The Daily Grace - Help from His Spirit

Many of us make promises to ourselves to mark the beginning of a new year. We make pledges such as I'm going to save more, exercise more, or spend less time on the Internet. We begin the year with good intentions, but before long old habits tempt us to take up our old ways. We slip up occasionally, then more frequently, and then all the time. Finally, it's as if our resolution never existed.

Instead of choosing our own self-improvement goals, a better approach might be to ask ourselves: "What does the Lord desire of me?" Through the prophet Micah, God has revealed that He wants us to do what is right, to be merciful, and to walk humbly with Him (Mic. 6:8). All of these things relate to soul-improvement rather than self-improvement. Thankfully, we don't have to rely on our own strength. The Holy Spirit has the power to help us as believers in our spiritual growth. God's Word says He is able to "strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being" (Eph. 3:16).

So, as we begin a new year, let's resolve to be more Christlike. The Spirit will help us as we seek to walk humbly with God. He who has the Holy Spirit as His resource has already won the victory. Let the truthful spirit dwell with us this year!

Today We Pray

Dear Lord, like Your reluctant prophet, we are inclined to love only those who love us. Yet You loved us even when we cared only for ourselves. Please give us the grace to be more like Jesus.

Take away from me the spirit of laziness, cowardliness, lust for power, and malicious and idle speech. But rather give me, throughout the day to come, an ample spirit of vitality and force in your service. This is for the benefit of your glory and the good of my fellow man.

Let me act in humility, patience, and decency at all times, seeing my own error and overlooking the faults of others. And let me always know the presence of Your Holy Spirit, to remind me of what I have asked. This is all I ask, in the name of my savior Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Today's Godly Reminder - Hebrews 13:5

Let your character be free from the love of money. Shun greed—be financially ethical. Let your moral essence and inner nature be clean. Be content with what you have, God promised us that He will never, under any circumstances, desert you nor give you. God will never leave us without support or in any degree, leave us helpless. Be assured that He will not forsake or let us down or relax in His hold on you, assuredly not!

The Daily Grace - Standing on the Edge

My little girl stood apprehensively at the pool's edge. As a nonswimmer, she was just learning to become comfortable in the water. Her instructor waited in the pool with outstretched arms. As my daughter hesitated, I saw the questions in her eyes: Will you catch me? What will happen if my head goes under?

The Israelites may have wondered what would happen when they crossed the Jordan River. Could they trust God to make dry ground appear in the riverbed? Was God guiding their new leader, Joshua, as He had led Moses? Would God help His people defeat the threatening Canaanites who lived just across the river?

To learn the answers to these questions, the Israelites had to engage in a test of faith - they had to act. So they "set out from their camp to cross over the Jordan, with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before [them]" (Josh. 3:14). Exercising their faith allowed them to see that God was with them. He was still directing Joshua, and He would help them settle in Canaan (vv. 7, 10, 17). If you are facing a test of faith, you too can move forward based on God's character and His unfailing promises. Relying on Him will help you move from where you are to where He wants you to be. Fear fades when we trust our Father.

Today We Pray

Dear Lord, we're prone to quickly forget Your goodness and care for us. May we trust You today and into the new year - whatever uncertainties we face. You are the God who can be trusted.

Forgive the many errors, that I made yesterday. And let me try again to walk closer in Thy way. But I am well aware, I can't make it on my own, so take my hand and hold it tight, for I can't walk alone.

O good shepherd, seek me out and bring me home to Your fold again. Deal favorably with me according to Your good pleasure, until I may dwell in Your house all the days of my life. And praise You forever and ever with them that are there.

Amen

Today's Godly Reminder - Psalm 56:3

Put your confidence in the Lord always. Rely on His presence. Do not be afraid for He will always be there for you. Trust the promises of God.

As we face another year, put your hopes and plans in His hands. Do not be afraid to plan with Him because He will always lend His helping hand for you. He knows what is best for you. So, fear not. Trust His ways!

The Daily Grace - Life is Like Riding a Bicycle

In a letter to his son, Eduard, Albert Einstein gave this advice: "Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving". The great physicist's advice is wise and practical.

This wise counsel can apply to the Christian life. Many believers by faith keep moving ahead through painful and trying circumstances. But when they experience a personal moral failure, they lose their balance and fall. Their regret and feeling of unworthiness of God's forgiveness may then keep them down and they no longer move ahead in their spiritual life.

