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From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.
~ John 1:16 NLT May the awe and wonder of the first Christmas be reborn in your heart. May the Holy Spirit cause you to see the angels bending down to witness the miracle of the Savior’s arrival and allow you to join in the wondrous melodies of their timeless worship. The Lord Jesus humbled himself so that you might be lifted up, restored to your glorious original design and be reunited with your Heavenly Father. Run to his arms this Christmas and allow him to hold you and fill you with his love and peace. Feel all doubt, fear and anxiety be washed away in the radiant river of his grace. Understand in a totally new way the gifts baby Jesus came to give you. May his compassion and trustworthy promises renew your hope and stir in you a joyful expectation of the good things he has planned for you and your household in the coming year. Rejoice! Let us sing praises to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, who knows us, calls us by name and raises us up for the greater things to come! Amen! Mary Sumner ~ December, 2020
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“You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”
Luke 1:45 NLT For those of you joining us in our study of the first chapters of Matthew, Luke and John, we are blessed by the wonderfully rich Luke, chapter one, this week. So much in it speaks to us today. One of the things in this chapter I have pondered over the years is Mary’s response to the angel Gabriel’s message to her. While in shock she asks a logical question. How can I have a baby when I am a virgin? Then, beginning to wrap her mind around the fact that God would do it, she replies, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” To God’s ears this has to be one of the most precious responses he has received. To us, it has to be one of the most challenging. We know that God’s choice of this young Jewish woman was not random. She came from the family of David and he knew that she possessed the very qualities needed to survive the challenges ahead and instill the right qualities into her son, their Son, so Jesus could accomplish his mission. She was about to birth a miracle, the very miracle that would save millions from death and release the world from hopelessness. What did Mary understand that we would need to understand to release creative miracles in our lives? She understood that, ultimately, her life was not about herself, but only had value as she submitted it in obedience to God and allowed him to use her for his purposes. She also trusted God and his Word. If God said it, he would do it. That setting aside of her own desires and agenda, and trusting in what God had spoken, is the definition of godly submission, a concept that is not understood nor appreciated by the vast majority in our culture today. Yet that very release of control, and letting God have his way, create the atmosphere in which the miracles we cry out for happen. Submission prepares the fertile soil of God’s word in which the seed of promise can be planted and bear miraculous fruit. Are you waiting for something that only God can make happen? Trust that he has given you his word, your promise, that can get you through this rough time and may even release a miracle. Are you willing to let go and trust him and his word? Listen and obey. We want to hear you testify to your miracle! Dear friend, chosen by God and called into his service, may you encounter miraculous outcomes to your acts of obedience in this time. May you receive the provision, the power and the purpose to set your life on fire for the Lord! Amen. Mary Sumner ~ December, 2020 And now, look, your house is abandoned. And you will never see me again until you say, ‘Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!” ~ Luke 13:35 NLT
Last Sunday the Church entered into its Advent season, a time to focus on the Lord Jesus’ first coming upon his long-awaited birth in Bethlehem. But it is also a time to remember his promise to return a second time. The verse above in Luke 13 may give us a condition for his second arrival. It seems that we must be ready and excited to receive him. Are you ready to publicly cheer and bless the Lord’s arrival in your life today? One way is to get to know him better. A few members of the leadership of Revive and Restore Ministries will be preparing for Christmas, in part, by reading the first chapter of three of the Bible Gospels, Matthew, Luke and John. We invite you to join us this week in reading chapter one of Matthew and simply ask the Holy Spirit to highlight, to bring to your heart, a verse or thought that you personally are to ponder and pray into as preparation for Christmas. It will probably be different for each of us. It is a good idea to write the verse down, so you can remember and go back to ponder it. Be sure to allow it to speak to your heart. How did it make you feel? What picture did it give you? You might ask a friend or family member to join you and share with that person how the verse spoke to your heart and why. How does the Holy Spirit want you to respond? We encourage you to try it. You can do it! It won’t take long. Keep it simple, but expect God to use it and to bless you. After all his word is living and active and will feed your spirit. Dear friends, be blessed as you take this simple challenge. May the word of God strengthen you, guide you and fill you with more reasons to trust in the faithful love of our Redeemer and Lord, Jesus. It’s time to prepare for his return. Amen. Mary Sumner ~ December, 2020 |
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