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Saturday, January 06 2024
Let it snow! I always think of being washed white as snow when it snows! Maybe that's why I love it so much!
Good Morning Snowflakes! (I know some of you are thinking, "What a flake he is!" Maybe I am but I am a very loved, forgiven much, custom made, child of God. PTL! (So are you!) I am sent to touch many with God's love and help them to understand the Good News that they too can become white as snow. (So are you!) (Use me/us Lord!) And I think about how the harvest fields are white unto harvest and how God is bringing in the harvest and how we need more harvest workers and to sow lavishly so we can multiply the harvest. Are you a snowflake? Touching many with God's purifying love, beautifying the dead landscape around you, watering the sown seeds? Oh that we would become a dynamic movement of God doing those things and multiplying His harvest!
When I think of snowy days, I see a piling up of many blessings too and praise God for how blessed we are. I am also reminded of how eventually, like the melting snow, we are to use up His provisions until we have poured ourselves out and offered wisely, patiently our all for His glory. He has great plans for you, even on snowy days. What's He saying to you as you get to spend some time in His peaceful loving presence. Turn off the noise! (What's it matter if we get all rain or 100 inches? God is in control and has a plan.) All I see and hear when I tune into the hype is an example of the enemy's tactics to distract, rile us up, have us be all worried about things we can do nothing about. Turn off that noise! Be still as a snowy field. Know that He is God and that He is bringing His shalom to the chaos. Take advantage of this opportunity to spend more time with God, to encourage others and pray, to be still and receive, and to rest and renew. It's a great opportunity to focus on your blessing, praise God and build those gratitude lists. It's a great opportunity to thank God for the word He gave you to work on this past year, the growth towards it as you pursued His best for you, and to talk to Him about what words He may want you to focus on this year.
I love how God comes to life as I write these blogs after inviting Him to come write them through me! My original plan was to use our devos (I'll let you use whatever you have) to talk about how God is always with us working out His plans. My original salutation was going to be "Good Morning Followers of Jesus and Practitioners of His Way." WWJD? He loved well, made new life available, trained some disciples to carry on His Kingdom plan as they spread the Good News and He taught them the Way to do it but allowed them to do it the way they were created and then gifted and empowered to go love well like Him and make disciples. And here we are today! PTL! He has a plan for you and us and is making a way for fruit to come as we trust, obey, love well and go make disciples His way, just as we are with what we got. Let's pray into that and work on that more in '24! How can we help each other follow His way more in '24? How can we become more of who we were created to be and doing more of the things we were created to do? Talk to Him about that today and in the weeks ahead. Ask Him to give you two words: a "BE" Word to work on becoming more of who you were created to be and a "DO" word, a word to work on that will help you do more of the things you were created to do for such a time as this.
God has a great plan for you, just as you are. He has greater things instore as you follow His Way and grow into your purposes. PTL! Cry out for God to grow His Kingdom through you and us that we would see it multiplying dramatically like a blizzard and not just adding a dusting of new believers, Pray that we would become a dynamic movement of God and a disciple-making hub of prepared, equipped and sent out disciple makers. Pray for our vision team to understand where we are and where God is leading and to join Him on His mission for us. Thank Him for all He is and will do! What's He saying to you as you pray? Write it down and let's pray and discuss it. Come Lord! Revive us and bring revival. Prepare us and move us to follow You well into the future You have planned for us. Help us to sow lavishly of ourselves and your provisions and see exponential, blizzard-like expansion of Your Kingdom. May Your Kingdom come and Your will be done in, through and around us. Father, thank You! Jesus, we ask in Your name, to be our Shepherd, Teacher and Leader as we learn to live and love more like You in the year and years ahead. You are the Way and You bring the Word of Life. Bring them alive in and though us for Your glory. Thank You! Amen!
Yeah, I'm pretty cool with being a snowflake! I am different. That's how I was made. And I am not of this world. PTL! God has custom plans for me just as He created me. And the same is true for each of you. May you seek Him more in '24 and allow Him more access in '24 to you and His guidance! May you know His shalom more in '24 too. be still and know! Understand and follow well. That's His plan for you, snowflake!
Enjoy this day as you get to have more time with God and more time to encourage and pray for others! Allow His Shalom to fill you today! And worship!
Below are some words to pray about possibly working on this year: God has a plan just for you!
These are the words some of worked on in '23:
Faith, hope, peace, time, value, understanding, bold, change, patience, pause, energy, stewardship, useful, courage, relationships, restoration, rest, agape and discipleship
Here is a chart of Spiritual Gifts. Maybe there is a word there God is stirring you to explore and work on? (We will begin talking about spiritual gifts next week)
Biblical and theological overview
The New Testament contains several lists of spiritual gifts, most in the Pauline epistles. While each list is unique, there is overlap.
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Romans 12:6–8
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1 Corinthians 12:8–10
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1 Corinthians 12:28–30
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Ephesians 4:11
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1 Peter 4:11
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1. Prophecy
2. Serving
3. Teaching
4. Exhortation
5. Giving
6. Leadership
7. Mercy
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1. Word of wisdom
2. Word of knowledge
3. Faith
4. Gifts of healings
5. Miracles
6. Prophecy
7. Distinguishing between spirits
8. Tongues
9. Interpretation of tongues
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1. Apostle
2. Prophet
3. Teacher
4. Miracles
5. Kinds of healings
6. Helps
7. Administration
8. Tongues
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1. Apostle
2. Prophet
3. Evangelist
4. Pastor
5. Teacher
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1. Whoever speaks
2. Whoever renders service[10]
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Saturday, January 06 2024
Good Morning Humble, Forgiven Much, Repentant, Thanks-Living, True Children of God! Thank God we are so loved and so forgiven! Ask for God to reveal sins and places you need to repent and conviction to do it. Live as true children of God and for His glory! Cry out for this nation and revival and even personal revival. We are truly very blessed people, chosen by God for such a time as this. Thank Him and follow Him well!
Check out the devos below reminding us of our hope, how to pray and seek God for direction and wisdom at our crossroads as we seek to follow Him to His new things for us and how to steward well all His blessings. Ask Him to keep us off rabbit trails and to choose His best over the good and better things. God has great plans for you and us that we were custom made to do and now are gifted, enabled and empowered to complete in Christ. PTL! What's your purposes? What may God want you to work on to Become More of who you were created to be doing more of the things you were created to do. Talk to Him about that and ask for a word or two to work on and for people to work through things with and be accountable to.
IMPORTANT INFO:
Sun. Worship: We will make an announcement at noon tomorrow (Sat.) regarding if we will be in person or Zoom only for church Sunday. Watch for email and one call notices. (Indications are at this point to be Zoom only. If we open, chose wisely and safely.)
Year End Giving Statements: If you would like your statement please contact Debbie Siegfried at
Thank you (copy and paste this link in your email or text her at 610-657-5762)
Last chance to update your directory information: Email Lori, our secretary at,
(Copy link in your email or text Lori at 610-657-0583)
Everlasting Life Offering will be collected next in person worship service.
Giving Envelopes: The 2024 offering envelopes are available for pick up when we next gather. They are on a table in the rear of the sanctuary.
Christmas Cards: The next time we gather please check the mailbox in the main entrance lobby as there are many cards still there. (We did mail some along with some offering envelopes to homebound and Pastor Don delivered some)
One Call phone updates: If you'd like to be added to our One Call phone directory to be informed of important information, urgent prayer needs and reminders, please contact Sarah at 610-392-8778 and she will add you. (Helps to know if building is closed for snow!) We try to use this system only for urgent needs.
Okay, so running very late with this as God allowed me to sleep in until 4 this morning and I spent an awesome quiet time with Him. He's there speaking to us all. Are you listening and responding? He loves to hang out with you and prepare you for the day as He speaks to your heart. Be still and know He is God and is with you always! Worship, trust and obey! God loves you and is calling you by name! Do you hear Him? He is the one who brings the word of life, even to things that are like dead! He speaks shalom over the chaos. He speaks comfort and encouragement. He loves you and loves to bless you as you hang out! Rejoice!
Harvest Prayer for Revival:
January 5 - Praying for Revival (Day 5): Our Sin Is Great
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As Isaiah looked at his nation, he understood the depths of the depravity of his day. He didn’t cry out, “Lord, bring Your blessing.” He cried out, “Woe to me! . . . I am ruined!” (Isa. 6:5).
Isaiah was shaken to his core with the sight of God’s holiness and his own brokenness. His only response: “I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty” (6:5).
Is it possible that God has not brought revival to our county because we expect Him to do so, as though we were entitled to that grace? Perhaps God is waiting for His people to show greater remorse and repentance on behalf of the nation. The larger Church also appears to lack deep contrition. Historically, intercession has included a sense of mourning over our personal and collective sins.
Can you imagine what would happen in this country if the Church came together with holy hands, sacrificial fasting, and the worship of God in a way that brought unity and a desire only for God’s glory?
This is what it takes for a nation to be healed. Repentant, desperate prayer is what it will take for certain blessings to be released.
Lord, I humbly acknowledge Your unsurpassable holiness, and I am broken in Your presence. You are good and just in all You do. Wake up Your Church to be obedient in her role of mourning for the sins of our nation and repenting before You. Teach me and my faith community how to embrace hearts of contrition, sacrificial fasting and anything else You wish us to do to demonstrate deep humility before Your holy presence. May our urgent, passionate intercession change the course of history and bring healing to this nation as we repent and desperately seek Your face in this dark moment. Release the undeserved blessing upon us that will result in multitudes of people turning to Jesus!
Pr a y e r Po i n t s:
• Humbly acknowledge God’s unsurpassable holiness—and our brokenness in His presence. He is good and just in all He does.
• Ask God to wake up His Church to be obedient in her role of mourning for the sins of our nation and repenting before our holy God.
• Pray that your church will embrace hearts of contrition, sacrificial fasting, and other ways to demonstrate deep humility before God.
• Pray for healing of this nation through repentant, desperate prayer that changes the course of history.
• Pray for God’s mercy to release undeserved blessing upon this nation that results in multitudes turning to Christ.
--Adapted from Day 5 by David Kubal: Do It Again, Lord (30 Days of Hope-Filled Prayer for Revival) compiled and edited by Carol Madison.
