01/04          Romans 12:6-9 

In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. 9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 

YOU

God has given you an ability.  It might not be the ability you admire but it is an ability you can use in the kingdom to honor and glorify the Lord God.  Do what He has called you to do.  An encourager encourages.  A writer writes.  None of us are called to sit on the sideline.  Get busy.  

01/03          Romans 12:4 

Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. 

PEOPLE

People count with the Lord.  We need to learn to make people count with us.  Every one you see has value and we need to learn how to show them we know that.  People count with the Lord.  

01/02          Romans 12:3 

Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. 

BE

Be who you are.  Belong to the Lord.  He will show you what your are to do, how to do it and then walk with you every step of the way.  

01/01          Romans 12:1-2

1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. 

EVERYTHING

Everything begins with Jesus.  We trust Him with our life.  We spend time with Him and He will guide us in the way we should go.  Be first, to know what to do and then do it.  Jesus is Lord.  

12/31          Isaiah 11:6-10

6 A voice said, “Shout!” I asked, “What should I shout?” “Shout that people are like the grass. Their beauty fades as quickly as the flowers in a field.  7 The grass withers and the flowers fade beneath the breath of the LORD . And so it is with people. 8 The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever.” 9 O Zion, messenger of good news, shout from the mountaintops! Shout it louder, O Jerusalem. Shout, and do not be afraid. Tell the towns of Judah, “Your God is coming!” 10 Yes, the Sovereign LORD is coming in power. He will rule with a powerful arm. See, he brings his reward with him as he comes.

SEE
Look around you.  Everything you can see is passing away.  That which you cannot see is eternal.  

12/30          Isaiah 11:1-5

1 “Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God. 2 “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem. Tell her that her sad days are gone and her sins are pardoned. Yes, the LORD has punished her twice over for all her sins.”  3 Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting, “Clear the way through the wilderness for the LORD ! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God!  4 Fill in the valleys, and level the mountains and hills. Straighten the curves, and smooth out the rough places.  5 Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together. The LORD has spoken!”  

GLORY

We will see the glory of God when we come to Jesus.  He will save us from our sin and reunite us with His Father the Lord God Almighty.  Praise the Lord that Jesus binds us into the Family of God and will never, ever leave us.  Christ Jesus is our Savior. 

12/29          Isaiah 40:1-5

1 “Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God. 2 “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem. Tell her that her sad days are gone and her sins are pardoned. Yes, the LORD has punished her twice over for all her sins.”  3 Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting, “Clear the way through the wilderness for the LORD ! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God!  4 Fill in the valleys, and level the mountains and hills. Straighten the curves, and smooth out the rough places.  5 Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together. The LORD has spoken!” 

SPOKEN

The Lord has spoken-He will comfort His people in Jesus Christ.  Christ, the Creator of All Things, has come to save His people from the wages of sin. Jesus Christ has broken their chains of bondage that sin had placed on their lives.  In Christ we have a relationship with the Father and eternal life beginning right now.  God has spoken in Jesus Christ and we belong to Him.  

12/28          Isaiah 52:7-9

7 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!  8 The watchmen shout and sing with joy, for before their very eyes they see the LORD returning to Jerusalem.  9 Let the ruins of Jerusalem break into joyful song, for the LORD has comforted his people. He has redeemed Jerusalem. 

REDEEMED

Jesus our Lord and Savior has paid the price, by His death on the Cross and resurrection from the dead by the power of God, for our salvation.   Praise the Lord that He has, thank you Lord.  

12/27          Isaiah 40:9-11

9 O Zion, messenger of good news, shout from the mountaintops! Shout it louder, O Jerusalem. Shout, and do not be afraid. Tell the towns of Judah, “Your God is coming!”  10 Yes, the Sovereign LORD is coming in power. He will rule with a powerful arm. See, he brings his reward with him as he comes. 11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young. 

SHOUT

Shout that the Lord is sovereign and He has come to save.  His salvation is complete in Jesus.  Jesus is God’s everything.  Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow.  Jesus is Lord.  

12/26          1 John 4:10

10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. 

JESUS
Jesus stepped off His throne in glory, willingly came into our world to experience time and pain as we do and walked straight to the cross to pay the price for our sin.  The Father raised Him from the dead and Jesus is seated at His right hand ever interceding for us.  Jesus is Lord.  Praise God for the free gift of salvation in Christ Jesus our Lord.  He is always Lord.  Forever.