Luke 18:1-8 - Parable of Prayer

Greetings dear and precious sisters-in-Christ, Today's reading is found in The Gospel of Luke, Chapter 18, verse 1, says, "Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart" and in verse 2 "saying, "In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man." Since I am reading Luke with a specific purpose in mind, some of the scriptures drew me into a yearning to know more and more. The scene has been set, the characters have been defined, and now the story is being told. The Word of God, the bible is so beautiful and intriguing and filled with such drama! Yes, drama that is life changing, drama that keeps you on the edge of your seat and even the reading of the bible over and over again, still the drama unfolds and hopefully the lessons have been learned and out of it flows wisdom and understanding. The parable continues with verse 6, And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous just said, now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them?" Lord oh, Lord how great thou art that you will bring about justice, that You hear our prayers and long for us to come to You over and over again because You want to comfort us, to love us, to give us peace, to give us joy, and to give us hope in whatever situation we are in or whatever is happening in our lives. Lord, it is written, "I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?" Once again, we are left with a question that only each one of us can answer and it comes from our hearts. Let us pray - Abba Father, Praise and Glory and Honor, especially this time of the year when our thoughts are about Your son and His birth, and worshipping Him may He find faith on the earth. Lord, I pray for Your gift of Faith to be asked and sought after and may the gift be unwrapped and used this Christmas and until eternity. In Jesus Name, Amen. More of You, Jesus,

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

Greetings dear and precious sisters-in-Christ, In reading my night time devotional last night there were two verses that I really wanted to share with you this morning. I know that this time of the year things are really getting hectic. The weather, the shoppers, the commercials, the needs and wants of loved ones and finding the best present to give are all big time stresses. Plus there are the added things on your agenda. I'm very certain that some of you sing in the Christmas choir at your church or volunteer work at shelters and food pantries. Yes all these things added together bring on stress during the holidays but the bottom line is that it is something that you really enjoy. This time of the year is so rewarding in so many ways. The decorations of the houses, the Christmas carols being sung, and the gathering of friends and family how wonderful it is. And also each year in the hustle and bustle of all these things the meaning of the birth of Jesus gets laid aside, hopefully for not long. So, with all that being said, the verses found in 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17, resonated for me and I want it to be my prayer for you this Wednesday. Let us pray, Abba Father, Praise You for Your Omnipresence and for You are Omnipotent. Glorious Lord I come before You this morning and worship You and ask that each dear and precious sister-in-Christ, "Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God the Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word." In Jesus Name, Amen. May Blessings Abound in Every Way,

LyndiaSue

December - Reading the Gospel of Luke

Greetings dear and precious sisters-in-Christ, I had listened to someone talk about reading the Gospel of Luke to prepare yourself for Christmas, so on the first of December I began reading Chapter 1, stopping at verse 4, "so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught." I pondered on the words and asked the Lord to once again teach me Your Truth. For some reason this has been so important to me, maybe because I am getting older and my memories of some things are becoming dimmed. But the Lord is faithful and when I ask of Him, each day's reading reveals so many things that I was taught and also those that have been told about I need not be concerned with. In the first chapter the characters seemed to jump off of the page as I began to read about their encounters and their prayers that had not been answered. What stands out is that when the angel of the Lord appeared to Zacharias "fear gripped him." And why not, that would be my first response too. In verse 13, "the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give the name John." Something was revealed, all this time, that "while he was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of his division" and whatever duties they were in his heart he had been asking for his wife to have a child. Which got me to thinking, how many times have I been doing my duties, and deep in my heart the Lord hears my cries. What a faithful GOD we have that he hears our petitions and knows what we need consistently and continually and His Timing is perfect. Let us pray - Abba Father, All Praise and Glory and Honor to Your Name, Lord as we enter in this season of worshipping You as our God who gave his only Son, to be born and enter this world as a baby. Lord, as it is written, "Do not be afraid", may we also Trust and Believe the prophecy spoken by Zacharias, to guide our feet into the way of peace." Let us begin to seek Him. In Jesus Name, Amen. For Nothing is Impossible with God,

LyndiaSue