Good Morning Purposeful, God-Working-Through-You, Joy-Choosing, Lighthouses! So, pronounce that over yourself and our church. We are...(besides Penn State) Purposeful, God-Working-Through-You, Joy-Choosing, Lighthouses! And so much more in Christ! Amen! PTL! Funny, God-like really, how I journaled a prayer for us to be lighthouses and living more fully on purpose just as we are doing what we can with what God has provided before opening my devos! Cool! Thanks God!
It seems that God has been threading together our devotionals for the day again (see below). They have formed the salutation and prophesying over us this morning. I love when God does that! What's He saying to you? Did the Holy Spirit highlight the same thread for you?
God loves you so dearly and Jesus is standing with His arm around your shoulder reminding you of that and inviting you to join Him today on His walk. The Holy Spirit is opening God's Word for you and lighting the path ahead. Rest in the Lord and prepare for some adventures as you walk with Jesus to your purposes today. I think Charles Stanley's opening sentence sums up what I try to choose to remember daily and what God has inspired me to encourage you to: "God is working in you and on you today because He desires to work through you." You were custom made for custom purposes for such a time as this and God wants to help you achieve those as you grow into your fuller potential. His greater things for you are a journey and only He knows the important twists and turns along the way to get you there. So rejoice, relax at His feet a bit and allow Him to move you to where you will find the most joy and satisfaction in knowing you are doing exactly what you were created to do.
Enjoy some time with God as you meditate on these and receive your assignment for today with much faith and thanksgiving. Then just love God, trust and follow Him to a great day ahead. Enjoy! Go live and love like Jesus! Shalom!
Upper Room: Joy Comes in the Morning
Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning. - Psalm 30:5 (NRSVUE)
In the bleak midwinter as I look out my window, I long for the joy of a beautiful sunny day. However, I know that one day the singing of the birds will announce the arrival of spring.
I have many dark and dreary days now because of the loss of my daughter and son-in-law, who were in the prime of their lives. As I talk with God I am comforted, and God lets me know that my family and I are not alone. God has given us strength and hope for tomorrow. As the psalmist says, “Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” I know that God’s “joy in the morning” gives us peace in our lives and the assurance that God loves us and is in control. With God’s love, our bleak days and nights can turn into beautiful, new mornings.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Almighty God, thank you for assuring us that you are with us and will lift us out of our despair. Thank you for giving us joy when we trust in your loving presence. Amen.
Charles Stanley:
Our Daily Bread:
Christ, Our True Light
I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness. John 8:12
READ John 1:1–14
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“Go to the light!” That’s what my husband advised as we struggled to find our way out of a big city hospital on a recent Sunday afternoon. We’d visited a friend, and when we exited an elevator, we couldn’t find anyone during weekend hours to point us to the front doors—and the brilliant Colorado sunlight. Roaming around half-lit hallways, we finally encountered a man who saw our confusion. “These hallways all look the same,” he said. “But the exit’s this way.” With his directions, we found the exit doors—leading, indeed, to the bright sunlight.
Jesus invited confused, lost unbelievers to follow Him out of their spiritual darkness. “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). In His light, we can see stumbling blocks, sin, and blind spots, allowing Him to remove such darkness from our lives as He shines His light into our hearts and on our path. Like the pillar of fire that led the Israelites through the wilderness, Christ’s light brings us God’s presence, protection, and guidance.
As John explained, Jesus is “the true light” (John 1:9) and “the darkness has not overcome it” (v. 5). Instead of wandering through life, we can seek Him for direction as He lights the way.
By Patricia Raybon
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What areas in your life need the purifying light of Christ? When you seek His light, what stumbling blocks will you avoid?
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
John declares, “In the beginning was the Word” (1:1), which immediately establishes a connection to Genesis 1:1. The apostle tells us this creator of the world is also our very life and light (John 1:4), and in verse 14, he plainly identifies this Word as Jesus. John will return to this theme in his first letter when he says of Christ: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes . . . and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life” (1 John 1:1). John recorded what he directly observed. His writings are a firsthand account of God in the flesh.
Tim Gustafson |
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The Word for You Today:
Don 
Rev. Don Kerns
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