Good Morning Very Loved Children of Light! Amen and PTL!
Begin your quiet time this morning with with Harvest Prayer's Connection blog as you prepare your hearts to worship. Then spend some time with God as you work your way through our devotionals for today below that. Sarah Young reminds us to come and rest in God's presence. During this busy season, it's best to begin from resting in God's presence and recharging to go through the day worshiping and following Jesus. Charles Stanley reminds us of the fact of Immanuel--God with us. He always is. PTL! He knows you and is calling you by name to draw close, abide in Him and follow Him today. He does have great custom made plans for you to discover as you step out in faith, trusting our Savior and Shepherd to lead you well. The Upper Room reminds us that we have the Light of the World living in us and that we are here to light up the world with His love. Our Daily Bread reminds us how tangible and knowable that love is and how His love in us spurs us on to love others as we love Him and He loves us. And The Word for You Today wraps up our time with the reminder to ask God to lead you to His plans and to desire what He desires and that includes loving as you have been loved. God loves you, is with you and desires to love through you. Will you receive and share that love after spending some time dwelling in it today? I'm praying for you and us to be His Light and Love as we learn to live and love more like Jesus--Immanuel! Amen!
Harvest
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December 22 - Fourth Sunday of Advent
The Radiance of God’s Glory
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Before you begin, quiet your heart and ask for a fresh revelation of God’s great Father--love for you.
Lord Jesus, how I thank You that although You are God, You did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but You made Yourself to be nothing and took on the very nature of a servant and were made in human likeness. Thank You for Your willingness to humble Yourself to the point of death on the cross for me! Lord Jesus, You are the radiance of God’s glory and exact representation of His being--the very image of the invisible God! You are the Everlasting Father incarnate!
Forgive me, for the times that I ascribe to You attributes of my earthly father, and help me by Your Spirit to see and understand Your true character. I ask You to renew my mind in this area, that everything that sets itself up against truly knowing You would be destroyed. And I acknowledge and confess with my mouth that . . .
• You are compassionate and gracious
• Your love endures forever, it never fails
• You are merciful
• You are faithful to all Your promises
• You are mighty to save and rejoice over me with singing!
Thank You for making me Your child and for the incredible privilege of calling You “Abba” (Daddy!). How can this be? Empower me by the Holy Spirit to understand what it means, in my daily living, that You delight in me, and may this revelation change how I approach You and express my heart to You. May I become as a little child and rest in Your great Fatherly love and care, for there is a longing in my heart for intimacy that only You can fulfill. In Jesus’ Name I pray, amen. Philippians 2:6-8; Hebrews 1:3; Colossians 1:15; Isaiah 9:6
--By Tiece L. King, author of the Pray the Word series: Pray the Word: 90 Prayers That Touch the Heart of God, Pray the Word: 31 Prayers That Touch the Heart of God, Pray the Word for Your Church. These resources are available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount.
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Sarah Young
Charles Stanley
Upper Room: Shining Christ's Light
Jesus spoke to the people again, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me won’t walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” - John 8:12 (CEB)
During the Christmas season, it is customary in my part of Nigeria for people to travel — sometimes from all over the world — to their respective villages. It is a time to visit our roots and spend time with family and friends.
One year I visited a cousin who lives in a rural community. We chatted outside late into the night. Electric lights illuminated the community and made it quite welcoming. Since we were in the tropics, we were surrounded by giant trees. The noises around us were like music to my ears. Bats, owls, and biting insects began to emerge. But while we were talking, the lights suddenly went out. The surrounding darkness was intense. I realized then what a difference light makes.
We started talking about the impact of light on a community. Eventually discussion turned to spiritual light and Christmas — how light came into the world through the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. As we celebrate Christmas, sometimes we gloss over its significance. The light of Christ changed the world; it is our duty as believers to keep it shining!
Today's Prayer
Dear God, make us light to the world, at Christmastime and all year long. May our lives bring glory to you. Amen.
ODB:
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As I sat next to my friend Margaret, who was lying in her hospital bed, I took in the bustle and activity of the other patients, medical staff, and visitors. A young woman sitting nearby with her ailing mother asked Margaret, “Who are all the people who keep visiting you?” She responded, “They’re members of my church family!” The young woman remarked that she’d never seen anything like it; she felt as if the many visitors were “like tangible love poured out.” Margaret replied, smiling, “It all comes down to our love of God through His Son Jesus Christ!”
In her response, Margaret echoed the disciple John, who in his final years wrote three letters brimming with love. In his first letter, he said, “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them” (1 John 4:16). That is, those who acknowledge “that Jesus is the Son of God” (v. 15) have God living in them through “his Spirit” (v. 13). How can we lovingly care for others? “We love because he first loved us” (v. 19).
Because of the gift of God’s love, visiting Margaret hadn’t felt like a hardship to me or others in our church. I received more than I gave, not only from Margaret, but through observing her gentle witness about her Savior, Jesus. How might God love others through you today?
By Amy Boucher Pye
REFLECT & PRAY
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When have you been surprised by someone noticing God’s love in your life? How does His love spur you on to serve others?
Loving God, I love because You first loved me. Please keep increasing my love so Your Spirit will shine through me.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
The night before Jesus was betrayed, He commanded His followers to “love one another” (John 13:34) as He had loved them. Such sacrificial and unconditional love would be the irrefutable proof that they were truly His disciples (v. 35). The author of 1 John (traditionally believed to be the same John who wrote the fourth gospel), says that Christ’s disciples must “live as Jesus did” (2:6)—living a life of loving God and loving others. John reminds us that “God is love” and we must “rely on the love God has for us” (4:16). Reminiscent of the language of John 3:16, the author reminds us that God loves us in this way: “He sent his one and only Son into the world . . . as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:9-10). “He has given us of his Spirit” to help us live and love (v. 13).
K. T. Sim |
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