Day 357 - 23 December 2021 reflections
Day 357, 23 December 2021
1)
2 Peter , Jude
2 Peter 1
Salutation
1 (Titus 2:13; Ro 3:21-26; 1:1) Simon Peter, a servant and apostle
of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith as precious
as ours through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.
2 (Jn 17:3; 1Pe 1:2) Grace and peace be multiplied to you through
the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
The Christian's Call and Election
3 (1Th 2:12; 2Th 2:14) His divine power has given to us all things that
pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge
of Him who has called us by His own glory and excellence,
4 (Heb 12:10; 1Jn 3:2) by which He has given to us exceedingly great
and precious promises, so that through these things you might become
partakers of the divine nature
and escape the corruption that is in the world through lust.
5 (2Pe 3:18; Php 4:8) For this reason make every effort to add virtue
to your faith; and to your virtue, knowledge;
6 (Ac 24:25; 2Pe 1:3) and to your knowledge, self-control; and to your
self-control, patient endurance; and to your patient endurance, godliness;
7 (Ro 12:10; 1Co 13:1-8) and to your godliness, brotherly kindness;
and to your brotherly kindness, love.
8 (Jn 15:2; Col 3:16) For if these things reside in you and abound,
they ensure that you will neither be useless nor unfruitful
in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 (Eph 5:26; Heb 9:14) But the one who lacks these things is blind
and shortsighted because he has forgotten that he was cleansed
from his former sins.
10 (2Pe 3:17) Therefore, brothers, diligently make your calling
and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never stumble.
11 For in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly provided for you.
12 (Php 3:1; 1Jn 2:21) Therefore I will not be negligent to always
remind you of these things, though you know them and are established
in the truth that is present with you.
13 (2Pe 3:1; 1:14) I consider it right, as long as I live in this body,
to stir you up by reminding you,
14 (2Ti 4:6; Jn 21:18-19) knowing that soon I will take off this body,
even as our Lord Jesus Christ has shown me.
15 And I will also be diligent to make sure that after my death you
will always remember these things.
Christ's Glory and the Prophetic Word
16 (1Ti 1:4; Lk 9:28-32) For we have not followed cleverly devised myths
when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,
but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.
17 (Mk 9:7; Mt 3:17; 17:5) For He received honor and glory from God
the Father when a voice came to Him from the majestic glory, saying,
"This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
(Mt 17:5; Mk 9:7; Lk 9:35.)
18 (Mt 17:6; Ex 3:5) And we ourselves heard this voice, which came
from heaven, when we were with Him on the holy mountain.
19 (Rev 22:16; Ps 119:105; Rev 2:28) And we have a more reliable word
of prophecy, which you would do well to follow, as to a light that shines
in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises
in your hearts.
20 (2Pe 3:3; Ro 12:6) But know this first of all, that no prophecy
of the Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation.
21 (1Pe 1:11; Lk 1:70; 2Sa 23:2) For no prophecy at any time was produced
by the will of man, but holy men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
2 Peter 2
False Prophets and Teachers
Jude 4-13
1 (2Pe 2:3; Jude 1:4; 1Co 6:20) But there were also false prophets
among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you,
who will secretly bring in destructive heresies,
even denying the Lord who bought them,
bringing swift destruction upon themselves.
2 (Ro 2:24; Ac 16:17) And many will follow their destructive ways,
because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.
3 (Dt 32:35; Ro 16:18) And in their greed they will exploit you
with deceptive words. Their judgment, made long ago, does not linger,
and their destruction does not slumber.
4 (Jude 1:6; Mt 25:41; Rev 20:10) For if God did not spare the angels
that sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains
of darkness to be kept for judgment;
5 (2Pe 3:6; Heb 11:7) and if He did not spare the ancient world,
but saved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others,
when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;
6 (Jude 1:7; Nu 26:10; Dt 29:23) and if He condemned the cities of Sodom
and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, making them
an example to those afterward who would live ungodly lives;
7 (Ge 19:16; 19:29; 19:7-8) and if He delivered righteous Lot,
who was distressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked
8 (Ps 119:136; 119:158) (for that righteous man lived among them,
and what he saw and heard of their lawless deeds tormented
his righteous soul day after day);
9 (1Co 10:13; 2Pe 3:7) then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trial,
and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the Day of Judgment,
10 (Ex 22:28; Jude 1:10) especially those who walk after the flesh in pursuit
of unclean desires, and despise authority.
They are presumptuous and arrogant, and are not afraid to slander
the angelic beings.
11 (Jude 1:9) Whereas angels, who are greater in power and might,
do not bring slanderous accusations against them before the Lord.
12 (Jude 1:10; Jer 12:3) But these people are like irrational animals,
born to be captured and destroyed. They speak evil of the things that
they do not understand, and in their corruption they will be destroyed.
13 (Ro 13:13) They shall receive the wages of unrighteousness. They count it
a pleasure to carouse in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes
who revel in their own deception while they carouse together with you.
14 (Eph 2:3; 2Pe 2:3) They have eyes full of adultery that cannot cease
from sin. They entice unstable souls. Their hearts are trained in greed.
They are cursed children!
15 (Jude 1:11; Rev 2:14) They have forsaken the right way and have gone
astray. They follow the way of Balaam the son of Beor,
who loved the wages of wickedness,
16 (Nu 22:21-33) but who was rebuked for his iniquity.
The mute donkey speaking with a man's voice constrained
the madness of the prophet.
17 (Jude 1:12-13) These men are wells without water and clouds that are
carried by a storm, for whom the gloom of darkness has been reserved forever.
18 (2Pe 1:4; 2:20) For when they speak arrogant words of vanity,
they entice by the lusts of the flesh and by depravity those who barely
escaped from those who live in error.
19 (Jn 8:34; Gal 5:13) Although they promise them freedom, they themselves
are slaves of corruption, for by that which a man is overcome, to this
he is enslaved.
20 (2Pe 1:2; 2:18) For if after they have escaped the defilements of the world
through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and they are again
entangled in them and are overcome, the latter end is worse for them
than the beginning.
21 (Eze 18:24; Lk 12:47) For it would have been better for them not to have
known the way of righteousness than to have known it and then turn back
from the holy commandment that was delivered to them.
22 (Pr 26:11) But it has happened to them according to the true proverb,
"The dog returns to his own vomit,"(Pr 26:11.)
and "the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mud."
2 Peter 3
The Promise of the Lord's Coming
1 This is now, beloved, the second epistle I am writing to you, in which
I am stirring up your sincere minds by way of reminder,
2 (Lk 1:70; Jude 1:17) that you should remember the words that were spoken
previously by the holy prophets and the commandment of our Lord and Saviour
spoken through us, the apostles.
3 (Jude 1:18; 2Pe 2:10; Isa 28:14) Know this first, that there shall come
scoffers in the last days who walk after their own lusts,
4 (Jer 17:15; Mal 2:17) and say, "Where is the promise of His coming?
For since the fathers fell asleep, all things have continued as they
were since the beginning of the creation."
5 (Ge 1:6; 1:9) For they willingly ignore that, by the word of God
the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed standing
out of the water and in the water,
6 (2Pe 2:5) by which the world that then existed was flooded with water
and perished.
7 (2Pe 3:10; 3:12; Mt 10:15) But by the same word, the heavens and the earth
that now exist are being reserved for fire,
kept for the Day of Judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
8 (Ps 90:4) But, beloved, do not be ignorant of this one thing, that with
the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
9 (1Ti 2:4; Hab 2:3; Heb 10:37) The Lord is not slow concerning His promise,
as some count slowness. But He is patient with us,
because He does not want any to perish, but all to come to repentance.
10 (Mt 24:35; Rev 21:1; 2Pe 3:7) But the day of the Lord will come like
a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with
a loud noise, and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat.