The Bible gives us many examples of those who have experienced serious personal failure. Abraham lied to Pharaoh about his wife, Sarah (Gen. 12:11-17). Jacob deceived his father to acquire Esau's blessing (Gen. 27:18-29). Moses disobeyed God by striking the rock instead of speaking to it (Num. 20:7-12). Despite their failures, we are told: "all these. . . obtained a good testimony through faith" (Heb. 11:39). These biblical characters are lifted up as examples because after they fell, they turned back to God and began to follow Him again. Have you lost your spiritual balance through a sinful choice, which is keeping you down? Repent and follow the God of second chances once again. Our God is a God of second chances.

Today We Pray

Dear Lord, You have brought me to the beginning of a new day. As the world is renewed fresh and clean, so I ask You to renew my heart with Your strength and purpose. Forgive me the errors of yesterday and bless me to walk closer in Your way today. 

This is the day I begin my life anew. Shine through me so that every person I meet may feel Your presence in my soul. Take my hand, precious Lord, for I cannot make it by myself. 

I pray that I may be blessed every step of my path this day by the great God of light. May Your sun shine upon me; as the moon moves the tide, may Your Spirit move my emotions with every grace and magic; may my heart sing with the voice of your angels and my heart be warm. And, may this and every blessed day You have given me be filled with joy.

Amen

Today's Godly Reminder - 2 Peter 3:9

The Lord does not delay, as though He were unable to act. God isn’t late with his promise as some measure lateness. He is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness. But, He is extraordinarily patient toward you. He is not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. He is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the End because he doesn’t want anyone lost. He’s giving everyone space and time to change.

The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed but wants everyone to repent. In fact, God is patient, because he wants everyone to turn from sin and no one to be lost.

The Daily Grace - Common Standards

In the frenzied early days of the Internet, Web developers were making up their own rules. The result was confusion. Among the problems was that what looked good on one computer was unreadable on another. This caused developers to refer to the Internet as the wild, wild Web, an allusion to the days of the wild, wild West in the US when law and order were pretty much nonexistent. To bring order out of chaos, Web developers started calling for others to agree on common standards.

Their plea reminds us of why it was important for the Israelites to have laws to live by when they left Egypt (Deut. 4:1). Without them, there would be anarchy. With them, however, they would have a system that was so superior that it would demonstrate to other nations the greatness of their God (v. 8).

Today, to bring order out of the chaos of our sinful, selfish world, believers submit to the law of Christ (Gal. 6:2), who Himself is the fulfillment of the law (Matt. 5:17). When we submit to the standard established by Christ and love others as God loves us, we will live in peace with one another and thus provide a witness to the world of how great God is. The world will know by our love for God and others that He is great.

Today We Pray

Dear God, let Your Holy Spirit be powerful to direct my thinking today so that it be empty of self-pity, dishonesty, self-will, self-seeking and fear. Inspire my thinking, decisions and intuitions. Help me to relax and take it easy. 

May I be like the Wise Men who were guided to You by the Star of Bethlehem. Give me the wisdom to seek You. A light to guide me to You, the courage and persistence to search until I find You, the graciousness to worship You and the generosity to lay my gift before You.

You revealed Your Son to the nations through the guidance of a star. Lead us to Your glory in heaven by the light of faith. This I pray, in Christ's name.

Amen

Today's Godly Reminder - Galatians 6:2

Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s law. You obey the law of Christ when you offer each other a helping hand. Share each other’s troubles and problems. Carry one another's burdening and in this way, you will fulfill the requirements of the law of Christ, that is, the law of Christian love. And so, obey our Lord’s command. 

The Daily Grace - Locked Into Love

In June 2015, the city of Paris removed forty-five tons of padlocks from the railings of the Pont des Arts pedestrian bridge. As a romantic gesture, couples would etch their initials onto a lock, attach it to the railing, click it shut, and throw the key into the River Seine. After this ritual was repeated thousands of times, the bridge could no longer bear the weight of so much "love". Eventually, the city, fearing for the integrity of the bridge, removed the "love locks".

The locks were meant to symbolize everlasting love, but human love does not always last. The closest of friends may offend each other and never resolve their differences. Family members may argue and refuse to forgive. A husband and wife may drift so far apart that they can't remember why they once decided to marry. Human love can be fickle.

