Fruitful communication

The First Sunday in the Season of Advent

It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it. ~ Isaiah 55:11 (NLT)

And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs. ~ Mark 16:20 (NLT)

KEY IDEA:

The Lord's word always produces fruit.

PRAYER:

Lord,

THANKS: Thank you for sending your message out and for the way that it produces fruit.

REGRETS: I need to give more attention to preaching your word with my life and my words.

INTERCESSION: I pray for all those who hear me speak and preach. I pray that they would become fruitful for you and your kingdom.

PURPOSE: I'm going to focus more of my energy on preaching the good news of Jesus.

Amen.

Fruitfulness

They are like trees growing beside a stream, trees that produce fruit in season and always have leaves... ~ Psalm 1:3a (CEV)

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. ~ Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)

KEY IDEA:

God wants to produce good fruit in my life. I need to let him.

PRAYER:

Lord, I'm not a very impressive tree. Oh, I pretend that I'm big and beautiful. But I am really short and scrawny. On my own I have very little to offer. Yet, you have replanted me to be by your living water so that my roots are well fed.  The fruit I produce is all yours. If it were not for you I would be fruitless. Please, I want to continue producing fruit -- more fruit -- even better fruit. It gives me real satisfaction. Amen.

God's doing

We plan the way we want to live, but only God makes us able to live it. ~ Proverbs 16:9 (MSG)

What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” ~ James 4:15 (NLT)

KEY IDEA:

We may think we're in charge of life, but really, it depends on God making it happen.

PRAYER:

Lord:

THANKS: Thank you for all the wonderful opportunities that you have given to me.

REGRETS: I'm prideful and take too much credit for all the good things that have come my way.

INTERCESSION: Help me to recognize the many things you do on my behalf. Help me to become humble.

PURPOSE: I'm going to recognize that everything depends on your will.

Amen.

Christ lives

I know that my redeemer is alive. ~ Job 19:25a (CEB)

Paul writes: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. This saying is true, and it can be trusted. I was the worst sinner of all! ~ 1 Timothy 1:15 (CEV)

KEY IDEA:

Christ lives in order to save people like me.

PRAYER:

Thank you, Lord, for rescuing me from death. Forgive me when I forget that I've been freed. Help me now to live out the resurrection life that I am certain is my future. I'm going to become a living testimony to new life. Amen.