A LAMP TO MY FEET. A LIGHT FOR MY PATH.

TODAY’S WORD…

He came to His own people, and even they rejected Him. But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn – not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.

– John 1:11-13

REFLECTION…

We are all “chosen”, yet so many carry on rejecting Him despite His calling them to be His friends.

Receiving Jesus, the Word made flesh, means accepting Him through faith, for it is through faith that Christ dwells in our hearts.

Believing in His name means believing in His Person, in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God.

The contrast between physical birth (from human passion or plan) and supernatural birth (which comes from God) shows that those who believe in Jesus Christ are made children of God by the free gift of faith and grace.

QUOTE…

“Christ’s union with man is power and the source of power. […] ‘The Word gave power to become children of God.’ Man is transformed inwardly by this power as the source of a new life that does not disappear and pass away but lasts to eternal life.”

– Saint Pope John Paul II

PRAYER…

Father, thank You for making me Your child;

for softening my heart with Your love and Your grace.

Abba, thank You for Jesus, 

who rushed into my heart, when I finally opened it and gladly welcomed Him in to dwell.

It was then, that I was born anew.

Abba Father, my Lord and my God,

thank You.

.

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TODAY’S WORD…

May God be gracious to us and bless us

and make His face to shine upon us

That Your way may be known upon earth,

Your saving power among all nations.

Let the peoples praise You, O God;

let all the peoples praise You.

– Psalm 67:1-3

REFLECTION…

May God be gracious to us and bless us,

and cause His face to shine upon us.

…and God so loved the world that He sent His only Son.

That Your way may be known on the earth,

Your salvation among all nations.

And as Jesus walked this earth He taught us how to live and love, then He died for us, on that cross – to save us. Jesus’ death was not the end, but it marked a new beginning! His victory over death, His resurrection, gives us hope that we too will someday be raised immortal.

Let the peoples praise You, O God;

Let all the peoples praise You.

We lift our heart and voice in praise of the Almighty. We thank Him for His generous gift to mankind. We pray incessantly that all the world will one day acknowledge Him and praise and adore Him.

PRAYER…

I lift my hands and my heart to the coming King.

To the great I Am, to You I sing

– for You’re the One who reigns within my heart!

I praise You, Lord, and adore You.

You are my Maker, my Saviour, my Giver of Life.

May all praise and glory forever be

to the Father,

and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit.

Amen!

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TODAY’S WORD…

“Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.

Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”

– Luke 3:4-6

REFLECTION…

The Lord is coming soon, His arrival is imminent…and we would do well to prepare ourselves spiritually for this great event. We need to fill the deep and dark valleys of our heart; level the cold mountains of our ego; straighten what’s crooked in us; and smoothen all that’s rough and unbecoming.

If we stop and humbly ask the Holy Spirit to totally take over and to melt us and mould us, He will fill us and renew us. With His divine grace, and our eager cooperation, He will purify our soul through a new interior conversion.

The Holy Spirit will help us prepare ourselves well for the coming of the Lord, our God – our King!

PRAYER…

Holy Spirit,

I want to be ready for the Lord when He comes.

I want to prepare myself for Him,

and make myself presentable

– not just externally, but especially internally.

Come, Holy Spirit, and take over all that I am.

Change me and make me fit for the King.

Come, Holy Spirit.

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TODAY’S WORD…

The Lord Himself will give you a sign. Look, the virgin is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.

– Isaiah 7:14

REFLECTION…

The virgin mother, the child, and his name, “Immanuel” – what a wonderful sign of peace and salvation!

The name “Immanuel” is a prophetic indication of the revelation that the child’s birth implies – the name conveys the joyful news that Jesus is truly “God with us”.

QUOTE…

“Learn from the prophet himself how all this could come to pass.

Does it, perhaps, follow the laws of nature? Absolutely not, replies the prophet: “Look, the virgin…” What a miracle! A virgin will become a mother and remain a virgin! […]

It is fitting that he who enters into human life to save all mankind […] should be born of a woman of perfect integrity who has given herself wholly to Him”

 – St Gregory of Nyssa

PRAYER…

Holy Spirit, fill me with glorious expectation.

Thank You for the faith You have given me;

for the fact that my heart beats faster

as I contemplate upon this magnificent event

when the Word was made flesh so as to dwell among us.

Holy Spirit, I pray that this Christmas many will open their hearts wide to You

so as to truly appreciate the awesome significance of God being with us.

.

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TODAY’S WORD…

This is the name by which He will be called: ‘The Lord is our Righteousness.’

– Jeremiah 23:6

REFLECTION…

Jeremiah is proclaiming the coming of a descendant of David, who will bring about a new era of prosperity and definitive salvation. In the new era justice will reign and there will be peace and security.

Come, Lord Jesus, come!

PRAYER…

My Lord Jesus,

You are my Righteousness, my Saviour.

I thank You, Lord,

for loving and for forgiving me;

for Your ultimate and supreme sacrifice to save me.

You are Jesus,

You are Emmanuel, Son of God.

You are the Messiah,

King of Kings,

Lord of Lords,

Prince of Peace,

our Redeemer.