But there is one constant and enduring love - the love of God. "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever", proclaims Psalm 106:1. The promises of the unfailing and everlasting nature of God's love are found throughout Scripture. And the greatest proof of this love is the death of His Son so that those who put their faith in Him can live eternally. And nothing will ever separate us from His love (Rom. 8:38-39). Fellow believers, we are locked into God's love forever. Christ's death and resurrection are the measures of God's love for us.

Today We Pray

Lord, thank You for Your presence. Thank You for breathing life into me and everything around me. Help us to become more aware of Your presence and experience the glory of Your goodness everyday.

Fill me with Your Holy Spirit everyday, O God. I receive that inner freedom from Your hands. Let Your Holy Spirit also instil in my heart so that I can love You more each day.

I will repent all my sins to You. I can feel that You are coming soon. I am excited to meet You face to face and be with You forevermore.

Amen.

Todays Godly Reminder - Proverbs 15:18

Keep calm and carry on. When you encounter difficult people, be a peacemaker. If you are a hot-tempered person, you will cause a lot of troubles around. But, if you are slow to anger and patient, you can calm disputes.

You will also appear contented if you don't lose temper that much. Show love to that person instead of hating back. It is okay to be angry, but in your anger, do not sin (Eph. 4:26). Handle temper carefully so that it will not stumble others.

The Daily Grace - The Power of Simple Words

Raucous laughter marked the guests in my father's hospital room: Two old truck drivers, one former country/western singer, one craftsman, two women from neighboring farms, and me. "...and then he got up and busted the bottle over my head", the craftsman said, finishing his story about a bar fight. The room bursts into laughter at this now-humorous memory. Dad, struggling for breath as his laughing fought with his cancer for the air in his lungs, puffs out a reminder to everybody that "Randy is a preacher" so they need to watch what they say. Everything got quiet for about two seconds, then the whole room exploded as this news makes them laugh harder and harder.

Suddenly, about forty minutes into this visit, the craftsman clears his throat, turns to my dad, and gets serious. "No more drinking and bar fights for me, Howard. Those days are behind me. Now I have a different reason to live. I want to tell you about my Savior".

He then proceeded to do just that, over my father's surprisingly mild protests. If there's a sweeter, gentler way to present the gospel message, I've never heard it. My dad listened and watched, and some years later believed in Jesus too. It was a simple testimony from an old friend living in a simple life, reminding me again that simple isn't naive or stupid; it's direct and unpretentious. Just like Jesus. And salvation.

Today We Pray

Dear Heavenly Father, I thank You for my life and everything You have bestowed upon me and upon all people, this day and every day. I thank You for the good and bad, the understanding of forgiveness, and Your holy power, without which we would have nothing. I thank You this day for all Your blessings, Your gifts, Your never-ending love for us.

Although we all are sinners, I ask You to forgive me every day for what I might have done wrong, that I might not have noticed. Even though we all come short of the glory of God, I thank You for the sacrifice of Your only son Jesus Christ for all our sins. You and only You know us Father and You know if our hearts are true. 

So once again, I thank You with all my heart and soul. You are worthy to be praised and adored! In the name of Christ, I pray.

Amen

Today's Godly Reminder - Matthew 28:19

Help the people to learn of God, believe in Him, and obey His words. Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Go to the people of all nations and make them His disciples. Go and make followers of all people in the world.

This is the great commission to our Lord. Make Jesus known and famous. Take this challenge to reach out to the lost and share the love of Christ to them. So that, they can enter the kingdom of God.

The Daily Grace - He Says, We Say

As my wife reviewed her day, she told me about an incident that took place with our granddaughter Eliana, who was visiting. Eliana had been playing with some toys, so when she wanted to go to another part of the house, Grandma told her, "Eliana, you need to put your toys away first". Without missing a beat, Elianna replied, "I don't have time". She was just 2 years old at the time, so she was definitely not running on a packed schedule!

I wonder sometimes if God might be a bit surprised with us when He hears our responses to His commands. For instance, when Jesus says, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden" (Matt. 11:28), and we say, "I can't go on. I have too many troubles and problems", I wonder what He thinks. When He says, "Be still, and know that I am God" (Ps. 46:10), and we say, "I can't fit You into my schedule", I wonder what He thinks. When He says, "Be holy, for I am holy" (1 Peter 1:16), and we say, "But the world looks like so much fun", I wonder what He thinks.

God has spoken. Obedience is the best way to honor Him for what He has done for us and to show Him how much we love Him. Our desire to please God is our highest motive for obeying God. Obey and be blessed!

