365 Days of Praise
Christmas Peace
“For a child will be born to us…And His name will be called…Prince of Peace.”
“When are we getting our Christmas tree? Tonight? Tomorrow?” When I was a child, my sister and I couldn’t wait for the annual tradition of selecting a massive evergreen that would be the centerpiece in our home for the month of December.
Although most of the time it was fun to select the tree, occasionally a few stressful moments crept into our otherwise fun evening. One of us might have our heart set on a short, full tree, while the other had her heart set on a tall, willowy one.
Upon arriving home, additional differences sometimes surfaced when deciding where to put the green giant or whether clumps or single strands of silvery tinsel should decorate each bough. I wonder if God ever shook His head at how easily our Christmas feathers were ruffled over the smallest details.
What about you? What ruffles your Christmas feathers? What upsets the peace and goodwill that is sung about during this season of peace? Today, if you’re lonely, fearful, fighting an illness, or troubled over your marriage, a child, or another relationship, join me in remembering that today isn’t about everything being perfect. Today is for remembering that because of Christ, we will one day live in eternal peace under the reign of the Prince of Peace. Let go of searching for Christmas perfect and instead say of prayer of thanks for Christmas peace in Jesus.
Christmas is not the tinsel.
Christmas is not the tree.
Christmas is about God’s love,
His love for you and me.
Christmas is about the season
When in each of our lives
We thank God for our Savior
Who gives to us new life.
A baby born of woman, yet God
A God born of man, yet divine
God gave to the earth a Savior
Peace, eternal, divine.
So if you are seeking heaven
Would you look and seize the Truth
God’s gift of Jesus on earth
Is God’s gift of Peace to you.
I pray your heart is filled with Christ’s peace as you reflect on the wonder of His love. Debbie
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The Most Important Word
If you were asked what the most important word in the world is, how would you reply? Would it be love, hope, peace? Do a search on the topic and you’ll find a variety of answers such as the most important word is a person’s name. Another answer you might find is “thank you,” which is only one word in French. The Bible has eternal perspective on this topic, however. John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Bible passages such as Revelation 19:13 explain the most important Word is Jesus. “His name is called THE WORD of GOD.” Acts 4:10-12 warns us there is salvation in no other name except Jesus. Now that you know the most important Word, why not start up a conversation with someone on the topic? It might lead to an opportunity for you to share Christ and tell them how they can be saved. If the person is already a Christian but not closely following Christ, it gives you an opportunity to share with them how life and light are found in Jesus. Let’s not keep this Word to ourselves!
Lord Jesus, Word of God, we love and praise You. Stir the embers in our heart to be a roaring fire so we can’t help but share You with others.
Praise to Our WONDROUSLY MARVELOUS Lord
“I will once again deal marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous;…”
What is the context in which God’s actions are described as WONDROUSLY MARVELOUS? The prior verse explains. “Then the Lord said, ‘Because this people draw near with their words and honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts from Me, and their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote, therefore, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, WONDROUSLY MARVELOUS.'” “WONDROUSLY MARVELOUS” means “separate by distinguishing action, to do extraordinary or hard or difficult thing, beyond one’s power.”*
Lord, You alone are God, WONDROUSLY MARVELOUS. May our worship of You be in sincerity of heart and true reverence; not lip service.
FIND MORE encouragement HERE.
Praise to Our WONDERFUL COUNSELOR
“For a child will be born to us, …And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”
Are you at your wit’s end? Do you need someone to talk to; someone who can help you sort out your problems? God understands. He is the original COUNSELOR, and not only is He good, He’s WONDERFUL! He will listen. He is understanding. And, He is full of wisdom. Talk to Him, then listen.
LORD, You are the ultimate COUNSELOR. We praise You!
Praise to the Lord, our WITNESS
“Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood-”
Jesus is a witness. A witness of what, we might ask. He testified to us about heaven, His Father, about the angels in heaven, crowns of righteousness awaiting believers, resurrection bodies, thrones, powers, kingdoms, the judgment seat, forgiveness, redemption, His Father’s house, and even about the reality of Satan. Jesus testified about the fact that Abraham, Noah, Moses, and Jonah were real people and that the Old Testament is true. Our confidence in the Bible and its teachings rests on the faithful witness of Christ Jesus.
Lord Jesus, we praise You, the faithful WITNESS! Thank You for the confidence we have in the Bible and in You because of Your word.
