Devotional Blog

Gift

12/31/2015

Life is such a wonderful gift! Each day is a fresh opportunity to begin anew with God's grace, and to grasp it as a gift from God. Regardless of the adversity we face, with God's grace and promise, we can make each day a fresh experience of God's grace and love. So it is with a new year. It is a fresh gift from God, full of God's grace and promise. Resolve this year to accept this gift of life and with God's help strive to do that which would honor God and serve others. The best gift of all is the realization that we do not do this alone --the new year dawns with the promise of Christ walking beside us, guiding and strengthening our every step. Ask God to help you dream great dreams for your life and ask Him to fill you with fresh hope to accomplish those dreams that would honor God and serve others. Remember-- God loves you!

Listen to this wonderful promise of God's love dawning each day in our lives with grace and hope:

(Verse of the week)
Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3.21)

(Prayer of the week)
Loving Heavenly Father, I open my heart to your amazing love. Forgive me of failures of the past, and give me new life through the miracle of Christ. Fill my life with your love and hope and peace and joy, and may I find a new purpose in life and a new promise for the future, through your grace and to your glory. Amen.

Wishing you a Blessed and Happy New Year!
--Pastor TJ

(quote of the week)
We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give --Albert Schweitzer

0 Comments

Star

12/27/2015

0 Comments

God put a star in the night sky to guide the wise men to where the Christ child lay. God still puts stars in the sky to light our night and guide our way. On that first Christmas challenges had to be overcome, long distances had to be traveled and a king tried to deceive and misguide them, but through it all God guided the ancient magi with a star. The star was a sign of God's love to all people in all places that God's love was reaching out to them. Through darkness and adversity, God will guide you, too. In your darkest night, through your greatest trial, God will never leave you alone. God will put a star in the night to break through the darkness and guide your way. Your star may take on different forms, but take hope and know that God will shine through the darkest night to show you love and life. How can we trust God's love for us? -Simple, because God cared enough to share all of our life with us in Christ born in a humble manger, and then in Christ to show us the way of love and new life.
Whatever challenge you face, however dark your night, take heart! Follow the star, and kneel before the Christ child, and know the peace and hope and love that only He gives. Know that in the greatest darkness God's love shines brightest, and God loves you!

(scripture of the week)
The wise men went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. (Matthew 2.9-11)

Amid the hustle and bustle of Christmas, open your heart to God's amazing love . . .and the miracle of Christmas!

(Prayer of the week)
Loving Heavenly Father, I open my heart to your amazing love, let the light of your love shine into my life. Forgive me of failures of the past, and give me new life through the miracle of Christ. Fill my life with the true gifts of Christmas . . .your love and hope and peace and joy. May I find a new purpose in life and a new promise for the future, through your grace and to your glory. Amen.

From all of us at Immanuel --may you and your family and all you love have a Very Merry Christmas. . . and may God
bless us one and all. . .
--Pastor TJ

0 Comments

Facing Fear With Faith

12/19/2015

0 Comments

Fear can paralyze us and take the joy out of life. Most of us are touched by some kind of fear or another. There is fear of the unknown, sometimes fear of the known, fear of failure, fear of the past and fear of the future, and host of other fears. You can name yours. Fear is like a darkness that can overwhelm us, or pull us down. Christmas reminds us that God came to dwell among us and share life and love with us. Over and over again we hear the words, "Do not be afraid!" Peace and hope are ours through God who has come to redeem us and give us life and love. Hear again these words of hope shared by the angels to shepherds sound through the ages and still ring true today:

(Verse of the week)
An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to all on whom his favor rests." (Luke 2.10-14)

(prayer)
Gracious God of Light and Love, may your light and your love calm the fears that sometimes grip me like a dark night. This Christmas, let my heart be filled with the songs of angels and the simple faith of shepherds. Fill me with faith and love in the name of Jesus Christ, Immanuel, "God With Us", Amen.

Blessings for the Christmas Season -Pastor TJ

(quote of the week)
We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give --Albert Schweitzer

0 Comments

Light in the Darkest Night

12/13/2015

0 Comments

The Christmas season is full of colored lights and festive decorations, light-hearted carols and gift giving. Light was part of the earliest Christmas, when angels broke through the darkness of the night and the darkness of the world, appearing to shepherds with words of comfort, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger," and then the heavens were filled with angels singing "Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace to all on whom God's favor rests." Not knowing the actual birth date of Christ, early Christians celebrated Christmas on the day of the year with the longest night symbolizing that in our deepest darkness God breaks through and brings light and hope and life and love. That is the heart of the angels' song, the hope of the shepherds' hearts, and the quest of the magi who traveled from afar to kneel before the Christ child. And that is the hope of each and every one of us who kneels before the manger where God has come to show His love and to share our life and give us hope and new life. Take heart. Have hope. In the darkest night God's light and love will shine through.

(scripture of the week)
"Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace to all on whom God's favor rests." (Luke 2.14)

May the peace of Christ be with you! -Pastor TJ

(quote of the week)
"Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark"
-Rabindranath Tagore

0 Comments

Unwrapping the Gift of You!

12/3/2015

0 Comments

'Tis the Season! The Christmas season is here with all of its pageantry, beauty, charm and warmth. We think of faith and families, we think of decorations and dinners, we think of gifts to loved ones, and we think of God's greatest gift of love. It is also a great time to reflect on God's gift of you-that's right, you are an incredible gift from God. God created you uniquely, beautifully...wonderfully. You have gifts and talents from God. Unwrap the gift of you -learn to appreciate your unique God-given gifts and talents. Of course gifts often need put together -we all know the words all too well "some assembly required!" But in the end we get the help of others, learn to laugh at our mistakes, and enjoy the gift all the more once it is assembled. The gifts in our lives also require some work and assembly--that is part of life. But those gifts are worth all the more as we strive to use all our gifts and talents to be all that we can be and to use our lives to touch others for good. The Apostle Paul challenges us to discover and develop our gifts and use them in harmony with one another:

(Verse of the week)
Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ, we who are many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a person's gift is prophesying, let them use it in proportion to their faith. If it is serving, let them serve; if it is teaching, let them teach; if it is encouraging, let them encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let them give generously; if it is leadership, let them govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let them do it cheerfully....Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in genuine love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. (Romans 12.4-18)

Your life is a gift from God-what you do with your life is your gift back to God!

Open your heart to God's amazing love!-Pastor TJ

(quote of the week)
If man can take moldy bread and make penicillin out of it, think of what a loving God can do with you ---Muhammad Ali

0 Comments

Gift

Star

Facing Fear With Faith

Light in the Darkest Night

Unwrapping the Gift of You!

Author

Archives

Categories