I KNOW.....

by A Gentle Answer Ministries on Saturday, December 25, 2010 at 6:03pm

As I pondered today what to share with our friends in the A G A M community the question "Christmas is over, What next?" came to my mind. I realized that for some, this was NOT a MERRY Christmas. Divorce has hurt some of our friends. Loss of life has touched our family. People are worried. Finances are unsure. The economy is unstable and our government(s) are in many cases failing us. How do I turn so suddenly from the joy of the babe in a manger, to the reality that some of us can't afford diapers right now?

So, since this is an encouragement ministry based on truths found in scripture...how does any of this stand to encourage or inspire you to trust GOD?

I found in my notes a passage from a Wonderful writer and Evangelist Sherwood Wirt. Wirt wrote this in Decision Magazine in the 1970's. It could have been last week's edition based on the similarities. This was Wirt's account of what the first Christmas' climate (political) would have been.

"The people of that time were being heavily taxed, and faced every prospect of a sharp increase to cover expanding military expenses. [Does this sound familiar?] The threat of world domination by a cruel, ungodly, power-intoxicated band of men was ever just below the threshold of consciousness. Moral deterioration had corrupted the upper levels of society and was moving rapidly into the broad base of the populace. Intense nationalistic feeling was clashing openly with new and sinister forms of imperialism. Conformity was the spirit of the age. Government handouts were being used with increasing lavishness to keep the population from rising up and throwing out the leaders. [How contemporary!] Interest rates were spiraling upward in the midst of an inflated economy. External religious observances were considered a political asset, and abnormal emphasis was being placed upon sports and athletic competition. Racial tensions were at the breaking point. In such a time, and amid such a people, a child was born to a migrant couple who had just signed up for a fresh round of taxation, and who were soon to become political exiles. And the child who was born was called, among other things, Immanuel -- God with us -- the Goel, the Kinsman-Redeemer."

There....there it is. The encouraging truth that GOD WITH US, Jesus, Immanuel, Yeshua Ha-Mashiach....Is....and will always be....my/our Kinsman-Redeemer. No matter what the political climate, the state of my checking account, the corrupt society, the heartache or difficulty if I have placed my faith in the truth that HE is LORD and Savior...He promises to be with me.

Job 19:25

I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth.

May you have a very blessed and Merry (which really means Mighty) Christmas and Post Christmas time.

Step into the Light of the World, HE...IS...WITH US!

I love you each and you are in my prayers. We, at A Gentle Answer are committed to praying for you and your concerns. Please let us know how we can best pray for you this season.

Kathy

Founder

A Gentle Answer Ministries

Bethlehem Star...I'm Sore Afraid!

⁷And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

⁸And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

⁹And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

¹⁰And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

¹¹For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

¹²And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

¹⁴Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

¹⁵And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

¹⁶And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

WOW! In the King James version of this text....verse 9 says "and they were sore afraid"! and then verse 16 says

"and they came with haste..."!

Sometimes, when God shows us what to do....we will be "SORE AFRAID" or so terrified that it hurts! Will we trust Him anyway and go do what He shows you with haste?

They found their savior waiting!

I'll work on it!

You?

Love you each dearly,

Kathy

http://agentleanswer.weebly.com/index.html

Kathy's Featured Story on RBC Ministries Our Daily Journey

I was responding to my Twitter page and saw this pop up on RBC Ministries encouragement journal Our Daily Journey.

It was an article I wrote and shared with some of you on facebook and our blog. I hope you enjoy it and that it encourages you to wait on the Lord.

Here's the link to the article:

http://www.ourdailyjourney.org/2010/12/15/dont-touch-wait/

Share it with your friends and then join RBC's site "Our Daily Journey" and then also join us on facebook at

A Gentle Answer Ministries on facebook for more encouraging stories.

Thanks,

Kathy

I Wonder by Kim Thomas with Poetry "Jesus" by Kim Thomas

Well friends, I've missed talking with you. Just as each of you are busy this time of year, our household has had an interesting November and now into December too.

Instead of reading my thoughts though, this week, I'm pleased to share my dear friend, Poet and bible teacher, Kim Thomas' article published on A Gentle Answer Ministries' website today.

I know you will enjoy her article and the beautiful poem she shares titled "Jesus".

I hope you have a truly joyful season of Advent and a Mighty (which is what Merry means) Christmas.

Love and kinship,

Kathy

(Here's a beautiful picture of my friend Kim and her husband Doug)

Enjoy Kim's story by clicking HERE to go to the Teachable Moments page on the site.

Then spend some time reading the other sections of the magazine and browsing through some of our "Books And Gadgets" pages.

Twelve days of Christmas

The Twelve Days of Christmas
The Meaning Behind The Song

The twelve days of Christmas are the twelve days between Christmas Day, Dec. 25th, the birth of Jesus, and the Epiphany, Jan. 6th, the day Christians celebrate the arrival of the Magi (Wise Men) and the revelation of Christ as the light of the world.
The Christmas song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas" may sound silly and contrived to many of us. But it actually had its origins in religious symbolism - and with a serious purpose.
It dates from a time of religious persecution. The song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas," was written as a kind of secret catechism that could sing in public without fear of arrest - a learning or memory aid to Christians in fact.
The song can be taken at two levels of interpretation - the surface meaning, or the hidden meaning known only to the Christians involved. Each element is a code word for a religious truth.

1. The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus.
2. The two turtledoves are the Old and New Testaments.
3. Three French hens stand for faith, hope and love.
4. The four calling birds are the four Gospels.
5. The five gold rings recall the Hebrew Torah (Law), or the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament.
6. The six geese a-laying stand for the six days of creation.
7. The seven swans a-swimming represent the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.
8. The eight maids a-milking are the eight Beatitudes.
9. Nine ladies dancing are the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit.
10. The ten lords a-leaping are the Ten Commandments.
11. Eleven pipers piping represent the eleven faithful Apostles.
12. Twelve drummers drumming symbolize the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostles Creed.

If you think Jesus being symbolized as a partridge in a pear tree sounds blasphemous, remember:
"Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How often would I have sheltered thee under my wings, as a hen does her chicks, but thou wouldst not have it so." (Luke 13:34 and Matthew 23:34)
The "true love" in the song refers to God Himself.
The "me" receiving the gifts is every Christian.
So that "silly" song we sing at Christmas time has more meaning than we thought.