Christmas Rapping

Live holy, preach Jesus!

Merry Christmas.

Better Together #6

Our Alaska Division theme for this program year is "Better Together" focussing on unity, supporting one another, and operating the body of the church God desires. Here are some devotional thoughts for your own consideration or use as a call to worship in your Corps this Holy season. Just my thoughts from my scripture meditation. Please use, change, alter as you see fit and meditate on the Word today.

For December 19

Today is the 4^th Sunday in Advent and we are quickly approaching the day we celebrate as Christmas. On Christmas we remember the fact that God sent His Son Jesus to the people He created in order that we might have a way to be re-united with Him.

It wasn’t until the cross that Jesus says, “it is finished” and we see His purpose for coming to earth in the flesh being fulfilled.

We hear Jesus himself express the reason for His coming to earth the night He prayed in the garden for each of us.

In John 17:20-26 we hear Jesus praying this way… ²⁰ “My prayer is not for them (the disciples) alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message (that’s each of us as believers today), ²¹ that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ²² I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— ²³ I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. ²⁴ “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. ²⁵ “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. ²⁶ I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

This Christmas we celebrate the truth that God Himself wanted to have a relationship with us, and we understand today that we can only realize all that God wants us to experience in an earthly sense, while in community together. Jesus prayed that all of us may be one in the same way that Jesus and His Father were always united. Jesus prayed that all of us might be brought to complete unity. The ultimate purpose for His prayer was of course that while in complete unity the world will know that God sent Jesus to redeem and reunite with His children because He loves us.

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Live holy, preach Jesus!

Better Together #5

Our Alaska Division theme for this program year is "Better Together" focussing on unity, supporting one another, and operating the body of the church God desires. Here are some devotional thoughts for your own consideration or use as a call to worship in your Corps this Holy season. Just my thoughts from my scripture meditation. Please use, change, alter as you see fit and meditate on the Word today.

December 12

Today we celebrate the 3^rd Sunday of Advent and as Christmas morning draws closer and closer, we have all started thinking about the giving of gifts.

Everyone loves getting gifts, but my hope is that we also know the joy of giving gifts to others. At Christmas many of us will have given a gift that required us to spend time considering what was best for the recipient, what would they like, what could they really use, what would show that we really care for them?

In Romans 12 we read a passage about gift giving, but of our act of worship to live for our God, but also of our need to use the gifts God has given us to pass on to others around us.

Romans 12:1-10 says… ¹ Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. ³ For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. ⁴ For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ⁶ We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; ⁷ if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; ⁸ if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. ⁹ Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰ Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Verse 13 tells us to share with the Lord’s people who are in need and to practice hospitality. . Practice hospitality. Verse 15 says to come along side others both to rejoice and mourn with them. Next (vs. 16 & 18) remind us to live in harmony and in peace with one another.

Throughout this passage we realize that our lives and the gifts God has given us are all in order that we might, in turn, live our lives unto the Lord as our act of worship, and also use our God given gifts to share with others. When someone finds the perfect gift for me I want to use it and share it with others around me. God Himself gave us His one and only Son, more than that His Son gave his life for us, even more we have His Holy Spirit and every good gift in life come from Him. Let’s make sure we leave no gift un-opened, un-used, or unappreciated. As an act of worship to your Lord and Savior, make sure you share your gifts with others this Christmas.
 --- Live holy, preach Jesus!

Better Together #4

Our Alaska Division theme for this program year is "Better Together" focussing on unity, supporting one another, and operating the body of the church God desires. Here are some devotional thoughts for your own consideration or use as a call to worship in your Corps this Holy season. Just my thoughts from my scripture meditation. Please use, change, alter as you see fit and meditate on the Word today.

For December 5

Today we celebrate the 2^nd Sunday of Advent and recall not just Christ’s coming long ago, but look forward to His coming again. Let’s consider how best to enter worship today as we come before our Lord.

Today’s “Better Together” scripture focus is found in Colossians 2:2-3.

Paul wrote to the region of Colossi where many were being led astray by teaching that said if you only learned the right thing, if you knew the right secrets, if you studied enough, discovered enough, or spiritually tapped into a level of spiritual knowledge, then you could find God, or be like God, or as some believe today even become God for yourself. We know Paul spoke directly to a groups desire to find the secret knowledge of the things of God.

Paul then gives them the so-called “secret” to the knowledge of God. Paul knew that the answer wasn’t found by searching for enough spiritual knowledge to find God, but instead that if they found Jesus Christ, they will have found everything.

 

Paul writes… Colossians 2:2-3  My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, ³ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

To truly find all God has for us doesn’t require that we take a solitary “monk-like” trek to find a mystical level of spiritual enlightenment. God reminds us today that to know God Himself we must simply be united in love with Christ Himself.

This Christmas let’s not seek to “act” united or do things for Christmas like we think a church should, instead we should individually and corporately stay in tune with Jesus, that alone will draw us close to God.

A.W. Tozer, in his book, The Pursuit of God, tells us how to gain greater unity. He wrote, "Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshipers [meeting] together, each one looking … to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become ‘unity conscious’ and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship."

 

Colossians 2:2-3  My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

With us all simply seeking an encounter with Jesus, we are “Better Together.”

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Live holy, preach Jesus!