~ Today is Giving Tuesday! It’s a special day to share a special gift with a non-profit organization that you care about.
I’d like for you to consider Family Life Assembly of God in Nicoma Park, Oklahoma.
We currently support 32 Missionaries, plus a number of projects in our community.
Currently, we are preparing to provide a Special Christmas Luncheon for Senior Citizens in our community. It’s scheduled to take place on December 18th.
Your generous donation will help us continue to do ministry in our local area and around the world.
Thank You for Giving to the Lord, and Family Life Assembly of God!
We love, and appreciate, each one of you.
Ways 2 Give:
1.) Mail your generous gift to:
Family Life Assembly of God P.O. Box 4040 Nicoma Park, Oklahoma 73066
2.) Tithe.ly
Go to Tithe.ly and follow the instructions. Search for Family Life Assembly of God then make your generous donation.
It’s the beginning of the Christmas season so I have chosen for our Bible verse today . . .
• Matthew 1:18 •
“This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit.” (NLT)
🎚 Start the Christmas season off Correctly and Commit to keeping Christ in Christmas! 🎚
My prayer is that the Lord will greatly bless your Monday, and your entire week.
“The Lord bless you and keep you; (25)the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; (26)the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.” — Numbers 6:24-26 (ESV)
In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, the Apostle Paul tells us to . . .
“Rejoice always, (17)pray without ceasing, (18)give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (ESV)
✝️ Rejoice Always,
✝️ Pray Always,
✝️ Give Thanks in Every Situation.
Sometimes the giving thanks in every circumstance is the hardest of the three, because we’re really supposed to give the Lord thanks for the good things, and the difficult things, that come through our lives.
No matter where you are today, whether in a good place, or a tough place, give God Thanks and Praise.
Your Praise, Prayers and Thanks, to the Lord, is God’s will for your life; and when you are in God’s will, good things are going to come to you.
The Sights, Sounds and Smells, of the Thanksgiving season, have began filling the Allen home, and we are genuinely grateful, and thankful, for all the blessings that the Lord has given to us.
Our Bible passage, today, is found in . . .
• Psalm 28:6-7 •
“Give praise to the Lord; He has heard my cry for help. The Lord protects and defends me; I trust in Him. He gives me help and makes me glad; I praise Him with joyful songs.” (GNTD)
God’s Word tells us to, “Give Praise to the Lord” and “praise Him with joyful songs,” because :
• He has heard our prayers,
• He protects us,
• He defends us,
• We can place our trust in Him,
• He helps us,
• He makes us glad.
And these are only a few things that the Lord does for us; there are many, many more ways that He blesses us.
Perhaps you’re alone this holiday season, or maybe, because of the loss of a dear loved one, you are sad right now — Can I tell you that even in the midst of aloneness, sadness or disappointment, you still have something to Praise the Lord for.
Reach down deep inside you, think of the many ways that the Lord has blessed you, and in this season of Thanksgiving, give the Lord Thanks and Praise.
Remember, in every situation, The Lord, “gives me help and makes me glad” (v. 7).
May our Lord’s greatest blessings be yours today, and may you feel His help and experience gladdness.
Our Bible passage, and devotion, comes to us, today, from . . .
• Jeremiah 17:7-8 •
““But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. (8)They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.” (NLT)
There are great rewards for individuals who place their trust in Jesus, and makes Him the Lord of their lives. Here are just a few:
Changed Life.
Hope.
Favor.
Strength.
Peace.
Plus many other blessings that are spoken of in God’s Word.
Don’t live out verses five and six (read Jeremiah 17:5-6).
Trust in the Lord and live the Blessed Life Now and Forever.
Today, I want you to read, and get a good understanding of . . .
• Matthew 5:21-26 •
“You know our ancestors were told, “Do not murder” and “A murderer must be brought to trial.” But I promise you if you are angry with someone, you will have to stand trial. If you call someone a fool, you will be taken to court. And if you say that someone is worthless, you will be in danger of the fires of hell. So if you are about to place your gift on the altar and remember that someone is angry with you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. Make peace with that person, then come back and offer your gift to God. Before you are dragged into court, make friends with the person who has accused you of doing wrong. If you don’t, you will be handed over to the judge and then to the officer who will put you in jail. I promise you will not get out until you have paid the last cent you owe.” (CEV)
• Is there someone that you need to make things right with?
Today, our Bible verse, and devotion, comes to us from . . .
• Matthew 24:35 •
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” (ESV)
The Word of God is more sure and lasting than heaven and earth. We can build, with more assurance upon the Word of God, than we can upon the pillars of heaven, or the strong foundations of the earth.
The Bible, God’s Word, in 1 Peter 1:24-25 says . . .
“All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the Word of the Lord remains forever.” And this Word is the good news that was preached to you.” (ESV)
And in Luke 16:17, the Word says . . .
“But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void.” (ESV)
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, (17)that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (ESV)
📖 ‼️ GOD’S WORD IS TRUE ‼️ 📖
✝️ ALL SCRIPTURE:
• Every Word in the Bible, has been spoken, or given, by God.
✝️ BREATHED OUT BY GOD:
• The Apostle Paul uses the phrase, “is given by inspiration of God” (KJV), or “breathed out by God” (ESV), to point out the fact that the Scriptures come straight from God.
• Although God used people to produce the Scriptures (2 Peter 1:20–21), the Scripture’s ultimate origin is God.
✝️ PROFITABLE:
• The Scriptures are very valuable because it corrects false teaching while building up believers to live godly lives.
• The Scriptures are valuable because they point the sinner to Jesus, and save them from eternal punishment.
✝️ TEACHING:
• After starting the church in Ephesus, Paul appointed Timothy to lead the new church.
• Teaching God’s Word was Timothy’s primary task in Ephesus. He served as their pastor (1 Timothy 4:6, 13).
✝️ REPROOF:
• The Holy Scriptures were used to rebuke false teachers, and warn those who believed their false teaching, to turn to Jesus (1 Timothy 6:3–10).
✝️ CORRECTION:
• The Scriptures were used to help believers grow in godly behavior.
✝️ TRAINING IN RIGHTEOUSNESS:
• The above phrase describes training in doing what is right, or righteous.
• The Word of God was Timothy’s tool to teach those who once believed erroneously, to now believe in the Lord God, and follow His ways.
✝️ EQUIPPED FOR EVERY
GOOD WORK:
• Scripture is profitable because…Scripture helps believers fulfill the work of the ministry (2 Timothy 4:1–5).
• The Holy Scriptures, God’s Word, is a gift to His people.
• Father God hasn’t left believers to try to figure out how to be like Him, or carry out His will, but He has given us His Word, The Bible, to instruct, and equip us, for doing His good works here on earth (Ephesians 2:10).
After all this, I’ll leave you with the same words I left a few days ago:
Pastor H. Gene Allen 