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Charles Stanley:
ODB:
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After days of illness and then spiking a high temperature, it was clear my husband needed emergency care. The hospital admitted him immediately. One day folded into the next. He improved, but not enough to be released. I faced the difficult choice to stay with my husband or fulfill an important work trip where many people and projects were involved. My husband assured me he’d be fine. But my heart was torn between him and my work.
God’s people needed His help at the crossroads of life’s decisions. Far too often, they hadn’t adhered to His revealed instructions. So Moses implored the people to “choose life” by following His commands (Deuteronomy 30:19). Later, the prophet Jeremiah offered words of direction to God’s wayward people, wooing them to follow His ways: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it” (Jeremiah 6:16). The ancient paths of Scripture and God’s past provision can direct us.
I imagined myself at a physical crossroads and applied Jeremiah’s template of wisdom. My husband needed me. So did my work. Just then, my supervisor called and encouraged me to remain home. I drew a breath and thanked God for His provision at the crossroads. God’s direction doesn’t always come so clearly, but it does come. When we stand at the crossroads, let’s make sure to look for Him.
By Elisa Morgan
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Where do you need direction today? How might God be revealing Himself to you?
Dear God, when I’m uncertain, help me to stand at the crossroads and look for Your provision.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
After God delivered the Israelites from Egypt, that generation (except for Caleb and Joshua) disqualified themselves from being permitted to enter the promised land because they failed to trust God (Deuteronomy 1:32-37). The book of Deuteronomy (the name comes from a Greek word meaning “second law”) addresses the younger generation about to enter the land. In it, Moses teaches them God’s law and stresses the importance of fully obeying it.
In chapter 30, Moses urged them to enter into a covenant, or binding commitment, to be wholly devoted to God (vv. 15-20). Through this covenant, the new generation would pledge anew their devotion to God and His law. In the ancient Near East, covenant ceremonies would typically include calling on deities as witness to the promises made. Since God is the only true God, in this covenant, His creation—heaven and earth—is called as a witness (v. 19).
Study Deuteronomy as God brings Israel to their crossroads.
Monica La Rose |
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UR: Intent on Giving
Do nothing from selfish ambition or empty conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests but to the interests of others. - Philippians 2:3-4 (NRSVUE)
After a snowstorm and dramatic drop in temperature, a thick layer of ice and snow covered the ground. Although it was blisteringly cold, my husband, Solomon, went out to clear the sidewalk in front of our house. It was hard work, but he slowly began to carve a path.
Solomon had leaned back on his shovel to take a brief break when a man passed by. He was dressed inadequately for the weather and looked gaunt, but he offered to help Solomon shovel the snow and did so with gusto. As the man shoveled snow, he and my husband struck up a conversation. Upon hearing that the man was homeless, Solomon’s heart was grieved. He knew that during the harsh winter, many people were in dire need of shelter and provision, yet this stranger had approached Solomon with a heart intent on giving. Working together, they cleared the sidewalk. In return for his kindness, Solomon gave the man a gift before bidding him farewell.
Afterward, Solomon ruminated on the lesson God had shown him — that help can come in unexpected ways and we should be open to receiving it. We each have God-given gifts that we can use to lift each other up and provide hope.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Merciful Father, help us to receive the gifts and assistance of others. Show us how to use our gifts to provide hope and help to those around us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
TWFYT:
Don 
Thursday, January 04 2024
Good Morning Reached and Reaching, Incarnating Love, Servants of the Lord! Oh we are so loved! PTL and thank Him that His love was irresistible to us. Thank Him for using us to reach others as we incarnate His Love, Hope, Shalom and Help. We were custom created by Love to love, help, disciple, bring peace and hope alive. And PTL that God is using many of us to do that well. Thank Him for sending those in need of these things to us as well. Ask Him to keep up His good work in, through and around us. Amen! Some think they are coming for bread, but the Bread of Life has more in store for those He is sending. PTL and keep praying into that!
I am telling you that if you want to see God at work and/or allow Him to use you, just show up any Wednesday during Bread Ministry. I am constantly amazed how God sends just the right people to the right people and how He is drawing many to Him just because we are there and care. I just sit there and God sends people. Plan to join us next Wed. for donut day from 10-12. And keep praying for God to bless and use this awesome ministry. Seriously, you need to check this out! You will experience Jesus' easy yoke as we just be ourselves and love like Him, pray, encourage and help. Pray for God to lead us to some other connection points to those He wants us to love and minister to. We are doing what we can with what God provides through willing servants and God is using this! Come and see!
Check out the thread through our devotionals below as we learn to seek God for more, be available, trust Him and allow Him to lead and use us. Life in Christ and as a disciple is just being you, being available and willing to be used. And the benefit is that we are grown towards Christlikeness. It is so rewarding as we are blessed by being a blessing and blessed to be more of a blessing.
Yesterday I visited Jim Handfest at the hospital and Kay was there. He is bouncing back towards normal but still is undergoing some testing. Kay has an ear infection I prayed for as well. Jim is eager to get home. Continue to pray for healing for both and for wisdom and shalom for Kay. I stopped to visit Nancy Bahr but her floor is under COVID lockdown. Pray for protection and deliverance and for an opportunity to visit soon. I also visited Glad Ketner. She's always happy to see me. She seems to be communicating better. Pray for healing, patience in the process, wisdom for staff and family for next steps and for shalom over her and Linda. She says hi to all and that she misses you. She's worried about her family too. I did get a big hug before leaving. While i was at the hospital, I talked to a patient transport person and prayed for her. She said it is so busy and staff is really stretched and stressed. She said 70 people were in ER awaiting beds. She said they were opening some closed floors to try to accommodate the need. Continue to pray a covering of protection and health over us and for deliverance and healing for all who are sick right now. 'Tis the season, as they say and probably a really good thing we did Zoom only last week for church as many of us were exposed to things over the holidays. It may be God's will and timing that we have another week of Zoom and worship from home as the snow is coming. Watch for info on Sat. regarding our worship plans for Sunday. Pray for our Support Team meeting tonight and our Vision Team meeting Tues. Ask God to reveal His plans, bring wisdom and that we would plan and steward well and follow well all His blessings. Thanks! Pray for wisdom for me as I begin sorting through what Medicare plan to choose. (I'm open for your input on medigap or advantage plans). Please pray for favor for today as I try to sell my broken car and that I get a fair value for it. Thanks!
Ok here's todays Word from God for you...be still and know! He is God and He is speaking all the time. He has great plans for you that are custom made for you to discover and grow into. Seek Him more in '24 and work on becoming more in '24 too. Turn off the noise and live this life in Christ for Christ alone. That's all that really matters. And when you get to heaven your stored rewards will be based on how well you did with living and loving like Jesus. So choose well, listen, trust and follow well. God's cheering you on and I'm praying for you. Shalom is available as you come to know Christ more and make Him known more better! Revival starts with prayer! And you all are critically needed prayer warriors. What's God saying to you? How does He want you to pray? Who does He have for you to love well today! Seek Him more earnestly and listen more intently with the plan to follow His lead more often. He's preparing you and the way, so rejoice and relax in Him!
Harvest Prayer Blog for Revival:
January 4 - Praying for Revival (Day 4): There’s Something More
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One of my favorite revival stories comes from the Hebrides Islands off the coast of Scotland during the years of 1948–50. A couple of homebound elderly sisters, one who was blind and the other who was severely hampered by arthritis, were instrumental through their prayers. The sisters, grieved by the decline of the church in their community and especially by the lack of interest among the young people, prayed faithfully, often late into the night. God implanted a vision for revival in their hearts, and they began to cry out with faith and hope.
As the leaders of the church joined in prayer, God began to move in tangible and powerful ways. The pastor and elders repented before God and humbled themselves in desperation for their community. In one of the prayer meetings, it was reported that the home shook, much like in the Book of Acts (see Acts 4:31).
The presence of God descended upon their community and surrounding villages throughout the Hebrides. Stories emerged of people coming under such strong conviction of the Holy Spirit that they fell to their knees in the streets, begging forgiveness. Eventually, no village was left untouched by the presence of God.
It all started with the faith and conviction of two sisters who simply offered themselves and their prayers as catalysts for revival!
Pr a y e r Po i n t s:
• Praise God that He responds to the prayers of His people and delights in displaying His glory.
• Humble yourself before the Lord, invite Him to reveal ways you need to repent, and ask Him to bring you into alignment with His Kingdom plans.
• Pray that you will be a prayer catalyst for revival—and will inspire others to pray with faith and boldness.
• Ask the Spirit to prompt your church to pray with a 2 Chronicles 7:14 vision of seeing your city and nation healed in the truth and power of Jesus.
• Pray for the revival of your church, the spiritual awakening of the lost, and the transformation of your community.
Father, I praise You because You respond to the prayers of Your people and delight in displaying Your glory! I humble myself before You in this moment and invite You to reveal anything in me that displeases You so that I can repent and realign my life with Your kingdom plans. May I be a prayer catalyst for revival and inspire others to pray with great faith and boldness.
Holy Spirit, please revive my church, spiritually awaken the lost, and transform our community for the sake of Your glory!
--Adapted from Day 4 by Carol Madison: Do It Again, Lord (30 Days of Hope-Filled Prayer for Revival) compiled and edited by Carol Madison. This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount on the book.
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Charles Stanley:
Upper Room: The Power of Love
How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. - Psalm 36:7 (NIV)
When our family relocated to the desert southwest, about the only relief from the relentless heat of the summer months was a trip to the public swimming pool. My parents enrolled my brothers and me in swimming lessons. I can still recall the fear during some of those first lessons, especially when we were taken into the deep end of the pool. But our instructors were kind, and we trusted them to keep us safe.
Many years later, my wife and I had three small children of our own, and we needed to teach them to swim so that they could be safe in and near the water. My wife, being a certified water safety instructor, taught them. I recall some thrashing, splashing, and even some crying, but our children knew their teacher was always there to support them and keep them safe from danger, and that she would not let them go. Eventually my children swam very well, competed on swim teams, and were rewarded with ribbons and trophies.
Now, in my later years, I sometimes reflect on how those swim lessons are similar to my relationship with God who is my teacher and is worthy of all my trust. Yet there are times when I thrash about and feel consumed by fear. But then I remember that God is love and will not let me go.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Dear God, thank you for your everlasting love that surpasses our understanding. Help us to remain devoted to you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Our Daily Bread:
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I didn’t notice him at first.
