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A Sword will Pierce Your Heart Ok, let’s cherish the sweetness of CHRISTmas – the lights and decorations, songs, the foods and merriments, the greetings and the pure joy and innocence of the child Jesus. Who would not be thrilled around a bouncing baby? All is good so far except for the malls in America and around the world where you can barely see a place to walk on because of the crowd. Just admit you were in the mall like me. Everyone is heading to the mall/market. Yes, there is need to buy food but it is more than food. The crowds at the malls/markets reveals that people all over are looking for something – not just good sales and bargains. They are longing for something that satisfies and makes the heart happy. Unfortunately it is not in any mall or market. That is why after the buying, there is even more buying on the 26th and the un-satisfaction goes on for the reminder of the year and into the next year. Luke 2 reports of Simeon who saw the baby Jesus and was satisfied an

The mind of CHRISTmas is the mind of Christ CHRISTmas is not a baby shower or a new born-naming party. When any baby is born we do not know how he/she is going to turn out in thirty years. The birth of Christ was preordained by God with the ultimate road to end at the cross. Jesus came for the one purpose to die to redeem mankind from sin. This is the mind of CHRISTmas. Let's never separate CHRISTmas from the Good Friday of the Cross of Christ. When CHRISTmas is separated from the CROSS, we end up with the world's Xmas (Christmas). Xmas is the commercialized Christmas where most people still do not know what CHRISTmas is all about. Apostle Paul wrote about the mind of CHRISTmas, the mind of CHRIST: “5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appeara

Work It Out Robots can do some things humans can do but they cannot do anything without humans. In other words, robots are working out what the human creator has worked in through design and programming. Are you going to take risks for Christ or play it safe? Your risks bring God “good pleasure”. Trust Him. We share some commonalities with robots in our relationship with God. We have been designed and wired for good works “8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them”. Ephesians 2: 8-10. Our good works are powered and backed by the Almighty power of God to accomplish them. We however have a major difference with robots. We humans can think, act and have wills of our own. This is what Paul is telling his Philippian friends. Remember, Paul is calling them to

Out of Your Mind? – Have the Mind of Christ As we continue our study of Paul’s letter to his Philippian friends, we had established the main anchor of Paul’s message. He had said, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain”. In other words, if I am going to keep on living, it has to be Christ living in me. If Christ is living in me, there are conducts that reflect Christ’s presence in me (Philippians 1: 27-2:4). Esteem others better than self. Paul did not leave his friends hanging and saying you go ahead do it without telling them how and the source of the doing. In our study today, Paul talks about the mind that accompanies the doing. Right mind, right thinking brings about right being and behaving. There is only one right mind – the mind of Christ. We must literally be “out of our minds” and have Christ’s mind. Let’s hear Paul: “5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7