Good Morning Hope-filled, Faithful Servants of the Lord! Amen! May we choose that always Lord! Thanks for the faith You've given us and for saving us for such a time as this! Thank You for Your faithful love and our hope in Christ! May Your love and our hope come alive ! Thanks! Amen!
Thanks Sarah for a great Advent message on Hope! Thanks for the reminder that we can choose hope, even in the storms and that hope is louder than all the noise crowding in on us. We need to cling to and cultivate hope always. Hope can be contagious and it carries us through all the hard times. Our hope is in the Lord! Amen!
Our devotionals are filled with hope and Truth. Abide in Christ as you chew on and digst what God is saying though them. He is speaking to your heart, drawing you close, pirsuing you and with you faithfully as you abide in His hope an Truth. Be still and know. Reload and go to live and love like Jesus and bring His hope alive to a hopeless world that will never know our joy and hope until they receive the love of Christ. Our mission is to bring His love and our hope alive as we incarnate Jesus and His Good News wherever we tread . Blessed are the feet that carry the Good News! We all can do our part as Christ continues to grow us and build us as living stones in His wall. He is the cornerstone on which we build. keep building and keep allowing Him to help you do your part as a hope-bringer. Amen!
You are very loved, created for God's purposes and gifted and empowered to be His hands and feet, building his Church, encouraging and helping many along the way. We are shining the light of the World, our Hope, to the world. Shine baby! Shine!
TWFYT
UR: Perseverance Through Christ
You know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. - James 1:3 (NIV)
I arrived home from a 17-month deployment in the U.S. Army to an empty house. I saw a stack of papers on the bed and felt weak as I read the words Petition for the Dissolution of Marriage. I dropped to my knees, crying out to God, “Lord, why? We have been married for 12 years. Is this the thanks I get for coming home? How can I fix things? I can’t do this!”
In that moment, I nearly gave in to despair, but instead I chose to seek help. I had experienced significant spiritual growth while on active duty, and looking back, I believe that growth prepared me for this time. However, I could not have done it alone. I attended Christian counseling for four years while dealing with depression after the divorce. As I talked with my friends, my family, and my pastor, I learned to see my worth in Jesus, not in the dreams I had of marriage and family.
Some experiences devastate us and test our faith in God. But with God’s help, through prayer and the support of Christian friends, we can find our way forward.
's Prayer
Heavenly Father, give us strength to overcome our difficult experiences. May our trials mold us into the people you want us to be. Thank you for your love and comfort. Amen.
As I opened the bookshelf assembly instructions with piles of boards and tools strewn on the floor before me, I viewed a set of instructional diagrams of what to do and what not to do. One diagram—with a large X on top—depicted a person staring at a pile of boards and tools with a bemused frown not unlike mine just a few minutes prior. On the right side was drawn the “correct” way to assemble. The only difference? A second person was there. Both figures now had smiles on their faces as they worked together.
So I got my husband. “The instructions say I need your help,” I said, showing him the drawing. He laughed, and we assembled it together. I could have stubbornly tried to find a way to put it together on my own. But the manual was right; the process wasn’t meant to be done alone.
In Romans 12, Paul urges new believers not to try to do life in Jesus alone. Instead of seeing themselves as self-sufficient and thinking of themselves “more highly than [they] ought” (v. 3), they needed to see themselves as part of an interdependent body, where every member needs each other’s help (vv. 4-8).
As Jesus helps us learn how to “be devoted to one another in love” (v. 10), we can experience life “in harmony” with each other, where one another’s needs, griefs, and joys (vv. 13, 15) are never carried alone.
By Monica La Rose
REFLECT & PRAY
Why do you think we’re tempted to do life alone? What helps you rely on others?
Dear God, please help me to rely daily on Your Spirit to unite and guide me in how to share life with other believers.
After laying the theological groundwork in Romans 1-11, chapter 12 represents the beginning of Paul’s practical call to action. Previously, the apostle articulated what God did to create His family. As part of that family, believers in Jesus have many joys and blessings but also responsibilities and opportunities. For example, we’re to be “devoted to one another in love” (12:10), which is just one of many “one another” commands found in the New Testament. These instructions relate to how we interact with those in the body of Christ. Jesus, who loves perfectly, helps us love others and share in their griefs and joys.
Bill Crowder
Sarah Evans
Connection Blogs:
- Living Life in Him
The living Word of God, Jesus Christ, lives within me, and Scripture compels me to live my life in Him: “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him” (Colossians 2:6).
As rejoicing and thankfulness take root in my spirit, I will become equipped to offer my body as a living sacrifice for His sake: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:1-2).
As I ponder this, it seems the most practical thing I can do is to humbly and earnestly call upon the indwelling Spirit of God to meet me in every moment, mundane or significant, joyful or sad, peace-filled or fearful, quiet or filled with turmoil…He is God, and He lives within me! May I truly be transformed so that His perfect will is shaped within me for the purposes of His kingdom. Here is a prayer I can offer as a pleasing sacrifice to God who lives in me:
Indwelling Spirit of God, I offer my body as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to You as my true and proper worship. In every moment, I long to be continually transformed as You renew my mind and focus it upon Your good, pleasing and perfect will. Teach me to be attentive to Your voice no matter what I am doing, and help me to be fully obedient to the purposes of Your heart.
Praise God, who is a refuge for the poor and needy (Isa.25:4).
Thank him for caring about those who are in desperate circumstances.
Confess times when you have not shown compassion to the needy.
Commit yourself to serving others in new and stretching ways.
Ask God to provide those opportunities for you.
Ask God to anoint the fellowship in your congregation with the Holy Spirit. Pray that any friction between members will be addressed and healed. Pray that newcomers will find a refuge in your congregation.
Prayer Points taken from Patterns for Prayer by Alvin VanderGriend. This book is available at prayerleader.com. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount.
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