Come, Lord Jesus, come!

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TODAY’S WORD…

I will lift up my eyes to the mountains.

From where shall my help come?

My help comes from the LORD,

who made heaven and earth.

– Psalm 121:1-2

REFLECTION…

A believer with a problem; a believer who needs help, support and encouragement, looks up towards heaven…towards God…with great love, unending hope and humble yearning, placing it all in God’s hands – hands that have always reached out and loved.

PRAYER…

I lift my eyes up to the mountains.

Where does my help come from?

My help comes from You

Maker of heaven, Creator of the earth

Oh how I need You, Lord,

You are my only hope;

You’re my only prayer.

So I will wait for You

to come and rescue me.

Come and give me life!

[Today’s prayer consists of the lyrics of a beautiful Christian worship song composed by Brian Doerksen]

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TODAY’S WORD…

God has called you and He will not fail you.

– 1 Thessalonians 5:24

REFLECTION…

When God calls a person, it is not an isolated event occurring at a single point in that person’s life; it is a permanent attitude of God, who continually calls us to be holy.

Although our response to His call can cease, God is faithful in His attitude towards us and He always keeps His promises and never ceases in His purpose to save us.

Divine grace never ceases, but then there’s our response.

God will not fail us; it is we who fail ourselves.

QUOTE…

“Buoyed up by this hope, let us bind our souls to Him who is true to His word and righteous in His judgments. He who has forbidden us to use any deception can much less be a deceiver Himself”

– St. Clement of Rome

PRAYER…

Lord, thank You for Your persistence with me.

Thank You for standing patiently at my locked door for so many years,

calling out to me and asking me to let You in.

Thank You for not having given up on me,

and for rushing in when I finally relented;

for so generously forgiving me

and accepting me back as one of Your family.

Thank You most loving Father!

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TODAY’S WORD…

At the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

– Philippians 2:10-11

REFLECTION…

The name “Jesus” or “Jesus Christ” is often heard – but, unfortunately, not in a reverent context. His holy Name has become just an exclamation to some, and a swear word to others.

It is also sad that there are many out there who do not know Him.

It is even more sad, that there are many out there who know of Him but have shrugged their shoulders at the Cross and now utter Jesus’s Holy Name only as a careless curse, or to blaspheme.

“At the name of Jesus every knee should bend…and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.” It is left to us, who do know Jesus, to be His witnesses and to take Him to others – so that for them too He will become Lord.

But we need to first ask ourselves, “in my own life, is Jesus Christ truly my Lord?”

PRAYER…

Lord Jesus, You are my Lord and my God.

But forgive me, Lord,

for the number of times

I held back from admitting that I knew You.

Forgive me for the number of times

I acted like I didn’t know You.

Forgive me for the number of times

I pushed You aside to make way for my selfishness.

Lord, I believe in You;

I acknowledge Your holy Name with deepest reverence;

I bow before You and confess that You are my God.

Lord, mould me, change me,

and use me to proclaim Your Name to others.

Lord, hear my prayer

TODAY’S WORD…

The Lord is my light and my salvation;

whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life;

of whom shall I be afraid?

– Psalm 27:1

REFLECTIVE QUOTE…

“The Lord is our light […].

The inner man, enlightened in this way,

does not waver;

he follows the right path,

and can endure all things.

He who contemplates his final homeland from afar

can bear all adversity;

he is not saddened by worldly things;

rather he finds his strength in God;

he humbles his heart and is persevering,

and his humility makes him patient.

The true light,

which comes into the world to enlighten all men,

is the Son,

revealing Himself to all;

He gives His light to those who [revere] Him;

He infuses it into those who desire it,

when they desire it.”

– St. John of Naples

PRAYER…

Lord, You are my light and my salvation;

whom shall I fear?

Lord, You are the stronghold of my life;

of whom and of what shall I be afraid?

You are my Lord,

my God,

my King,

my Rock,

my Good Shepherd,

my Teacher,

my Friend.

Lord, You are always by my side;

I have nothing to fear.

I love You, Lord.

Thank You, Lord.

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TODAY’S WORD…

Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only one who does the will of my Father in heaven.”

– Matthew 7:21

REFLECTION…

When Jesus speaks, we would do well to listen carefully!

As someone once said about many who glibly claim to believe in God (while living as if they did not), “Well, so does the evil one!”

It is not just believing in God that counts, it is also – emphatically also – doing His will that matters. We can’t go on telling the Lord, “Lord, Lord, I believe in You…but…”

What Jesus says, always makes sense, however are we prepared to listen…and to do as He says?

PRAYER…

Lord, Lord, I love You

and I want to do Your will without exception.

Lord, Lord, I believe in You

and I want to do Your will because I love You.

I believe in You, Lord.

help me overcome my unbelief.

Lord Jesus, help me entrust my entire life to You;

my family; my joys; my pain.

Help me deny myself from all that goes against Your will.

Help me follow You everywhere and in everything I do.

Lord, I know that You love me

and that by humbly coming to You and learning from You

I shall be strengthened.

Lord, Lord, I believe in You and I love You,

because You first loved me.

Please help me do Your will.