December 25, 2015 Christmas!

Praise be to you, Lord God, for giving us Christmas, for giving us the Christ who is the Light of the world, the Savior potential for all and the Shepherd of all those who believe.

I praise you, Lord Jesus, for your willingness to be born into a world of sin, selfishness and Satan’s power, a place where everyone smelled bad, cruelty was the norm and the leaders were all into money and power.

You entrusted yourself to young, inexperienced and ignorant parents who lived among primitive, disobedient people. You were in danger right from the beginning, with Herod wanting to destroy you.

You grew up among diseased, demon-possessed and discontent people, while you yourself remained pure and positive. I praise you for your willingness to come into the darkness and sin of this world to be a Light, to be the Way, to provide the Way Out of blindness, slavery and eternal death.

Today we rejoice in your coming to live amongst us, to be our Savior and now our Lord. May your Name be exalted throughout eternity for your great Love, your persistent Grace and your great Endurance shown in providing salvation for your enemies. Only you would do something like that.

We thank you from the bottom of our hearts and bow before you in worship and surrender to your goodness.

“The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy” (Ps. 126:3). Because of these great things you have done we can at all times be “…joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light” (Col. 1:12).

And you, Lord God, have given us this privileged position in your family against all logic, against all justice, against all the evidence that we definitely deserved condemnation, punishment, rejection, banishment, suffering, pain and death. Your love is sure and steady, powerful, penetrating and positive.

“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness” This is an accomplished fact, a certainty that we are no longer the children of the devil, bound to sin, controlled by the prince of the power of the air, but have been freed by the blood of the Lamb!

“…and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Col. 1:12-14).

What a powerful statement: “…in whom we have redemption,”…not “I hope so” but “I know so!” What a wonder, what a privilege, what an astounding, unbelievable, too-good-to-be-true outcome you have given us, Heavenly Father—we are pardoned, adopted, brought into the Kingdom and made co-heirs with Jesus and with the saints.

We now live in the light, are dearly loved, delighted in, doted on and deeply cared for. We have a future with you as well as a daily walk with you now. You give total provision, complete protection, loving direction, wise counsel, consistent correction, unswerving goodness and unending grace.

To know the Great Shepherd of souls, the Wise Warrior of prayer, the Powerful Planner of good, the Diligent Director of details, the Lasting Lover of sinners, the Triumphant Transformer of rebels, the Final Forgiver of our sins, the Great Giver of grace—what more could we want?!!!

Help us to live in the joy of knowing you, rather than seeking fulfillment on the garbage heap of this fallen world.

–From the devotional book EDIFIED!

Psalm 13:1   “How long, O LORD?”

[There will be times when God seems distant, when He is not answering our prayers on our time table, when things are going awry with no help in sight. We pray and wait, but nothing seems to happen]

“Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? (Psa. 13:2) How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart?”

[There are dark valleys in life, ones we must pass through. These may be sickness, unemployment, relationship problems, depression or fears sparked by governmental chaos and failure, by wars or great disasters. But you, in your goodness, designed or allowed each one to mature us, bring glory to yourself and to demonstrate your power to the world.

As we know and believe this, we can have hope in the midst of despair, we can have light in the midst of darkness—and yet at times our hearts fail us as we allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by disappointment and the immediate circumstances surrounding us.]

“How long will my enemy triumph over me?”

[At times the enemy does triumph over us—evil leaders arise in nations (ISIS), bad decisions are made by government or mission leaders, churches fall apart, families dissolve in bitterness, hard working people can suddenly become homeless.

None of these may be your specific will, but you allow them for greater reasons. For unbelievers it is to nudge them towards belief. For believers it is opportunity for growth and rewards: “Now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith…may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” 1 Pet. 1:6-7).

No matter what, Lord, you are always there: you are at work, deeply, quietly, powerfully, patiently waiting for the right moment to move. “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” In this we can rest. Help us to do so today.]

“Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.”

Psalm 124:8

Praise you, Lord, that as I face a busy week, I can go in your peace, in your strength, in your wisdom and self-control. I give this week over to you and ask that you will help me to be focused, to follow through with my “to do” list, to do first things first in a disciplined, Spirit-led way.

I give over to you the things that burden me, like being out late three nights in a row this week. Help me to pace myself well and to go in your strength. Praise you for your presence, your power and your perspective.

“Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever” (Psa. 125:1).

I praise you, LORD, Yahweh, the great I AM, that you make us unshakable as we rest in the truth of who you are. You are the unchangeable One, the Almighty One, the Undefeated One, the Eternal One, the All-seeing One, the Righteous One, the Holy One, the Loving One.

You are ever at work, you are aware of all, you are constantly, consistently, compassionately arranging the events that come into my life. You are able to take our mistakes and sins and somehow use them for good: chastening, correcting, counseling, changing us with them.

Praise you for the certainty of your work in my life today, for the certainty of your protection, presence and provision in each step, each moment, each interaction. I praise you for your going before me and preparing each event and relationship. I praise you, LORD, for you are worthy of trust.

“As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people both now and forevermore” (Psa. 125:2).

Prayer: “Today help me to exalt you in my responses, glorify you in my motives, lift up your name in my speech, please you in my actions. Help me to remember that no matter what my circumstances, your character is worthy of worship. Amen.”

Psalm 146:9 “The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow,”

[You, O Lord, not only see, but act on behalf of these weak ones, those whom men are so willing to plunder. You protect, provide and guide the vulnerable, the hurting, the defenseless ones. I praise you for your graciousness in doing so, for it shows your mercy triumphing over justice, your compassion at work in wonderful ways.]

“but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.”

[Praise be to you, Lord, that you actively intervene to block the desires of the evil one as he seeks to work through evil people. You seem to let them prosper for a while, as Hitler did for 12 years, but then bring them low. Lord, act quickly against such evil desires and evil men; foil the plans of the nations and thwart the purposes of the people; bring instead your desires to pass.]

Psalm 146:10 “The LORD reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations.”

[Praise you, Lord Jesus, that you are the eternal King, ruling and over-ruling, inexorably moving history to the conclusion that you desire, that you have ordained, undeterred by the rebellion of men, the failure of believers, the resistance of the devil. You reign, for you are the sovereign Lord, worthy of worship, worthy of honor, worthy of glory, worthy of obedience.

Lord Jesus, I bow before you now, the all-knowing, all-seeing, all-loving and all-good God; I eagerly acknowledge your right to rule in my life. I give you glory and honor with my mind and mouth. And I rise up to obey you this day with my whole heart, to bring you praise and thanksgiving by doing the good deeds you have prepared for me to do before men. May you be highly honored in my life today. Amen!]