I’d come down for breakfast at my hotel. Everything in the dining room was clean. The buffet table was filled. The refrigerator was stocked, the utensil container packed tight. Everything was perfect.
Then I saw him. An unassuming man refilled this, wiped that. He didn’t draw attention to himself. But the longer I sat, the more I was amazed. The man was working very fast, noticing everything, and refilling everything before anyone might need something. As a food service veteran, I noticed his constant attention to detail. Everything was perfect because this man was working faithfully—even if few noticed.
Watching this man work so meticulously, I recalled Paul’s words to the Thessalonians: “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands . . . so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders” (1 Thessalonians 4:11–12). Paul understood how a faithful worker might win others’ respect—offering a quiet testimony to how the gospel can infuse even seemingly small acts of service for others with dignity and purpose.
I don’t know if the man I saw that day was a believer in Jesus. But I’m grateful his quiet diligence reminded me to rely on God to live out a quiet faithfulness that reflects His faithful ways.
By Adam R. Holz
REFLECT & PRAY
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How should your faith affect the way you work? In what ways is being a faithful worker a powerful testimony?
Father, please help me to remember that there are no small jobs in Your kingdom and to faithfully serve You each day.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Waiting for the second coming of Jesus is a consistent theme in Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians (see 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 2:19; 3:13; 4:13-17; 5:1-11; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10; 2:1-12). The subject of work is also prominent (see 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12; 5:14; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12). Paul’s labor for the gospel resulted in the establishing of the church, but he also labored with his hands: “We worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you” (1 Thessalonians 2:9). “Waiting” and “working” should characterize believers in Jesus until He returns.
Arthur Jackson |
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The Word for You Today:
Thursday, January 04 2024
Note: We are aware of the potential for snow Sat. and Sun. Sat. at noon we will make a decision if we will open the doors or be Zoom only. If we do open, choose wisely and safety first!
This is the Day of Fasting and Prayer called by our bishop for us to cry out to God for revival of our denomination, churches and people. Pray that we would become a dynamic movement of God led by pastors and laity with a burning passion for God and a missionary zeal for the lost. Pray for revival in Emmaus as well and through our ministries. (While you're fasting and praying ask God to reveal your part and somethings He'd like you to work on as you seek more of Him and growth in Him.)
Good morning. As you fast and pray, as you empty yourself and cry out for a movement of God in and through you and our church, be still, turn off the noise, listen, receive and worship. We are all called to pray and for some of us that is our purpose God has sent us to St. Matts. Thank you prayer warriors and servants of the Lord! Check out Charles Stanley and the Upper Room devos below and pray through them and the Harvest Prayer Blog on praying for revival today.
Pray expectantly with thanksgiving. God is on the move, hearing our prayers and preparing to ignite the revival fires! He is also preparing you for such a time as this to be His vessels of revival! PTL! Amen! can't wait to see what God has for us today and beyond!
Harvest Prayer:
January 3 - Praying for Revival (Day 3): He Can Do It Again
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Sometimes prayer doesn’t just precede a revival. Sometimes prayer is the revival.
It seemed to be a normal Tuesday in February 1970, when students at Asbury College in Kentucky filed into Hughes Auditorium at 10:00 a.m. for their regular, required chapel service. Some, however, sensed the presence of the Spirit upon entering—almost as if the room was being transformed into holy ground.
The school’s academic dean was in charge of the service that day. He decided not to preach, but instead gave his testimony and then invited the students to come and share what God was doing in their lives.
One student came, followed by another and then another. The 50-minute chapel service lasted 185 hours non-stop, 24 hours a day. It was not planned in advance. There was no predominant leader. No one wanted to leave.
Students were weeping, publicly confessing their sins, praying in small groups, seeking out and asking forgiveness from others they had wronged. Some sang quietly in small groups. Everyone was polite and orderly.
Arms raised. Knees bowed. Face down. Hearts broken. It is never too late to ask the God who longs to redeem to do the seemingly impossible.
What God has done in the past, He can do again. This is the hope we have for our nations, cities, friends, and loved ones.
Lord Jesus, would You continue to send more movements of confession and repentance across campuses in our nation today? Many school campuses and churches are beginning to come to life right now – especially after you brought another season of spiritual awakening to Asbury University and many other colleges again more than fifty years after You visited in 1970! You ARE doing it again, Father! Give my heart a renewed hope that no matter how dire or dark it appears, You have no limits about how You might break through in revival again! God who redeems, keep doing the impossible in me, my family and in the next generations!
Pr a y e r Po i n t s:
• Praise God that He is the same faithful God today as He is of the past.
• Praise Jesus that He continues to intercede for you, your church, and our nation. Pray that He inspires even greater prayer in you.
• Pray for a movement of confession and repentance across campuses in our nation today. Ask God to do it again!
• Pray for renewed hope in your own heart that no matter how dire or dark it appears, God has no limits in how He might break through in revival.
• Ask the God who redeems to do the impossible in your family and the next generation.
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Charles Stanley:
The Upper Room: Sense of Purpose
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NRSVUE)
I didn’t intend to retire, but I lost my job at 64. Then we moved because my husband changed jobs. Shortly after our relocation, I was able to take two extended trips to be with a family member in crisis and later to welcome my new grandson. These would not have been possible had I started a new job. But I missed the sense of purpose and the structure that my profession had provided, and I wasn’t sure how to fill my days. I realized that I could keep mourning what I had lost or choose to actively nurture a new sense of purpose for my life.
We choose each day how to live out our discipleship. I do not believe there are days when nothing important happens. Paul reminds us in 1 Thessalonians of God’s will for our lives: We are to rejoice always, pray constantly, and give thanks in all circumstances. But such simple directives are impossible to follow when we focus on what is wrong rather than what is right.
I now choose to begin and end my day in prayerful reflection, paying attention to the goodness of God that surrounds me. I review the day with gratitude — even the parts that were difficult — and deliberately name the joys. When I choose to rejoice, pray, and give thanks, I can see beyond my circumstances, and my heart is oriented toward God’s purpose.
TODAY'S PRAYER
O God, we pray that our words and actions will reflect gratitude for your presence and provision on this day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Tuesday, January 02 2024
Prayer update from Sarah:
Prayers are requested for Jim Handfest. This morning he fell and they were unable to pick him up. He is in LV Hospital,
being checked by the medical team. He has a couple other health issues also. Let's keep Jim and Kay in our prayers.
Continue to pray for one another, as some are still dealing with respiratory issues and colds that make daily activities a bit exhausting
Please continue to lift Glad Ketner for healing from her stroke and COVID.
Good Morning Praying Co-Laborers! Lots to pray about and consider this morning as we get back to our normal weekday routines. It's so awesome to begin each day, each week, each month and each year with prayer and time with the Lord! It's the very thing that enables, empowers, refreshes and informs your steps each step of the way through the day, week, month and year. Jesus got up early and got away to a quiet place to pray and reload and He is our example. Sometimes I wonder how early He got up and how long He prayed, especially when I keep waking up at 2 am. I have to testify that the wee hours of the morning spent with the Lord are so sweet, powerful, informative and good for the soul. I truly value this time and can understand why Jesus got up early and got away to be with the Father. Time spent with the Lord is always time well spent! And however long you spend at His feet, He somehow redeems and allows you to accomplish His plans for you for the day--not always your plans but for sure His! Be still and know that He is God. He is speaking to you. He wants to hear you, encourage you and empower you for the day. More of You Lord and less of me! Empty yourself and let go of your agendas and sit at His feet a spell. He knows the plans He has for your day and they are plans to prosper and not harm. Invite Him to be the Lord of you, your time, day, week, month and year!
I talked about fasting and prayer as something some of us do at the beginning of each year. It gives back to God the first fruits of the year and prepares us as we offer a sacrifice of praise. Yesterday I received a reminder from EC Center and our Bishop about His call to fasting and prayer for revival of our nation, denomination, churches and individuals. He's called us to fast and pray the first Wednesday of every month. (Thank God it's not donut day!) Karen and I plan to start with the first one tomorrow and see where God leads us. We do something similar with fasting as the bishop and Carla with skipping two meals. You may choose something different. that's ok. Talk to God about what would be a sacrifice to allow you more time at His feet (maybe turn off the TV? Get up early? Skip one meal or fast a week?) Here's a link to his invite and challenge to us: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKvWSqMJUAk
Okay, still with me? Check out the thread through our devotionals for today. In Ecclesiastes (from ODB passage) we hear the Eeyore like whining of woe is me. Life stinks and there is no meaning to anything I do. We are born and die and that's it. Unfortunately, many don't know our Hope and it's showing up in the darkness prevailing all around us. No wonder people are so selfish, evil, lazy, and depressed. BUT GOD! Our mission is to bring light and life and love and hope alive! Yes without Christ there is no hope. Solomon encourages us and teaches from his experiences of pursuing all kinds of meaningless things that "In this life meaning can only be found in God, so love God and enjoy life." Paul puts it another way in Col. 3, "In this life Christ is all that matters and He lives in me." He goes on to remind us of our mission of love, hope and help as we are sent to light up the world. Revival begins with prayer! Revival comes alive as we die to self, take up cross and follow Christ. And revival comes alive through us as we live and love like Christ! Are you seeking Him more and following Him more intentionally as a world changer, joy bringer, and our Hope introducer? That is our mission and focus this year as we earnestly pursue more of Christ and more of our created purposes. (Oh, this is beginning to sound like Sunday's sermon! Can I get a "preach it brother!" and a chorus of "Amens"?)
You'll find our devotionals for today below. Ponder and pray through them. What's God saying to you today? What will you do about! May I suggest to follow Jesus and go love well! Stand tall (UR) and chose joy no matter the trial, trouble, hardship and even in the good times. Keep first things first (TWFYT). We are working on becoming who we were created to be. Be before doing is a teaching we've embraced. However, part of growing into who you were created to be is doing God's will for you and that includes loving and serving others, just as you are. God will use you just as you are and grow you into His greater things as you humble yourself and allow Him control. And Charles Stanley reminds us that God does have plans for each of us, as unlikely as that seems. What's His plan for you? You can discern that as you spend time with Him and allow Him to invite you in to what He is doing today around you. And yes come just as you are. He knows you, is calling your name and reminding you how much He loves you and how good His plans are. Reach out and take His hand today. Put on His easy yoke weary and heavy burdened child of God. Keep following Jesus to God's best for you and allow Him to use you to change your little corner of the world He placed you in for such a time as this! Revival is coming! May it begin in each of us! Amen!
