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      The essential indispensable element in prayer is attention.

“ Jesus asked, “ Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner ?” Luke 17:17 – 18 “ Gratitude recognizes that a gift has been given, a favor has been done by someone. There is a gift and a giver. But there is more. Gratitude also calls for a response to that gift. We thank the giver with an expression of appreciation – a handshake, a hug, a note. A gesture of gratitude completes the exchange, closes the circle, lets the love flow back to the giver . ” Don Postema, Space for God. I needed to read that quote. It was an “ Ah ha ” moment for me—it made so much sense. Many gifts I have given in the past have left me with a sense of emptiness because I never heard back if the gift was appreciated or not. I felt kind of empty. The circle was not closed—I didn’t feel love flow back from the person I gave the gift to. But there have been so many times when I have not taken the time to thank the giver of a gift to me.

“ The angels left them and went back to heaven. The shepherds said to each other , “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see what the Lord has told us about .” Luke 2:15 Christmastime is a season when many people are more interested in the present than the past . But, it is the past that Christmas is all about. It started over two millenniums ago with a baby in a manger when God became incarnate in man. There were shepherds in the fields attending their sheep. They were itinerant in that they had no home and lived a nomadic lifestyle following the green pastures and cool waters, such as they were, in the barren lands around Judea.

“ When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy…. And they fell down and worshiped him .” Matthew 2:10-11 Worship was such an important part of that first Christmas . The wise-men worshiped Jesus in the house where they found him. The prophetess Anna and Simeon worshiped in the temple. The shepherds’ hearts were filled with praise as they hurried to find the child and then shared the good news with others. The place of worship was different for all of them but their hearts were overflowing with praise and adoration. Do we take the time to worship the Lord during this Christmas season ? It doesn’t really matter whether we worship in our home, in our church, at a Christmas concert or banquet or maybe it’s, ‘ on the run ,’ as we dash through the mail and hear the music, “ Silent Night ”. The only thing that matters is that our hearts are lifted in praise and worship to the Lord. Is there a song of praise on our lips at Christmas? How easy it is to see the work, feel

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”  Luke 2:14The root cause of it all is greed and sin, something God sent His Son to free us from, but before He came, when He came and ever since He came, people have rejected both Him and His Father. In 1 Samuel (10:19) we read “You have rejected God…and asked for a king“.   As long as people are looking for earthly power (a king) and not heavenly power (God), nothing will change. As we look around the world, people are aiming their weapons as one another and even shooing their own, all in the name of greed, power and international control.   As we enter this yuletide season amidst a fallen world of strife and conflict, we should be reminded about what Jesus said about peace.   In Matthew He said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (5:9) and “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly

“Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.” 1 Timothy 4:16 (ESV) I have been a witness to some extraordinary moves of God in my lifetime but, as said, they were extraordinary. Like many I live, bound up in life’s issues day-to-day, coping with the curve balls that speed my way. I have not been saved from life’s shortcomings, as I might be tempted to believe I deserve, so I just keep moving on. With the arrogance and curiosity of being willful I stopped looking to Jesus and looked over the edge of the Narrow path where safety lies. Out of nowhere arose inner-conflict, a disparity between what I know to be true and what were my expectations for God’s will. As I teetered on the edge I looked, and it seemed to be a long way down. Like a party balloon that has hung too long, neglected on a wall, the life in me became limp. I had been distracted by life, from seeing my Savior’s love. For me this

Joy comes in the morning. Psalm 30:5 Sing the praises of the LORD, you his faithful people; praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. When I felt secure, I said, "I will never be shaken." LORD, when you favored me, you made my royal mountain stand firm; but when you hid your face, I was dismayed. To you, LORD, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy: "What is gained if I am silenced, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness? Hear, LORD, and be merciful to me; LORD, be my help." You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. LORD my God, I will praise you forever. Psalm 30:4-12 Posted via email from sistersister's posterous

LL YOU

It is exciting to get to know the One who fathered us before we were born ( Psalm 139:13-16 ). With an open Bible, meditate on your awesome Father. This is the ultimate revelation of His heart. Let the One who is Holy Love re-parent you in His love, so that you see all that He does in your life through the filter of His love ( 1 John 4:16 ). This is greatly abbreviated from Prayer Portions. Your Father wants you to know Him, love Him, and enjoy Him! A My Father is my Abba, Papa-God. I am His beloved child. ( Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:4-7; John 1:12; James 1:18 ). B My Father blesses me with every heavenly gift. ( Ephesians 1:3 ). C My Father gathers me in His arms and carries me all my life. (Isaiah 40:11, 46:3-4; Deuteronomy 1:31). My Father chose me from the foundation of the world. (Ephesians 1:4-6). D My Father disciplines me with love and justice. ( Hebrews 12:6-11, Deuteronomy 32:4; John 5:30 ). E My Father exults over me with joy. ( Zephaniah 3:17 ). F My Father is

