Only 24 days until Christmas.  Lots to do and very little time.  But there is always time to stop for a minute and get a little perspective about what God wants from us.  Don't run so fast that you forget to make a necessary turn on the way to yours and God's goals!

​Find new excitement
Psalm 130:5 – I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope.
Is there anything more delightful than the sparkle of anticipation in the eyes of a small child?  Think back. You had those feelings of excitement at one time…on hearing the far-off melody of the ice cream truck on a hot summer day, on smelling the cookies baking in the oven, on seeing city streets aglow with the lights of Christmas. What stirs up anticipation in your life today?  The time when the coronavirus will be gone; the time when Congress will work together for the benefit of all Americans; the hour when you will see a relative who’s been away a long time? What if you were preparing to meet the King?
How do you approach your quiet times? “Well, it’s that time of the morning, so I’ll pour myself a cup of coffee and read my Bible for a little bit, then maybe I’ll pray a minute, but then I’ve got things to do?”  Have you lost your awareness that you are about to spend time with the words given to you from the Creator of the Universe? Maybe it has slipped your mind that, as you pray, you are present in the very throne room of God who says to you, “Come, my child. Stay a while with me.”  Is time with Him more of a priority than running those errands or mopping the kitchen floor? A.W. Tozer said, “Spending time with God puts everything else in perspective.” So get excited!

​True Happiness - Day 3
Psalm 79
Micah 4:6-13
​Revelation 18:1-10
 
You seek a happy life in a land of the dying: it is not there. How could a life be happy where life is missing? Our life, our true Life, descended into the world, took our death upon his back and destroyed it with the superabundance of his life. –St. Augustine of Hippo
 
Advent is fundamentally a journey of love.  In this sense, it is a season of heightened attentiveness, reminding us of what is true in every time and every place. It is the love of God that draws near in Christ, it is the Spirit of God that nourishes and sustains us along our way, and it is perfect union with God the Father that remains the aim and destination of our lives. And  while we know this to be true in the core of our being, so often life is lived shortsighted and easily distracted, pulled to one side or the other by lesser loves that promise fulfillment, yet leave us hollow and disfigured.
   In order to encounter the love of God this Advent season, you must be willing to turn away from the desires that leave you spiritually blind and numb. As Revelation reminds us, we live in a world, like Babylon of old, drunk on sexual desire, power, and luxury. The solution? “Come out of her, my people, so that you do not take part in her sins, and so that you do not share in her plagues” (Rev. 18:4).
   True happiness is not found in absolute freedom but in a life aligned with the virtues and values of the kingdom of God. The ways of the Lord are  never for your harm but are for your healing. You are set free to receive a love that makes you truly human, and in turn a love that so transforms your heart and mind that you are sent, turned outwards to give your life away as a gift of love for the life of the world. This is the true spirit of Advent, and where happiness is always to be found.

I'll be adding an excerpt from my Advent devotional at the bottom of each day through Dec 24th.  It's found in the Dwell app and called Love's Pure Light.  I highly recommend it!
https://dwellapp.io/advent

Hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving break.  We have many battles in front of us but who can carry on day in and day out without a break? Not I!  Breaks should be restful but even more importantly we should use the time to listen, reflect, and re-calibrate so that we can come back stronger than before.  Taking time out to focus on and be grateful for what God has already done is a great reminder that helps us increase our faith in what He will do in the future. He has not forsaken us. Praise the Lord for His steadfastness and mercy!

When you don’t feel thankful.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 – Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
In 1981, Rabbi Harold Kushner wrote When Bad Things Happen to Good People, in which he discussed the conundrum of why, if the universe was created and is governed by a God who is good and loving, there is still so much pain and suffering. He concluded that it remains the same problem that has existed on Earth almost since the beginning: there is good and there is evil. He stopped short of promoting the provisions that God has made for overcoming evil…faith in Jesus Christ and His redemptive work on the cross.
If, for any reason, you are not feeling grateful today, if your struggles are weighing heavily on your heart making it difficult to appreciate your blessings, accept those feelings and show yourself the same compassion that You receive from your Heavenly Father. Pray and with the Holy Spirit’s guidance, make a plan to de-escalate the tensions you feel.  Find the smallest thing in your life to be thankful for. It could even be dirty dishes in the sink, evidence that you had something to eat today—something many in this world would be grateful for. 
Smile. Find gratitude for a sunset, a baby’s laugh, a tender message in a greeting card. Then thank God that He has given you emotions that can respond to the good things with gratitude.