Today We Pray

Dear God, I come to You today longing for Your presence. I desire to love You as You love me. May nothing ever separate me from You.

Father of all, the darkness that covered the earth has given way to the bright dawn of Your Word made flesh. Make us a people of this light. Make us faithful to Your Word, that we may bring Your life to the waiting world.

When I return to my everyday tasks, remind me that You are always there beside me. I need never despair. Grant this through Christ our Lord.

Amen

Today's Godly Reminder - John 1:14

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighbourhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory. Like Father, like Son, who is generous inside and out. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. True from start to finish.

The Word became a human being and lived here with us. We saw his true glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father. From him, all the kindness and all the truth of God have come down to us. Let's give Him praise as we celebrate His birth!

The Daily Grace - In The Neighbourhood

It was the buzz of our neighborhood. A famous professional football player had moved in just two houses down from where we lived. We had seen him on television and read about his great skills on the field, but we never thought he would choose to reside in our neighborhood. Initially, our expectations were that we would welcome him into the neighborhood and we would all become great friends. But his life was obviously far too busy for any of us to get to know him personally.

Imagine this: Jesus - the Lord of the universe and Creator of all things - chose to dwell among us! He left heaven and came to this earth. As John says, "We beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father" (John 1:14). Jesus chose to become intimately involved with all who will come to Him. And, even more significant, for those of us who have received His redeeming love, the Holy Spirit has now set up residence in our hearts to comfort, counsel, convict, lead, and teach us. When you think of the Babe in the manger, remember how special it is that He not only moved into our "neighborhood" but that He did it so He could bless us with the intimate privileges of His residence within us. Take advantage of the gift of God's presence.

Today We Pray

Dear Heavenly Father, we love You and we worship You this day. Help our hearts to know the love of Christ and to honor Him with our unyielding devotion in this and every season. Teach me to number my days aright, that I may gain wisdom of the heart. 

Help me do today the things that matter, not to waste the time I have. The moments I have are precious, Lord, see that I count them, dear. Fill me this day with your kindness, that I may be glad and rejoice all the days of my life. 

Now onto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory. You, who alone are able to do these and even greater good things for us, we praise through the high priest and guardian of our souls, Jesus Christ, through whom be the glory and the majesty to You both now and for all generations and forever and ever. In Christ's name, I pray.

Amen

Today's Godly Reminder - Matthew 1:23

Let us celebrate His birth. Christ has come to save us. Emmanuel has come. He is indeed with us.

God sent His son, we call Him Jesus. It is because He came to save us from our sins. Life is indeed worth living because He lives. May we have a meaningful celebration of Christmas today.

The Daily Grace - Lasting Peace

On Christmas Eve 1914, during the First World War, the guns fell silent along a 30-mile stretch of the Western Front. Soldiers peered cautiously over the tops of trenches while a few emerged to repair their positions and bury the dead. As darkness fell, some German troops set out lanterns and sang Christmas carols. Men on the British side applauded and shouted greetings.

The next day, German, French, and British troops met in no man's land to shake hands, share food, and exchange gifts. It was a brief respite from the war that soon ended when the artillery and machine guns roared to life again. But no one who experienced "The Christmas Truce", as it became known, would ever forget how it felt and how it fueled their longing for lasting peace. 

In Isaiah's prophecy of the coming Messiah, we read, "His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isa. 9:6). By His death on the cross, Jesus removed the "no man's land" between us and God. "For He, Himself is our peace" (Eph. 2:14). In Jesus, we can find lasting peace with God and harmony with each other. This is the life-changing message of Christmas! Only in Christ can true peace be realized.

Today We Pray

Dear Lord, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight. Let Your Holy Spirit guide me in my prayer and in thought, and grant me the grace to listen and hear Your Word. Soften my heart, that I may be directed by Your truth, and not the devices of my body and mind.

I come before You in a humble sense of my own unworthiness, confessing my many transgressions of Your righteous laws. Look upon me, I beseech You, in mercy, and forgive me for all my transgressions. Make me deeply sensible of the great evil of them, and work in me hearty repentance; that I may obtain forgiveness at Your hands, who is ever ready to receive humble and penitent sinners.

Finally, let me go forth in thanks for the victory I have been given through our Lord Jesus Christ. May I be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, and always remembering that in the Lord our labor is not in vain. In the name of Christ, I ask this.