ODB:
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Ernest Hemingway’s first full-length novel features hard-drinking friends who’ve recently endured World War I. They bear the literal and figurative scars of the war’s devastation and try to cope with it via parties, grand adventures, and sleeping around. Always, there is alcohol to numb the pain. No one is happy.
Hemingway’s title for his book The Sun Also Rises comes straight from the pages of Ecclesiastes (1:5). In Ecclesiastes, King Solomon refers to himself as “the Teacher” (v. 1). He observes, “Everything is meaningless” (v. 2) and asks, “What do people gain from all their labors?” (v. 3). Solomon saw how the sun rises and sets, the wind blows to and fro, the rivers flow endlessly into a never satisfied sea (vv. 5–7). Ultimately, all is forgotten (v. 11).
Both Hemingway and Ecclesiastes confront us with the stark futility of living for this life only. Solomon, however, weaves bright hints of the divine into his book. There is permanence—and real hope. Ecclesiastes shows us as we truly are, but it also shows God as He is. “Everything God does will endure forever,” said Solomon (3:14), and therein lies our great hope. For God has given us the gift of us His Son, Jesus.
Apart from God, we’re adrift in an endless, never satisfied sea. Through His risen Son, Jesus, we’re reconciled to Him, and we discover our meaning, value, and purpose.
By Tim Gustafson
REFLECT & PRAY
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What occupies your time and what meaning does it hold? How might you change your priorities to follow Jesus?
Loving Father, help me find my fulfillment in You.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
The author of the book of Ecclesiastes is unknown, but many Bible scholars believe it’s Solomon. The writer refers to himself as Qoheleth, a Hebrew word commonly translated as “the Teacher,” or “the Preacher” (1:1). As a “son of David, king in Jerusalem” (v. 1), he certainly qualifies. And as a king with the reputation as the wisest and wealthiest, he would’ve lived the themes of the book; hence, he becomes the plausible choice. Regardless of authorship, along with Job, Proverbs, and the poetry books of Psalms and Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes makes an invaluable contribution to the Bible’s Wisdom Literature.
Tim Gustafson |
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UR: Standing Tall
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. - James 1:2-3 (NIV)
When we moved to our current home, we learned that the redbud tree is very common here. They are often oddly shaped with gnarled trunks. Many have broken branches from storm damage. But in the spring, they are the first trees to bud; when their flowers open, they bring vibrant color to the dull, winter landscape.
One fall, my husband transplanted a redbud sapling into our yard. Within a few months, a storm had broken its tallest branch. However, the young tree made it through the winter, and its remaining branch bloomed in the spring. It continues to grow tall to this day. God made the redbud tree to withstand all sorts of adversity, and it continues to be resilient.
I want to be like those beautiful trees. When I am faced with hardship, I want to trust in God my Creator. God has much good planned for us and can turn our struggles into blessings if we persevere. When hard times attack me, I want to be strong enough to say to them, “You are helpless against me because God made me and I can overcome anything through God’s power.” With this faith I can stand tall like the steadfast redbud trees.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Father God, thank you for models of resilience and strength in nature. Empower us to persevere through our struggles. Amen.TWFYT and CS
Here's the Harvest Prayer blog for today for prayer for revival as well (seems to be a theme as we begin this year!)
January 2 - Praying for Revival (Day 2): Praying An Ancient Pattern for Revival
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If you knew God only wanted you to do two things before blessing you with a revival of His presence—would you do them?
What if they required real sacrifice? A rearrangement of priorities? What if you’d have to give up things in your life, your household, your relationships, and even in your future?
The Bible is full of such calls to absolute commitment: “deny yourself and follow me,” “give up everything you have,” “sell your possessions and give to the poor,” or even “pray without ceasing.” So, what if the road to revival is paved with the same kind of surrender—radical, full-life obedience?
Let’s destroy our idols, worship God with all we have, and pray for revival!
I praise You, Lord God, that Your heart is to restore Your people and pour out a fresh blessing of Your presence. Reveal the idols in my life and in our nation that need to be destroyed and give me a renewed commitment to sacrifice that moves You and other believers to radical, full-life obedience! May spiritual awakening and a revival of pure, God-focused worship spread throughout the Church in our nation resulting in new life and the transformation of churches and communities across our land.
Pr a y e r Po i n t s:
• Praise God that it is His heart to restore His people and pour out a fresh blessing of His presence.
• Ask God to reveal the idols in your life and in our nation that need to be destroyed.
• Ask for a renewed commitment to sacrifice that moves you and other believers to radical, full-life obedience.
• Pray for a revival of pure, God-focused worship throughout the Church in this nation.
• Pray for an outpouring of revival and spiritual awakening that results in new life and transformation of churches and communities.
--Adapted from Day 2 by Dan and Melissa Jarvis: Do It Again, Lord (30 Days of Hope-Filled Prayer for Revival)
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Tuesday, January 02 2024
REMINDER! Zoom ONLY church today at 10!
Good Morning New Creations! When we come to Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are made new and the door of His possibilities opens up for us as our true identity and created purposes become available. At conversion, we receive the Holy Spirit who seals us in Christ, becomes our counselor and wisdom of Christ in us and brings gifts to enable us to grow into our fuller created potential and to grow His church. PTL! We are made new and continue to be made new as we journey towards becoming more like Jesus. What a blessing! What potential!
Like with the ending of this year and the dawning of the new, we continue to shed the old and put on more fully our new nature in Christ. We celebrate what has gone but don't dwell there because we focus ahead on the new things God has for us in the new year and beyond. (The PA Dutch eat pork and sauerkraut because a pig roots forward as we should move forward in Christ. And if your gastronomical system survives the kraut, you are cleansed and healthy to begin the new journey. Ponder that when you feast tomorrow.) Yes the old has gone and the new has come! PTL! Where's God leading you in your journey towards Christlikeness in the year ahead? What may need some shedding, pruning, refining? Talk to God about that and commit to allowing Him to have His way with you and lead you to His greater purposes. Pray that over all the expressions of St. Matts as well.
Some churches and people begin the new year with a fast; emptying themselves and seeking to be filled more fully with God; shedding the old and putting on the new; releasing their will and ways and crying out for God to bring His alive. Fasting is a great spiritual practice that allows us to come to know God more fully, receive His correcting help and receive His directions for what lies ahead as we pray, release, receive and commit to follow more fully. Maybe you want to consider a day, week, month of fasting? Talk to God about that as you die to self, take up cross and follow Jesus into 2024 and His will and plans. More of Him and less of you. It will be a great start to the Become More in '24 Challenge!
I'm going to end here and allow you space to engage with our devotionals for the day below. They really do thread together and speak into this. Check them out prayerfully as you prepare your heart to gather and worship on Zoom today at 10 and to follow God to His best into the new year. The year ahead is full of promise! We know God will always be at work bringing His new things and Kingdom plans to life. We know that even if we have to endure some hardships, that God promises to be working all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes. That's you!
Worship and celebrate all the good things that have happened in 2023. Allow the hard things to be used by God to grow and direct you. Prepare your heart to surrender and follow well in 2024. God has some greater things awaiting as we seek to Become More in '24! Rejoice! Prepare your hearts and pray with anticipation, expectation and much thanksgiving for all God has planned for you and us! Yes rejoice! Be still and know that He is God. And offer a sacrifice of praise! Release in prayer and follow His provisions and shalom and you will be blessed, a blessing to God and others and growing into your fuller potential and God's greater things! AMEN! God really loves you! So do I and I'm honored to call you friends and co-laborers! I'm praying for a fantastic year ahead for you and us! Yes, rejoice with much thanksgiving and anticipation!
Charles Stanley: God has been speaking this to me and pronouncing this over us all year. What's He saying to you and what will you do about it?
Our Daily Bread: Think about how God may want to impart and/or incarnate the importance of growing fruit to the next generations. As we mature, things of God become more clear and more of a priority. Who needs to understand that? Pray for open hearts to receive and wisdom and opportunities to share and impart.
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On New Year’s Eve 2000, officials in Detroit carefully opened a hundred-year-old time capsule. Nestled inside the copper box were hopeful predictions from some city leaders who expressed visions of prosperity. The mayor’s message, however, offered a different approach. He wrote, “May we be permitted to express one hope superior to all others . . . [that] you may realize as a nation, people, and city, you have grown in righteousness, for it is this that exalts a nation.”
More than success, happiness, or peace, the mayor wished that future citizens would grow in what it means to be truly just and upright. Perhaps he took his cue from Jesus, who blessed those who long for His righteousness (Matthew 5:6). But it’s easy to get discouraged when we consider God’s perfect standard.
Praise God that we don’t have to rely on our own effort to grow. The author of Hebrews said it this way: “May the God of peace . . . equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ” (Hebrews 13:20–21). We who are in Christ are made holy by His blood the moment we believe in Him (v. 12), but He actively grows the fruit of righteousness in our hearts throughout a lifetime. We’ll often stumble on the journey, yet still we look forward to “the city that is to come” where God’s righteousness will reign (v. 14).
By Karen Pimpo
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For what Christlike attributes would you like to be known? How can you encourage others to seek God’s righteousness?
Dear God, please work in me what’s pleasing to You.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
The anonymous author of the book of Hebrews wrote to Jewish believers in Jesus who were suffering because of persecution, encouraging them to persevere in their faith and to endure suffering for the sake of Christ—to “[bear] the disgrace he bore” (Hebrews 13:13). Believers in Jesus can persevere because, as the author reminds us, “This world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come” (v. 14 nlt). The author cites examples of believers who in faith (ch. 11) chose to suffer for Christ because they were looking for an eternal home in heaven. Abraham looked “forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (v. 10). Moses “regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. . . . He persevered because he saw him who is invisible” (vv. 26-27).
K. T. Sim |
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The Upper Room: "Old News". What are the big dreams and visions God is bringing to you? Commit to following God to His unexpected future as we learn to expect the unexpected and follow God into them. Think About Ecclesiastes teaching: Love God and follow His ways as you enjoy life in Christ! Don't worry! be happy!
Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? - Luke 12:25 (NIV)
“Cindy, can you look through your college and work boxes and decide which items you want to keep and which you want to recycle?” Mum asked. My parents were downsizing and sorting through the accumulated clutter from living in the same house and caring for three children for many years.
