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The Shepherd
A Story Of The First Christmas
Merry Christmas
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Tag: Jesus
Christmas Carols
Can you imagine the Christmas season without the songs?
If you take the time to focus on the lyrics you’ll find many of the beloved carols are not only beautiful but powerful and rich in theology. So don’t simply sing Christmas carols but take them to heart.
John Wesley gave some helpful instructions concerning the proper attitude to have when singing. Here are a few excerpts from his “Directions on Singing”
…Sing lustily and with good courage. Beware of singing as if you were half dead, or half asleep, but lift up your voice with strength. Be no more afraid of your voice now, nor more ashamed of its being heard, then when you sang the songs of Satan…
Above all sing spiritually. Have an eye to God in every word you sing. Aim at pleasing him more than yourself, or any other creature. In order to do this attend strictly to the sense of what you sing, and see that your heart is not carried away with the sound, but offered to God continually; so shall your singing be such as the Lord will approve…
John Wesley’s brother Charles Wesley wrote – Come Thou Long Expected Jesus
O Come O Come Emmanuel is a 9th-century hymn, originally in Latin
Both of these songs clearly speak of the longing for the arrival of Jesus. For believers today the songs also express our aching anticipation of His Return.
Share your favorite carol in the comments below.
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Ambassadors for Christ
When you became a follower of Jesus, you began a new life in Christ.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. -2 Corinthians 5:17
You know that Jesus is your Lord and you want to truly know and serve Him. You have the Holy Spirit to help and guide you each day. Even so, you might find that the distractions of this world cause you to lose focus and drift away from acting like who you really are.
Sometimes we need to be reminded of our true identity and the difference it makes in every aspect of life.
We physically live in the same world but now as citizens of the Kingdom of heaven. See Philippians 3:20.
Since becoming a Kingdom citizen, your full allegiance is always due to your King.
In the Bible, we find believers called
- pilgrims
- strangers
- aliens
- foreigners
- ambassadors
See -Hebrews 11:13 -1 Peter 1:17 -1 Peter 2:11 -Ephesians 6:20 -2 Corinthians 5:20
Our concern is to represent the King and His kingdom wherever we are.
Our quest is to know Jesus and make Him known to others.
We should grab every opportunity to promote the kingdom.
Have you thought about the honor and responsibility of being an ambassador for Christ?
Take a moment to watch the short video below.
Tourist or Ambassador?
What an honor to represent Jesus as a kingdom ambassador!
Read a related post Embassy of the Kingdom
Let us serve with joy
Every day with the King
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Stop Worrying E-Course
About two years ago I wrote a blog series on the subject of worry.
See all four parts of 〉〉 The Worry Series
I’ve now written some new material containing a strategy for overcoming worry.
Who doesn’t have a problem with worry and stress?
Would you like some help dealing with this?
Stop Worrying is a new E-Course available now
This course provides practical help for dealing with worry presented in a simple step by step manner.
Don’t live as a slave to your worries. You can take steps today and find freedom.
Stop Worrying
Worried about the cost of the Stop Worrying E-Course?
This course FREE 🙂
So stop worrying and enroll now!
⇒Stop Worrying
Become fully equipped to conquer worry!
The course along with the blog series is a powerful combination
Enroll in the E-Course AND read the 4 -part → Worry Series
You will find that the E-Course and the blog series are completely different. Access both to have everything you need to stop worrying!
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E-Course Open Now
Do you believe the following statement?
Your daily quiet time is the key to a growing relationship with Jesus.
Most Christians say this is true. However, many Christians have found developing a daily quiet time to be a struggle and even give up on the practice entirely.
E-course is available now ⇒ Design Your Daily Quiet Time ⇐
Wondering if this course is for you?
Read on to find out if you will benefit from enrolling.
→Design Your Daily Quiet Time←
Written for those who:
- have never developed a daily quiet time
- struggle to have a quiet time but feel like giving up
- would like to have a consistent daily quiet time
- want to enjoy their daily quiet time
Find out more by clicking the link below and enroll today↓
Design Your Daily Quiet Time is available now!
Knowing Jesus means having an intimate relationship with Him.
Your daily quiet time is the key to a growing relationship with Jesus.
Design Your Daily Quiet Time E-Course
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Design Your Daily Quiet Time E-Course
Design Your Daily Quiet Time E-Course will be available soon!
Sign Up Now!
This course is for those who seek to have a daily quiet time but struggle to make it a habit. If you already enjoy a vibrant quiet time each day, I believe you will also find something here to enrich your experience. Enrollment in the course also includes access to a private Facebook group just for participants.
After becoming a believer I lived with the frustration and disappointment of not being able to maintain a consistent daily quiet time habit. It actually was many years before I finally came to the point where I am today. Now my daily quiet time is the best part of my day.
I believe that the practice of a daily time alone with Jesus is the most important thing you can do each day. It is not a task to check off your to-do list nor should it be a struggle to develop.
Without a consistent daily quiet time, you cannot expect your relationship with Jesus to grow!
This course combined with the private Facebook group (included with enrollment) will provide you with an abundance of practical help, equipping you to design your daily quiet time.
Regardless of what your quiet time experience has been, it can become something to look forward to each day and enjoy!
