WITH

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Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means, “God is with us.” Matthew 1:23 Isaiah 7:14 (NRSV)

Do we understand the significance of the angel’s message? This message refers to a prophecy of Isaiah some 4oo years earlier. God is with us!

Even today, we see evidence of God’s presence in our world. The end of last month, I received a prayer request from a very dear friend. Her husband’s nephew had called and asked her to pray for his new-born granddaughter. The baby was born with three heart abnormalities.

The medical team waited for almost a week before performing surgery. In the meantime, several of us were praying. I requested prayer from one of my social media friends and from an online social media prayer group. This family needed to see God’s working in this circumstance. On the day I prepared this. My friend texted me a picture of the baby being held by her 3-year-old sister. She seems to have no tubes for breathing or feeding or heart monitor leads. We believe that this baby will go home very soon. God was with them.

In the early part of our nation, there were people who believed that God created the world and chose to stand back and see what we would do. Those of us who have witnessed His workings know that God chooses to stand beside us in the good times and in the not-so-good times.

As we continue in our observance of Advent, let us learn to seek God in our lives and let Him lead us through the difficult times of our lives.

May this thought continue as we approach the upcoming New Year.

I will take a blog break so I can enjoy my family-time with my Hubby and our son. I will be back on January 2, 2018.  

WELCOME

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 Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

Romans 15:7 (NRSV)

Do we welcome people who visit either our homes or our churches? Is our welcome genuine? Do we give our guests a smile, a handshake, or a hug as we meet them? Maybe even a Christian kiss on the cheek?

A lot of people who seek Jesus have special problems. We see this more and more in my church. What does Jesus say about this? He tells us what will happen at the final judgment.

God will gather those who work for Him by relating to those who are strangers, naked, sick, and imprisoned. He tells us to befriend and minister to those who are “the least of my brothers.”

As we observe Advent, let us pray for those who are in need of the love of Jesus, especially those who have physical and emotional disabilities. 

SHINE

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It is God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6 (NSRV)

We have often heard we are to show Jesus to those we meet. Also, we hear we are the only Bible some people read.  What can we do when we try to incorporate these thoughts into our personas?

At my Tuesday morning prayer group, I shared a reading entitled “Shine”, from an Advent devotional book, Pauses for Advent Words of Wonder by Trevor Howard. Our Sunday school class is studying it. 

A dear friend of mine responded that she always tries to smile when she meets people in the stores and in passing. I discovered I am also trying to smile more than I have in the past.

I believe there is something else that would help us shine for Jesus. We can try to speak in well-modulated tones of voice when we answer someone else. (Here again, I point three fingers back at myself.)

One way we can do this is to think before we speak or act. Even taking a deep breath before we begin to speak might give us time to think about how we want to respond to what we hear and time to send up a sentence prayer to God to guide us in what He wants us to say and how He wants us to say it.

Lord God: Thank You for Your guidance and instruction as we learn Your ways to shine for You in this fallen world. In the Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen

A song I have had in my heart as I prepared this post.Rise and Shine and Give God the Glory,