Devotion: Preparing the Way

 You will win! Amen!

Daily Bible Verse

But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. ~Ezekiel 18:21

Daily Inspiration

We know we fall short of the glory of God. We are ALL sinners and make dark decisions that lead us to sin. God offers salvation to all who repent and renounce their wicked ways. He loves those difficult to love; He is patient with restless; He is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-present; thus, making Him perfectly merciful and just. We are thankful to be loved by our loving God; He accepts everyone who chooses to follow Him.

Daily Prayer

Dear Lord, Teach us to look for opportunities to witness. You extend salvation to everyone, and we want to show the world the hope they can have in life with You. in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Lord, lead me to a successful life!!!!!!

Preparing the Way

By Frances Taylor

Preparing the Way: John the Baptist had the task of preparing the way for Jesus ~Luke 7:26-27

John the Baptist had the task of preparing the way for Jesus. If you remember the story of the sower and the seed, you will remember that the seed that took root and flourished was the seed that landed on good ground. John’s job was to till the soil of the people’s hearts and bring them to repentance, so that they would “good soil” for the seeds of the Good News that Jesus would bring. Even when people asked him if he was the Messiah, he denied it and pointed the way to Jesus. During the Passover Seder, the Jewish families will leave and empty place at the table for Elijah and if a person knocks on the door during the meal, they will invite that person in just in case he is Elijah. They are still waiting for the Messiah, and, by extension, they are still waiting for Elijah. Because they want to keep the promise of the covenant in their minds of their children, they also repeat the Exodus story each Passover. They want to make sure that the seed is good. We need to make sure that our soil and the soil of our children is also good and fertile and will welcome the seeds of faith. At this time of year, we have the perfect opportunity to do this by telling the story of Christmas and also the story of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. Perhaps the youngest child able to read could read the story of Jesus’ birth from the Bible. What we read aloud stays in the mind longer than a story read by another. We also need to nurture that seed by sharing our experience of Jesus in our own lives; how our faith is important to us and brings us joy. Just like John, we too are asked to prepare the way for the Lord.

Prayer

Loving God, you allowed John the ability to recognize the Messiah from the womb. He valiantly spread the news that the Kingdom of God was at hand and prepared the way for Jesus to follow. Help us in our lives to prepare others to receive Jesus into their hearts. Amen.

ALL we need is JESUS!!!!!!

When You Worry

For with God nothing shall be impossible. ~Luke 1:37