The earth also and the works that are in it will be burned up.
11 (1Pe 1:15) Seeing then that all these things are to be destroyed,
what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,
12 (2Pe 3:10; Ps 50:3; Isa 34:4) while you are waiting for and desiring
the coming of the day of God, in which the heavens will be destroyed
by fire and the elements will be consumed by intense heat?
13 (Isa 65:17; 66:22; Rev 21:1) But, according to His promise, we are waiting
for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.
14 (1Co 15:58; 1Th 3:13) Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these
things, be diligent that you may be found by Him in peace, spotless
and blameless.
15 (Ac 15:25; 2Pe 3:9) Keep in mind that the patience of our Lord means
salvation, even as our beloved brother Paul has also written to you according
to the wisdom given to him.
16 (Heb 5:11; 2Pe 2:14) As in all his letters, he writes about these things,
in which some things are hard to understand, which the unlearned
and unstable distort, as they also do the other Scriptures,
to their own destruction.
17 (1Co 10:12) You therefore, beloved, since you know these things beforehand,
beware lest you also fall from your own firm footing,
being led away by the deception of the wicked.
18 (Col 1:10; Eph 4:15) But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be glory, both now and forever. Amen.
Jude 1
Jude
The general epistle of Jude was written by Jude, a half-brother
of Jesus Christ, in the mid AD 60s. The place of authorship is unknown.
The purpose for this epistle is to exhort believers to stand firm for
the faith. Jude is filled with apocalyptic nuances and imagery.
A reading of the Old Testament is a prerequisite before delving
into this lofty letter. There are some very encouraging exhortations
as well as some sobering ones. Read this epistle with reverence
and a humble heart. Refer back to the Old Testament Scriptures
that are enveloped within its confines.
Salutation
1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James,
To those who are sanctified and called by God the Father
and preserved in Jesus Christ:
2 May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.
Judgment on False Teachers
2Pe 2:1-17
3 Beloved, while I diligently tried to write to you of the salvation
we have in common, I found it necessary to write and appeal
to you to contend for the faith which was once delivered to the saints.
4 For there are some men who secretly crept in, who were marked long ago
for this condemnation. They are ungodly men, who pervert the grace of our God
into immorality and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.
5 Now I want to remind you, though you already know, that the Lord saved
the people out of the land of Egypt and afterward destroyed those
who did not believe.
6 Likewise, the angels who did not keep to their first domain, but forsook
their own dwelling, He has kept in everlasting chains under darkness
for the judgment of the great day.
7 Just as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the surrounding cities in like manner,
gave themselves to immorality and went after different flesh, they serve
as an example by suffering the punishment of eternal fire.
8 Likewise, these ungodly dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority,
and slander celestial beings.
9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil in a dispute
about the body of Moses, did not dare to pronounce upon him
a railing judgment. But he said, "The Lord rebuke you!"
10 But these men slander those things that they do not understand.
But they destroy themselves in those things that, like unreasoning animals,
they know by instinct.
11 Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily after
the error of Balaam for a reward, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.
12 These are the ones who are stains on your love feasts as they feast with
you irreverently and care only for themselves. They are clouds without water,
carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, uprooted;
13 raging waves of the sea, which are foaming up their own shame;
wandering stars for whom the gloom of darkness has been kept forever.
14 Enoch, the seventh generation from Adam, also prophesied of these men,
saying, "Look! The Lord is coming with ten thousand of His holy ones,
15 to execute judgment on everyone, and to convict all who are godless
of all their wicked deeds that they have committed, and of all the terrible
words that godless sinners have spoken against Him."
16 These men are grumblers, complainers, who walk after their own lusts.
Their mouths speak arrogant words, and they flatter others to gain profit.
Warnings and Exhortations
17 But, beloved, remember the words that were previously spoken
by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.
18 They said to you, "In the last days there will be scoffers
who will walk after their own ungodly desires."
19 These are the men who cause divisions, sensual, devoid of the Spirit.
20 But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith.
Pray in the Holy Spirit.
21 Keep yourselves in the love of God while you are waiting for the mercy
of our Lord Jesus Christ, which leads to eternal life.
22 On some have compassion, using discernment.
23 And others save with fear while pulling them out of the fire,
hating even the garment stained by the flesh.
Benediction
24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you
blameless before the presence of His glory with rejoicing,
25 to the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty,
dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.
2) Our Daily Bread for 23 December 2021
https://odb.org/CA/2021/12/23/how-theyll-know
entitled How They'll Know
Acts 11:19-26
The Church in Antioch
19 (Ac 4:36; 15:3) Now those who were scattered by the persecution
that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch,
preaching the word to no one except Jews.
20 (Mt 27:32; Ac 13:1) Some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene,
who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists,
preaching the Lord Jesus.
21 (Lk 1:66; Ac 2:47) The hand of the Lord was with them,
and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.
22 News of these things came to the ears of the church which was
in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.
23 (Ac 13:43; 14:22) When he arrived and saw the grace of God,
he rejoiced and exhorted them all to remain with the Lord with a loyal heart.
24 (Ac 5:14; 11:21) For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit
and of faith. And many people were added to the Lord.
25 (Ac 9:11; 9:30) Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul.
26 (Ac 26:28; 1Pe 4:16) When he had found him, he brought him to Antioch.
For a whole year they met with the church and taught a considerable crowd.
And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.
"The Gathering" in northern Thailand is an interdenominational, international
church. On a recent Sunday, believers in Jesus from Korea, Ghana, Pakistan,
China, Bangladesh, the US, the Philippines, and other countries came together
in a humble, thread-worn hotel conference room. They sang "In Christ Alone"
and "I Am a Child of God," lyrics that were especially poignant
in that setting.
No one brings people together like Jesus does. He's been doing it
from the start. In the first century, Antioch contained eighteen
different ethnic groups, each living in its own part of the city.
When believers first came to Antioch, they spread the word about Jesus
"only among Jews" (Acts 11:19). That wasn't God's plan for the church,
however. Others soon came who "began to speak to Greeks [gentiles] also,
telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus," and "a great number
of people believed and turned to the Lord" (vv. 20-21). People in the city
noticed that Jesus was healing centuries of animosity between Jews and Greeks,
and they declared this multi-ethnic church should be called "Christians,"
or "little Christs" (v. 26).
It can be challenging for us to reach across ethnic, social,
and economic boundaries to embrace those different from us.
But this difficulty is our opportunity. If it wasn't hard,
we wouldn't need Jesus to do it. And few would notice we're following Him.
By: Mike Wittmer
Reflect & Pray
Why is it challenging to reach out to those
who are different from you? What has Jesus provided to help you do so?
Jesus, may they know I’m a Christian by Your love.
3) Daily verses taken from Billy Graham Evangelical Organisation
Words in Season Scripture Memory Tools
Week 6 Showing Grace to Others - Day 5 When you pray
Mark 11:25
25 And when you stand praying, forgive if you have anything
against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven may
also forgive you your sins.
"My prayer don't seem to be very effective," a man told his pastor." I try
to make contact with God, but my prayers seem to hit the ceiling and bounce
back."
The pastor thought for a moment, then gently suggested,
"Is there someone in your life you haven't forgiven?"
"What do you mean?" The man's face flushed; the pastor has obviuosly struck
a nerve. "Well, I guess I've had some struggles with my mother ... and then,
my wife, and I ... ." The hidden truth came to light: the man was bound in
unforgiving relationships with five of the closest people to him.
Forgiveness is an essential element in prayer. For a very good reason,
worship services in liturgical churches place the confession of sin and the
absolution near the beginning of the service, before the reading of God's
Word, prayer, and the sermon. Forgiveness - both the Lord's forgiveness
of us and our forgiveness of others - clears the way for unhindered
communication between God and his people.
