Streams in the Desert

 His disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray... and he said unto them, "When ye pray, say... Thy kingdom come" (Luke 11:1-2).

When they said, "Teach us to pray," the Master lifted His eyes and swept the far horizon of God. He gathered up the ultimate dream of the Eternal, and, rounding the sum of everything God intends to do in the life of man, He packed it all into these three terse pregnant phrases and said, "When you pray, pray after this manner." What a contrast between this and much praying we have heard.

When we follow the devices of our own hearts, how runs it? "O Lord bless me, then My family, My church, My city, My country," and away on the far fringe as we close up, there is a prayer for the extension of His Kingdom throughout the wide parish of the world.

The Master begins where we leave off. The world first, my personal needs second, is the order of this prayer. Only after my prayer has crossed every continent and every  far-flung island of the sea, after it has taken in the last man in the last backward race, after it has covered the entire wish and purpose, of God for the world, only then am I taught to ask for a piece of bread for myself.

When Jesus gave His all, Himself for us and to us in the holy extravagance of the Cross, is it too much if He asks us to do the same thing? No man or woman amounts to anything in the kingdom, no soul ever touches even the edge of the zone of power, until this lesson is learned that Christ's business is the supreme concern of life and that all personal considerations, however dear or important, are tributary thereto.
--Dr. Francis

When Robert Moffat, the veteran African missionary and explorer, was asked once to write in a young lady's album, he penned these lines:

My album is a savage beast,
Where tempests brood and shadows rest,
Without one ray of light;
To write the name of Jesus there,
And see that savage bow in prayer,
And point to worlds more bright and fair,
This is my soul's delight.

"And His Kingdom shall have no frontier" (Luke 1:33, the old Moravian version).

The missionary enterprise is not the Church's afterthought; it is Christ's forethought.
--Henry van Dyke

Spending Our Inheritance..... Dr. Charles Stanley

 Spending Our Inheritance

Dr. Charles Stanley

Ephesians 1:11-22

The word “inheritance” usually brings to mind the money and real estate handed down from one generation to another. But God has an even greater legacy to share with His children—one that they are given the moment they enter His family.

Galatians 4:7 tells us that believers are God’s heirs. First among our priceless treasures is a living hope in Jesus Christ that cannot be taken away (1 Peter 1:3). What’s more, He pledged to supply our needs according to His riches (Phil 4:19). In other words, we already have all that we need for an abundant and victorious life.

However, some folks get stuck in spiritual poverty because they refuse to view themselves as adopted children. Failing to tap into their inheritance, they’re like a man who sees himself as a poor, sinful creature: he wanders through this big angry world hoping to hold on to his meager scrap of faith until he’s lucky enough to die and go to heaven. Of course that man misses the blessings available in this life, because he’s not looking for them.

How differently people see themselves when they look through the eyes of Jesus. Christians who live like the beloved, empowered heirs that they are will lavishly spend their inheritance of grace to benefit everyone they meet.

God gives all believers a pledge of inheritance out of the unsurpassed riches of His infinite grace. We are spiritually rich citizens of heaven who have nothing to fear in this world. Choose to live boldly for Christ, and see how abundantly God pours out blessing from the legacy already set aside for you.

Following the Invisible Star ..... KELLY BARBREY

 Following the Invisible Star

KELLY BARBREY

“By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” Luke 1:78-79 (NRSV)

The reflection of the face looking back at me in the mirror seemed years older than the one just months before — hollowed in all the wrong places with less light behind the eyes. 2020 seemed to have worked its gnawing way from my insides to my outside.

In all of the waiting and hoping and praying for life to return to its normal cadence of work, school, sports, friends and worship, it dawned on me that my pleas were misaligned. I was praying for my circumstances to change rather than praying to shine in my current situation.

Oh, don’t get me wrong. Each slow and awaited return has been welcomed and celebrated. When our congregation announced that after months of online worship, we would be returning to the sanctuary in a limited capacity and with masks, I was thankful. I was so ready to be back. Walking into the building with its familiar voices, smells and faces (well, eyes above masks at least) was good for my soul. I imagine the same will be true for my kids upon returning to their school buildings and classrooms.

Yes, I was ready and grateful for those small returns to routine. But I didn’t think I was ready for Christmas. It seemed to sneak up on me this year. I wanted to get everything back to normal first and then have a normal Christmas with all the trappings and trimmings. But I was slow to realize the very core of Christmas is precisely what we all need right now … not with our circumstances perfect, but in the midst of the mess.

Zechariah’s prophecy of the coming of Christ says, “By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:78-79).

Before Jesus came to save us, there was darkness and turmoil, kind of like now. People thought they knew what they needed, but the actuality of the birth of Jesus and how He would rescue us eluded them. Similarly, we may not think we are ready or can even begin to open our hearts to the joy of the Christmas season this year, but perhaps this year, of all years, we need it the most.

