Christian Reflection and Prayer

Scripture:

Luke 2:1-20 (King James Version)

1And it came to pass in those days, that
there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus
that all the world should be taxed.
2(And this taxing was first made when
Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3And all
went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
4And Joseph also went up from Galilee,
out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea,
unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem;
(because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
5To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife,
being great with child.6And so it was, that,
while they were there, the days were accomplished
that she should be delivered.7And she brought
forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling
clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there
was no room for them in the inn.8And there were
in the same country shepherds abiding in the
field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon
them, and the glory of the Lord shone round
about them: and they were sore afraid.
10And the angel said unto them, Fear not:
for, behold, I bring you good tidings of
great joy, which shall be to all people.
11For unto you is born this day in the
city of David a Savior, which is Christ
the Lord.12And this shall be a sign unto
you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in
swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13And suddenly there was with the
angel a multitude of the heavenly host
praising God, and saying,14Glory to
God in the highest, and on earth peace,
good will toward men.15And it came
to pass, as the angels were gone away
from them into heaven, the shepherds
said one to another, Let us now go
even unto Bethlehem, and see this
thing which is come to pass, which
the Lord hath made known unto us.
16And they came with haste, and
found Mary, and Joseph, and the
babe lying in a manger.17And when
they had seen it, they made known
abroad the saying which was told
them concerning this child.18And
all they that heard it wondered at
those things which were told them
by the shepherds.19But Mary kept
all these things, and pondered them
in her heart.20And the shepherds
returned, glorifying and praising God
for all the things that they had heard
and seen, as it was told unto them.

Reflection:

There is a reason why I choose to
copy all 20 verses of the account of
the birth of Jesus Christ. It's a reminder
that "This is what it's all about".

BLESSED CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF YOU!

Scripture:

Ecclesiastes 5:3 (New International Version)

3 As a dream comes when there are many cares,
so the speech of a fool when there are many words.

Christmas slippers

A woman died, leaving behind her
husband and one daughter. The
little girl soon became the very
apple of her daddy's eye. He l
oved to spend time with her,
but because he had to work,
they had only their evenings
together. After dinner each night
they would talk and play games;
sometimes she sang for him.
He treasured every moment.
One night the little girl announced,
"Daddy, I need to go to my room
early tonight. I have something
I have to do!"
He felt very disappointed, but he
let her go. She continued this
pattern for a solid month. Finally,
Christmas Day arrived, and early
in the morning she burst in on her
daddy and proudly displayed a pair
of crude crocheted slippers she had
made for him. It was this project that
had taken her away from her father
for every evening that month.
Her father thanked her warmly and
gave her a big hug, but then he said,
"Honey, I would rather have had you
with me all those lonely evenings than
to have these slippers, as beautiful
and comfortable as they are."

{1from the TouchPoint Bible with
commentaries by Ron Beers and
Gilbert Beers (Tyndale) p 1298
2from Breakfast with Jesus by Greg
Laurie (Tyndale) p 141 "}
Content is derived from the Holy Bible,
New Living Translation and other
publications of Tyndale Publishing House


Reflection:

Guess What? God wants us to be with
him more than our slippers! He wants
our dedication and devotion more than
our work. GOD WANTS US! Not a
part of us when we may have the time,
BUT ALL OF US ALL OF THE TIME!
While certainly God wants us to work
hard, it is important that we make
absolutely sure that our time,
doesn't so preoccupy us that we
in fact put our health in danger, our
relationships, or our time with
God. You see it is a matter of
balance, with God, not us, at the
center. This Christmas season
is a perfect time to put Christ
at the center of our lives.

Prayer:

Lord God my Savior Jesus Christ
help me to recognize that You are
the center of my life. As I work, as
I do all this worrying and running
around for Christmas, let me keep
in my mind that we are celebrating
your birth and you life. Guide me as
I make Your life the center of my life.
In Jesus Name Amen

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.