When we carry anger and bitterness, or even deeply buried, well-subliminated
unforgiveness, into the presence of God, our prayers will be affected. We can,
however, free the Holy Spirit to work in our lives and the lives of others
through forgiveness. We can choose to forgive in light of God's forgiveness
of us. And when we do, the channels are re-established;
we can pray in power and open ourselves to an awareness of his activity
in our lives.
Application
a) Have my prayers ever been affected by unforgiveness in my life?
b) Is there someone in my life whom I need to forgive,
whether or not I can work toward
4) From Prosperity Promises - Kenneth Copeland
Romans 13:7-8
7 (Mt 17:25; 22:21) Render to all what is due them: taxes to whom taxes
are due, respect to whom respect is due, fear to whom fear is due,
and honor to whom honor is due.
8 (Ro 13:10; Mt 7:12) Owe no one anything, except to love one another,
for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.
5) From a Book called God's Promises for you:
God's Eternal Faithfulness
Ps 117
1 Praise the Lord, all you nations! Exalt Him, all you peoples!
2 (Ps 63:1; 84:2) For His merciful kindness is great toward us,
and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Remember God's promises when You pray
The Lord's prayer
Matthew 6:9-13
9 "Therefore pray in this manner:
Our Father who is in heaven,
hallowed be Your name.
10 (Mt 3:2; 4:17) Your kingdom come;
Your will be done
on earth, as it is in heaven.
11 (Pr 30:8; Isa 33:16) Give us this day our daily bread.
12 (Ex 34:7; Ps 32:1) And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
13 (1Co 10:13; Jn 17:15) And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."
6) This come from Praying for Muslims in Canada 2015 (Is there a 2021 edition?)
The Northern Territories of Canada
Yukon
Yukon Total population (2015) 36500 Muslim (est) 69
In Whitehorse the Muslim population grew from 2 families
in 2001 to more than 60 people in 2014. Originally meeting in a church,
they now meet for prayer service in a former office space.
Pray for Muslims and believers in Whitehorse to come together,
and for Muslims to find faith in Jesus Christ.
Northwest Territories (NWT)
NWT population (2015) 43600 Muslim (est) 473
The Muslim community of Yellowknife has grown from 275 to 330 in the past year.
To replace their inadequate facility, they are planning a C$2 to C$2.5 million
Islamic Centre.
Pray that the Muslims in Yellowknife and all of the NWT will awaken to
spiritual hunger and be open to saving faith in Jesus Christ.
Nunavut (NU)
NU total population (2015) 36600 Muslim (est) 86
The Islamic Centre of Iqaluit now claim about 100 Muslims and have surpassed
80 % of their funding goal to building the first mosque in this territory.
Their stated goal is "To spread the message of Islam
in the far Northern reaches of Canada."
Pray that believers in Iqaluit take up Jesus' command to love and reach
their Muslim neighbours with the Gospel.
Adding further
30 days of prayer for the Muslim World 24 April to 23 May 2020
Under the Keep Praying page
When the new moon is sighted it marks the beginning of t he new Islamic month
and Eid al-Fitr, the "Festival of Breaking the Fast", will start! After 30 days
of fasting, the Eid celebration at the end of Ramadan is a joyful time that
usually lasts about 3 days. Muslims will buy new clothes, exchange gifts and,
of course, enjoy special foods. In Muslim-majority nations, the streets may be
decorated and festivals will be held.
For many Muslims, Eid-al-Fitr begins with communal prayers at daybreak and the
distribution of money (zakat) to the poor, which is one of the 5 pillars of
Islam.
You can greet Muslim friends during this time by saying "Eid Mubarak",
which means Blessed Eid!"
Ramadan is over for this year, but you can continue to pray for Muslims you
know, and Muslims around the world:
- Despite the unsettling developments in our world today that involve actions
in the name of Islam, there is at the same time a largely untold story about
unprecedented movement to Christ among Muslims. There have been more such
movements of thousands or more new disciples among Muslims in the last three
decades or so than in all the previous history of Christian Muslim
relationships! Pray for this momentum to continue.
Acts 2:12-17 : 17 12 They were all amazed and perplexed, saying to each other,
"What does this mean?"
13 (1Co 14:23) Others mocking said, "These men are full of new wine."
Peter's Speech at Pentecost
14 (Ac 1:26) But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice
and said to them, "Men of Judea and all you who dwell in Jerusalem,
let this be known to you, and listen to my words.
15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose,
since it is the third hour of the day.
16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 (Isa 44:3; Ac 10:45) 'In the last days it shall be,' says God,
'that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.'
- Pray for Christian workers an organisations focused on seeing effective
discipleship movements among Muslim people.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to continue to inspire you to have god's heart for
Muslims, to see them as He does, and to be the light that then to Jesus.
Matthew 5:14-15 : 14 "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a
hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do men light a candle and put it under
a basket, but on a candlestick. And it gives light to all who are in the
house."
Ideas for prayer
- Pray for opportunities to show the love of Christ to Muslims around you
- Pray for, and offer generous hospitality to, those you know who are serving
Christ among Muslim people -
Romans 12:13 "contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality."
- When you gather with fellow believers, remember to pray for Muslims
throughout the year and encourage them to also participate in 30 Days!
My paternal side is of Muslim heritage and will offer this section to further
call for Muslim converts to Christian and any other converts to Christianity
(Hindus, Jews, aboriginals Canadian, atheists, secular humanists, ...) .
7) Prayers for the nation (Canada) coming from Prayer map of Canada
http://www.ehc.ca
Day 23 of the Month
a) Pray for the genuine conversion and successful rehabilitation of those
who have committed crimes.
b) Pray for spiritual and functional unity in the Body of Christ
across Canada.
(
John 13:34-35
34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another,
even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
35 By this all men will know that you are My disciples,
if you have love for one another."
Rom 12:10
10 Be devoted to one another with brotherly love; prefer one another in honour
Heb 10:24
24 And let us consider how to spur one another to love and to good works.
1 Peter 3:8
8 Finally, be all of one mind, be loving toward one another, be gracious,
and be kind.
1 John 3:23
23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name
of His Son ÂJesus Christ and love one another as He commanded us.
)
Advent Day 26
From C. S. Lewis A Grand Miracle Joel Heck
"Just a hurried line...to tell a story which puts the contrast
between our feast of the Nativity and all this ghastly 'Xmas'
racket at its lowest. My brother heard a woman on a bus say,
as the bus passed a church with a Crib outside it,
'Oh Lord! They bring religion into everything. Look-
they're dragging it even into Christmas now!"' - C. S. Lewis
(From Letters to an American Lady, Dec. 29, 1958, p. 80.)
Bringing Religion into Everything
An English woman saw a crib in front of a church and thought that the church had borrowed the crib from the world. Little did she know that the church had it first. No borrowing. It would be funnier if it were not so sad. Today the world seems set on separating itself from many churchly features, substituting "Happy Holidays" for "Merry Christmas."
I say, let's bring our religion into everything. It's already in the phrase "Happy Holidays," because the word "holiday" comes from "holy day." Santa Claus is named for an ancient man of faith, Saint Nicholas, a fourth-century Christian bishop of Myra in Asia Minor known for his gift-giving.
St. Paul invites us to do whatever we do for the glory of God. In order to do that, we have to bring religion into everything. To bring the Christian religion into everything, we have to bring Christ into everything. Let's not be quiet about it. Let's bring the Christmas spirit into all our giving, all our shopping, and all our serving. Let's realize that all our eating and drinking, all our Christmas parties, and all our worshiping is from God and for God. He gives us the fixings, and then he comes to the party. Let's notice his presence and celebrate it.