Amen

Today's Godly Reminder - Ephesians 2:14

The Messiah has made things up between us so that we’re now together on this, both non-Jewish outsiders and Jewish insiders. He tore down the wall we used to keep each other at a distance. For Christ himself is our way of peace. He has made peace between us Jews and you Gentiles by making us all one family. He broke down the wall of contempt that used to separate us.

Christ has united us by breaking down the wall of hatred that separated us. Christ gave his own body. This Christmas, let us remember the reason for this season. God gave the Prince of Peace, which is Jesus Christ, for He himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us.

The Daily Grace - Christmas: God's Cure

If your physician called you and in a serious voice said, "Please come in as soon as you can. I have something to discuss with you", you would know he has bad news! Your first response might be, "No, I don't want to know". But you go because it is only when you know the diagnosis that you can learn the cure.

God, our Great Physician, also has some bad news - about man's spiritual condition. When against His expressed warning Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, God told Adam that all mankind would die spiritually and physically. That's bad news. But He also gave the solution. He promised a savior (Gen. 3:15).

The apostle John tells us, "Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (John 1:17). But how does that help? Jesus came that first Christmas to bring God's grace, something that none of us deserve because like Adam we have all sinned. But Jesus also came to reverse what sin brought. He came to be the truth (John 14:6) that would bring us back to God. He came to "save His people from their sins" (Matt. 1:21). Listen to what the Great Physician has to say in the Bible about your spiritual condition. Then accept the cure He has provided - the gift of salvation through Christ. Spiritual blindness can be cured only by the Great Physician.

Today We Pray

Dear Lord, open up a window of heaven. Lean out far over the battlements of glory. Listen to us this morning.

I offer You my memory, understanding and my entire will. All I ask for in return is Your love and your grace, that’s enough for me. Here I am, Lord, I come to seek Your presence.

Help me to trust You. Give me strength and wisdom so that whatever happens honors my fellow humans and You. Thank You for hearing me and answering my prayer.

Amen

Today's Godly Reminder - 2 Corinthians 9:15

The Apostle Paul describes Jesus as the "Indescribable Gift" that God has given to the world. How do we describe this "Incredible Gift" that God has given to a dying world? The Apostle Paul says "we can't" because God's love is a love that is not only "Indescribable", but also unexplainable! God offered this "Indescribable Gift" to the world over 2,000 years ago and again today, "The Sovereign God," is making that same offer/plea to the hearts of men, women, boys and girls around the world.

Have you heard God calling you to open up your heart to receive His "Indescribable Gift" called Jesus? I know He is calling you. When you hear His voice, harden not your hearts is what He is saying to you. Salvation by grace through faith alone is what's being offered on today by this "Indescribable Gift" called "Jesus" to those who would believe and receive Him on today. Indeed, Jesus is the gift that the human mind cannot fully grasp, but yet we must believe in Him! Apart from this gift, we are all hopeless, lost and sitting in the dark awaiting destruction.

The Daily Grace - Eye Level to a Bulldog

My son and his wife have a 120-pound American bulldog with a powerful body and fearsome face. Yet until we became friends, "Buddy" wasn't sure he could trust me. As long as I was on my feet, he'd keep his distance and wouldn't look me in the eye. Then one day I learned that if I'd get down on the ground, the mood of Buddy's big-jowled face would change. Sensing I was no longer a threat, he'd playfully come running like a freight train, pounce on me with his big feet, and want me to scratch his muscular neck.

Maybe what Buddy needed from me is a glimmer of what our God gave us by coming down to our level and living among us in the person of Christ. From the day that our first parents sinned and hid from the presence of the Lord, our tendency has been to be afraid of coming to a high and holy God on His terms (John 3:20). So, as Isaiah predicted God showed how low He was willing to go to bring us to Himself. By adopting the form of a lowly servant, our Creator lived and died to disarm our wrongs. Even now He is coaxing us from the cover of our spiritual darkness (Isa. 42:7) to call us friends (John 15:15). How can we still be afraid to trust Him? The high and holy One became the meek and lowly One.

Today We Pray

Dear God, the author of all good, I come to You for the grace another day will require for its duties and events. I step out into a wicked world; I carry about with me an evil heart. I know that without You I can do nothing, that everything with which I shall be concerned, however harmless in itself, may prove an occasion of sin or folly, unless I am kept by Your power.

