Good Morning Childlike Children of the King of Kings and Reborn Servants! Amen! Glory to God in the Highest! Thank God for new life, forgiveness, His Love and presence and for molding, shaping and using us to incarnate His love and our hope. Amen! Come with childlike awe and wonder as we behold, encounter and worship this new born King. Offer yourself as He offered Himself for us. Who does He have for you to bless, encourage, help and/or invite to come and see and behold our King and receive His new life or grow in their trust and joy? Pray into this. Commune with our God as you engage with Him through the One Cry Prayer below. Remember the lonely and hurting this season and come with His comforting love and listening ear and compassionate heart. Check out Our Daily Bread reminder about His presence with us always--even in our loneliness and grief. Be like the shepherds that first as we remember our hope and God's love and spread the Good News--unto us a Savior has been born! Amen and PTL! Jesus and His coming for us is the greatest gift the world has ever had to opportunity to receive! PTL! Who needs to hear your story about that? Who needs to receive THE Gift? Share it and be a joy, love and new life-bringer! God came for you, saved you for such a time as this and has great plans for you this season! Rejoice and go and incarnate the love of Christ and His Light ! I'm praying for you! Shalom shalom=perfect peace to you as you allow Him to use you! Amen! He is our wonder counselor, Mighty God and prince of Peace! Someone you know needs to know Him! What is He leading you to do about that? Prepare the soil in prayer, seed, water, fertilize and maybe even harvest this season. And keep praying for those God will send to us or . New life and revival are at hand! Rejoice!
One Cry:
- Spiritual Communion
Prayer is the heart of man in communion with the heart of the Father. It is the heart of the Father bestowing grace and mercy upon the heart of man. And it is the whole heart of man seeking to know the whole heart of God. Prayer is essentially the communion of two hearts.
C. H. Spurgeon said, “True prayer is not a mere mental exercise, nor a vocal performance, but it is far deeper than that—it is spiritual communion with the Creator of heaven and earth. God is a Spirit unseen of mortal eye and only to be perceived by the inner man; our spirit within us, begotten by the Holy Ghost at our regeneration. Prayer is a spiritual business from beginning to end, and its aim and object end not with man, but reach to God Himself.”
Holy God, Your grace and mercy is beyond my comprehension. I want my whole heart to know Your whole heart, and to come into communion with my loving Creator. Slow down my busy life so that I can keep my eyes fixed upon You and move as You desire.
--Adapted from The Prayer Factor by Sammy Tippit.
ODB:
With Us in Our Loneliness
Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. Hebrews 13:5
Henry David Thoreau described a city as a place where many people are “lonesome together.” Those words have the ring of truth. In my youth, songs like “Mr. Lonely,” “Only the Lonely,” and “Eleanor Rigby” focused on isolation and loneliness. In recent years, the pandemic was one of the most isolating seasons the world has known. And social media can feed that loneliness, giving us connection without relationship. Perhaps loneliness is the new pandemic.
As Matthew shared the story of the birth of Jesus (1:18-25), he told us, “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet [Isaiah]: ‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ (which means ‘God with us’) ” (vv. 22-23). Ponder that for a moment. God with us!
As believers in Jesus, we’re never alone. We’ve been born again into the family of Christ, a family that spans the globe and the ages. The apostle Paul said, “You are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household” (Ephesians 2:19). We’re loved by the ever-present God, who said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).
Whatever you’re facing , your heavenly Father is present with you. Allow Him to help you as you step into life’s uncertainties and challenges. He’s with you.
By Bill Crowder
REFLECT & PRAY
When have you felt lonely? When experiencing this sense of isolation, how do you respond to it?
Thank You, Father, that because of Your abiding presence, I’m never alone.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Jesus is Immanuel, which means “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). John’s gospel describes His incarnation in this way: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). The concept that God is with His people can be seen throughout the Bible. It’s the theme of Psalm 46, where the repeated refrain is: “The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress” (vv. 7, 11). The psalm concludes with this tender appeal to those facing loneliness or any other life challenge: “Be still, and know that I am God” (v. 10). Whatever we’re facing , God is with us, and we’re never alone.
Arthur Jackson
UR: Greatest Gift
[The shepherds] spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. - Luke 2:17-19 (NIV)
When I was a child, I would stare up into the sky on night and wonder if the brightest star I could find was the same one that led the wise men to Jesus. (See Matt. 2:1-12). The thought of the miracle born to us would fill my heart with happiness and awe.
Years later I was expecting my first son, who was due to be born in December. After trying for almost five years to have a baby, I was filled with expectation and excitement. I had a new appreciation for Mary waiting for the arrival of the newborn King. My son was born the week before , and that was the most special I had ever experienced. I marveled at the miracle of life.
Luke 2:19 tells us that after the shepherds visited Mary, she “kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.” What wonder and awe must have filled her!
I never want to forget the glory of the Word made flesh or the powerful love God has for each of us. The greatest gift has already been given. We need only to receive it and do our best to lead others to this gift as well.
's devotional is available to you for free because of the generosity of our donors.
Thanks to donor support, anyone can read 's meditation without logging in for up to 7 days.
Please consider supporting our ministry. Your donation or paid subscription helps ensure that readers around the world continue to receive spiritual encouragement every day.
's Prayer
Loving God, thank you for the gift of a restored relationship with you, given through Jesus. May our relationship with you continually grow and fill us with hope and wonder each day. Amen.
LISTEN ONLINE
