Come Home for Christmas
Saturday and Sunday, December 30-31, 2006
My Prayer Today
Psalm 127
1 Unless the LORD builds a house,
the work of the builders is useless.
Unless the LORD protects a city,
guarding it with sentries will do no good.
2 It is useless for you to work so hard
from early morning until late at night,
anxiously working for food to eat;
for God gives rest to his loved ones.
3 Children are a gift from the LORD;
they are a reward from him.
4 Children born to a young man
are like sharp arrows in a warrior’s hands.
5 How happy is the man whose quiver is full of them!
He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates.
Ponderings on the Psalms
Psalm 127 is another of the Psalms of Ascent written to be recited or sung as the Israelites traveled up the hill to the Temple for worship. As you read it note that it contains several different focus points. First, we are reminded that unless God’s hand is on our endeavors they are futile. Being in the process of building a house right now, verse 1 has particular significance for me. Throughout the process Nancy and I have prayed that God will guide the process and that He will use the home for His glory. As we go through each step we pray for wisdom and seek God’s will. The Psalmist recognized that whether it is an individual home, or a city, God’s purpose is to be lived out or the end result will be futility. Then he switches to another point of focus: don’t spend your life working from early morning until late at night ANXIOUSLY working for food to eat. The key word is “anxiously”. We need not fret over God’s provision in our lives—God always provides. Sometimes we may need to work from early in the morning until late at night, but even in those times we can do so with PEACE, because God is with us. Finally, the psalmist shifts to the blessing of children in our lives. While not everyone has children, those who do are to consider them as a gift from the LORD, even a “reward” from Him. If we considered our children as such from moment to moment, we would undoubtedly, respond differently to them in many situations!
STOP HERE. Sunday’s Study Follows.
My Prayer Today
Heavenly Father, as the close of another year approaches, I thank You for all the blessings of 2006. I thank You for the personal blessings, and I thank You for Your hand being on New Life Christian Ministries as we sought to share the new life of Jesus Christ with the world—one person at a time. I praise You for being a God who provides so that we don’t need to be anxious as we go about our work. I pray, too for the new year—for 2007. I pray that in it You will continue to bless me and New Life that we may be a blessing to others. I pray that as You worked in us to pay of the debt on the land at 127 Knoch Road in 2006, that You will move in us to see the construction of a “mission outpost” there become a reality as we move into 2007. God build us as a people. Build in us the life that is truly life, and give us the same passion for the salvation of the lost as You. All this I pray in the strong name of Jesus, and ask that His kingdom may come on earth, even as it is in heaven. Amen.
Worship
Take time to encounter God. Lift up your heart to Him.
Take time to confess your sin to God. Write your thoughts here:
Take time to draw an “X” through your confessed sin. Your sin is forgiven … repent (don’t do it again!) and rejoice!
Shout for joy: “Jesus is Lord!” (This phrase was the first creed – statement of belief – of the church).
Read today’s Psalm again. As you read Psalm 124 again, remember God’s constant presence in our lives—day and night. Our God never slumbers or sleeps. Thank God for His greatness and His eternal watchfulness as you read the words.
My Space
MySpace.com is a growing presence on the World Wide Web. It’s billed as a “place for friends.”
At the end of each Sunday’s worship study, we will share space where you can jot down thoughts, prayer needs, insights that you want to share with your best friend – Jesus Christ, your Lord and Savior. You may want to use My Space as a journal and save it to refer back as you continue to walk with God … grow in faith … and reach out to serve in Jesus’ name.
Take some time right now to recount the blessings of 2006 in your life. Write some of them here: