Click
the image or the link of
Copy
and paste the link into your browser
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Uki0dkthzI
or
search YouTube for Mary Did You Know by Clay Aiken
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord
has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted, He has sent me to bind up
the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to captives, and freedom to prisoners;
to proclaim the favourable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our
God; to comfort all who mourn.
“To grant those who mourn in Zion, giving them a garland
instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, t eh mantle of praise
instead of a spirt of fainting. So they will
be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be
glorified. Then they will rebuild the
ancient ruins, they will raise up the former devastations, and they will repair
the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations.
“And strangers will stand and pasture your flocks, and
foreigners will be your farmers and your vinedressers. But you will be called the priests of the
Lord; you will be spoken of as ministers of our God. You will the wealth of nations, and in the
riches you will boast.” Isaiah 61:1-6
Dorothy Sayers (a British Christian writer) wrote that God
underwent three great humiliations in His efforts to rescue the human
race.
1. The
incarnation – when He took on the confines of a physical body.
2. The
Cross – when He suffered the ignominy of public execution.
3. The
Church – in an awesome act of Self-denial, God entrusted His reputation to you
and me!
I used to imagine the Baby Jesus being born in that simple
manger, surrounded by the animals to parents who did not even have running
water or a bed. I wondered then if God
had made a mistake. Thinking of allowing
Himself to be caught by the Romans and then crucified by His chosen people, it
just did not make sense.
And yet, for some mysterious reason He did and He left God’s
vision in our hands for every person to come to the foot of the Cross so they
can have eternal life! It is humbling
and a little scary to anyone who thinks about it.
Take care, your servant and friend in Christ, Darlene (who
prays for you each morning).
PPS: Find my
statement of faith: https://especiallyhislove.blogspot.com (where you
will also find a series of beginner Bible studies to share). You can easily find
the WeakDay Devotion online by doing a Google search for ‘WeakDay
Devotion’. (Also, there is an android
‘Goggle Blogger’ app you can download to read them on your phone. Not sure about Apple.)
NEW PRAYER REQUESTS
·
Elizabeth G – her
Dad passed away yesterday. Pray God
reaches out to Elizabeth as she must deal with the minutia of passing.
·
Patti – has
injured her shoulder and is severe pain and will be having an MRI soon. Pray for her as she waits for the appointment
and for her beloved husband, John, who is having to do all the things Patti
usually does. Pray for her health care
providers and that the Lord will hold her through this time in a special way.
·
Hans –
a dear friend in Germany, with cancer has been having serious heart pain for
the last two days. His monthly
immunotherapy was scheduled for tomorrow.
The doctor decided to try to manage the pain until he goes to the
hospital when they can investigate the source.
Pray for strength through the pain and God’s mercy. Continue to pray for his healthcare
providers, his patience and wisdom. Pray
he is surrounded by faithful and compassionate Christian friends who will
support him through this journey. Pray
for his Mom (age 83) who is unwell herself, that their time together will be
filled with extraordinary good memories and lots of love.
·
Isaias and Judith
(Ambassadors for Christ the Philippines) – the Philippines has been
devastated by constant batterings from typhoons and floods. Take a moment to visit their new website: https://afcph.org/
to learn more. Many believers have lost
everything, including worship centres, computer equipment, musical instruments
and sound systems. China’s threat grows. Pray for the leaders, administrators, workers
and teachers. Pray our Father keep these
servants strong, in good health, safe and supported and that they keep a balance
in their lives. They need funds badly now. Please take a moment to send encouragement
to Isaias Catorce, who teaches and leads the groups at icatorce@gmail.com
·
My brother, Tim – is enjoying his new bi-pap machine and is already
seeing benefits. Pray for his continued
wisdom and patience in managing his COPD (chronic-obstructive pulmonary
disease) and arthritis. Pray his doctors
are attentive, wise and compassionate. Pray
for Barb, his wife for her strength and
compassion. Continue to grow their faith
so they can share Christ with others.
·
USA – Pray the Lord will demonstrate His power in
unexpected and uniting ways during these times of unrest and confusion. Help hearts settle and rest in Him
alone. Let the truth of God’s Word and
ways overcome the drive to destroy our founding, Bible-based values. For Christ-centre, Bible-based revival in the
USA and religious freedom for Christians wherever they may be.
·
J&R – recently
had the privilege of sharing the Gospel with them and would appreciate prayers
that God uses His words in their hearts to draw them to Him for Eternity!
·
Kevin and Sandy
Currel - (in Melbourne) Kevin has a wonderful ministry in teaching
through images and words and has created many Christian resources. (To learn more: https://www.kevincurrell.com/
). He just had another procedure, which looks good and will have the results
next week. Please continue to pray for
him, especially that God will supply the funds needed for this extraordinary
time.
·
Peyton
- eldest granddaughter of Jeff and Rachael.
Pray for this lovely woman of God as she goes off to colege, that she
remains safe and strong in her beliefs and convictions and continues to
encourage many with her loving faithfulness to the Lord.
·
Tracey –
healing from a fall where she broke four ribs.
Pray she will be patient and that the pain will be easily managed.
·
USA President
Donald Trump – As Christians it
is our responsibility to pray for our leaders and trust that God has a plan for
the USA through this man. If you
doubt the importance of his appointment, just look at the baseless antagonism
against him. Surely Satan is NOT happy and means to thwart God’s plan. Pray someone helps President Trump and Melania understand the true meaning of a
personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Pray they will both have an insatiable hunger to read God’s Word for
themselves. Pray God sends a
Bible-Believing Christian to regularly disciple them in the Truth. Pray God shuts the mouths of the false
prophets who regularly circle around them.
Pray for those in full-time service
Pray to uphold our Christian leaders – that they never compromise God’s Word, are bold and courageous in the face of evil. Pray for their wisdom, safety, ingenuity, strength and for their families.
Pray for those with ongoing health concerns
Many of us have family, friends and loved ones with fragile health. Pray God takes special care with them and protects them in practical ways and that the Lord will have mercy on them during this challenging time.
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