FIND MORE encouragement HERE.
Praise to the Lord of WEALTH, Salvation, Wisdom, and Knowledge
“And He will be the stability of your times,
A wealth of salvation, wisdom and knowledge;
The fear of the Lord is his treasure.”
Many times our search for wealth comes up short. The all powerful dollar is held before us as the “end all” we should seek. However, what the world tells us is opposite of what the Lord tells us. Jesus tells us to lay up treasure in heaven. Isaiah describes the Lord in terms of wealth. Do you consider yourself poor or wealthy? God’s estimation is that if you have Him, you have wealth. Maybe it’s time for us to set our eyes on our wealth in the LORD.
Lord, You are a WEALTH of salvation, wisdom and knowledge. Thank You for all we have in You!
FIND MORE encouragement HERE. Record God’s daily descriptions in Prayers of My Heart.
Praise to Our WARRIOR Lord
“The Lord will go forth like a WARRIOR,
He will arouse His zeal like a man of war.
He will utter a shout, yes, He will raise a war cry.
He will prevail against His enemies.”
“WARRIOR” isn’t the first description I think of when praising my Lord. Nor the second or third. Actually, I think this may be a first for me to praise the Lord for being a WARRIOR. But don’t we need warriors? Don’t we want others to go out and fight on our behalf; to protect us from the enemy?
On Veteran’s Day and Memorial Day we celebrate those who stormed beaches and fought in fox holes to defend our freedom from enemies. Why, then, would we think it strange or even perhaps wrong to think of Christ as a Warrior? Isn’t He our champion over the devil? Didn’t He give His life to gain our freedom from sin? Jesus, our Warrior, fights on our behalf. And, He will return one day not as the Lamb of God, but as a WARRIOR.
Lord, we praise You, WARRIOR from on high.
Praise to Our VINEDRESSER
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the VINEDRESSER. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.”
God is interested in us. He wants us to bear fruit; not be unproductive. God designed us to bear fruit. It brings Him glory. And, when we bear fruit, it brings us joy. I didn’t understand that for a long time.
Then, I planted a garden.
I started small. I had no idea what I was doing. But, I found pleasure in going to my garden every day and checking for growth.
Then, one day, I saw it. The first fruit. I called to Keith, “Come look!” I was so excited.
God, our VINEDRESSER, cares about us. He watches us every day. He prunes away that which is unproductive to make way for us to bear more fruit. If His pruning shears are on us, then we know He’s close, holding us. Rather than wrestle from His touch, breathe in the nearness of His presence.
Lord, You are the VINEDRESSER. We praise You that You care about us and want us to be productive Christians. Prune us so we bear much fruit for You.
Find more encouragement HERE. Do your Christmas shopping here © www.debbietaylorwilliams.com.
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Praise to God, Our VINDICATOR
“O Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their heart, You will incline Your ear to VINDICATE the orphan and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth will no longer cause terror.”
Evil abounds. Human trafficking. Child abuse. Consumers buying pornography for “entertainment” all though these days more and more free pornography websites like watchmygf adult are popping up online. Christians being persecuted. Abuse and abandonment of spouses. Abortion. Civil rights violations.
God is not blind. He sees what’s going on in our nation and world. He knows who is causing the terror.
God is not deaf. He hears our prayers and desires.
God strengthens our hearts when we cry to Him. He will VINDICATE the orphan and the oppressed. That is His name and His nature. And the humble one, who follows Christ, will enter into His glorious eternal presence.
Lord God, VINDICATOR of the orphan and the oppressed, we praise You. Thank You that You will right wrongs and that terror will no longer exist in Your holy presence. Thank You for making a way for us in heaven through Jesus.
Know Jesus as Savior.
Praise to Our VICTORIOUS Lord
“…thanks be to God, who gives us the VICTORY through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Sin. It’s here. Our sin or another person’s sin seems to be a part of daily life. Perhaps one of the most glaring sins is selfishness. We want what we want. We want it when we want it. Things or people that stand in our way frustrate us. But what if sin didn’t exist? What if we were free of sin and its consequences?
The good news is – that day awaits us.
Because of Christ, the VICTOR over death, we will one day be free of sin.
Today, let’s raise our voices in praise of Christ, who has won the VICTORY over sin.
LORD, We praise You for being VICTORIOUS over sin and death. We worship You.