Rest

He has sent me to provide for all those who grieve in Zion, to give them crowns instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of tears of grief, and clothes of praise instead of a spirit of weakness. ~ Isaiah 61:3 (MSG)

Come to me, all you who are struggling hard and carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. ~ Matthew 28:11 (CEB)

KEY IDEA:

The Lord is our relief.

PRAYER:

Thank you, Lord, for carrying me through the hard times. I wish that the difficulties would all go away. And sometimes I feel angry that you don't take them away. This keeps me from fully appreciating the way that you are stepping in to carry the load. So, I am asking you to help me to rest in you and to change my discouragement to praise. I'm going to find rest in Jesus. Amen.

Fruitful lives

So you must carefully do exactly what the Lord your God commands you. Don’t deviate even a bit! ~ Deuteronomy 5:32 (CEB)

My Father is honored when your life produces a lot of fruit. That's how you show that you are my disciples. ~ John 15:8 (ABP)

KEY IDEA:

We honor God when our lives produce Jesus fruit.

PRAYER:

Lord, thank you for giving me a new year in which I can start to produce more fruit. I really do want to honor you more and more. But I try to deal with the worries of life through unfruitful distractions. I do things which do not emerge from my relationship with Jesus. However, this is a new year and I'm asking for a fresh start. I'm confident that with your fertilizer and pruning I can produce fruit for you in 2018. Amen.

Deliverance

The first Sunday of Christmas

God said, "I’ve taken a good, long look at the affliction of my people in Egypt. I’ve heard their cries for deliverance from their slave masters..." Exodus 3:7a (MSG)

This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. ~ John 3:16 (MSG)

KEY IDEA:

God sent his Son to deliver us.

PRAYER:

Lord, I'm most grateful for the Son you sent to deliver us from all that is associated with death. I believe. But I need to believe more and more often. Help me grow in my belief. My commitment for 2018 is that I'm going to be open to trusting you more and expecting to experience your deliverance in more ways than I previously realized was possible. Amen.

Unending blessings

Our days on earth are like grass;
like wildflowers, we bloom and die.
The wind blows, and we are gone—
as though we had never been here.
But the love of the Lord remains forever
with those who fear him. ~ Psalm 103:15-17a (NLT)

From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. ~ John 1:16 (NLT)

KEY IDEA:

There is no end to the love that the Lord shows his people.

PRAYER:

Loving God, thank you for all the blessings in my life. There are lots of problems but your blessings truly overshadow the problems. Help me to keep things in perspective when I start to panic. I'm going to meditate on your promise to forever stay with those who fear you. Amen.