Success

The 3rd Sunday of Advent

Not long before David died, he told Solomon:

My son, I will soon die, as everyone must. But I want you to be strong and brave. Do what the Lord your God commands and follow his teachings. Obey everything written in the Law of Moses. Then you will be a success, no matter what you do or where you go.

~ 1 Kings 2:1-3 (CEV)

We have not stopped praying for you since the first day we heard about you. In fact, we always pray that God will show you everything he wants you to do and that you may have all the wisdom and understanding that his Spirit gives. Then you will live a life that honors the Lord, and you will always please him by doing good deeds. You will come to know God even better. ~ Colossians 1:9-10 (CEV)

KEY IDEA:

Success in life is defined as doing the will of God.

PRAYER:

Gracious Father, I'm grateful because you have provided a way for all your children to experience success. But I am not as successful as I could be. I do follow your law and your wisdom -- sort of. But I am casual about living a life that honors you. Don't give up on me. Keep nudging me along and giving me reasons to trust. I'm going to be successful -- as you define success. Amen.

Serving

Doomed! You’re doomed!

At night you lie in bed, making evil plans. And when morning comes, you do what you’ve planned because you have the power. ~ Micah 2:1 (CEV)

But Jesus called the disciples together and said:

You know that those foreigners who call themselves kings like to order their people around. And their great leaders have full power over the people they rule. But don’t act like them. If you want to be great, you must be the servant of all the others.

~ Mark 10:42-43 (CEV)

KEY IDEA:

Greatness comes by humbly serving rather than exerting power.

PRAYER:

Almighty God, instead of unleashing your power on us you became our servant by sending your Son Christ Jesus to live and serve among us. It doesn't make sense that I admire powerful people. I want to be a part of your cultural revolution which honors humble servants. Help me to change so that the powerful don't influence my life. I'm going to start by focusing more on being a servant myself. Amen.

No fear

Don’t be afraid or ashamed and don’t be discouraged. You won’t be disappointed. ~ Isaiah 54:4a (CEV)

Because of his faith, Moses left Egypt. Moses had seen the invisible God and wasn’t afraid of the king’s anger. ~ Hebrews 11:27 (CEV)

KEY IDEA:

Faith kills off fear.

PRAYER:

Lord, thank you for the gift of faith -- for enabling me to stand with confidence when things go sideways. My faith isn't perfect and sometimes I let fear get the best of me. Yet you stick with me and in the end it works out. I'm not going to let fear and discouragement have places in my life -- no matter how bad things look. Thank you, Jesus. Amen!

Freedom and forgiveness

God called to the Man: “Where are you?”

He said, “I heard you in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked. And I hid.” ~ Genesis 3:9-10 (MSG)

Now that we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts. And his Spirit tells us that God is our Father. ~ Galatians 4:6 (CEV)

KEY IDEA:

God our Father keeps an eye out for his people.

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, I'm grateful for your parental care -- even if sometimes I feel like you watch me too closely. I like my independence. And I know that you want me to have some responsible independence. But I'm just like Adam; when I mess up I try to hide rather than deal with the issue. Save me from my sin and my shame. Empower me to be open and forthcoming. For your Son, Christ Jesus has made a way for forgiveness and freedom. Amen.