Sifting through my belongings, I found essays and assignments I had completed for my teaching degree. Glancing at the grades and scribbled comments, I recalled the stress of looming deadlines and my constant fear of failure. I was transported back to a time when feelings of urgency and worries about the future dominated. What was all that worry and panic for? Worrying did not achieve anything except for stress churning inside of me. What had felt so urgent and important at the time has passed.
Constant worrying really is a waste of time because one day, like the assignments I shredded, it will be old news. We weren’t meant to stay stuck in the past but to allow ourselves to be constantly renewed. Although it was hard shredding the essays and the hours of work they represented, it was the right thing to do because they represented the past. Now I can more strongly embrace the hope of new adventures and beginnings with God. I have learned that whatever happens, God will lead us to the place we need to be, even if it is unexpected.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Loving God, teach us how to unclutter our lives and minds. Help us to continually trust in you to renew us each day. Amen.
The Word for You Today: Know Christ more and make Him more known! Become More in '24! A dynamic movement of God called St. Matts.
Pray Starter Book for Today:
Harvest Prayer Blog:
December 31 - The Ultimate Will of God
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There are three possible answers to any prayer we pray. God can say:
1) “Wait. There are things that you cannot know. Be still and trust Me.”
2) “Of course. I have heard your prayer and the answer is already on the way.” Or
3) “No. My purposes are larger than what you are currently seeing.”
To pray, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” is to accept all three possible answers in our lives of faith.
There is a word of relationship that comes through this account. Jesus knew the will. He asked for another way. When we know the will, it is not wrong to ask for a different path or outcome. History is filled with examples of the people of God crying out for hope in the midst of judgment. Jeremiah was told to proclaim a word of repentance in the hope that his people would hear God’s voice so that the Lord would not be forced to destroy them (Jeremiah 18:5-12). Hezekiah was told he would die, and he cried out to God to spare him and he was granted fifteen more years of life (Isaiah 38:1-6). There is a provisional will and there is an ultimate will. The provisional will can be altered and the means is prayer. The ultimate will can never be changed, regardless of all the prayer in creation. God would have us commit to the ultimate will and to pray through the provisional will.
Trustworthy God, how awed I am at the love You have for me. You give me hope in the midst of dark trials, forgiveness when I have grieved You, joy in the midst of pain and peace through suffering. There is nothing too great or too small for my heart to cry out to Yours. Thank You for being willing to hear and answer me in the middle of my ordinary every day life. Please give me greater understanding of Your ultimate will as I seek to walk hand in hand with You each day.
--Adapted from Power Praying (Hearing Jesus’ Spirit by Praying Jesus’ Prayer) by David Chotka.
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Tuesday, January 02 2024
Blessed 2024! This is the year of the Lord's favor! Pronounce that and rejoice as you pray that expectantly with thanksgiving over you, your family and friends and our church! God is on the move and He has great things in store and all ready in the works for you and us! PTL! (The UR below reminds us to speak and prophesy God's love, light and goodness over situations and our lives. Cast blessings not curses!) The Word of Life resides in your heart bring Him to life with your words!
Good Morning Resolute Followers of God! Is that you? Is that how our church is perceived by our neighbors? It can be! Yesterday, Sarah challenged us to three spiritual things to work on this year. (see her prayer email below). Sarah and I are hearing the same things from God as He speaks to and through our true identities and unique personalities like He did with the authors of the Bible. We share what we hear from the Holy Spirit as God reveals His plans for each of us and us as His Body of believers. What might God be saying to you and what will you do about it? Who are your accountability, praying, encouraging partners and co-laborers? Who is on the throne of your heart? Enter this year in surrender, humility, and purposeful living. Paul reminds us in Col. 3:11 of what really matters in this life--Christ! And He lives in you to come alive through you. I'm seeing the fruit of the Become Me in '23 Challenge, as many of you chose to work on a word to help with your spiritual growth and stepping into doing some of your created purposes. In the weeks ahead we will here some testimonies about how God used this challenge to grow us and mold us to become more like Jesus and operate from our true identity in Christ. Who needs to hear what God did in and through you this past year? Pray for courage and wisdom to share your story and glorify God. Resolve to live and love like Jesus and share your story with those God sends your way.
I loved Sarah's message and challenge. God was speaking to me and I will take a bit of spiritual poetic license as I piece what she is hearing to align with the vision and challenge God is giving us for the year ahead. The Become Me in '23 Challenge was all about working on our spiritual growth as we sought to work at growing into our true created nature, our new nature in Christ, and to become more like Him. It was also about discovering and stepping into your created purposes just as you are and allow God to grow you into the greater things He has in store for you. Yes, I think everyone that tried this challenge had spiritual growth and a story to share of what God did. But the story doesn't end there, does it? We are on a lifelong journey to become like Jesus as we discover our purposes along the way to grow His Kingdom on earth. God has revealed to me that we are seeing some great fruit from our efforts and wants to encourage us to continue moving forward into this in the year(s) ahead with the Become More in '24 Challenge. More of Him and less of us. More growth in Christlikeness. More discovering and growing into our greater created purposes. More disciple making. Maybe God's speaking to your heart right now about something more He wants to do in and through you? Write it down. Pray into it. Share it with someone and process it. Then commit to measurable ways to do it. Become More in '24 in Christ! He has great plans for you to discover and do!
So tweaking Sarah's challenge looks like this:
God has challenged us to especially work on three things this new year, in 2024.
Those three things are:
#1 Get more spiritual - spend more time with God, talking with God, finding out more about Him. Start accountability relationships.
> This is starting or continuing the Become Me in '23 Challenge
> It's choosing to live this life as if Christ is all that matters--being sold out to Christ and working on that spiritually
> Become More in '24 of who you were created to be and stepping more fully into your created purposes--Know Christ More and make Him more known
* This ties to the next challenge as well as you begin to operate better from your true identity and step more fully into your purposes
(Spiritual poetic license here as I reorder her challenges)
#3 Perform more Service - no matter how BIG or SMALL or INVOLVED or SIMPLE......do it! As the scripture says, Do it
unto the least of these, you are doing it to/for ME.
>This is living sacrificially and loving lavishly like Christ as you bring His compassionate love, hope and help alive and into the situations He places you.
> This is living life expectantly for God to place you and use you, just as you are, where you are, with what you got to meet needs and glorify Him. Pray for courage and wisdom and discernment to do this. AND Teammates!
> Doing More in '24! You were custom made for custom purposes. Expect God to lead you to them as you surrender, process well with others, make plans and just be available as you watch for Him to be at work as you go through each day. He does have great plans for you to discover as you journey towards Christlikeness daily! And greater purposes to grow into!
(And #2 becomes #3: the fruit of doing the first two intentionally and well)
#2 Reach More People - by living our faith OUT LOUD so people will wonder what we got living inside us, talk more about Jesus and what He is doing and has done in your life.
> More Fruit in '24!
*More of Christ and less of you leads to people asking about your hope and motivation--Christ and His love!
> More Stories in '24! We will get to celebrate more in '24 as we share the stories of what God is doing in, through and around us.
>More Disciple Making in '24!
>More Love in '24!
*Jesus commissioned us to Go and make disciples. He commands us to love God and others with all our hearts, souls, minds and spirits
*The amount of disciple making disciples being produced through us is the measure of how much fruit we are producing along with our personal and corporate spiritual growth as disciples of Jesus. Love come alive and grows!
< NOTE: More Multiplication in '24 becomes the most sought after and best fruit we sow into.
+ Right now we are adding disciples but Kingdom expansion, growth and becoming a dynamic movement of God involves multiplication as the Kingdom expands exponentially through allowing God to use us and our efforts to explode Kingdom expansion. (Check out the Harvest Prayer Blog below and pray for revival)
So, what's God saying to you as you Seek More in '24? What will you do about it? Who will you partner with? How will you pray and plan and work at Becoming More in '24?
> Pray for our Vision Team meeting Tues Jan. 9th. That we would seek God, listen, process and begin planning well to Become More in '24 of who God created us to be and do more where He placed us for such a time as this! Thanks! Please share any thoughts and ideas with us that God is bringing to light to you.
Is Jesus truly the Lord of your life? What is distracting you that needs pruning or ousting? What are God's priorities for you? What are you doing about stepping into them more in '24? Who is helping you and who are you helping on this journey?
Check out ODB below speaking into our true identity in Jesus and our motivation to Become More in '24! And end with Charles Stanley's reminder below to be resolved and resolute to follow God into His plans and purposes for you as we develop more trust and more action as we follow God to our fuller potential and His very best for us! He custom made you, knows you and is calling you by name to step into your true nature and purposes more fully in the year ahead! PTL! Spend some time with Him (and some friends) processing this over the next few days. I can't wait to celebrate all God has planned and will do through us in the year ahead! How about you? Choose well my friends! Daylight is burning! We are sent ones of God! Amen! This IS the year of the Lord's favor! Rejoice and be glad in it! Love God and enjoy the plans He has for you! Shalom
Upper Room: Speak A New Beginning
God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. - Genesis 1:3 (NRSVUE)
I felt extremely grateful at the New Year’s Eve service in 2021. It indeed felt like a new beginning, a new hope against the odds of the past year. Yet after the service, I was in tears as I thought of all the things I didn’t have. I wanted so much for the new year, but I didn’t know how or where to start. I felt hopeless.
That night, I decided to pray again. I didn’t ask for anything. Instead, inspired by 1 Thessalonians 5:18, I gave thanks for all that I had, and I felt blessed by everything on my list. After this prayer of gratitude, I had Genesis 1:3 in my heart and a new understanding of the verse. In Genesis 1:1-2 it was the beginning, and it looked hopeless. In that bleak situation, God spoke light. With that light came hope, and God kept speaking, forming sky, seas, and land. What God wanted for the future, day after day, God spoke into being. Until it was all good, God spoke.
As believers, when faced with a hopeless situation, the first thing we can do is invite the Light into that situation. We can speak: “Thank you, Jesus.” He is the light of the world (see Jn. 8:12). With Christ’s light comes hope. My resolution this year is to speak light through all my days.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Dear God, help us to be grateful in all situations. Show us how to speak light and goodness into our lives and the lives of those around us. Amen.
Sarah Boyer Prayer email:
Good afternoon, warriors,
We had a great time on Zoom worship....and there was a good crowd joining us.
