Jesus’ closest followers saw Him pull away for prayer often; prayer was the habit of His life.  One day they asked Him to teach them to pray.  Among other things, He gave them a guide that’s called The Lord’s Prayer. He didn’t give it to them to pray as a rote prayer with no meaning, but as a guide for their time alone with God.  Jesus said…

“Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.   ‘Give us this day our daily bread.  ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.  ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’]  For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.   Matthew 6:9:15 NASB

Our Father– if you’ve put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, never forget you are God’s child and you have a Heavenly Father who loves you with a perfect love.  God wants to hear from you and speak to you because you are His child and you are loved.

Romans 8:38-39 says there is nothing, absolutely nothing, that can separate us from the love of God if Jesus Christ is our Lord.   If you didn’t have a great relationship with your earthly father, be thankful that your Heavenly Father is perfect; He loves you with an unconditional and unending love, and He will never abandon or hurt you.

As you pray, spend a few moments thanking God for this amazing truth. Thank Him for His love and grace. Ask Him to help you understand His love more fully so you’re better able to share it with others.

As you pray for LIGHT, ask God to open the hearts of the people who attend to receive His light and love through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Pray that your own heart will be open to experience the fullness of His light and love.

Christmas Fun, Jokes, Trivia

Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Irish.
Irish who?
Irish you a Merry Christmas!