Bp524 - Believe

There's times when a praise comes out easy and times when it takes all the strength I've got

THE WORD FOR 26/12

Paul says: "The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." (Galatians 5:6) How does the Bible define faith? According to Hebrews 11:1 – “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Thus faith means putting your trust in Jesus and having confidence that He will fulfill His promises. When the world seems to be falling apart, our faith stands secure on the rock-solid, trustworthy promises of God and His Word.

My prayer for you today is that you may always have this kind of faith, and that you may receive all that God has in store for you!

 God is wholly trustworthy, so much so that we can base our lives on Him and His Word, no matter what our physical eyes tell us. 

The whole world saw it, Riley. President Trump has completely broken the Democratic Party.

Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the LORD' -- and you forgave the guilt of my sin Psalm 32:5

God loves us and does not want sin in our lives. We need to come to the place where we are sorry for our sins, ask to be forgiven, and decide to turn from them. We need to uncover the sin and deal with it.

Let us look into our own hearts and ask ourselves if there are things in our lives that need forgiveness. It may be hard to do, but God will lovingly show us the areas where work is needed. We should grow in God every day, and this is a good way to start.

Let's not ignore sin. Let us deal with it. Bring it to Jesus. Allow His forgiveness to remove the sin in our lives. It may be hard to face, but we can't argue with God. When God calls it sin, it's sin.

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

Exult, let them exult, the hosts of heaven, exult, let Angel ministers of God exult, let the trumpet of salvation sound aloud our mighty King's triumph!

Be glad, let earth be glad, as glory floods her, ablaze with light from her eternal King, let all corners of the earth be glad, knowing an end to gloom and darkness.

This is the night, when once you led our forebears, Israel's children, from slavery in Egypt and made them pass dry-shod through the Red Sea.

This is the night that with a pillar of fire banished the darkness of sin.

This is the night that even now, throughout the world, sets Christian believers apart from worldly vices and from the gloom of sin, leading them to grace and joining them to his holy ones.

This is the night, when Christ broke the prison-bars of death and rose victorious from the underworld.

Our birth would have been no gain, had we not been redeemed.

O wonder of your humble care for us! O love, O charity beyond all telling, to ransom a slave you gave away your Son! O truly necessary sin of Adam, destroyed completely by the Death of Christ! O happy fault that earned so great, so glorious a Redeemer!

O truly blessed night, worthy alone to know the time and hour when Christ rose from the underworld!

This is the night of which it is written: The night shall be as bright as day, dazzling is the night for me, and full of gladness.

But now we know the praises of this pillar, which glowing fire ignites for God's honor, a fire into many flames divided, yet never dimmed by sharing of its light, for it is fed by melting wax, drawn out by mother bees to build a torch so precious.

O truly blessed night, when things of heaven are wed to those of earth, and divine to the human.

Therefore, O Lord, we pray you that this candle, hallowed to the honor of your name, may persevere undimmed, to overcome the darkness of this night.

Receive it as a pleasing fragrance, and let it mingle with the lights of heaven.

May this flame be found still burning by the Morning Star: the one Morning Star who never sets, Christ your Son, who, coming back from death's domain, has shed his peaceful light on humanity, and lives and reigns for ever and ever.

(my favourite parts the Exsultet)