I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time.  1 Timothy 2:1-6 NIV

Please refer to Dec. 2-7 for an explanation of ACTS in Prayer if you need it and spend a few moments doing each of these as you begin today…

A = Adoration

C = Confession

T = Thanksgiving

S = Supplication

Would you take a moment to read the passage above again – slowly.  Reflect upon it and what it means.   It’s clear we need to pray in several ways, but what do verses 3-4 encourage us to do?   I believe this reveals the heart of God; He desires for all people to be saved even though some will choose to reject Him.

As we pray for LIGHT, pray for people to be saved.   Pray for them to admit their sin and agree with God that the way they’ve been living is wrong.  Pray for them to believe that Jesus is who He claimed to be, and in their belief to make the statement in their heart, or out loud, that Jesus died on the cross for their sins and rose from the dead which proves He is Lord and God. Pray for them to believe in and receive Jesus into their hearts as their Lord and Savior.

Added Notes:  God wants all people to be SAVED.  Saved from what?  Saved from the penalty for their sin (choosing to live their way instead of God’s way) which is death (eternal separation from God).     Romans 6:23 NIV says: For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.    The death talked about here isn’t just physical death (which is the result of original sin) but relates to the 2nd death talked about in Revelation 2, 20 and 21.   Revelation 20:14 NIV  says: Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.    

When people are SAVED by putting their faith and trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, their eternal destiny is changed from the 2nd death/eternal death to eternal life.

Christmas Fun, Jokes, Trivia

From Yesterday:  Who created the first electric light Christmas display?

Thomas Edison   In 1880 he put up the first Christmas display made from electric lights to advertise his light bulbs. A few years later an inventor named Edward Johnson, a colleague of Thomas Edison, created the first string of Christmas lights.

Below is a Starbucks Card and Code.  Have the barista scan the code to have a cup of coffee on us today – until the card balance runs out.    You might want to ask them to check and make sure of balance before you get your cup of coffee!