God has challenged us to especially work on three things this new year, in 2024.
Those three things are:
#1 Get more spiritual - spend more time with God, talking with God, finding out more about Him. If you need an accountability
partner, let me know.
#2 Reach More People - by living our faith OUT LOUD so people will wonder what we got living inside us, talk more about Jesus and
what He is doing and has done in your life.
#3 Perform more Service - no matter how BIG or SMALL or INVOLVED or SIMPLE......do it! As the scripture says, Do it
unto the least of these, you are doing it to/for ME.
We will NOT become distracted from helping God with His Mission!!
Only One life, twill soon be past. Only what is done for Christ will last!
Ready for 2024 to come, we are on mission with Christ, let's do this TOGETHER!
Here are a few prayer needs and praises:
Ron Boyer - Had his heart replacement and is doing well. So well that he has been discharged. He will have therapy ahead of him, so let's continue to pray for him.
Gladys Ketner - is over COVID and doing well. She is back at Complete Care at Lehigh Center in Macungie. Let's send her some thinking of you cards, to let her know we are all thinking of her. The address is 1718 Spring Creek Road, Room # 105A, Macungie PA 18062
Darla, Josie's friend - continues with Chronic Pain and having pain in her jaw. Continue to pray for endurance and perseverance as she fights through it. Also may the medication help to take the edge off.
Josie is praising God the time we get to experience with family and friends, not just over the holidays but at any time. Never underestimate that time with them that you are given.
Continue to pray for our church family, as some are still working through the flu, colds, coughs, respiratory issues.
Pray for our Homebound members and missionaries also.
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Praying you all have a safe and enjoyable New Year's! Enjoy that Pork and Sauerkraut.
Dear Lord, Help us to humbly put our hands into Your hand, and to trust You and to seek Your will for our lives during this
coming year. In the midst of life's uncertainties in the days ahead, assure us of the certainty of Your unchanging Love for each of us.
In your name,
Amen
Blessings,
Harvest Prayer Blog:
January 1 - Praying for Revival (Day 1): We’ve Been Here Before
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After years of seeking God, a spiritual explosion took place in 1801 that went through our nation like a wildfire. The revival was so powerful as it swept in every direction that Vanderbilt University historian Paul Conklin called it “America’s Pentecost.”
It changed the course of world history. Hundreds of denominations were born, thousands of churches were founded, modern missions exploded, college campuses were revived, and tract and Bible societies were established. The abolition of slavery fixed itself to the American soul.
The awakening infiltrated every area of American life. It was a harvest of righteousness that fundamentally changed our culture in a few short years and spun out for nearly 50 years.
In the midst of similar problems today, pray with hope and confidence. We have been here before. We have seen the glory of Christ and its astonishing effects.
Father, stir in me a vision of what this nation could look like if another Great Awakening were to sweep our land. Give us a renewal of hope and use me to carry that hope when I pray for others. I ask that You pour out a “harvest of righteousness” in our nation and send a revival that will change the course of history! Fill my church with intercessors who will join me in praying with hope for another Great Awakening. May You be glorified!
Pr a y e r Po i n t s:
• Ask God to stir in you a vision of what this nation could look like if another Great Awakening were to sweep our land. Pray for the fulfillment of that vision.
• If you have felt discouraged about the negative discourse in our nation, pray for a renewal of hope. Ask God to use you as a conveyor of that hope as you pray with others.
• Pray for a renewed “harvest of righteousness” in our nation.
• Pray for a revival in our day that changes the course of world history.
• Pray that your church will be filled with intercessors who will join you in praying with hope for another Great Awakening.
--Adapted from Day 1 by Bob Bakke: Do It Again, Lord (30 Days of Hope-Filled Prayer for Revival) compiled and edited by Carol Madison. This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount on the book.
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ODB:
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“I’m not who I once was. I’m a new person.” Those simple words from my son, spoken to students at a school assembly, describe the change God made in his life. Once addicted to heroin, Geoffrey previously saw himself through his sins and mistakes. But now he sees himself as a child of God.
The Bible encourages us with this promise: “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). No matter who we’ve been or what we’ve done in our past, when we trust Jesus for our salvation and receive the forgiveness offered through His cross, we become someone new. Since the garden of Eden, the guilt of our sins has separated us from God, but He has now “reconciled us to himself through Christ,” “not counting” our sins against us (vv. 18–19). We are His dearly loved children (1 John 3:1–2), washed clean and made new in the likeness of His Son.
Jesus liberates us from sin and its dominating power and restores us into a new relationship with God—where we’re free to no longer live for ourselves but “for him who died for [us] and was raised again” (2 Corinthians 5:15). On this New Year’s Day, let’s remember that His transforming love compels us to live with new identity and purpose. It helps us point others to our Savior, the One who can make them new people too!
By James Banks
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What does it mean to you that a new beginning is possible with God? How can you live as His “new creation”?
Abba, Father, thank You for sending Your Son to save me. Please send me to someone who needs You too.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Second Corinthians 5:21 describes the very heart of the gospel message: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” In this great divine exchange, known as substitutionary or vicarious atonement, God took our sins and placed them on the sinless Christ and attributed His righteousness to us. Jesus took the full punishment that we deserved. The apostle Peter describes this exchange as “the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring [us] to God” (1 Peter 3:18).
When we believe that Jesus died for our sins, we take on His righteousness (Romans 3:22) and receive a right standing before God (see 4:3-4). Paul says of this gift: “Even greater is God’s . . . gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ” (5:17 nlt).
K. T. Sim |
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Charles Stanley:
Pray for your pastors and leaders guide. We covet and need your prayers!
Tuesday, January 02 2024
Please note: Zoom ONLY church tomorrow at 10 as we allow sicknesses to mellow a bit before we gather in person next Sunday.
Good Morning Love, Peace, and Joy Bringers! Incarnating or bringing to life Jesus and His ways, and God's love, peace and joy is part of our greater mission individually and as His Body. PTL and glorify His Holy Name as you reflect and celebrate how God is doing that through you and us at St. Matts. (JOY Church)!
Yesterday I ended with Rosa's prophesy that we should rename our church JOY Church because God's love and joy are flowing through and from us to many. AMEN! God is in the business of bringing His shalom to the chaos and He is doing that through us and our prayers as well. PTL! We have much to be thankful about as God's love, peace, joy and wisdom are growing in us and being incarnated through us! We are on our way to become a dynamic movement of God and world changers as we continue to work on living and loving like Jesus as we grow more fully into our new nature and created purposes for us.
As we end this year, celebrate! And as we enter the new year let us commit to Becoming More in '24. Keep seeking God and following Him to the new and next things He has planned for us. More love! More power! More of Christ in our lives! More of growing into our new nature more fully and doing more of God's purposes for us daily and along the way. More disciple making. More connecting to neighbors. More blessings. Knowing God more and making Him known more. More J.O.Y. (Jesus. Others. Yourself) living. God has amazing things in store for each of us and our fellowship as well. And for some not yet here but being sent by God.
Today, God gave me about three threads I thought He wanted to share with you from my quiet time and then He started typing the above through me. What's He saying to you today? Be still and know! I think He gave me about three sermons from this quiet time! He definitely encouraged me and reminded me of all His blessings and workings in and through us we get to celebrate! Rejoice and again I say, rejoice! I'll put the devos below for you that don't have them so you can engage with God through them. Listen! He's speaking to your heart and revealing many things to you too. PTL! Now what will you do about that?
At first I thought today was to be a day to pronounce deliverance and healing over our flock, families and friends. Let's do that now!
Father, you are our Healer and Jesus, our Great Physician and Deliverer. In Jesus name, we pronounce healing over those we know who are sick and deliverance from health troubles, addictions, and situations. By His stripes we are healed. Thank You Lord! We pray a covering of protection over ourselves, our families and friends and our church. Keep us healthy and keep using us as joy and shalom bringers. And keep us from sin and with humble, repentant hearts. Thank You Lord for your love, healing presence, deliverance, and protection. Thank You for your provision and many blessings and for using us. May we glorify your name as we steward well all your blessings. Amen.
Please keep Sarah Boyer in your prayers as her legs have been troubling her. Pray for deliverance and healing. And pray for her as she brings our message tomorrow. Thank God for the technology that allows us to gather via Zoom safely from our homes.
May you have an awesome time with the Lord today and with allowing Him to use you to bring many blessings alive as He helps you, His friend, to live and love like Jesus. Amen! May we continue to persevere in faith, grow in faith and service, and live with heaven in view no matter what we face! God is for us and with us--always! Amen.
Jesus is our peace or shalom. PTL! Here is a great prayer blog about that from Harvest Prayer today. (Other devos below)
December 30 - Jesus Is Our Peace
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We can follow Jesus’ example as a peacemaker, and allow peace to rule within us. His life was foundationally peaceful, and He passed on to us His peace, which was not of the world but which has overcome the world. Read and reflect on these passages of Scripture as we focus on the peace that passes all understanding as we comprehend His coming:
- "He will stand and shepherd His flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD His God. And they will live securely, for then His greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And He will be their peace" (Micah 5:4-5).
- "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid" (John 14:27).
- "I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).
- "For God is not a God of disorder but of peace" (1 Corinthians 14:33).
- "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful" (Colossians 3:15).
- "Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you" (Philippians 4:9).
God of Peace, as I face this New Year spread out before me with all of its infinite possibilities, I desire to step into it fully aware of Your power and joy and transformational life living within me. I’m so thankful for the peace of Christ that rules in my heart! Give me the grace to obediently follow the plans You have for me and put into practice all that I learn, receive, hear and see in Christ!
--Adapted from the article Prayers for a Peaceful Family by Kim Butts, author of The Praying Family: Creative Ways to Pray Together. This resource is available at prayershop.org.
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- Praise Jesus for calling you his friend (Jn. 15:15).
- Thank him for giving you a job to do in his kingdom—that is, to “bear fruit” (15:16).
- Confess those times when you’ve sought to do your own work rather than God’s work.
- Commit yourself to bearing fruit that will last.
- Ask Jesus for the strength and wisdom you need to carry out his commands.
- Praise God for family members and friends who also have been called by him to bear fruit. Thank Jesus for his friendship with them. Pray that they will seek to nurture that friendship with their Savior.
