Luke 2:15 -16 - When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us. So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger."  NASU
 
I send this Pump Up out every year at this time for all my new subscribers. I have made some updates to it this year. May you have a very Merry Christmas.

• The Meaning of Bethlehem

Most Christians probably know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Some have incorrectly thought He was born in Jerusalem or Nazareth, but it was Bethlehem.

What some may not know is the meaning of Bethlehem. It means "house of bread."
 
Jesus was the Bread of Life or the Bread of God that came from the "house of bread" to give spiritual life to the world. 

John 6:33 - "For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world."  

John 6:35 - Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.  

John 6:41 - So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 

John 6:48 - "I am the bread of life."  

John 6:51 - "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”  
 
Jesus was and is the Bread of Life. If you are spiritually hungry Jesus is the One who can take away all of your hunger pains. If you have been wondering - "What is my purpose in life?" Then look to Jesus for your answers. I did and have never regretted looking to Him for guidance in this life.

• The Sheep of Bethlehem

Bethlehem was five miles from Jerusalem. The sheep which grazed on the hills of Bethlehem would one day be sacrificed in Jerusalem. 
 
The sheep were offered on the altar were special as they were sheep without a blemish.
 
When John the Baptist saw Jesus he said this about Him. 
 
John 1:29 - The next day he *saw Jesus coming to him and *said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

John saw Jesus as the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world and this Lamb was born in Bethlehem where a lot of other lambs were born and would sacrifice their blood. But only the blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus, could atone for the sins of mankind.  
 
I hope and pray you have allowed the blood of Jesus to wash away your sins.

• Wishing You A Very Merry Christmas

I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and please don't forget that many years ago the Bread of Life, Jesus, and the Lamb of God, Jesus, was born in Bethlehem so that we could be fed spiritually and our sins could be atoned for by the Blood of the Lamb, which is Jesus.

What greater gift could anyone receive?
 
Truly, Jesus is the Gift that keeps on giving.

Think on This:

Jesus is the reason for the season.
 
The Christmas season is only as meaningful as we make it.

Stay Pumped,

Gary A. Serago

Minister of God's Word
​

1 Peter 1:8-9 -"…though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.  NASU 
​

• Peter's Words Of Encouragement 

Peter is writing to Christians who have suffered through various types of trials and tribulations. He is giving them a pep talk as they do daily battle with the evil one. He wants them to know they have an inheritance awaiting them in heaven and it can't be taken from them as long as they remain faithful.
 
Peter states they have not seen Jesus Christ, but they love Him. They have heard about Jesus being crucified and resurrected from the dead.

When I read those words the other day it was like they jumped off the page and said, "Serago, this verse is describing you and your Pump Up readers".
 
I have not nor have you ever seen Jesus Christ, but we love Him. Think about how the knowledge of Jesus Christ has changed our lives.
 
Peter continues with not only do we love Him but we believe in Him. We believe in Him so much Peter exclaims, "we greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory."
 
We believe in Jesus tremendously and in our belief, we greatly rejoice. 

• What Our Faith Accomplishes 

One thing having faith in Jesus Christ has taught me is how to endure suffering. Now I don't believe I suffer in any way close to the resemblance of how our brothers and sisters suffered in the first few centuries. They were suffering unto death on a daily basis.
 
We suffer or are persecuted today in the United States for Jesus, but it is in a much different way. I believe the overabundance of material items that causes lust and greed to form in our hearts, which if left alone to take control of our lives will bring about our spiritual death.
 
In order for lust and greed to take control of our hearts then our faith in Jesus Christ must be pushed out of our lives.
 
Paul says this in 2 Timothy 3:12- Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. What he doesn't say is how the persecution will come.
 
As Peter encouraged those 1st Century Christians he let them know that by keeping their faith the final outcome would result in the salvation of their souls. 

• Let Me Encourage You 

As you know Christmas is one week away and I would like to give you a Christmas gift today. I want to tell you something I believe about all of you, my readers:

I know you have never seen Jesus Christ, but I know you love Him. Not only do I know you love Him, I know you believe in Him. You believe Jesus was crucified on the cross of Calvary, buried in a tomb, and resurrected on the 3rd day from the dead. 
 
You believe this truth so much you greatly rejoice with joy to the point it is inexpressible. All you have to do is keep believing this about Jesus and it will bring the final outcome of salvation to your souls.
 
My gift to you is I believe in you. I believe this about you all. I believe with all my heart you can endure any persecution or suffering and remain faithful to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
 
Keep CHRIST in Christmas.
 