Bible Ministry | American Bible Society

      One may be said to love deeply who loves all things, and whatever he loves for the love of God, and who puts the love of God before all else. Posted via email from sistersister's posterous

Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this [will] I [be] confident. One [thing] have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple. For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock. Psalms 27:3-5 King James Version Posted via email from sistersister's posterous

      Sin brings bitterness while virtue brings sweetness, and even in this life, a foretaste of the next

“ For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness. ” Psalm 107:9 The potter can take a lump of clay and form it into a vessel that holds a pint of water. The potter can also take the same lump of clay and form it into a vessel that holds twice the amount of water. This is done by the potter’s skillful hands as he reshapes the vessel to increase its capacity to hold more. Do you sense the hands of your Heavenly Potter shaping and stretching you as His vessel ? He is doing it to increase your capacity to receive more of His fullness—His life, His love, His strength, His power, His grace. “ The souls which thirst for His promises may evermore be filled from His abundance .” Posted via email from sistersister's posterous

      Love is had only by loving. If you want love, you must begin my loving. You must want to love. Once you want it, you must open your eye to see where and how love is to be found; and you will find it within your very self.

Prayer is the light of the spirit, true knowledge of God, mediating between God and man. Posted via email from sistersister's posterous

Saved from Sin For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit. I Peter 3:18 The Bible says, “We have all sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God”(Romans 3:23) and “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). If we believe the words of the Bible, we must be aware of the fact that we need cleansing and that we cannot do it ourselves. Salvation from our sins is only possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. To accept this gift of salvation, we must believe that Jesus is the son of God and that he came to die for our sins. When we accept Him as our Lord and Savior, we need to repent and turn from our sinful ways to follow Him. We are saved by grace, but we still need to honor the Lord with our lives. Turn away from the path of unrighteousness and allow His Spirit to guide you in all you do. In doing so, you will draw closer to God. “Seek the Lord while

      Speak of God always to praise and glorify him; speak of your neighbor only with respect.

“ Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. ” Psalm 51:8 (NIV)  brokenness is a good thing . Here’s why : It’s impossible to become intimate with God unless we are broken of our independence, broken of our pride, and broken of our insistence that our way is better than God’s. We must be broken of the illusion that we bring anything to the peace talks when we seek to end our war with God; the only surrender God requires is unconditional. - Brokenness is the last stop before we finally confess, “ I can’t; God can .” - Brokenness is the apostle Paul confessing, “ What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death ?” Romans 7:24 (NIV). - Brokenness is the prodigal fighting with the pigs over food. Luke 15:11–32 . - Brokenness is Joseph, still in prison, forgotten by the cup bearer. Genesis 40:23 . - Brokenness is Jonah in the belly of a whale, confessing the consequences of running from God: “I know that it is my fault that

Enter into his courts with thanksgiving... Psalm 100:4 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are hisa; We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100 Posted via email from sistersister's posterous

1 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits— 3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, 5 who satisfies you with good as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. 6 The Lord works vindication and justice for all who are oppressed. 7 He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel. 8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 9 He will not always accuse, nor will he keep his anger forever. 10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far he removes our transgressions from us. 13 As a father has compas

      Do you want to be happy? Fix your eyes on heaven; there your heart will find what will satisfy it completely.

      We must pray without ceasing, in every occurrence and employment of our lives; that prayer which is rather a habit of lifting up the heart to God as in a constant communication with him. Posted via email from sistersister's posterous

Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains. – Mark 13:8 (NIV) The earthquakes that we have just experienced remind us that all of creation is groaning and waiting for something new. May we understand the signs of the times and see these events as promptings to join with God in the renewal of all things. Don’t shrink back when the ground shakes, but realign your life for God and proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ; the coming King who will bring a new heaven and earth with Him Posted via email from sistersister's posterous

1 John 4:16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.

  In sorrow and suffering, go straight to God with confidence, and you will be strengthened, enlightened, and instructed.

      Enter into the secret chamber of your heart; leave everything outside but God; And when you have shut the door, then truly seek him.

      It is a good thing to keep the thought of God uppermost in our mind, and something a true Christian should never cease doing.