"ANGEL'S WATCHING OVER YOU"

I have always been fascinated with angel's throughout the Bible and with stories we read of even today, of their existence here on earth. I suppose that is one reason I end each of my e-mails with my signature
that way; because I truly believe in God's Angel's!

God created the Holy Angel's to praise Him and to serve humanity. The Bible speaks eloquently of their services. Angel's are our guardians, God's helpers, who stand by us. With them we sing Creation's story
and proclaim the Messiah's birth! They protect us as they have protected God's people since the beginning of time. Here are just a select few of the appearances of God's Guardian Angel's:

"The angel of the Lord encompeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them." Psalm 34:7 "For he shall give hi angel's charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their
hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone." Psalm 91:11,12

An angel delivered Daniel from within the lion's den: "Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever. My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as
before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt. Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God." Daniel 6:21-23

An angel of the Lord also came to Zechariah, whose wife, Elisabeth was barren: "And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zechariah saw
him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zechariah: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John."
Luke 1:11-13 John the Baptist's birth was a gift of God in answer to the prayers of his parents. From his birth, John was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he ministered as the forerunner, the announcer, of Christ.

An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream: "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child
of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost." Matthew 1:18-20)

An angel announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds: "And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them,
Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:9-11

In Hebrews chapter one, we read about Jesus' superiority to angels, presented in a sevenfold manner:(1) Being the Son, He has a better name than they (vv.4,5); (2) He is worshipped (v6) and (3) served (v7) by the angels; (4) Jesus is God (8); (5) He created the angels (v10); (6) is from everlasting to everlasting (vv.11,12), and (7) sits at God's right hand (v13). The dignity of the Son is the dignity of God, but the dignity of the angels is that of mere servants. Christ is superior to the angels because of the work He has accomplished.

An angel ministered to Jesus in His sufferings in the Garden of Gethsemane: "And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove
this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him." Luke 22:41-43

And TWO angel's were sitting at Jesus' tomb: "But Mary stood without sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, And seeth two angels in white sitting,
the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. And they say uno her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. John 20:11-14

An angel freed Peter from prison: "And behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains
fell off from his hands. And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did.
And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee and follow me. And he went out, and followed him;
and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision." Acts 12:7-9

God's Angel's appear throughout the entire Book of Revelation, as they come and deliver God's messages. The everlasting Gospel is the "Good News" that Christ WILL WIN and the Beast WILL BE JUDGED! It's main focus is on the redemption through Christ, and the coming of His Kingdom. But
"if any man worship the beast and his image, and receive hi mark in his forehead, or in his hand" (v.9), "the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God...and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in
the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb."
Revelation 14:9,10

Application: As Christians, redeemed by the shed blood of Jesus Christ and given new life in Him, we join the invisible angel messengers of the Lord in serving the Lord and praising His name. Empowered by
the Holy Spirit and the good news ofthe Gospel, we are called into our Lord's ministry to do His work and obey His Word. The angel's are models for us, showing how we should continually listen to God's
Word and do His will. What an awesome responsibility, but also what a glorious privilege ~ to do the work of the Lord! He who spared not, His only begotten Son, will give us all things needed to carry out our Christian tasks in thought, word, and deed ~ companions to the angels!

Today's Devotion: "Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word." Psalm 103:20