a national park, does it seem credible to you to think that those bones, muscles, and cartilage simply fell into place over time? And if those bones, muscles, and cartilage fell into place over time what occurred to those who were in the in-between stages?

Practically speaking the lie that Satan spoke into the mind of Charles Darwin, a lifetime member of the Church of England an Anglican Church, perverted not just his thoughts, but those of many to follow. As a young man, it was Darwin’s aim to attend Oxford to become a clergyman. Unfortunately, this provided Darwin with a voice in which he could communicate the deception of the Theory of Evolution. What is shocking to many is that, in spite of his lake of faith, his remains were buried in Westminster Abby on April 19, 1882. Many in the Church through the centuries have been drawn away and, failed to honor God and followed a foolish notion such as Charles Darwin.

If you are honest with yourself and others, you are as amazed as David the Psalmist was when writing, “Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” We take so much for granted until we lose it. It is then that we fully understand how wonderfully the Creator designed our bodies. Yes, it is OK to marvel over the medical fact that says that, “Our feet contain 25% of all the bones in our body,” because acknowledgment of the fact that, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made;” is not foolish but wise and will keep your feet on the right path.

Fearfully Wonderfully Made by Matt Redman

Long ago in a land far away there lived a King who was considered one of the wisest men who has ever lived. He was the son of a shepherd boy chosen by the hand of God to be the King over all of Isreal. His name was Solomon, and he ruled the land of Israel after his father, David. As the comfort of the Psalms was to David, so was wisdom to this man. And as the pen is to paper, so was the quill and papyrus in the hands of King Solomon. Over three thousand years ago, this wise man penned many of the axioms recorded in the book of Proverbs. In the seventeenth chapter, verse twenty-two King Solomon recorded these truths with the following words:

Many centuries later Diana Wells writing about the heart for Healthline, a medical journal recorded these words, “Laughing is good for your heart. It reduces stress and gives a boost to your immune system.”

And Science Daily says: “happiness protects against falling ill. As a result, happy people live longer. The size of the effect on longevity is comparable to that of smoking or not.” (Smoking).

So go ahead, enjoy a good laugh, because even the wisest in biblical times and those who study the human heart understand that a belly laugh from a good joke provides what some doctors cannot. Good health and healing.

How about a little joyful medicine? Double click the name Jeanie Robertson underlined below.  ( and LOLouder! if you will?)

Jeanie Robertson