0 holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray; cast out our sin, and enter in, be born in every aspect of our lives today. Amen.
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31
From Follow the Story from Marva J. Dawn
THURSDAY, FOURTH WEEK OF ADVENT
To Be In Bethlehem
So Joseph also departed from the city of Nazareth
in Galilee to the City of David which is called Bethlehem, in Judea,
because he was of the house and lineage of David,
-Luke 2:4
Joseph went to Bethlehem, we all know, because he was descended from the house and family of David"-as was
Mary, to whom he was betrothed (v. 5). The text conveys this so artlessly that we hardly stop to contemplate it.
When we do, however, we are again staggered by God's perfect precision. The prophet Micah had foretold, "But you,0 Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth ... one who is to rule in Israel
..." (Micah 5:2). Consequently, the religious leaders had looked for the Messiah to arise therein (see Matthew 2:1-6). What else besides a mandated registration could bring Joseph and Mary "from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem" (Luke 2:4)?
Have you ever found yourself in a place to which you went for an unrelated reason and then discovered you were there for quite another purpose?
Prayer
Thank you, Wise Father, that my ambitions sometimes take me to where I should be to serve your goals. Amen.
Read Luke 2:1-7.
1 (Lk 3:1; Mt 24:14) In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus
that the entire inhabited earth should be taxed.
2 (Lk 3:1) This taxation was first made when Quirinius was governor of Syria.
3 And everyone went to his own city to be taxed.
4 (Jn 7:42; 1Sa 16:1) So Joseph also departed from the city of Nazareth
in Galilee to the City of David which is called Bethlehem, in Judea,
because he was of the house and lineage of David,
5 to be taxed with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.
6 So while they were there, the day came for her to give birth.
7 (Mt 1:25; Lk 2:11-12) And she gave birth to her firstborn Son,
and wrapped Him in strips of cloth, and laid Him in a manger,
because there was no room for them in the inn.
FRIDAY, FOURTH WEEK OF ADVENT
Early Offering
to be taxed with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.
-Luke 2:5
Luke mentions that Mary was "great with child" (KJV) so candidly that we don't pause to ponder how difficult it
must have been for her to travel all the way (about 70 miles!) from Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem in Judea. Even more significant, the Christ Child she carried must have been jostled and jarred by the movement, Loo.
Those of us who use statements of faith in our worship services declare
in the Apostles' Creed that Jesus "suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified ... " I believe instead we should say, "suffered, under Pontius Pilate was crucified" to be more accurate to the original. Jesus suffered all his life, not just under Pilate. When we reflect on the appalling journey that he endured in the womb, we might imagine that his sufferings on our behalf began even before he was born. What amazing love that Christ sustained such adversity for us!
prayer
Jesus Christ, your afflictions for us were more than we can
conceive. How can we ever thank you appropriately? Amen.
Read Luke 2:1-7.
1 (Lk 3:1; Mt 24:14) In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus
that the entire inhabited earth should be taxed.
2 (Lk 3:1) This taxation was first made when Quirinius was governor of Syria.
3 And everyone went to his own city to be taxed.
4 (Jn 7:42; 1Sa 16:1) So Joseph also departed from the city of Nazareth
in Galilee to the City of David which is called Bethlehem, in Judea,
because he was of the house and lineage of David,
5 to be taxed with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.
6 So while they were there, the day came for her to give birth.
7 (Mt 1:25; Lk 2:11-12) And she gave birth to her firstborn Son,
and wrapped Him in strips of cloth, and laid Him in a manger,
because there was no room for them in the inn.
From The Ah-Has of Advent by Rich Bimler
FOURTH THURSDAY
AH-HA! Ambassadors of Health, Hope and ALWAYS!
Oh, sing to the Lord a new song,
for He has done marvelous deeds!
His right hand and His holy arm
have accomplished deliverance.
PSALM 98:1
"Make a joyful noise to the lord, all the Earth," the psalmist proclaims.
The sounds and noises and commotions of the season are all very much
tune with this statement!
In a sense. Advent is always because we are always preparing and
waiting and expecting and hoping for things to happen. This Advent
AH-HA affirms a gain that our Lord is always with us, because of his birth
in Bethlehem.
Perhaps some of the noises of life pull us away from this always Lord.
Perhaps we sometimes cannot hear or see of sense the Lord because
TV ads. scurrying schedules, pity parties and other obstacles "drown out"
the joyful noise that the psalmist is talking about. T. S. Eliot said, "We are
distracted from distractions by distractions."
Today, enjoy the always of the Lord. Even when we think he is not
with us . . . even when we cannot see him . . . even when the noise of life
seems to shut him out, rejoice! For the message of Christmas and
Good Friday and Easter is that he is with us always! Think of this AH-HA
of Advert as the way a garden grows we wail we hope and we know
the best is yet to come .. always!
Lord. we do want to "sing to you a new song," but often it comes out
flat and not in harmony with life. Help us to know in faith that you
continue to give us a "new song" to sing, even when we forget the words.
thanks for your presence among us and in us and through us always.
In Jesus' name. Amen ... and AH-HA!
Read Psalm 98
1 Oh, sing to the Lord a new song,
for He has done marvelous deeds!
His right hand and His holy arm
have accomplished deliverance.
2 (Ps 63:1; 84:2) The Lord has made known His salvation;
His righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations.
3 (Ps 79:10; 80:5) He has remembered His mercy
and His faithfulness toward the house of Israel;
all the ends of the earth have seen
the deliverance of our God.
4 (Isa 30:29; Ps 62:8) Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth;
break out in loud songs, and sing praises.
5 (Ps 42:11; 43:5) Sing unto the Lord with the harp,
with the harp and the sound of melody,
6 (2Sa 17:22; Dt 3:8-9) with trumpets and sound of the horn;
make a joyful noise before the Lord, the King.
7 (Ps 88:7; Jnh 2:3) Let the sea roar, and all that fills it,
the world and those who live in it;
8 (Job 35:10; Ps 63:6) let the rivers clap their hands;
let the hills be joyful together
9 (Ps 38:6; 18:2) before the Lord,
for He is coming to judge the earth.
With righteousness He will judge the world,
and the peoples with justice.
Conclusion:
Pray to the Lord and pray to be become
partakers of the divine nature
and escape the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Pray to the Lord "Jesus, may they know I’m a Christian by Your love."
Pray to the Lord and pray to clean up unforgiveness in your life.
Pray to the Lord and pray to render Caesar what is Caesar
and to the Lord what is the Lords.
Pray to the Lord and pray to give Thanksgiving each day.
Pray for Muslims and believers in Whitehorse and the Yukon to come together,
and for Muslims to find faith in Jesus Christ.
Pray that the Muslims in Yellowknife and all of the NWT will awaken to
spiritual hunger and be open to saving faith in Jesus Christ.
Pray that believers in Iqaluit take up Jesus' command to love and reach
their Muslim neighbours with the Gospel.
Pray for the genuine conversion and successful rehabilitation of those
who have committed crimes.
Pray for spiritual and functional unity in the Body of Christ
across Canada.
0 holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray; cast out our sin,
and enter in, be born in every aspect of our lives today. Amen.
Pray: Thank you, Wise Father, that my ambitions sometimes take me
to where I should be to serve your goals. Amen.
Pray: Jesus Christ, your afflictions for us were more than we can
conceive. How can we ever thank you appropriately? Amen.
Pray: Lord, we come to adore you because you have come to us. Keep coming,
Lord. into our messy lives. Clean us up as only you can do.
In Jesus' name. Amen ... and AH-HA!
Pray for the protection and growth of the few indigenous Christians
in Saudi Arabia.
Pray to the Lord that to know the Holy Spirit.
and Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness
Remember eternity starts now -
Pray for the direction you take to the Ever lasting loving God.