This year, it’s been hard to find joy. Most of the time, I am one of the annoyingly early adopters of Christmas spirit. Before the turkey leftovers have been stashed in the fridge, out comes the tinsel and manger scene. My heart is full of the giving spirit. I am ready to decorate, celebrate, bake, worship and praise. But this year, it’s been hard to see the light leading to the true meaning of Christmas.

Today, I’m challenged to do things differently. Instead of praying for my circumstances to change, I am now praying to flourish where I am, knowing and believing that the star of wonder and the miracle of Christmas is hidden there, just beyond the thick and looming clouds.

Heavenly Father, let the Spirit of Christmas refresh me and shine through me this year. Fortify me in the here and now. Help me to continue to believe, even when I cannot see. Help me to bloom where I am planted and accept the blessings of Christmas even if the season looks different this year. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Isaiah 9:6-7, “For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.” (NRSV)

Matthew 2:10, “When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.” (NRSV)

Your Life Is Like the Morning Fog..... By: Jennifer Heeren

 Your Life Is Like the Morning Fog

By: Jennifer Heeren

It’s inevitable. One day you will pass from this life and go into the next. So, in light of this fact, the Bible says that whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. We are meant to bring glory to our Creator. You didn’t do anything to bring yourself into this life, so what you do with your days on earth shouldn’t be solely about you. “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So, you must honor God with your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Do everything out of love.

Act with love, compassion, mercy, and kindness as often as you can. Once you believe in Christ and are covered by His righteousness, your good works are no longer rubbish. They shine like diamonds to point people to your heavenly Father.

“Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love"( 1 Corinthians 16:13-14). You will never feel as fulfilled as when you’re serving other people in some way. Give food. Give money. Give away a possession. Give your time. Give encouragement. Give a hug. Give of yourself. You won’t regret this kind of living.

Remember that this life is short.

Even if you live to be 100, that is still a minute amount of time compared to eternity.

No one knows the day or the hour that they will be called home to heaven. Babies and young children go. Teenagers and young adults on the brink of discovering their life’s purpose go. People have passed away in every decade of a typical life. No one knows the length of their life, so we need to work on developing the breadth of it, which means making the most of each day.

We need to always remember this brevity and uncertainty. Doing so is the prescription to cure the common ailment of procrastination.

Always press forward and never give up.

I like that the Apostle Paul wanted to assure his readers by telling them that he hasn’t achieved the perfection of always living right for God (Philippians 3:12). None of us are perfect and none of us glorify God perfectly. I know I don’t. But I strive to do my best as excellently as possible each day.

I can press onward to learn from my mistakes and then do better the next time until I reach the end of my race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, called me (Philippians 3:14).

The Audacity of Christmas..... By Mike Pohlman

 The Audacity of Christmas

By Mike Pohlman

So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future--all are yours, and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's. – 1 Corinthians 3:21-23

This Christmas millions of children (and adults) will find under their Christmas tree a Wii or Xbox or the latest Playstation. When the wrapping paper is ripped and the contents revealed shouts of joy will fill the room. (I’m planning on this as our kids open their Wii!) Each of these game consoles will bring countless hours of pleasure to the players. But as amazing as these machines are, they in no way compare to the audacity of God’s gift given at Christmas.

Consider the staggering promise of the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:21. He says, “all things are yours” by virtue of being in Christ. And what does Paul include in “all things”? Things like the world, life, death, the present and the future. Breathtaking. How can this be?

Galatians 4:4-7 shows how the Christian comes to inherit “all things.”

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

Christmas marks the “fullness of time” when God, in his sovereign freedom, “sent forth his Son.” The One who dispenses times and seasons determined that it was time to send forth the Son who had existed with the Father from eternity. Indeed, the second person of the Trinity “did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:6-7). He was “born of a woman, born under the law.” Here we have the wonder of the Incarnation: God of very God assuming a human nature.

Why would the Son of God take on flesh and dwell among sinful mankind? Why would divinity take on humanity and “become obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8)?

He did it to secure salvation. In other words, “to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:5). Christ came into the world not only to free us from the tyranny of sin, death and the devil, but also to crown us with unimaginable glory.

It is true that at the Cross Christ “redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13). But we have not been saved only in this “negative” sense. We have been adopted into God’s family and given all the rights and privileges of legitimate heirs. Paul captures this beautifully in 2 Corinthians 2:8-9, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” And the riches that are ours in Christ are far greater than anything merely monetary. These riches are in fact “all things” for “all are yours, and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s” (1 Corinthians 3:23). This is the audacity of Christmas and it is intended to redound “to the praise of [God’s] glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:6).

Intersecting Faith & Life: This Christmas I want to think and live as one adopted. One way to do this is to let every gift given to a loved one serve as a pointer to the Gospel. And when we consider how excited we are for the new Wii or Xbox or Playstation with its temporal pleasures, let us remember the eternal weight of glory that awaits the heirs of the King.

