"In the beginning God
created the heavens and the earth. And
the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep;
and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.
"Then God said, 'Let there be light', and
there was light. And God saw that the
light was good and God separated the light from the darkness." Genesis 1:1-4
"In the beginning was
the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being by Him, and apart
from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
"In Him was life, and the life was the light
of men. And the light shines in the
darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." John 1:1-5
[Jesus speaking] "'You
are the light of the world. A city set
on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do men
light a lamp, and put it under the peck-measure, but on the lampstand; and it gives
light to all who are in the house.
"'Let
your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and
glorify your Father who is in Heaven.'"
Matthew 5:14-16
"And Jesus came up and
spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on
earth. Go therefore and make disciples
of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and the Son and
the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I
am with you always, even to the end of the age.'" Matthew 28:18-20
Isn't Christmas a great time of year with all the opportunities
to remember people you love and new friends?
You can buy presents, send cards, sing carols and get in touch with
people you've inadvertently "forgotten about" during the rest of the
year?
There's so much great food and lots of bright decorations and
all the lights everywhere. Most of all,
it's a perfect time for Christians to share with others the real reason for all
the celebration around Christmas.
For your best "Christmas present" I pray that you
will have at least one opportunity to share the reality of Christ with someone
this holiday season.
NOTE: This is the first
Christmas message I wrote for the WeakDay Devotions in 2000. Nothing changes with our hearts' desire!
Take care with love, especially His! Your servant and friend in Christ, who prays
for you each morning, Darlene
PLEASE NOTE PRAYER UPDATES! AND THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO ARE
FAITHFUL TO PRAY AND TO KEEP ME UPDATED ON GOD'S PROGRESS! And for any of you who wonder if prayer is
worth taking time for, just page through previous entries and see the hand of
our loving Father in action!
SOMETHING NEW FOR PRAYER
WARRIORS: Elaine and Jim started a new
ministry in Hong Kong and have some great news for those with a gift and heart
for prayer: An online church with a Prayer Room. New visitors need to
register for a login and password and will receive an email confirmation. The room is open 27/7. Go here to learn more: https://www.thelittlechurchworld.org/prayer-room
NEW PRAYER REQUESTS: Pray for all those who have no place to lay
their heads, the many shadow, street people around the world.
Pray for Adrian at
this time. He will be going into the
hospital on the 24th to have a full day of treatments. It takes from 3-5 days for him to recover
from them, but thanks to your prayers, he will not be alone for the holidays. Pray for
Phil (the man who has let Adrian stay in his home) that he has
compassion and gentleness especially during this time of recovery for Adrian.
For the family and
friends of the police officers in NYC who
were so callously slain, for the people of the city and the nation that
something good will result from another tragedy.
In the aftermath of the siege
in Sydney: Please pray for the individuals who went through this ordeal and for their families and
friends and all the police officers and pray for Australia that this does not become something we must get
used to!
URGENT PRAYER REQUEST: Bubonic and pneumonic plague has broken out
on the island of Madagascar. Last stats 40 dead, 119 confirmed cases. The last previously known outbreak of the
plague was in Peru in August 2010, according to the WHO.
For those trying to stem
the devastation of Ebola in
West Africa (Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Mali) and in other
countries, as the disease spreads for many reasons: missed "hazardous pay" for workers,
fear, lack of education and hygiene. As
of yesterday there were over
7,000 deaths from Ebola. 570 healthcare
workers have been affected and of those, 324 have died.
Also, for those in Europe
gearing up to fight a new strain of Bird
Flu.
For the situation developing in Israel and for the devastation and death being caused by the
group called ISIS or IS.
For those in Hawaii
dealing with a volcanic eruption and the lava flow.
Pray for calm, true Christian revival and a return to founding values in the USA.
ONGOING PRAYERS: Isaias & Judith
need our continued prayers for protection and good health. They lead the efforts of Ambassadors for Christ in the Philippines. With the many typhoons and floods their financial needs continue to grow as they work in the fields
training up labourers for Christ. Please
consider contributing...just click on Ambassadors for Christ link above.
Buddy and Susan
Smith and Kevin and Sandy Currell - ministers of
grace and salvation in Australia.
Please pray for Chester
as he continues to struggle through a host of medical challenges and
poor care with dwindling funds and few friends to help. Give him energy, strength and resolve as he
deals with a worldly system that has abused him.
PRAISE & THANKSGIVING: Nancy, a
friend of Hans, had surgery last week and although they did not find cancer,
they will still have to perform surgery.
She does not know the Lord, yet.
Please pray for Hans
who has just found some work to help him through his challenging times and pray
his walk and witness continues to strengthen in his new life with Christ.
Jeff (cataract
surgery) is able to see again -- keep praying for him and Rachael, his beloved wife.
Patti's dear husband, John
continues to make progress after his stroke.
Pray for Patty and Doris
(who just had her 96th birthday. She was
like a second Mom to me)
No word yet on the small project for me, but three reasonably
good prospects that will have to wait till after the New Year..
PRAY FOR THOSE WITH HEALTH
CONCERNS: Pray
for my brother, Tim, that his
COPD (cardio-pulmonary artery disease) is manageable for him and that he will
have the patience and wisdom to cope with the limitations. Pray for David
R as he manages his macular degeneration.
For Audley and Beverly’s situation and his return to the
ministry. For Nancy who
continues to grow stronger after her life-threatening head injury a few years
ago, and for Fred as he cares for
her.
Pray for BG
that his blinding headaches will finally stop.
Pray for Fion as he
supports his ageing parents and manages a heavy load of challenges.
Bettina
needs our prayers to give her strength and wisdom. Pray for Raven
as she regains her strength from the cancer treatments.
ONGOING JOB RELATED: Pray for Paul
N-S - as he continues his search for work. Please pray for Michael, a man who is humble and without a home or a job who
needs a chance to get his life back to normal.
Deepak needs
prayer that his work efforts begin to bear fruit as he is on the road
travelling, promoting his business.
ONGOING PRAYER REQUESTS: Pray the Lord’s hand is dramatically apparent
in the lives of all who receive and read this devotion...that His mighty
works would be worked out in each life for His purposes in surprising and
wonderful ways!
For Iain Barclay and
his ministry, that the Lord would encourage him in his work. For Sue-Anne
as she takes new responsibilities in her church. A dear friend, Jen, needs the watchful care of the Lord in her life. For
Louise for healing in their
family.
For Linda and Ian. For Rob and his daughter. For Reg. Pray for Annette and Lyle and their wonderful family.
PRAY FOR THE WORLD: Pray for revival in the USA to continue. Pray
for Birgit who is in
Germany.
Please pray for the many individuals in Singapore, China, Russia and India who read the WeakDay Devotion. (This year the WeakDay Devotion blog is being
read by many people in these countries!
God is mysterious!) Pray for the
Catholic Church and that the new Pope will
always put Jesus first.
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