1)
2 Peter , Jude
2 Peter 1
Salutation
1 (Titus 2:13; Ro 3:21-26; 1:1) Simon Peter, a servant and apostle
of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith as precious
as ours through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.
2 (Jn 17:3; 1Pe 1:2) Grace and peace be multiplied to you through
the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
The Christian's Call and Election
3 (1Th 2:12; 2Th 2:14) His divine power has given to us all things that
pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge
of Him who has called us by His own glory and excellence,
4 (Heb 12:10; 1Jn 3:2) by which He has given to us exceedingly great
and precious promises, so that through these things you might become
partakers of the divine nature
and escape the corruption that is in the world through lust.
5 (2Pe 3:18; Php 4:8) For this reason make every effort to add virtue
to your faith; and to your virtue, knowledge;
6 (Ac 24:25; 2Pe 1:3) and to your knowledge, self-control; and to your
self-control, patient endurance; and to your patient endurance, godliness;
7 (Ro 12:10; 1Co 13:1-8) and to your godliness, brotherly kindness;
and to your brotherly kindness, love.
8 (Jn 15:2; Col 3:16) For if these things reside in you and abound,
they ensure that you will neither be useless nor unfruitful
in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 (Eph 5:26; Heb 9:14) But the one who lacks these things is blind
and shortsighted because he has forgotten that he was cleansed
from his former sins.
10 (2Pe 3:17) Therefore, brothers, diligently make your calling
and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never stumble.
11 For in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly provided for you.
12 (Php 3:1; 1Jn 2:21) Therefore I will not be negligent to always
remind you of these things, though you know them and are established
in the truth that is present with you.
13 (2Pe 3:1; 1:14) I consider it right, as long as I live in this body,
to stir you up by reminding you,
14 (2Ti 4:6; Jn 21:18-19) knowing that soon I will take off this body,
even as our Lord Jesus Christ has shown me.
15 And I will also be diligent to make sure that after my death you
will always remember these things.
Christ's Glory and the Prophetic Word
16 (1Ti 1:4; Lk 9:28-32) For we have not followed cleverly devised myths
when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,
but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.
17 (Mk 9:7; Mt 3:17; 17:5) For He received honor and glory from God
the Father when a voice came to Him from the majestic glory, saying,
"This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
(Mt 17:5; Mk 9:7; Lk 9:35.)
18 (Mt 17:6; Ex 3:5) And we ourselves heard this voice, which came
from heaven, when we were with Him on the holy mountain.
19 (Rev 22:16; Ps 119:105; Rev 2:28) And we have a more reliable word
of prophecy, which you would do well to follow, as to a light that shines
in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises
in your hearts.
20 (2Pe 3:3; Ro 12:6) But know this first of all, that no prophecy
of the Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation.
21 (1Pe 1:11; Lk 1:70; 2Sa 23:2) For no prophecy at any time was produced
by the will of man, but holy men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
2 Peter 2
False Prophets and Teachers
Jude 4-13
1 (2Pe 2:3; Jude 1:4; 1Co 6:20) But there were also false prophets
among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you,
who will secretly bring in destructive heresies,
even denying the Lord who bought them,
bringing swift destruction upon themselves.
2 (Ro 2:24; Ac 16:17) And many will follow their destructive ways,
because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.
3 (Dt 32:35; Ro 16:18) And in their greed they will exploit you
with deceptive words. Their judgment, made long ago, does not linger,
and their destruction does not slumber.
4 (Jude 1:6; Mt 25:41; Rev 20:10) For if God did not spare the angels
that sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains
of darkness to be kept for judgment;
5 (2Pe 3:6; Heb 11:7) and if He did not spare the ancient world,
but saved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others,
when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;
6 (Jude 1:7; Nu 26:10; Dt 29:23) and if He condemned the cities of Sodom
and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, making them
an example to those afterward who would live ungodly lives;
7 (Ge 19:16; 19:29; 19:7-8) and if He delivered righteous Lot,
who was distressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked
8 (Ps 119:136; 119:158) (for that righteous man lived among them,
and what he saw and heard of their lawless deeds tormented
his righteous soul day after day);
9 (1Co 10:13; 2Pe 3:7) then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trial,
and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the Day of Judgment,
10 (Ex 22:28; Jude 1:10) especially those who walk after the flesh in pursuit
of unclean desires, and despise authority.
They are presumptuous and arrogant, and are not afraid to slander
the angelic beings.
11 (Jude 1:9) Whereas angels, who are greater in power and might,
do not bring slanderous accusations against them before the Lord.
12 (Jude 1:10; Jer 12:3) But these people are like irrational animals,
born to be captured and destroyed. They speak evil of the things that
they do not understand, and in their corruption they will be destroyed.
13 (Ro 13:13) They shall receive the wages of unrighteousness. They count it
a pleasure to carouse in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes
who revel in their own deception while they carouse together with you.
14 (Eph 2:3; 2Pe 2:3) They have eyes full of adultery that cannot cease
from sin. They entice unstable souls. Their hearts are trained in greed.
They are cursed children!
15 (Jude 1:11; Rev 2:14) They have forsaken the right way and have gone
astray. They follow the way of Balaam the son of Beor,
who loved the wages of wickedness,
16 (Nu 22:21-33) but who was rebuked for his iniquity.
The mute donkey speaking with a man's voice constrained
the madness of the prophet.
17 (Jude 1:12-13) These men are wells without water and clouds that are
carried by a storm, for whom the gloom of darkness has been reserved forever.
18 (2Pe 1:4; 2:20) For when they speak arrogant words of vanity,
they entice by the lusts of the flesh and by depravity those who barely
escaped from those who live in error.
19 (Jn 8:34; Gal 5:13) Although they promise them freedom, they themselves
are slaves of corruption, for by that which a man is overcome, to this
he is enslaved.
20 (2Pe 1:2; 2:18) For if after they have escaped the defilements of the world
through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and they are again
entangled in them and are overcome, the latter end is worse for them
than the beginning.
21 (Eze 18:24; Lk 12:47) For it would have been better for them not to have
known the way of righteousness than to have known it and then turn back
from the holy commandment that was delivered to them.
22 (Pr 26:11) But it has happened to them according to the true proverb,
"The dog returns to his own vomit,"(Pr 26:11.)
and "the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mud."
2 Peter 3
The Promise of the Lord's Coming
1 This is now, beloved, the second epistle I am writing to you, in which
I am stirring up your sincere minds by way of reminder,
2 (Lk 1:70; Jude 1:17) that you should remember the words that were spoken
previously by the holy prophets and the commandment of our Lord and Saviour
spoken through us, the apostles.
3 (Jude 1:18; 2Pe 2:10; Isa 28:14) Know this first, that there shall come
scoffers in the last days who walk after their own lusts,
4 (Jer 17:15; Mal 2:17) and say, "Where is the promise of His coming?
For since the fathers fell asleep, all things have continued as they
were since the beginning of the creation."
5 (Ge 1:6; 1:9) For they willingly ignore that, by the word of God
the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed standing
out of the water and in the water,
6 (2Pe 2:5) by which the world that then existed was flooded with water
and perished.
7 (2Pe 3:10; 3:12; Mt 10:15) But by the same word, the heavens and the earth
that now exist are being reserved for fire,
kept for the Day of Judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
8 (Ps 90:4) But, beloved, do not be ignorant of this one thing, that with
the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
9 (1Ti 2:4; Hab 2:3; Heb 10:37) The Lord is not slow concerning His promise,
as some count slowness. But He is patient with us,
because He does not want any to perish, but all to come to repentance.
10 (Mt 24:35; Rev 21:1; 2Pe 3:7) But the day of the Lord will come like
a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with
a loud noise, and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat.
