Christian Reflection and Prayer

Scripture:

"4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will
say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your
gentleness be evident to all. The
Lord is near. 6Do not be anxious
about anything, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your requests
to God. 7And the peace of God,
which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds
in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:4-7) NIV

A nervous-looking man was pushing his
son in a super market grocery cart...
The youngster was howling at the top
of his lungs and throwing vegetables
and fruit out of the cart. The father just
kept on pushing the cart; repeating in a
quiet voice, “Take it easy Billy. Don’t cry
Billy. Cool it Billy. Everything will be okay Billy.”
A woman shopper turned and said, “Sir,
I admire you for the gentle way you’re
soothing little Billy.” To which he replied,
“But lady, I’m Billy.”

Reflection:

Is that how you feel? Does this time of
year drive you nuts? Are you anxious,
angry, depressed?
Do me a favor will ya. First of all try
to keep in your heart and mind, what
this time of year is. It's not about
presents, or having enough money,
or being depressed, or sad, or angry.
As a matter of fact it's not about us.
It's about the birth of Jesus Christ,
that's why its called Christmas. It
is a celebration of the coming of
'peace, love, service, compassion.
It's a celebration that changed the
world.
I would like to suggest that you
follow one of my favorite passages.
Philippians 4:4-7. Rejoice in the
Lord, rejoice in the celebration.
The Lord is near so don't be anxious
about anything, don't let it get you
down. But through prayer and
petition, with thanksgiving in your
heart give it all to God. And do you
know what's going to happen, the
peace of God, which goes beyond all
understanding will be in your hearts
and minds through who, Jesus
Christ, the birth in which we now
celebrate. Celebrate God through
Jesus Christ His Son. GIVE IT
TO GOD!

Prayer:

Oh Mighty God I celebrate You.
Thank You God for giving us Your
Son. Thank You for what Jesus
has given to us. Thank You
God His peace that passes
all understanding. I give any
anxiety to You. I give it to You
God, I give it all to you. Thank You
for being near to me. In the name of
Your Son in which we celebrate amen.

Scripture:

"The Lord knows how to rescue godly men
from trials." (2 Peter 2:9)

Reflection:

I remember, as a boy, often getting
into, what I thought was earth shaking,
arguments with my peers. Often times
those disagreements would end with the
phrase, "I won't if you won't." The problem,
was of course, was that ending would
rarely ever last. First one child, then the
other child would try to infringe on the
forbidden area or action without actually
violating the "agreement."
Jesus' model prayer, "The Lord' Prayer",
gives us a different and new course.
"And lead us not into temptation but
deliver us from the evil one." (Matthew
6:13) With that as your attitude, you
are well on your way to becoming a
maker of peace instead of war!
Please remember this, in Christ who
strengthens you, you are ready for
anything. Rejoice today that God will
give you power to meet whatever comes
into your life, and that He will use it for
His higher purpose. Walk in obedience
with joy!

Prayer:

Oh God thank You for being there always
ready to help and even rescue me.

Scripture:

"Today a Savior has been born to you;
He is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11).

At Christmas time, a school teacher in England
supervised the construction of a manger scene
in a corner of the classroom. It delighted her
pupils to set up the model barn and cover the
floor with real straw and then arrange the clay
figures of Mary and Joseph and the shepherds
and the Wise Men and the animals, all facing
a little crib in which a tiny doll represented the
Infant Jesus. One lad simply could not tear
himself away from it. He kept returning to it,
and each time stood there completely
engrossed and wearing a puzzled expression
on his face. The teacher noticed him and asked,
"Is anything bothering you? Do you have a
question to ask? What would you like to know?"
With his eyes still glued to the manger scene,
the boy said slowly, "What I'd like to know is,
where does God fit in?"

Reflection:

Are you asking that question? I know I am.
Where does God fit in all this? I look around
and I am amazed at what I see. I see Christmas
starting in October, I am saddened by Xmas.
Christ has been eliminated from His own birthday.
There is very little celebration, only sellabration.
We are expected to buy, buy, and buy some
more. I don't want to be cynical only happy.
Where does Jesus Christ fit in all of this.
Well if you got just a minute I like to tell you
where I think Christ fits in all this. First I
would remind myself and you that we are
celebrating "A Savior has been born to us,
He is Christ the Lord". That's right Almighty
God became one of us, in all His perfection
He was still one of us. He didn't come here to
rule, He didn't come here to conquer. He came
on this earth to serve, to sacrifice, and to save.
He served us through His teachings of love and
peace, His miracles, and all His deeds. He came
here to sacrifice, as matter of fact He gave the
ultimate sacrifice, He died on the cross for you
and me. Through His service and sacrifice, He was
resurrected and is alive, and through the Holy
Spirit He is with us now. He is here for me and He
is here for you. You see Christ doesn't fit in,
He is in, He is right here. He is in my mind,
He is in my heart and He is in my soul. That's
what I'm celebrating, the birth of all of this,
and much much more is still to come. IS JESUS
CHRIST IN YOU LIFE?

Prayer:

Thank you God for Your Son Jesus Christ.
Thank your service, thank You for Your
sacrifice, thank You for Your salvation.
I LOVE YOU GOD!