Think About This:
 
Truth is not always popular, but it is always right.

Stay Pumped,
 
Gary A. Serago

Minister of God's Word

 
James 4:6 - Therefore it says, "GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE ." NASU
 
James 4:10 - Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.
NASU
 

• Three Benefits Of Being Humble

 
The first benefit is a correct understanding of God. You will notice God is opposed to the proud and being proud is the opposite of being humble.
 
A person who thinks he or she is better than someone else according to the Bible is said to be a "proud person". If you think you are better than someone else you are going to be opposed by God. In other words, you will be having a head-on collision with God and you will not like the outcome.
 
I highly recommend you change your plan from being proud to be humble. If you don’t make the change God will oppose you.
 
We all know that will not be beneficial to the one who God opposes.
 
The second benefit is God's "Grace" is given to you. Now that is a great reason to be humble. By being humble we will be the recipients of God's Grace. What better reason would one need for being "humble"?
 
Humility will put us in direct contact with God's Grace. What an amazing blessing.
 
I have had numerous people ask me the difference between Grace and Mercy. Let me share this with you and hopefully, it will be helpful in answering the question of the difference between Grace and Mercy.
 
Grace is receiving kindness or favor from someone and you didn't do anything to deserve this kindness or favor.
 
Mercy is receiving help from someone because of their love or goodwill when you should have received punishment.
 
The third benefit of being humble is being "Exalted" by God. In a previous verse, James was talking about mourning and in the first century, it was common for the mourners to prostrate themselves during times of grief.
 
James is informing us that if we are humble and when we go through times of grief and this grief drives us to our knees there is good news and the good news is God will "exalt" the humble person. God will be there to help lift you from your despair.
 
I hope you were able to see the benefits of humility far outweigh being puffed up with pride.
 
Think About These:
 
Tempers some times get people in trouble, but pride will keep them there.
 
The best kind of pride is that which compels a person to do their best - even when no one is looking.

​Stay Pumped,
 
Gary A. Serago

Minister of God's Word

Matt. 6:7-8 - “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him." NASU 
​

• Your Heavenly Father Knows 

Jesus was teaching a lesson to His disciples about God. He shares with them they have a relationship with God and this relationship is like that of a father with his child.
 
Jesus says God is our Father. He not only makes that declaration but goes on to inform us our Father knows what we need before we ask Him.
 
We don't have to be like the Gentiles and continue to ask for the same thing over and over again believing the more we ask, God may cave into our many demands.
 
Jesus says we don't have to pray that way because God is our Father and He loves us. He gives us what we need, not what we ask for 1,000 times.
 
As an earthly father, I always had a great feeling within my being when I provided something for my children and especially when I knew it was something they desired.
 
Jesus is telling us God already knows what we need before we even ask Him. This has helped to change my prayer life and me. When I pray for something I very calmly and with faith in God know He will answer this prayer exactly at the right time and the correct way.
 
Barbara Jo and I have a house we are trying to sell in Prescott, AZ. Now I know God knows we are trying to sell it. We have hired a Christian lady to be our agent and we have confidence in her and our God the house will be sold when He wants it to be sold and to the person, He would like to have that house.
 
This passage of scripture gives me an enormous amount of comfort because it says my Heavenly Father already knows my/our needs. 

• God Knows Your Needs 

If you will absolutely 100% believe God knows your needs when you pray you will have a peace that everything is going to be fine not because you have asked but because God who already knows what you need will give it to you exactly at the right time.
 
If you are a parent you know what I am talking about because how many times have you provided for your children because of your love. Well, guess what? Our love for our children fails in comparison to God's love for us. 

• It Is Time 

Yes, it is time for all of us to have our lives changed and the best way to have our lives changed is by believing God who knows our needs before we even ask Him for anything will answer them according to His will and His time. 

• Christmas Season 

The greatest blessing we have ever needed is for our sins against God to be forgiven and guess who took care of that problem?  When did He take care of our sinful problem? He took care of it BEFORE WE EVER ASKED.
 
How did He do that? He did it by sending His Son, Jesus, to be born as a human and then
33 years later offer His life as a sacrifice to atone for OUR SINS on the cross at Calvary.
 
God knows what we need and He does see our needs are fulfilled.
 
Christmas season is about God providing for His children what we really need and what we really need is "peace" with Him which we have through Jesus Christ - Romans 5:1 -
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,…
 
Do you want to change your life?
 
Then believe this: your Father knows what you need before you ask Him."
 
Think About This:
 
When we let God guide He will provide.

Stay Pumped,
 
Gary A. Serago

Minister of God's Word