The earth also and the works that are in it will be burned up.
11 (1Pe 1:15) Seeing then that all these things are to be destroyed,
what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,
12 (2Pe 3:10; Ps 50:3; Isa 34:4) while you are waiting for and desiring
the coming of the day of God, in which the heavens will be destroyed
by fire and the elements will be consumed by intense heat?
13 (Isa 65:17; 66:22; Rev 21:1) But, according to His promise, we are waiting
for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.
14 (1Co 15:58; 1Th 3:13) Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these
things, be diligent that you may be found by Him in peace, spotless
and blameless.
15 (Ac 15:25; 2Pe 3:9) Keep in mind that the patience of our Lord means
salvation, even as our beloved brother Paul has also written to you according
to the wisdom given to him.
16 (Heb 5:11; 2Pe 2:14) As in all his letters, he writes about these things,
in which some things are hard to understand, which the unlearned
and unstable distort, as they also do the other Scriptures,
to their own destruction.
17 (1Co 10:12) You therefore, beloved, since you know these things beforehand,
beware lest you also fall from your own firm footing,
being led away by the deception of the wicked.
18 (Col 1:10; Eph 4:15) But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be glory, both now and forever. Amen.
Jude 1
Jude
The general epistle of Jude was written by Jude, a half-brother
of Jesus Christ, in the mid AD 60s. The place of authorship is unknown.
The purpose for this epistle is to exhort believers to stand firm for
the faith. Jude is filled with apocalyptic nuances and imagery.
A reading of the Old Testament is a prerequisite before delving
into this lofty letter. There are some very encouraging exhortations
as well as some sobering ones. Read this epistle with reverence
and a humble heart. Refer back to the Old Testament Scriptures
that are enveloped within its confines.
Salutation
1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James,
To those who are sanctified and called by God the Father
and preserved in Jesus Christ:
2 May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.
Judgment on False Teachers
2Pe 2:1-17
3 Beloved, while I diligently tried to write to you of the salvation
we have in common, I found it necessary to write and appeal
to you to contend for the faith which was once delivered to the saints.
4 For there are some men who secretly crept in, who were marked long ago
for this condemnation. They are ungodly men, who pervert the grace of our God
into immorality and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.
5 Now I want to remind you, though you already know, that the Lord saved
the people out of the land of Egypt and afterward destroyed those
who did not believe.
6 Likewise, the angels who did not keep to their first domain, but forsook
their own dwelling, He has kept in everlasting chains under darkness
for the judgment of the great day.
7 Just as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the surrounding cities in like manner,
gave themselves to immorality and went after different flesh, they serve
as an example by suffering the punishment of eternal fire.
8 Likewise, these ungodly dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority,
and slander celestial beings.
9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil in a dispute
about the body of Moses, did not dare to pronounce upon him
a railing judgment. But he said, "The Lord rebuke you!"
10 But these men slander those things that they do not understand.
But they destroy themselves in those things that, like unreasoning animals,
they know by instinct.
11 Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily after
the error of Balaam for a reward, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.
12 These are the ones who are stains on your love feasts as they feast with
you irreverently and care only for themselves. They are clouds without water,
carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, uprooted;
13 raging waves of the sea, which are foaming up their own shame;
wandering stars for whom the gloom of darkness has been kept forever.
14 Enoch, the seventh generation from Adam, also prophesied of these men,
saying, "Look! The Lord is coming with ten thousand of His holy ones,
15 to execute judgment on everyone, and to convict all who are godless
of all their wicked deeds that they have committed, and of all the terrible
words that godless sinners have spoken against Him."
16 These men are grumblers, complainers, who walk after their own lusts.
Their mouths speak arrogant words, and they flatter others to gain profit.
Warnings and Exhortations
17 But, beloved, remember the words that were previously spoken
by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.
18 They said to you, "In the last days there will be scoffers
who will walk after their own ungodly desires."
19 These are the men who cause divisions, sensual, devoid of the Spirit.
20 But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith.
Pray in the Holy Spirit.
21 Keep yourselves in the love of God while you are waiting for the mercy
of our Lord Jesus Christ, which leads to eternal life.
22 On some have compassion, using discernment.
23 And others save with fear while pulling them out of the fire,
hating even the garment stained by the flesh.
Benediction
24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you
blameless before the presence of His glory with rejoicing,
25 to the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty,
dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.
2) Our Daily Bread for 23 December 2021
https://odb.org/CA/2021/12/23/how-theyll-know
entitled How They'll Know
Acts 11:19-26
The Church in Antioch
19 (Ac 4:36; 15:3) Now those who were scattered by the persecution
that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch,
preaching the word to no one except Jews.
20 (Mt 27:32; Ac 13:1) Some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene,
who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists,
preaching the Lord Jesus.
21 (Lk 1:66; Ac 2:47) The hand of the Lord was with them,
and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.
22 News of these things came to the ears of the church which was
in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.
23 (Ac 13:43; 14:22) When he arrived and saw the grace of God,
he rejoiced and exhorted them all to remain with the Lord with a loyal heart.
24 (Ac 5:14; 11:21) For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit
and of faith. And many people were added to the Lord.
25 (Ac 9:11; 9:30) Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul.
26 (Ac 26:28; 1Pe 4:16) When he had found him, he brought him to Antioch.
For a whole year they met with the church and taught a considerable crowd.
And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.
"The Gathering" in northern Thailand is an interdenominational, international
church. On a recent Sunday, believers in Jesus from Korea, Ghana, Pakistan,
China, Bangladesh, the US, the Philippines, and other countries came together
in a humble, thread-worn hotel conference room. They sang "In Christ Alone"
and "I Am a Child of God," lyrics that were especially poignant
in that setting.
No one brings people together like Jesus does. He's been doing it
from the start. In the first century, Antioch contained eighteen
different ethnic groups, each living in its own part of the city.
When believers first came to Antioch, they spread the word about Jesus
"only among Jews" (Acts 11:19). That wasn't God's plan for the church,
however. Others soon came who "began to speak to Greeks [gentiles] also,
telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus," and "a great number
of people believed and turned to the Lord" (vv. 20-21). People in the city
noticed that Jesus was healing centuries of animosity between Jews and Greeks,
and they declared this multi-ethnic church should be called "Christians,"
or "little Christs" (v. 26).
It can be challenging for us to reach across ethnic, social,
and economic boundaries to embrace those different from us.
But this difficulty is our opportunity. If it wasn't hard,
we wouldn't need Jesus to do it. And few would notice we're following Him.
By: Mike Wittmer
Reflect & Pray
Why is it challenging to reach out to those
who are different from you? What has Jesus provided to help you do so?
Jesus, may they know I’m a Christian by Your love.
3) Daily verses taken from Billy Graham Evangelical Organisation
Words in Season Scripture Memory Tools
Week 6 Showing Grace to Others - Day 5 When you pray
Mark 11:25
25 And when you stand praying, forgive if you have anything
against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven may
also forgive you your sins.
"My prayer don't seem to be very effective," a man told his pastor." I try
to make contact with God, but my prayers seem to hit the ceiling and bounce
back."
The pastor thought for a moment, then gently suggested,
"Is there someone in your life you haven't forgiven?"
"What do you mean?" The man's face flushed; the pastor has obviuosly struck
a nerve. "Well, I guess I've had some struggles with my mother ... and then,
my wife, and I ... ." The hidden truth came to light: the man was bound in
unforgiving relationships with five of the closest people to him.
Forgiveness is an essential element in prayer. For a very good reason,
worship services in liturgical churches place the confession of sin and the
absolution near the beginning of the service, before the reading of God's
Word, prayer, and the sermon. Forgiveness - both the Lord's forgiveness
of us and our forgiveness of others - clears the way for unhindered
communication between God and his people.
