News analysis from a prophetic Christian worldview
 
The holiday season and theft of joy
NOTEWhen writing about God and Jesus, The Daily Jot means YHVH as God and Yeshua Ha Mashiach as Jesus--the actual original names and the true nature and character of them.
  
Thursday, December 6, 2018
The holiday season-and I write that not to demean Christmas, but to include Hanukkah-is a time of the year for family, friends, faith and joy. Irrespective of the arguments about whether Christ was born or conceived this time of year or that Christmas is a holiday stacked with pagan symbolism, it is a time of the year when most of the world celebrates the birth of Christ. It is a time when families are brought together. It is a time of office gatherings, church celebrations, school plays, and dinners around the table in households worldwide. It is also a time that can bring a great deal of financial strain and pressure on families to entertain and to buy gifts. During these times, be extra cautious that your joy is not stolen.
 
Jesus Christ said in John 10:10, " The thief comes not, but to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." During the holiday season there is a meeting of these two truths-destruction and abundant life. They are opposed to one another. What better time of year for the devil to try to call someone's faith into question, but the very time of the year that people are celebrating their faith? We see it start every year right after Thanksgiving, another holiday that honors the blessings of the Lord. Think about how people behave on Black Friday. There are mobs, fights, even shootings because people are trying to get the first great deal for their Christmas presents. 
 
Already, there have been headlines about angry and jilted lovers picking up a gun and going after the target of their fury. We see stories on the news where there are shootings at malls. People get into arguments over who has first dibs on a parking space. And there are those who look to prey on the innocents by taking what they have bought for their loved ones. The point is that in this day and age, where Hollywood, the news media, and politicians are spewing hate and violence while accusing others of what they themselves are doing, the public is like a pressure-cooker. We never know when it is going to boil over or the top will pop. Whatever the danger or the irritation, it's sure to raise its head during times of joy. 
 
Remember that Christ came that you would have life and have it more abundantly. The spiritual battleground rages to spoil that abundance, steal it, and destroy it. Don't let it. Be wise on how you walk during this season, circumspect in your decisions. Remember to treat others as you would like to be treated. Be careful, but not fearful. Let the little things that irritate within the family slide a bit. While everyone is in the mood to celebrate, there is a lot of additional pressures. Empathy, compassion, love and honor go a long way to keep things on a positive note. If someone takes your parking place or cuts in line, who cares?-you are going to be there for a while anyway. Show the Christ in you that the devil in others will flee.
Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!
Bill Wilson

  

Caring for those even the Church ignores: 
The Disabled in Ghana

By Pastor William Agbeti

[ NOTE: In addition to our ongoing clean water, feeding, and clothing efforts when you support The Daily Jot, you are helping wipe tears off the faces of suffering mothers and fathers seeking rehabilitation of their disabled children]
UN figures put persons living with disabilities in the world at 20% of the global population. 80% of this number can be found in developing countries. In Ghana alone, there are some 3 million persons living with various forms of disabilities. 
Our Ghana ministry serves where others will not.This two-day residential program for children with disabilities provide food, clothing and recreation



Their plight is demoralizing. Many in the Ghanaian society consider them taboos. Scores of local churches have not opened their doors to them. Several families neglect their disabled children, to fend for themselves. Sadly, some communities go to the extreme to put a newly born disabled child into a mortar and use a pestle to pound it to death, with the belief that their souls will not return to the communities again. In the main, the disabled are ostracized from the society. Only a handful of homes, families and communities treat them with a modicum of respect and acceptance. Read the rest of the story by clicking here

The Daily Jot is totally reader supported. My wife, Chris, and I do not take a salary or receive any remuneration for this work. Your gifts go directly to assisting us in maintaining this column, the website, outreach, and the Lord's work we do in Ghana, West Africa. Thank you for your prayers and support.

Have a Blessed and Powerful Day,

Bill Wilson
The Daily Jot