Preserve my understanding from subtlety of error, my affections from love of idols, my character from stain of vice, my profession from every form of evil. May I engage in nothing in which I cannot implore Your blessing, and in which I cannot invite Your inspection. Prosper me in all lawful undertakings, or prepare me for disappointments.

Thank You that You stepped out of heaven and came down to this earth, that You clothed Yourself in human flesh. We're grateful that we can now draw near to You, even though we're sinful. In Christ's name, I pray.

Amen

Today's Godly Reminder - Isaiah 42:6-7

God has called you to live right and well. He has taken responsibility for you, kept you safe. He has set you among His people to bind them to Him. He provided you as a lighthouse to the nations, to make a start at bringing people into the open, into light: opening blind eyes, releasing prisoners from dungeons and emptying the dark prisons. He is the God who makes us alive with His own life.

The Lord has called you to demonstrate His righteousness. Remember that He will guard and support you, for He has given you to His people like the personal confirmation of His covenant with them. You shall also be a light to guide the nations unto Him. You will open the eyes of the blind and release those who sit in prison darkness and despair. Receive these words from the Lord today.

The Daily Grace - Parallel Universes

Every so often I catch myself wondering about the whole grand scheme of faith. I stand in an airport, for example, watching important-looking people in business suits, briefcases clutched to their sides, as they pause at an espresso bar before scurrying off to another concourse. Do any of them ever think about God? I wonder.

Christians share an odd belief in a parallel universe. One universe consists of glass and steel and wool clothes and leather briefcases and the smell of freshly ground coffee. The other consists of angels and spiritual forces and somewhere-out-there places called heaven and hell. We palpably inhabit the material world; it takes faith to consider oneself a citizen of the other, invisible world.

Christmas turns the tables and hints at the struggle involved when the Lord of both worlds descends to live by the rules of the one. In Bethlehem, the two worlds came together, realigned. What Jesus went on to accomplish on planet Earth made it possible for God someday to resolve all disharmonies in both worlds. No wonder a choir of angels broke out in spontaneous song, disturbing not only a few shepherds but the entire universe (Luke 2:13-14). The key word of Christmas is "Immanuel" - God with us!

Today We Pray

Dear Lord, thank You for wrapping Yourself in our likeness! Remind us that You understand our struggles and that we can confidently take advantage of the mercy and grace You offer to make us victorious. May Your spirit guide me to seek Your Loving presence more and more.

God is not foreign to my freedom. Instead the Spirit breathes life into my most intimate desires, gently nudging me towards all that is good. I ask for the grace to let myself be enfolded by the Spirit.

May the Passion of Christ be ever in my heart. May Your law and your goodness guide my every thought, O Lord. And, may the power of your Holy Spirit flow through my words and my actions today, and always.

Amen

Today's Godly Reminder - 1 John 1:5

He is holy. His message is truthful. He is perfect in righteousness. And in Him, there is no sin, no wickedness and no imperfection at all.

This, in essence, is the message we heard from Christ and are passing on to you: God is light, pure light. There’s not a trace of darkness in him. Jesus told us that God is light and doesn’t have any darkness in him. Now we are telling you.

The Daily Grace - Just the Right Time

The conductor stood on the podium, his eyes scanning the choir and orchestra. The singers arranged the music in their folders, found a comfortable position for standing, and held the folder where they could see the conductor just over the top. Orchestra members positioned their music on the stand, found a comfortable position in their seats, and then sat still. The conductor waited and watched until everyone was ready.Then, with a downbeat of his baton, the sounds of Handel's "Overture to Messiah" filled the cathedral.

With the sound swirling around me, I felt I was immersed in Christmas - when God, at just the right moment, signaled the downbeat and set in motion an overture that started with the birth of the Messiah, the "High Priest of the good things to come" (Heb. 9:11). Every Christmas, as we celebrate Christ's first coming with glorious music, I'm reminded that God's people, like choir and orchestra members, are getting ready for the next downbeat of the conductor when Christ will come again. On that day, we will participate with Him in the final movement of God's symphony of redemption - making all things new (Rev. 21:5). In anticipation, we need to keep our eyes on the Conductor and make sure we are ready. The advent of Christ celebrates His birth and anticipates His return.

Today We Pray

Dear Lord, the skies are telling of Your glory and the wonders of Your love. Thank You for making the sacrifice that has secured my freedom, salvation and eternal life. I look with hope to the day when my knowledge of your glory will never be hidden by the concerns of the world.