A Prayer to Our Prince of Peace..... By: Lisa Appelo

 A Prayer to Our Prince of Peace

By: Lisa Appelo

“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him -- the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD.” Isaiah 11:1-2 [NIV]

This passage talks about stumps and shoots. We have several big oak trees in our yard and when one of them started endangering the house, we had it cut all the way down to a stump. A few months later? New green shoots with glossy green leaves began growing right out of that stump.  

That’s the picture that the prophet Isaiah uses. Seven hundred years before Jesus was ever born, Isaiah prophesied that a Messiah would come from the root of Jesse. Jesse was the father of King David, an ancestor of both Mary and Joseph. While nearly all of King David’s royal line would be wiped out, God promised a Messiah would come from the stump of Jesse.  

Out of what looked like a dead royal line -- when a pagan, Roman government rather than a Hebrew king ruled over Israel -- God brought about that new shoot: the Messiah – Jesus.

Jesus, didn’t rule like King David with an earthly palace or majestic throne or royal robes conquering enemy nations through a mighty army. Instead, Jesus came in poverty and humility, to reveal a heavenly kingdom and to conquer the curse of sin through his own death.

Advent Prayer:

O Father, we praise you that before the foundation of the world You chose Jesus, our Messiah, to come to earth and show us the Way to the heavenly kingdom and to be the Way to the heavenly kingdom. We thank you for making room for us who are redeemed in Your heavenly Kingdom.

Jesus, we worship you as King of Kings and Lord of lords. You are my King. You have rule over my heart and my life, my thoughts and time and goals. I bow to You only and give you full and free reign over my life. Help me not to grip anything so tightly that I am unwilling to release it to You. You are a just King; our Prince of Peace. Help me to desire Your kingdom above that of my own making and bow to Your will above my own.

Holy Spirit, lead me in the ways of the heavenly kingdom. Teach me wisdom from above and guide me in truth. Help me to have eyes that see and ears that hear all that God has for me. Help me to know the Lord, to fully understand His might, to fear turning away from Him and to know His grace.

We love you Lord. With all of our heart, all of our soul, all of our mind and all of our strength we love you. We lavish you with our worship. We come to adore You today. Amen.

Then let us all with one accord
Sing praises to our heavenly Lord

That hath made Heaven and earth of nought
And with his blood mankind has bought.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel!

5 Ways God’s Christmas Gift Keeps on Giving ..... by Lynette Kittle

 5 Ways God’s Christmas Gift Keeps on Giving (John 3:16)

by Lynette Kittle        

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”– John 3:16

Growing up the first Scripture verse I remember memorizing is John 3:16. I loved hearing it and repeating it to myself and all who would listen to me recite it.

It not only tells of the very first Christmas present ever given, the gift of Jesus, but also assures me of God’s love, where Jesus came from, and God’s purpose in sending Him.

Considering God’s priceless present to the world, the holiday season is an opportune time to share with family, friends, and those around us, 5 ways God’s Christmas gift keeps on giving:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”– John 3:16

Growing up the first Scripture verse I remember memorizing is John 3:16. I loved hearing it and repeating it to myself and all who would listen to me recite it.

It not only tells of the very first Christmas present ever given, the gift of Jesus, but also assures me of God’s love, where Jesus came from, and God’s purpose in sending Him.

Considering God’s priceless present to the world, the holiday season is an opportune time to share with family, friends, and those around us, 5 ways God’s Christmas gift keeps on giving:

1. The Gift of Love

Love does not exist outside of God. He is the only source of love because God is love (1 John 4:16). 1 John 4:19 states how God first loved each one of us. Before any of us were able to choose to love Him, He loved us.

John 3:16 assures us that in the history of the world, not one person ever, has been unloved by God.

2. The Gift of Purity

Titus 3:4-5 describes how, “the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared” for the washing away of sin. As 1 John 4:10 states, “He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

No matter what sin has been committed, God is willing to forgive and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Through God’s Christmas gift, sin is washed away.

3. The Gift of Salvation

Matthew 1:21 tells the story of an angel coming to Joseph stating, “She [Mary] will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”

Salvation is good and pleases God “who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3,4). As Romans 10:13 asserts, “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 

4. The Gift of Living in Love

God’s gift enables us to love one another. 1 Thessalonians 4:9 states through God’s example of loving us, we are taught how to love each other. God urges us in His word to,“Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves” (Romans 12:10).

We can know and rely on the love God has for us, and when we live in love, we are living in God and God in us (1 John 4:16).

5. The Gift of Life

God’s gift brings new life, causing old things to pass away (2 Corinthians 5:17). Colossians 1:27 tells us of “the glorious riches of this mystery,” which is Christ living within us.

God’s gift of life comes with eternal benefits as promised in 1 John 2:25, “And this is what He promised us—eternal life.”

His glorious Christmas gift to the world has eternal benefits to all who receive Jesus as written in 1 John 5:11, “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.”