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ODB:
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Three days before a bomb blast rocked his home in January 1957, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had an encounter that marked him for the rest of his life. After receiving a threatening phone call, King found himself pondering an exit strategy from the civil rights movement. Then prayers emerged from his soul. “I am here taking a stand for what I believe is right. But now I am afraid. I have nothing left. I’ve come to the point where I can't face it alone.” After his prayer, there came quiet assurance. King noted, “Almost at once my fears began to go. My uncertainty disappeared. I was ready to face anything.”
In John 12, Jesus acknowledged, “My soul is troubled” (v. 27). He was transparently honest about His internal disposition; still He was God-centered in His prayer. “Father, glorify your name!” (v. 28). Jesus’ prayer was one of surrender to God’s will.
How human it is for us to feel the pangs of fear and discomfort when we find ourselves with the option of honoring God or not; when wisdom requires making hard decisions about relationships, habits, or other patterns (good or bad). No matter what we’re faced with, as we pray boldly to God, He’ll give us the strength to overcome our fear and discomfort and do what brings glory to Him—for our good and the good of others.
By Arthur Jackson
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What experiences have prompted prayers for God to be honored? What advice would you give to others facing such situations?
Father, please help me to face challenging things honestly and prayerfully that are for my good and will bring You glory.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Jesus would enter the garden of Gethsemane on the evening of Passover Thursday, probably three days after the events described in John 12:27-32. Unlike the other three gospels, John doesn’t describe Christ’s anguish in Gethsemane. But he lets us know that Jesus is already tasting the sorrow coming His way. “Now my soul is troubled,” Christ said (v. 27). In Gethsemane, Jesus would pray, “Not as I will, but as you [the Father] will” (Matthew 26:39). In John, he prays, “Father, glorify your name!” (12:28). Author Warren Wiersbe says that when we experience trials, there are two prayers we can pray: “Father, save me!” or “Father, glorify Your name!” As His hour of trial approached, Jesus chose the latter, praying, “What shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour” (v. 27).
Tim Gustafson |
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UR: Worth the Effort
Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. - Proverbs 16:3 (NRSVUE)
I work as an editor on the publishing team for the Korean edition of The Upper Room. I edit the Korean translation of the devotional guide so that our readers may comprehend it with ease.
Over the years we’ve distributed the Korean edition to many readers for free, especially individuals in hospitals, military camps, and prisons. A few years ago a generous donor began supporting our effort to distribute The Upper Room to multiple prisons across South Korea.
One day at work, I received a call from a person saying he was moved by the message of the devotional guide and asking where to buy it. I asked him, “How did you get to know The Upper Room?” He replied, “A few days ago I was released from prison, where I often read it.”
After the call I was overcome with emotion and could hardly say a word. I gave thanks that our efforts and the donor’s good intentions were bearing fruit. I don’t know what that caller’s life has been like, but I firmly believe that his life will be better than before and closer to God with The Upper Room as a companion.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Lord of hope, help us not to become weary in sharing your love with others. Amen.
Friday, December 29 2023
Thank God I'm Forgiven! What are you thankful for this TGIF Friday? I am thankful for being forgiven, my life and choices redeemed, new life in Christ and the opportunity to step into my new nature and operate from my true identity in Christ! That's just a start on this, my 22nd birthday in Christ! TGIF!
Good Morning Redeemed, New Creations of Christ! Now some of us have lost the ability to jump, dance and shout in joy due to age, arthritis, or maybe even temporarily with sickness or grief. However, we can always choose joy and thank God for so many things. Shout for joy! Immanuel everyday! God is with us everyday and every step on the way! PTL! What is on your gratitude list? Is it growing? Mine is, it seems almost daily, as I, and we, have so much to be thankful about in the Lord! Choose joy, worship, praise and abiding in Christ's presence everyday. It's like eating Wheaties: The breakfast of champions! Maybe our picture should be on a box? After all, we ARE children of THE Champion and we will one day experience ultimate victory and many victories along the way! PTL! Rejoice!
Every year on my birthday in Christ, I evaluate the past year and pray into the future one. I have a S.W.O.T. (Strengths/Weaknesses/Opportunities/Threats) analysis I did on myself in 2016 that I am still working through. I am always amazed at the progress and, in some cases, frustrated at the failures to correct and grow. I am a work in process and progress. Hopefully, prayerfully (I'm praying that for you), you are as well. Periodically examining ourselves and seeing what is working, what needs correcting, what doors are being opened or closed and assessing next steps is biblical and a very God-led pursuit that yields good fruit and good pruning too. Our vision team will be doing one of these for our church Jan. 9th when we gather to seek God for His vision and plan for 2024 and far beyond. Please pray for us to be seeking God, receiving His vision and plans, and ready to follow His plans for us. Pray for wisdom, discernment and God's will to come alive. Thanks! What would you say are your and our church's strengths (are we operating out of them), weaknesses (are we correcting or working on them like with the Become Me in '23 Challenge and the words we are working on), opportunities (are we sowing into them and making plans) threats (are we standing firm in faith and working on being victorious over them). I'd love to hear what you are sensing! God has some great plans for you and us that are coming to life and awaiting our discovery as we follow Him step by step in faith! PTL!
Looking at our devotionals for today (below), I see God at work and reminding me that I am His and I am growing in Him but still a work in process, I have a future and a hope, and that as I am learning to live as if Christ is all that matters in this life I am seeing God grow me and bring to life His plans for me. He is growing, using me as I am and working on His future plans for me. What joy! I also see this coming to life in many of you! The fruit that is budding from the words some of you are working on this year is being noticed and God is being glorified. PTL! Keep at it! [Thank you Danny Reinsmith for taking down and putting away our Christmas decorations and installing two new toilets for our ladies room this week! His word he was working on is "useful". I'd say he has made much progress at that! Thanks for the great work and example Danny! You are a very useful and growing servant of our Lord and His church!] What word may He be leading you to work on next year as we are challenged to Become More in '24. More of Christ and less of me. More of growing into and doing our created purposes. More disciple making. More of becoming and growing into the people we were created to be and our fuller potential in Christ. More of operating out of our true identity in Christ. Man, I am so excited for what God has in store for you and us and me too! Put on that new nature more fully, secure your yoke to Christ and follow Him to His best, no matter what lies ahead. Work on doing your part in God's Good News Delivery Co. too. We all have a part from prayer warrior to pastor, from sheep to shepherd. And God is working all of that together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes. That's you! That's us together! PTL! Check out the Harvest Prayer devo for today about praying! We are a praying, loving, joyful people and church and we are seeing the fruit! PTL!
I stuck an UR devo from Dec 29, 2021 in my prayer starter book. The title is, "Change the World" and has been God's inspiration for me for awhile but was made more clear that day in '21 when I was evaluating my journey and seeking God for what lies ahead. I see Him still bringing that to life in me and us as we allow Him to grow us, empower us, embolden us, send us and use us for His glory. Do you see it too? PTL! He is at work even through weak, but repentant, nobody's like us! The premise of the devo is that with Christ's help, we can change the world. Do you see how that is coming alive through St. Matts and her servants? It really is and the blossoms are budding and fruit is coming! PTL! The ending prayer of the devo is this, "Dear God, as we walk with You, help us continue to change to become more like Jesus so that with you we can change the world." AMEN! Do you see how God got my attention, informed us with His plans and is carrying that out as He continues to grow us into His dynamic movement that changes the world around us! PTL! And worship Him! Keep working at you part. And let us commit to helping each other each step of the way! God is for us! Can you see it? What joy and wonder awaits our discovery as we live and love like Jesus more and more each day!
One final note. Rosa from Victor's church who gets bread and attends sometimes prophesied this over our church...she said we should rename our church Joy Church. She said there is so much joy and love flowing through us! PTL right! People are noticing. God is living, loving and bringing joy alive through us! Rejoice and keep up the good work as we seek Him for more in '24! Shalom!
Harvest Prayer:
December 29 - Prayer: The Life-Breath of the Church
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In trying to understand the place of prayer in the early Christian Church, we would do well to remember that the Church was born in the cradle of Judaism. Over the centuries the Church has developed its own forms and practices, but it did not have to invent new ones from nothing. The apostles, like their Master, were all steeped in the Jewish faith and shaped somewhat by the religious life of the temple and the synagogue. The first converts were also drawn from this milieu. So it would be safe to surmise that the earliest Christians understood and practiced prayer from a context of Jewish traditions.
Of course, Christianity and Judaism had distinct differences from the start, the most significant perhaps being the centrality of Jesus and His reinterpretation of the Jewish religion. Jesus participated in temple worship, but in some sense He also replaced the temple and the sacrificial system. Jesus attended and preached in synagogues throughout His Galilean ministry, but He called out a new people, which would soon include both Gentiles and Jews, to be the people of God.
In addition to Jesus’ teaching on prayer His own personal example set the tone and pattern for prayer in the early Church. As the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, we can assume that this included Jesus’ instructions on how we should pray (Mt. 28:20; Acts 2:42). We note also that the role of the Holy Spirit in every aspect of the life of the Church, including and especially its prayer life, marks a new age that has dawned with the birth of the Church (Acts 2:1ff; 13:2).
Prayer has been the life-breath of the Church from its inception. From the earliest days believers have devoted themselves to prayer, individually and corporately, just as Jesus intended. In Luke’s history of the expansion of the church as in his gospel, prayer plays a key role. In the pages of Acts we discover all types of prayers— prayers of repentance, thanksgiving, rejoicing, praise and more. We see the Church praying in times of decision making and in times of crisis. We see them fasting, laying on hands, and kneeling. On occasion God spoke to his people through visions as they prayed. Both leaders and members in the early Church were committed to prayer as an indispensable part of the Christian life. Their example has challenged believers of every generation to be a people devoted to prayer.
Lord Jesus, because Your life is prayer, mine is also! Thank You, Father, for creating Your Body for such an awesome and precious relationship. May the Church of today clearly recognize the power at her disposal and be fully devoted to continually seeking Your face!
--Adapted from Giving Ourselves to Prayer: An Acts 6:4 Primer for Ministry (Chapter 42, The Place of Prayer in the Early Church by Steve Booth). This resource is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount on the book.
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- Praise God that the Christian life includes periods of “complete” and unbridled joy (Jn. 15:11).
- Thank Jesus for being your joy-filled Savior (Lk.10:21).
- Confess any sin that stands in the way of your experiencing the fullness of joy which Jesus provides.
