From Psalm 103:2-4: “Bless the Lord, O my soul,and do not forget all His benefits—who forgives all your iniquity,who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the Pit,who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy.”
From Psalm 103:13-14: “As a father has compassion for his children,so the Lord has compassion for those who fear Him. For He knows how we were made; He remembers that we are dust.”
If God is not at the center of your life, something else is.
From Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart,and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge Him,and He will make straight your paths.”
Tim Keller (1950-2023) was an American pastor and Christian theologian.
When you offer yourself to God as His servant, He first expects to shape you into the instrument of His choosing. He will always work in you before He works through you.
From Philippians 1:6: “I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
Henry Blackaby (1935-2024) was a Canadian pastor and Christian author.
Young Lydia awakens on this December’s early morning of peace. Her imagination embraces new hope to be found in the season.
She understands that Christmas means much more than a decorated tree, wrapped presents, and fresh baked cookies. As her intuitive eyes peer outside of her bedroom window, the dawn sky offers a view of a brilliant star.
Inside her quiet thoughts, she whispers, “I need to see more.”
Throwing a long winter coat over her pajamas and remembering to wear her snow boots (just as her Mom always insists), Lydia ventures outside. Standing on the front porch, she feels surrounded by the tranquility of the winter scene.
The snow-covered yard appears perfectly groomed, and the nearby pine trees are all powdered in white. To her wandering eyes, the heavens’ star appears even closer. She feels a tug at her coat to step down from the porch.
Her steps quicken as she edges into the nearby woods. The cold air actually brings warmth to her heart. Suddenly, she stops with eager eyes looking forward.
Again Lydia’s imagination begins to wonder, “What will I find if I walk some more?”
An undistinguished pine tree, holding candles of light, invites her to enter a clearing. Right in front of her waits an unbelievable scene.
A tiny feed trough filled with hay stands alone.
From the shadow’s fringes come a man, a woman, and a newborn baby. The woman carefully places the baby in the feedbox, because there is no room for them at the inn.
Lydia’s pulse quickens as she realizes what is happening. A “real life” nativity landscape . . . or is it the story predicted through prophecy’s promises? Her young mind just isn’t sure.
She looks back up into the heavens and fixes her eyes upon the morning’s star. Suddenly she feels joy surrounding her heart. Indeed, she believes in the love found in her Savior.
Kneeling in the soft snow, Lydia offers a short prayer:
I will have reached the point of greatest strength once I have learned to wait for hope.
From Lamentations 3:25-26: “The Lord is good to those who wait for him,to the soul that seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietlyfor the salvation of the Lord.”
George Matheson (1842-1906) was Scottish pastor, Christian author, and hymn writer. His faith in God matured after becoming blind as a young man.
A holy life will produce the deepest impression. Lighthouses blow no horns; they only shine.
From Titus 2:7: “In all things, offering yourself as a model of good works and in your teaching offering integrity.”
D. L. Moody (1837-1899), also known as Dwight Lyman Moody, was an American evangelist and Christian teacher. He is frequently credited with inspiring modern mass revivalism.
Nothing happens in any particular unless God’s will is behind it, therefore you can rest in perfect confidence in Him.
From Matthew 7:11: “If you, then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”
Oswald Chambers (1874-1917) was a Scottish evangelist and Christian teacher. Following his death from an illness while in Egypt during World War I, his wife took on the task of transcribing the detailed notes she had written from his lectures and sermons. Gertrude Hobbs Chambers’ efforts resulted in the publication in 1924 of MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST. I frequently read from this devotional, and it has greatly deepened my faith and understanding of God’s Word.
Fill your affections with the cross of Christ that there may be no room for sin.
From Matthew 13:41-43: “The Son of Man will send His angels, and they will collect out of His kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
John Owen (1616-1683) was an English Puritan church leader and theologian.
Our high and privileged calling is to do the will of God in the power of God for the glory of God.
From Romans 15:13: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
J. I. Packer (1926-2020) was a English-born Christian theologian and writer. His given name was James Innell, and he spent most of his later years in Canada.
Those who go to Heaven ride on a pass and enter into blessings that they never earned, but all who go to hell pay their own way.
From Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—not the result of works, so that no one may boast.”
John R. Rice (1895-1980) was an American pastor and Christian evangelist.
Big Sky Buckeye 