Design Your Daily Quiet Time E-Course will soon be available! Sign up now!
Sign Up Here
Design Your Daily Quiet Time
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Thank You!
My last blog post included a poll for all readers. It was great to watch the results come in and find out what people are looking for from Every Day with the King.
A big thank you to all who participated! I would like to offer you a luscious dessert treat and a cup of coffee or tea. But we’ll have to settle for a picture instead 🙂
The poll turned out to be a confirmation for me to continue work on a project that is now close to being finished.
I am writing an e-course on the subject of developing your daily quiet time. The course is especially for anyone who has struggled in this area. Those who already practice a consistent daily time with Jesus will be able to benefit from taking the course also.
I ask that you will keep this project in prayer, especially that it will bring glory to God and that He will use it for His purposes.
I have one quick question for you before I go back to working on the course.
What has been the main difficulty for you in developing your daily quiet time?
Hopefully, I will be sharing a post sometime this month to announce the release of my first e-course.
Your comments are always welcome along with your prayers.
Be sure to follow the blog and/or Facebook page so you will not miss anything!
Blessings,
Lynn
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Fruit Display
“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, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
-John 15:1-8 NKJV
So much in this portion of scripture to study and apply to our lives. Jesus is speaking to us as much today as He was when He said those words to the disciples.
If and only if we are truly abiding in the Vine will there be fruit to bear. Notice we do not make the fruit but we are bearing the fruit. I like to think of this as the fact that as branches we are displaying or holding the fruit. I picture anything that has the purpose of displaying something else. When you look at a vine full of fruit you will notice the fruit, not the branch that is holding the fruit.
Keeping this in mind should help us be quick to give all glory to God. Let’s live each day seeking to bring attention to Jesus, not ourselves.
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Risen Indeed!
But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. -Mark 16:6
The precious blessing of Easter is that we have a living Saviour! The Lord is risen. He is risen indeed! We yearn to keep the precious blessing of Easter in our hearts throughout the year. Lord Jesus. Will You, through Your Holy Spirit, fill our hearts with the knowledge and surety that You live. – Corrie ten Boom
Please open your Bible and join me in reading Luke chapter 24.
Wow, don’t you love this chapter?
The disciples must have been overwhelmed with uncontainable joy.
And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. –Luke 24:52-53
Ask Jesus to show Himself to you today as you walk along with Him.
I pray we respond to our Risen Lord Jesus in the same way the disciples did.
Blessings
Lynn
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The Shepherd’s Way
It seems that often the shepherds are overlooked. Maybe because they don’t seem as interesting as the wise men who followed the star. We picture the wise men in royal robes surrounded by mystery.
The shepherds were uneducated men of low status. They would certainly not stand out in a crowd. These ordinary shepherds bring to mind a lowly shepherd boy by the name of David. He was not special in appearance but God selected him to become King. But more importantly, the shepherds remind us that Jesus is the Great Shepherd who will be returning as King of kings and Lord of lords.
Please open your Bible to the familiar passage in the Gospel of Luke or read below in one of my favorite versions.
There were some shepherds living in the same part of the country, keeping guard throughout the night over their flocks in the open fields. Suddenly an angel of the Lord stood by their side, the splendour of the Lord blazed around them, and they were terror-stricken. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid! Listen, I bring you glorious news of great joy which is for all the people. This very day, in David’s town, a Saviour has been born for you. He is Christ, the Lord. Let this prove it to you: you will find a baby, wrapped up and lying in a manger.” And in a flash there appeared with the angel a vast host of the armies of Heaven, praising God, saying, “Glory to God in the highest Heaven! Peace upon earth among men of goodwill!”
– Luke 2:8-14 J.B. Phillips
As far as we know these shepherds were not looking for or expecting anything out of the ordinary on that night, as they were caring for their flocks. But, their lives were forever changed in a moment, when their eyes moved from watching sleeping sheep to seeing and hearing angels!
When the angels left them and went back into Heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Now let us go straight to Bethlehem and see this thing which the Lord has made known to us.”
So they came as fast as they could and they found Mary and Joseph—and the baby lying in the manger. And when they had seen this sight, they told everybody what had been said to them about the little child. And those who heard them were amazed at what the shepherds said. But Mary treasured all these things and turned them over in her mind. The shepherds went back to work, glorifying and praising God for everything that they had heard and seen, which had happened just as they had been told. Luke 2:15-20 J.B. Phillips
As soon as the angels leave, the shepherds go without delay to find Jesus. We don’t know what they said or how they reacted when they saw newborn baby Jesus lying in a manger. I am certain that they knelt in silent worship.
Next, they begin telling everyone. Then they go back to work. This amazing beyond description experience has just been theirs but yet they have to return to the same old life. What is different is inside of them. They return to work but they are glorifying and praising God!
The Shepherd’s Way
- Go
- Tell
- Return
- Glorify and praise God
Thinking about the response of the shepherds leads to some questions for us.
Are we eager to spend time with Jesus?
Are we telling others about Him?
Are we living praise-filled lives that bring glory to God?
Merry Christmas
Please click on the link below to watch a beautiful film ↓
Joni and Friends Blog – film “The Shepherd”