When we carry anger and bitterness, or even deeply buried, well-subliminated
unforgiveness, into the presence of God, our prayers will be affected. We can,
however, free the Holy Spirit to work in our lives and the lives of others
through forgiveness. We can choose to forgive in light of God's forgiveness
of us. And when we do, the channels are re-established;
we can pray in power and open ourselves to an awareness of his activity
in our lives.
Application
a) Have my prayers ever been affected by unforgiveness in my life?
b) Is there someone in my life whom I need to forgive,
whether or not I can work toward
4) From Prosperity Promises - Kenneth Copeland
Romans 13:7-8
7 (Mt 17:25; 22:21) Render to all what is due them: taxes to whom taxes
are due, respect to whom respect is due, fear to whom fear is due,
and honor to whom honor is due.
8 (Ro 13:10; Mt 7:12) Owe no one anything, except to love one another,
for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.
5) From a Book called God's Promises for you:
God's Eternal Faithfulness
Ps 117
1 Praise the Lord, all you nations! Exalt Him, all you peoples!
2 (Ps 63:1; 84:2) For His merciful kindness is great toward us,
and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Remember God's promises when You pray
The Lord's prayer
Matthew 6:9-13
9 "Therefore pray in this manner:
Our Father who is in heaven,
hallowed be Your name.
10 (Mt 3:2; 4:17) Your kingdom come;
Your will be done
on earth, as it is in heaven.
11 (Pr 30:8; Isa 33:16) Give us this day our daily bread.
12 (Ex 34:7; Ps 32:1) And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
13 (1Co 10:13; Jn 17:15) And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."
6) This come from Praying for Muslims in Canada 2015 (Is there a 2021 edition?)
The Northern Territories of Canada
Yukon
Yukon Total population (2015) 36500 Muslim (est) 69
In Whitehorse the Muslim population grew from 2 families
in 2001 to more than 60 people in 2014. Originally meeting in a church,
they now meet for prayer service in a former office space.
Pray for Muslims and believers in Whitehorse to come together,
and for Muslims to find faith in Jesus Christ.
Northwest Territories (NWT)
NWT population (2015) 43600 Muslim (est) 473
The Muslim community of Yellowknife has grown from 275 to 330 in the past year.
To replace their inadequate facility, they are planning a C$2 to C$2.5 million
Islamic Centre.
Pray that the Muslims in Yellowknife and all of the NWT will awaken to
spiritual hunger and be open to saving faith in Jesus Christ.
Nunavut (NU)
NU total population (2015) 36600 Muslim (est) 86
The Islamic Centre of Iqaluit now claim about 100 Muslims and have surpassed
80 % of their funding goal to building the first mosque in this territory.
Their stated goal is "To spread the message of Islam
in the far Northern reaches of Canada."
Pray that believers in Iqaluit take up Jesus' command to love and reach
their Muslim neighbours with the Gospel.
Adding further
30 days of prayer for the Muslim World 24 April to 23 May 2020
Under the Keep Praying page
When the new moon is sighted it marks the beginning of t he new Islamic month
and Eid al-Fitr, the "Festival of Breaking the Fast", will start! After 30 days
of fasting, the Eid celebration at the end of Ramadan is a joyful time that
usually lasts about 3 days. Muslims will buy new clothes, exchange gifts and,
of course, enjoy special foods. In Muslim-majority nations, the streets may be
decorated and festivals will be held.
For many Muslims, Eid-al-Fitr begins with communal prayers at daybreak and the
distribution of money (zakat) to the poor, which is one of the 5 pillars of
Islam.
You can greet Muslim friends during this time by saying "Eid Mubarak",
which means Blessed Eid!"
Ramadan is over for this year, but you can continue to pray for Muslims you
know, and Muslims around the world:
- Despite the unsettling developments in our world today that involve actions
in the name of Islam, there is at the same time a largely untold story about
unprecedented movement to Christ among Muslims. There have been more such
movements of thousands or more new disciples among Muslims in the last three
decades or so than in all the previous history of Christian Muslim
relationships! Pray for this momentum to continue.
Acts 2:12-17 : 17 12 They were all amazed and perplexed, saying to each other,
"What does this mean?"
13 (1Co 14:23) Others mocking said, "These men are full of new wine."
Peter's Speech at Pentecost
14 (Ac 1:26) But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice
and said to them, "Men of Judea and all you who dwell in Jerusalem,
let this be known to you, and listen to my words.
15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose,
since it is the third hour of the day.
16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 (Isa 44:3; Ac 10:45) 'In the last days it shall be,' says God,
'that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.'
- Pray for Christian workers an organisations focused on seeing effective
discipleship movements among Muslim people.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to continue to inspire you to have god's heart for
Muslims, to see them as He does, and to be the light that then to Jesus.
Matthew 5:14-15 : 14 "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a
hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do men light a candle and put it under
a basket, but on a candlestick. And it gives light to all who are in the
house."
Ideas for prayer
- Pray for opportunities to show the love of Christ to Muslims around you
- Pray for, and offer generous hospitality to, those you know who are serving
Christ among Muslim people -
Romans 12:13 "contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality."
- When you gather with fellow believers, remember to pray for Muslims
throughout the year and encourage them to also participate in 30 Days!
My paternal side is of Muslim heritage and will offer this section to further
call for Muslim converts to Christian and any other converts to Christianity
(Hindus, Jews, aboriginals Canadian, atheists, secular humanists, ...) .
7) Prayers for the nation (Canada) coming from Prayer map of Canada
http://www.ehc.ca
Day 23 of the Month
a) Pray for the genuine conversion and successful rehabilitation of those
who have committed crimes.
b) Pray for spiritual and functional unity in the Body of Christ
across Canada.
(
John 13:34-35
34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another,
even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
35 By this all men will know that you are My disciples,
if you have love for one another."
Rom 12:10
10 Be devoted to one another with brotherly love; prefer one another in honour
Heb 10:24
24 And let us consider how to spur one another to love and to good works.
1 Peter 3:8
8 Finally, be all of one mind, be loving toward one another, be gracious,
and be kind.
1 John 3:23
23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name
of His Son ÂJesus Christ and love one another as He commanded us.
)
Advent Day 26
From C. S. Lewis A Grand Miracle Joel Heck
"Just a hurried line...to tell a story which puts the contrast
between our feast of the Nativity and all this ghastly 'Xmas'
racket at its lowest. My brother heard a woman on a bus say,
as the bus passed a church with a Crib outside it,
'Oh Lord! They bring religion into everything. Look-
they're dragging it even into Christmas now!"' - C. S. Lewis
(From Letters to an American Lady, Dec. 29, 1958, p. 80.)
Bringing Religion into Everything
An English woman saw a crib in front of a church and thought that the church had borrowed the crib from the world. Little did she know that the church had it first. No borrowing. It would be funnier if it were not so sad. Today the world seems set on separating itself from many churchly features, substituting "Happy Holidays" for "Merry Christmas."
I say, let's bring our religion into everything. It's already in the phrase "Happy Holidays," because the word "holiday" comes from "holy day." Santa Claus is named for an ancient man of faith, Saint Nicholas, a fourth-century Christian bishop of Myra in Asia Minor known for his gift-giving.
St. Paul invites us to do whatever we do for the glory of God. In order to do that, we have to bring religion into everything. To bring the Christian religion into everything, we have to bring Christ into everything. Let's not be quiet about it. Let's bring the Christmas spirit into all our giving, all our shopping, and all our serving. Let's realize that all our eating and drinking, all our Christmas parties, and all our worshiping is from God and for God. He gives us the fixings, and then he comes to the party. Let's notice his presence and celebrate it.