​Holy God, we give you thanks and praise for all that You are, for Your loving care for each of us, and Your desire to be in relationship with us. We seek Your wisdom and righteousness to be at work in our daily lives. If we are burdened, bring us relief; if hurting, ease our pain. It is our desire to be thankful in every circumstance. Through Your grace, help us through our times when we resist having gratitude. Keep us centered on You, for in that we shall ever be thankful. In Jesus’ Name, amen.

Give thanks for the nation’s freedoms
1 Chronicles 16:34 – Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!
For many in America this year, there were be fewer seats around the Thanksgiving dinner table. Hopefully, that is just because of coronavirus restrictions, but for some it is because there are people isolating or no longer with us.  Outside the doors of your home, there are disagreements about policies and who has control over what. It may not see like a very blessed environment.
But for Christ followers, there is a consistent Guest at your table…the Lord Himself. While you are fellowshipping with one another, be sure to fellowship with Him. Your environment may not be the one you would like, but you can still be thankful…thankful that you can have two-way communication with absent relatives, thankful that the market hadn’t run out of cranberries, thankful that we have cures and treatments available, thankful that God is with you and has promised never to leave you. And no matter what is inside or outside, always be thankful that you live in America, the only nation in history founded on Judeo-Christian values.
Pray that next year will see a return to your Thanksgiving traditions.

​Holy and Everlasting God, we are indeed blessed to be Americans. We are grateful for those who came before us who taught us the benefits of giving thanks, and for those among our political leaders who have designated a day on which we are to remember and give thanks to You.  It is hard for so many this year, and we pray for those who are lonely, distressed or heavily burdened. You are the Source of Comfort, and we ask that You give comfort to them this year. You are a good, good Father, and Your blessings are bountiful. We give you thanks and praise, Amen.

The Lord never forsakes us.  What an awesome promise.  We must hold on to it with both hands and never forget.

• Pray for a personal understanding of all that is involved in true liberty as granted through Jesus Christ.
• Pray for discernment when listening to politicians and media when they discuss our freedoms.
• Pray for our leaders as they wrestle with how to protect free speech, the right to assemble peaceably, and our religious liberty.
• Pray for Americans to turn to God in repentance and a return to the values and godly principles.
• Pray for America’s leaders in Congress, the courts, and the administration to seek to honor God first in their decisions.
• Pray for God’s hand of protection over the United States.
• For God to guide the president and administration officials in their efforts towards economic recovery.
•For all who are sick and especially for those who are afraid.

An epic tug-of-war is happening between righteousness and lawlessness.
Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.  – Proverbs 14:34
Surprisingly, Johnny Cash did NOT originally author the phrase “walk the line!”  Actually, the term originated in 18th century prison yards. Convicts were exercised by walking a circle drawn on the ground.  Anyone straying from that line brought trouble to the whole group. Many see God in a similar fashion. An angry warden just waiting for someone to get out of line. But that is not the case.
Rightly, God sets the laws of the Universe and for mankind. He is the Creator. He has gone to great lengths to give every person an opportunity to enjoy a place of fellowship with Him and to rest in His Kingdom. Sin was birthed by one setting out to dethrone Him from that place of sovereign authority, hoping to claim both the reign and glory for himself.  
The basic nature of sin has not changed. When one sets themselves in opposition to the Lord of all life and the universe, sin is the result. The consequence of sin is death of the spirit and destruction of the mind and body. There is great forgiveness for those struggling to keep God’s laws, but the one rejecting God Himself harbors sin and is in grave spiritual danger.  
When sin engulfs a nation, God’s hand of fellowship is blocked by the people’s choice to reject Him. But when people seek to honor the Creator and observe His ways, even imperfectly, their nation enjoys His presence and His favor.
Today, hold the line for blessing in your community. Support candidates who support Godly values and that pray men and women of faith will be elected to lead America.