- Commit yourself today to rejoicing in the Lord, to being joyful in God your Savior (Hab. 3:18).
- Ask Jesus to make his joy in you complete.
- Thank God that his kingdom is full of “righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17). Commit yourself to being a joyful citizen of that kingdom in all that you do.
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UR: Stepping Up
God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. - John 3:16 (NIV)
Growing up, I was the youngest of four boys. Sometimes my older brothers would talk me into doing things that would get me into trouble. My parents would discipline me, but occasionally one of my brothers would step up and take the blame for my actions.
A brother taking the punishment that I deserved represents only a small fraction of the love that Jesus has for each one of us. Jesus knows us and all the mistakes we have made, yet he loves us so much that he took the pain and agony of the worst punishment — death. But unlike my brother, Jesus was not guilty of anything. He “stepped up” because of the immeasurable love he has for each one of us. Like today’s verse says, “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” All of this so we can spend our lives — even into eternity — worshiping God and loving God’s creation. Truly, Jesus is the perfect example of grace and forgiveness.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Heavenly Father, may our love for you always be a response to your grace-filled love and forgiveness — and may it show in our love for others. Amen.
TWFYT:
ODB:
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Twelve-year-old LeeAdianez Rodriguez-Espada was worried that she’d be late for a 5K run (just over 3 miles). Her anxiousness led her to take off with a group of runners fifteen minutes earlier than her start time with participants of the half-marathon (more than 13 miles)! LeeAdianez fell in pace with other runners and put one foot in front of the other. At mile four, with the finish line nowhere in sight, she realized that she was in a longer and more difficult race. Instead of dropping out, she simply kept running. The accidental half-marathoner completed her 13.1-mile race and placed 1,885th out of 2,111 finishers. Now that’s perseverance!
While undergoing persecution, many first-century believers in Jesus wanted to drop out of the race for Christ, but James encouraged them to keep running. If they patiently endured testing, God promised a double reward (James 1:4, 12). First, “perseverance [would] finish its work” so they could be “mature and complete, not lacking anything” (v. 4). Second, God would give them the “crown of life”—life in Jesus on earth and the promise of being in His presence in the life to come (v. 12).
Some days the Christian race feels like it’s not the one we signed up for—it’s something longer and more difficult than we expected. But as God provides what we need, we can persevere and keep on running.
By Marvin Williams
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What difficulty are you enduring right now? What can you do to remain faithful to God as you undergo testing?
Dear God, my legs are tired, and I feel like giving up. Please strengthen me.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
James encourages believers in Jesus experiencing “trials” (1:2, 12) by describing their unseen value—growth in perseverance, maturity, and wisdom (vv. 3-5). How believers respond to difficulty witnesses to their faith in Christ, who promises them a “crown of life” (v. 12).
Many believe these trials included persecution for their faith. New Testament scholar Scot McKnight argues that James’ emphasis on the dangers of wealth and the value of humility and poverty (vv. 9-11; 2:1-7) suggests that this persecution took the form of economic oppression. In James 2:6-7, the author describes the wealthy exploiting and oppressing believers.
Monica La Rose |
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Charles Stanley
Friday, December 29 2023
Note: Due to the holiday, our bread delivery will only arrive at 11 this morning. So Bread distribution will be from 12-2 today. We have tons of bread to give away. PTL! We could use some help as well. Come get some bread and maybe help out a bit as well. Pray for Gail Lichtenwalner who was scheduled to serve but has the Flu. Pray for Gina Fuhrman who is suffer with back issues and spent the evening in the ER and is unable to serve today. Thank God for willing servants to step in. Thank God for His provision and this awesome ministry and connection point to people He is sending our way! Pray for those in need who come to get to know God's love through our loving service. Ask how you might help. Come get some bread for your friends and neighbors too. Pray for our next donut day on Jan. 10th and plan to attend and join God in what he wants to do through you.
Good Morning Good Morning Stewards of Many Blessings from God and Lavish Sowers! Hmm? Is that a contradiction? Nope! No matter your status or economic situation, you are being blessed abundantly by God as He meets your needs and provides what you need and gives excess according to your abilities and heart. All we have is a gift from God. God wants to bless through you and as you steward well all His blessings. That will include doing what you can with what you got. Sowing lavishly is a command and an example we see from Jesus and the early church that blessed many and grew the Kingdom. God gives according to your abilities and needs. Think of the parable of the talents where each of the three received according to their abilities. Two of the three invested and grew what they were given. One hid and squandered the potential return on investing. Yes we are called to sow lavishly while stewarding well all our blessings of time, talent and treasure. You have been given according to your abilities, life situation, and for God's plans for you. Talk to God about His plans for you and how He desires for you to invest into His plans with your time, talent and treasure for His glory. Check out our devos below that speak into this. What's God saying to you? What will you do about that? Who will you process with?
For many of us as we age, one of the key ministries we have is prayer warrior. All of us are called to pray as well. Check out the Harvest Prayer devo today about prayer releasing God's power. We need your prayers! God moves through prayer. As you spend time with Him, He will direct your prayers and inform your praying that you would partner with him to release His power where needed. Thanks for praying and stewarding well as you sow lavishly in prayer, love, service and as good stewards. keep at it! God is moving! Love God! Love people! Do something! Live and love, pray and serve more like Jesus everyday! he has great plans for you, even today! Shalom!
Harvest Prayer devo:
December 27 - Prayer Releases God’s Power
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“The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops” (James 5: 16-18).
“Prayer,” said C. Samuel Storms, “in and of itself possesses no power.” I was astounded by that statement, and I didn’t understand it until I read what Storms said next: “Prayer is powerful because God is powerful, and prayer is the means through which that divine power is released and channeled into our lives.” In other words, all the power in prayer is really God’s power, activated by prayer.
When you pray for another person, there is nothing that flows from you to them – no vibes, no force, no energy. Instead, your prayers go heavenward, and the power of God moves from him to the ones you pray for.
When the Bible says “prayer…is powerful and effective,” it means God acts powerfully and effectively through the prayers of his people. Prayer is the instrument by which God has chosen to have his power directed in the universe. Ole Hallesby provides something of a mental picture of how this works: “This power is so rich and so mobile that all we have to do when we pray is to point to the persons or things to which we desire to have this power applied, and He, the Lord of this power, will direct the necessary power to the desired place.” What a surprising arrangement – God partnering with human beings to accomplish his purposes!
R.A. Torrey, enthralled by the enormity of this power, states, “Prayer is the key that unlocks all the storehouses of God’s infinite grace and power. All that God is, and …has, is at the disposal of prayer. Prayer can do anything that God can do, and as God can do anything, prayer is omnipotent.”
Prayer can do what political action cannot, what education cannot, what military might cannot, and what planning committees cannot. All these are impotent by comparison.
Prayer can move mountains. It can change human hearts, families, neighborhoods, cities, and nations. It’s the ultimate source of power, because it is the power of Almighty God. This power is available to the humblest Christian. It was “a man just like us” (Elijah) who prayed “that it would not rain,” and God stopped the rain in Israel for three and a half years. Where will the power of your prayers be felt today?
Father, I give You praise for Your great power by which You move in this world and by which You govern the affairs of all people. Thank You for Your willingness to hear my prayers and direct Your power to places and persons through them. In Jesus’ Name I ask that You would help me to grow in my ability to become a powerful and effective pray-er!
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UR: Stewardship
A Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. - Luke 10:33 (NIV)
In 2003 I donated a kidney to someone I had never met. I didn’t begin with that outcome in mind. Initially I was tested for compatibility with a colleague who needed a transplant. I wanted to know if I could help.
Going through the pre-donation testing process changed me. I spent many hours in waiting rooms filled with people who could do nothing but hope that an organ would become available to save their lives. For me, it became a matter of stewardship. I realized that I had more than I needed because it’s possible to live a healthy life with just one kidney. I found myself surrounded by neighbors in urgent need of my abundance.
As it turned out, my colleague received what she needed from another donor. But God transformed my heart, and when I was approved as a donor, I chose to give a kidney to whoever needed it most. I’m grateful for the lessons God taught me about giving through this life-changing journey.
Everything we have belongs to God, and God wants us to serve our neighbors out of our abundance. We often think of stewardship in terms of money, but it is also about our time, possessions, and, yes, even our bodies.
ODB:
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A mail carrier became concerned after seeing one of her customers’ mail pile up. The postal worker knew the elderly woman lived alone and usually picked up her mail every day. Making a wise choice, the worker mentioned her concern to one of the woman’s neighbors. This neighbor alerted yet another neighbor, who had a spare key to the woman’s home. Together they entered their friend’s home and found her lying on the floor. She had fallen four days earlier and couldn’t get up or call for help. The postal worker’s wisdom, concern, and decision to act likely saved her life.
Proverbs says, “the one who is wise saves lives” (11:30). The discernment that comes from doing right and living according to God’s wisdom can bless not only ourselves but those we encounter too. The fruit of living out what honors Him and His ways can produce a good and refreshing life. And our fruit also prompts us to care about others and to look out for their well-being.
As the writer of Proverbs asserts throughout the book, wisdom is found in reliance on God. Wisdom is considered “more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her” (8:11). The wisdom God provides is there to guide us throughout our lives. It just might save a life for eternity.
By Katara Patton
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How can you use wisdom to help someone today? How much do you value wisdom?
Heavenly Father, please give me wisdom to follow Your path and directions. Help me to look out for others as You guide me.
Learn more about your God-given calling.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
As general statements of wisdom and guidelines for living, proverbs predict expected outcomes based on our wise or foolish choices. Generosity is the theme of several of these proverbs (11:24-26), and the conclusion is clear: generosity is a wise approach to life. The apostle Paul highlighted the principle of sowing and reaping mentioned in verse 24 when he wrote, “Whoever sows generously will also reap generously” (2 Corinthians 9:6). Conversely, hoarding hurts both ourselves and others. By distributing what we have, we bless all concerned. Bible commentator David Stabnow points out how King Sihon of Heshbon refused to sell grain to the Israelites when they were passing through his land, and he and his people were destroyed (Deuteronomy 2:26-36). Joseph, on the other hand, stored grain for the purpose of distributing it. By doing so, he blessed the entire region with life—and preserved the nation of Israel in the process (Genesis 41:56).
Tim Gustafson |
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Charles Stanley and TWFYT
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