0 holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray; cast out our sin, and enter in, be born in every aspect of our lives today. Amen.
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31
From Follow the Story from Marva J. Dawn
THURSDAY, FOURTH WEEK OF ADVENT
To Be In Bethlehem
So Joseph also departed from the city of Nazareth
in Galilee to the City of David which is called Bethlehem, in Judea,
because he was of the house and lineage of David,
-Luke 2:4
Joseph went to Bethlehem, we all know, because he was descended from the house and family of David"-as was
Mary, to whom he was betrothed (v. 5). The text conveys this so artlessly that we hardly stop to contemplate it.
When we do, however, we are again staggered by God's perfect precision. The prophet Micah had foretold, "But you,0 Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth ... one who is to rule in Israel
..." (Micah 5:2). Consequently, the religious leaders had looked for the Messiah to arise therein (see Matthew 2:1-6). What else besides a mandated registration could bring Joseph and Mary "from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem" (Luke 2:4)?
Have you ever found yourself in a place to which you went for an unrelated reason and then discovered you were there for quite another purpose?
Prayer
Thank you, Wise Father, that my ambitions sometimes take me to where I should be to serve your goals. Amen.
Read Luke 2:1-7.
1 (Lk 3:1; Mt 24:14) In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus
that the entire inhabited earth should be taxed.
2 (Lk 3:1) This taxation was first made when Quirinius was governor of Syria.
3 And everyone went to his own city to be taxed.
4 (Jn 7:42; 1Sa 16:1) So Joseph also departed from the city of Nazareth
in Galilee to the City of David which is called Bethlehem, in Judea,
because he was of the house and lineage of David,
5 to be taxed with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.
6 So while they were there, the day came for her to give birth.
7 (Mt 1:25; Lk 2:11-12) And she gave birth to her firstborn Son,
and wrapped Him in strips of cloth, and laid Him in a manger,
because there was no room for them in the inn.
FRIDAY, FOURTH WEEK OF ADVENT
Early Offering
to be taxed with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.
-Luke 2:5
Luke mentions that Mary was "great with child" (KJV) so candidly that we don't pause to ponder how difficult it
must have been for her to travel all the way (about 70 miles!) from Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem in Judea. Even more significant, the Christ Child she carried must have been jostled and jarred by the movement, Loo.
Those of us who use statements of faith in our worship services declare
in the Apostles' Creed that Jesus "suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified ... " I believe instead we should say, "suffered, under Pontius Pilate was crucified" to be more accurate to the original. Jesus suffered all his life, not just under Pilate. When we reflect on the appalling journey that he endured in the womb, we might imagine that his sufferings on our behalf began even before he was born. What amazing love that Christ sustained such adversity for us!
prayer
Jesus Christ, your afflictions for us were more than we can
conceive. How can we ever thank you appropriately? Amen.
Read Luke 2:1-7.
1 (Lk 3:1; Mt 24:14) In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus
that the entire inhabited earth should be taxed.
2 (Lk 3:1) This taxation was first made when Quirinius was governor of Syria.
3 And everyone went to his own city to be taxed.
4 (Jn 7:42; 1Sa 16:1) So Joseph also departed from the city of Nazareth
in Galilee to the City of David which is called Bethlehem, in Judea,
because he was of the house and lineage of David,
5 to be taxed with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.
6 So while they were there, the day came for her to give birth.
7 (Mt 1:25; Lk 2:11-12) And she gave birth to her firstborn Son,
and wrapped Him in strips of cloth, and laid Him in a manger,
because there was no room for them in the inn.
From The Ah-Has of Advent by Rich Bimler
FOURTH THURSDAY
AH-HA! Ambassadors of Health, Hope and ALWAYS!
Oh, sing to the Lord a new song,
for He has done marvelous deeds!
His right hand and His holy arm
have accomplished deliverance.
PSALM 98:1
"Make a joyful noise to the lord, all the Earth," the psalmist proclaims.
The sounds and noises and commotions of the season are all very much
tune with this statement!
In a sense. Advent is always because we are always preparing and
waiting and expecting and hoping for things to happen. This Advent
AH-HA affirms a gain that our Lord is always with us, because of his birth
in Bethlehem.
Perhaps some of the noises of life pull us away from this always Lord.
Perhaps we sometimes cannot hear or see of sense the Lord because
TV ads. scurrying schedules, pity parties and other obstacles "drown out"
the joyful noise that the psalmist is talking about. T. S. Eliot said, "We are
distracted from distractions by distractions."
Today, enjoy the always of the Lord. Even when we think he is not
with us . . . even when we cannot see him . . . even when the noise of life
seems to shut him out, rejoice! For the message of Christmas and
Good Friday and Easter is that he is with us always! Think of this AH-HA
of Advert as the way a garden grows we wail we hope and we know
the best is yet to come .. always!
Lord. we do want to "sing to you a new song," but often it comes out
flat and not in harmony with life. Help us to know in faith that you
continue to give us a "new song" to sing, even when we forget the words.
thanks for your presence among us and in us and through us always.
In Jesus' name. Amen ... and AH-HA!
Read Psalm 98
1 Oh, sing to the Lord a new song,
for He has done marvelous deeds!
His right hand and His holy arm
have accomplished deliverance.
2 (Ps 63:1; 84:2) The Lord has made known His salvation;
His righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations.
3 (Ps 79:10; 80:5) He has remembered His mercy
and His faithfulness toward the house of Israel;
all the ends of the earth have seen
the deliverance of our God.
4 (Isa 30:29; Ps 62:8) Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth;
break out in loud songs, and sing praises.
5 (Ps 42:11; 43:5) Sing unto the Lord with the harp,
with the harp and the sound of melody,
6 (2Sa 17:22; Dt 3:8-9) with trumpets and sound of the horn;
make a joyful noise before the Lord, the King.
7 (Ps 88:7; Jnh 2:3) Let the sea roar, and all that fills it,
the world and those who live in it;
8 (Job 35:10; Ps 63:6) let the rivers clap their hands;
let the hills be joyful together
9 (Ps 38:6; 18:2) before the Lord,
for He is coming to judge the earth.
With righteousness He will judge the world,
and the peoples with justice.
Conclusion:
Pray to the Lord and pray to be become
partakers of the divine nature
and escape the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Pray to the Lord "Jesus, may they know I’m a Christian by Your love."
Pray to the Lord and pray to clean up unforgiveness in your life.
Pray to the Lord and pray to render Caesar what is Caesar
and to the Lord what is the Lords.
Pray to the Lord and pray to give Thanksgiving each day.
Pray for Muslims and believers in Whitehorse and the Yukon to come together,
and for Muslims to find faith in Jesus Christ.
Pray that the Muslims in Yellowknife and all of the NWT will awaken to
spiritual hunger and be open to saving faith in Jesus Christ.
Pray that believers in Iqaluit take up Jesus' command to love and reach
their Muslim neighbours with the Gospel.
Pray for the genuine conversion and successful rehabilitation of those
who have committed crimes.
Pray for spiritual and functional unity in the Body of Christ
across Canada.
0 holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray; cast out our sin,
and enter in, be born in every aspect of our lives today. Amen.
Pray: Thank you, Wise Father, that my ambitions sometimes take me
to where I should be to serve your goals. Amen.
Pray: Jesus Christ, your afflictions for us were more than we can
conceive. How can we ever thank you appropriately? Amen.
Pray: Lord, we come to adore you because you have come to us. Keep coming,
Lord. into our messy lives. Clean us up as only you can do.
In Jesus' name. Amen ... and AH-HA!
Pray for the protection and growth of the few indigenous Christians
in Saudi Arabia.
Pray to the Lord that to know the Holy Spirit.
and Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness
Remember eternity starts now -
Pray for the direction you take to the Ever lasting loving God.
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