Month: December 2022

A New Year Prayer for Our Loved Ones

On December 31, 2022

I’ve recently been reading Colossians, and I love the way Paul and Timothy begin this particular letter to the Colosse church: “We always thank God . . . when we pray for you.”

When you pray for others, do you also thank God? Do you thank Him for those individuals? Do you thank Him that you are able to pray for them?

If you read a little further, Paul says this:

We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.

—Colossians 1:9-12

I’ve read this passage many times, but this most recent time was different. This time I felt the Lord prompting me to pray these words back to Him for my family. I have decided to make this my prayer for my family in 2023, and I invite you to do the same:

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you, Lord, for your Word and for the blessing and privilege to pray for my family. I ask You to fill my me, my husband, my children, and the rest of my family with the knowledge of Your will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that we may live a life worthy of You and please You in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of You, being strengthened with all power according to Your glorious might so that we might have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to You, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of Your holy people in the kingdom of light.

In Jesus’s name,

Amen

I encourage you mark Colossians 1:9-12 in your Bible or copy down this prayer and say it regularly in 2023—or find another passage of Scripture that you can turn into a prayer. Let’s make 2023 the year that we pray the Lord’s Word over our families!

Happy New Year!

^{Scriptures for the post taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™}

What does 𝑱𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒔 mean?

By Brandi Smeltzer

On December 26, 2022

In General

If I ask what Jesus means, I’m sure I’ll get several different answers—and many of them will be correct. Jesus means so much! If you want the full meaning of what Jesus means to this world, read the Bible from cover to cover.

And then read it again.

And again.

And if you want an even deeper meaning of Jesus, surrender your heart to Him and live in relationship with Him.

But if you want a simple answer to what Jesus means, just consider His name alone:

“And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21, NKJV).

The name Jesus comes from the Hebrew word 𝘺ᵊ𝘩ôšû𝘢ʿ, which literary means Jehovah is salvation.

We might also say “God is salvation” or “Jehovah saves” or “God saves.”

Jesus, God incarnate, came to earth, born as a human, to save us from our sins, reconciling us to Him.

Praise the Lord!

This is what we celebrated yesterday. Hope you all had a very merry Christmas!

A new year is upon us, but Jesus offers us a new life. A free gift. Will you accept it?

Rooted in Christ

By Brandi Smeltzer

On December 22, 2022

In General

These are the remains of a tree that fell down across my driveway last week, trapping my vehicle at home until my father-in-law was able to come and remove the barrier from my path (God bless him).

If you look closely, you can see decay inside the tree trunk. The tree was dying inside, and its roots were weak. When the soil got a little wet and the winds came, the tree could no longer stand.

In Sunday School last weekend, we read and discussed Colossians 2, and Verses 6-7 prompted me to tell the story of my fallen tree.

⁶So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, ⁷rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

—Colossians 2:6-7

I think you see where this is going.

A tree needs a strong root system to remain standing. If the roots are compromised, the tree begins to die inside. It’s only a matter of time before it comes toppling down.

The same is true for us. Colossians tells us to remain rooted in Christ lest we fall. It is in Him that we find our strength. It is He who gives life.

Take It a Step Further

Many believers live a life apart from Christ, depending on their Christian roots to save them. While it is true that a tree’s roots are critical to its survival, the same is also true of the leaves which take in light through the process of photosynthesis to make energy/food for the tree.

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

—John 8:12

Jesus is the light. If we are not continually soaking up the light of Christ, we starve our spirit, becoming spiritually dead inside.

Take It Even Further

In addition to energy/food, photosynthesis also produces oxygen for other organisms to breathe and survive. Likewise, when believers take in Christ’s light, the fruits of his Spirit flow from us and benefit others.

It is critical that we remain rooted in Christ, walking in close relationship with Him. Our spiritual survival depends on it. With Him, we stand; without Him, we fall.

Reflect

Has your life remained strongly rooted in Christ? If not, what is one step you can take today to strengthen your relationship with Him?