Forgive me for all the time I spend with my face bent to the things of earth, Your Spirit ignored and forgotten. May I learn to love You in a way that honors the love You have shown me. Let me know you every moment of time, forever.

I thank You for you are always there, willing to show yourself to me and guide me and comfort me. Burn your love on my heart. Let me be on fire in serving You and loving You.

Amen

Today's Godly Reminder - John 16:24

This is what I want you to do: Ask the Father for whatever is in keeping with the things Jesus revealed to you. Ask in His name, according to His will. And He’ll most certainly give it to you. Your joy will be a river overflowing its banks!

 You may haven’t tried this before, but begin now. Ask, using His name, and you will receive. It will be given to yo, so that you will be completely happy. Your cup of joy will overflow.

The Daily Grace - Newgrange

Newgrange is a 5,000-year-old burial passage tomb in Ireland. Built by the members of a farming community in Ireland's Boyne Valley, this magnificent structure covers more than an acre of land. It was a place where people went to struggle with the issue of death. It is best known for the beam of sunlight that moves through the chamber for 17 minutes each day from December 19 to 23 during the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. Some say it serves as a powerful symbol of the victory of life over death.

Even since death entered the human experience in Genesis 3, it has been life's one great inevitability and many people's chief fear. It need not be so, however. The apostle Paul wrote, "For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:17). From that moment in the Graden of Eden with the sin of our first parents, sin and death reigned. Yet we need not fear death or its consequences. Because of Christ, we can have confident hope - His victory of life over death has given us eternal life. Christ's empty tomb guarantees our victory over death. Have you received Him? 

Today We Pray

Dear Lord, as I start this day, I wonder: How will this day be different from any other day? Has my faith in you grown into a stale routine, or will I grow this day, closer to you than I have ever been Shake me up, Holy God!

Rattle the door of my cage, set off my smoke detector, ring my doorbell until I answer the door! Let me read Your Word until something new sinks in. Let me pray until I hear Your voice, until all smugness has given way to gratitude. 

By the power of your Holy Spirit, renew me afresh in your Word and power, today and every day. Energize me in Your great commission. In Christ's name, I pray.

Amen

Today's Godly Reminder - Romans 5:17

The sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to be king over all. But, all who will take God’s gift of forgiveness and acquittal are kings of life because of this one man, Jesus Christ. If death got the upper hand through one man’s wrongdoing, can you imagine the breathtaking recovery life makes, sovereign life, in those who grasp with both hands this wildly extravagant life-gift, this grand setting-everything-right, that the one man Jesus Christ provides? An amazing news indeed!

 Death ruled like a king because Adam had sinned. But that cannot compare with what Jesus Christ has done. God has been so kind to us, and he has accepted us because of Jesus. And so we will live and rule like kings. Even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.

The Daily Grace - My Friends and I

John Chrysostom (347 - 407), archbishop of Constantinople, said this about friendship: "Such is friendship, that through it we love places and seasons; for as. . . flowers drop their sweet leaves on the ground around them, so friends impart favor even to the places where they dwell". Jonathan and David illustrate the sweetness of a true friendship. The Bible records an intimate and immediate bond between them (1 Sam. 18:1). They kept their friendship alive by demonstrating their loyalty to each other (18:3; 20:16, 42; 23:18), as well as nurturing it by expressions of concern. Jonathan gave gifts to David (18:4) and watched out for him through many difficulties (19:1-2; 20:12-13).

In 1 Samuel 23:16, we see the highest moment of their friendship. When David was on the run from Saul, "Jonathan, Saul's son, arose and went to David in the woods and strengthened his hand in God". Friends help you find strength in God during the low points of life. In a world where most relationships are about what we can get, let us be the type of friends who focus on what we can give. Jesus, our perfect Friend, demonstrated for us that "greater love has no one than this than to lay down one's life for his friends" (John 14:13). The glory of life is to love, not to be loved; to give, not to get; to serve, not to be served.

Today We Pray

Dear Lord, blessed are You, loving Father, for all Your gifts to me and those close to me. Blessed are You for giving my family and friends to be with me in times of joy and sorrow, to help me in days of need, and to rejoice with me in moments of celebration. Blessed are you forever and ever.

Thank You for the friends You've given me to love me in spite of my failures and weakness. Let me treat them as You treated Your friends. Bind us together in You and enable us to help one another. 

Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked will I return. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

Amen