PrayerLife

Let's take a few moments during this holiday season to invite God's grace and peace on the those who serve the Body of Christ in roles of leadership.

I have always taken pleasure in decorating our home with beautiful Christmas lights. This holiday season we want our homes to be light houses for the gospel. May people come in contact with the presence of the Savior as they enter our homes this Christmas season.

Joseph tenderly cared for Mary during her pregnancy. We are never specifically told in scripture, but it is likely that he prayed for her frequently on their difficult journey, as the birth of Jesus drew near. This Christmas, let's give the members of our family the gift of prayer, lifting them up before the Father.

"The people who walked in darkness, have seen a great light" (Isaiah 9:2). Christmas is the celebration of the life-giving Light of God breaking into the world. Jesus declared, "I am the light of the world" (John 8:12). This Christmas, allow God's light to shine into the dark areas of our life - bringing healing and deliverance.

One of the most powerful titles of Jesus is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). God has brought reconciliation and peace to the most fractured relationship imaginable - between sinful man and holy God. Because of Jesus, there is hope for the healing of the brokenness of our communities, our families and our friendships. The Church is to be a model and a minister of God's Peace.

From eternity past to eternity future, Jesus is the timeless, everlasting one. Each of the names the prophet Isaiah uses to identify the Coming Child identify a divine characteristic. Our Lord is not limited by time. He sees, and is present in our past, present and future. He is not only divinely timeless, but his posture toward us is that of a loving Father.

800 years before the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, the prophet Isaiah told of a virgin who would bear a child. That child would be called "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God" (Isa. 9:6). Jesus is not simply a wise teacher or an insightful philosopher. He is, himself, Mighty God!

"His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor" (Isaiah 9:6). Jesus, the one we celebrate at Christmas, is a wonder of a counselor. He holds the keys to peace and healing in the areas of our lives that confound us.

The Savior we worship as a babe in Bethlehem is indeed the King of Kings! Eight centuries before Jesus' birth, the prophet Isaiah declared, "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder" (Isaiah 9:6). The Risen Jesus told his disciples, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me" (Matthew 28:18). Let's celebrate the King who has all...

From eternity past it has been God's divine plan to provide His divine son to be our divine Savior. Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel, (which means, God with us) - Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23.

The spirit of materialism can so easily invade our celebration of Christmas. Join with me as we invite God to use this Christmas in an extraordinary way in our life and the lives of those we love. May we be filled with the Holy Spirit of Christmas this holiday season.

As we approach the Christmas season it is important that we don't get swept up in the hustle and bustle of shopping, crowds, gift lists, and special events. Let's pause to sanctify the holidays. Let's set apart the days ahead as a special season for worshipping Jesus and loving others.

As believers in Christ, we are called to live every aspect of our lives as thankful representatives of Jesus. The Apostle Paul writes, "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (Colossians 3:17).

As we seek to cultivate a Thankful heart we need to remember that gratitude is strongly connected to our spiritual lives. Thankfulness is an expression of a virtue of Jesus. In the end times, as resistance to God and His kingdom increases, ungratefulness will be an increasing characteristic of those who oppose God.

Today as we gather to worship and fellowship, let's pause to thank God for the dear men and women who serve in roles of pastoral leadership. They care for our souls, provide counsel, minister to our children and seek to embody christian maturity. They enrich our lives in many ways.

Happy Thanksgiving! Join with me as we thank God for our many blessings!

Have you stopped to realize that The United States of America exists because of cross-cultural missionaries? The pilgrims risked all to be used as "stepping stones" (from William Bradford's journal) for bringing the gospel to the new world. Some reading these words may have come to faith because of the ministry of a missionary in your life. Let's pause and thank God for the life giving service of...

God created beauty. The fine arts, at their best, are a reflection of the creativity of God. They capture stirring moments visually or musically and stir our hearts deeply. Let's express our gratitude to God for the fine arts.

Simple pleasures cost us nothing but bring us great joy. Let's pause and thank God today for the simple pleasures of life.

Bitterness is like a weed that creeps in and chokes out life. The writer of Hebrews warns, "See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled" (Hebrews 12:15). The Apostle Paul exhorts, "Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath...

Satan attacks us through shame and condemnation. The Apostle Paul attacks this issue head-on in his letter to the Romans. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifi...

The opposite of being set free by God's truth is being held in bondage by Satan's lies. Jesus said, "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:31-32). Satan is the "Father of lies" and every falsehood he spreads and every temptation he presents has as its ultimate goal our destruction. Let us be grateful men and women who fill our lives with God's truth and thereby find fre...

As followers of God, grateful for all that he has accomplished on our behalf, one of the defining qualities that is to characterize us is our love for God. Simply put, we are to love God with everything we've got. From our possessions, to our vocations, to our relationships - all that we are and do is to be an expression our grateful love to God. Jesus said it this way, “You shall love the Lord yo...

In the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ we discover how God has provided the answer to our greatest need by doing something for us that we could never have done for ourselves. On our own we are helpless to remedy our sin problem. Jesus, took on human flesh, satisfied the Father's requirement for holiness on our behalf, took the punishment that we deserve (death), and rose victorious over sin...

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). God's will for our lives doesn't get any clearer. He desires His sons and daughters to be people who rejoice in their relationship with Him and give thanks to Him daily.