Daily Devotional for Monday September 16, 2019

A special personal challenge for YOU!!!

(Luke 2:1-20)

***DAILY PERSONAL PRAYER FOR YOU: Dear Lord, Thank You for giving me another day of life. Let me use this day to bring glory and honor to You! You are the Creator, the giver of life. Never let me take even one day, one hour, for granted. Use me this day to bless those I come in contact with, that You may be glorified! In the name of Jesus I pray. AMEN!!!

***THE DAILY LIVEPRAYER TV NUGGET: Even though China is a communist country, the United States has adopted many of their practices. I often speak on the TV program about China. Their surveillance and tracking of the apx. 1.4 billion people who live in China (the Social Credit Score I did a Daily Devotional on last week is one way they do this) and the persecution of Christians living in China. The Chinese govt. openly states they believe “one more Christian is one less Chinese.” The Chinese govt. is now demanding that clergy in China base their sermons on a new book that blends Biblical teachings with the teachings of Confucius as part of the Chinese Communist Party’s efforts to “sinicize” Christianity. Pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters in China where churches are burned to the ground or closed down, pastors are routinely given long prison sentences, tortured, and killed, and Chinese Christians are routinely harassed and jailed just for reading their Bible and attending a church service!

*Don’t miss the Liveprayer TV program, airing “LIVE” every Monday thru Friday from 11pm EDT to Midnight! For details on viewing options for the Liveprayer TV program, “LIVE” or “On Demand,” go to: https://liveprayer.com/liveprayer-show-about.cfm

In case you haven't checked the calendar, 14 weeks from this Wednesday is Christmas Day. Oh yes, please don’t be mad at me, I said Christmas Day!!! The Holy Spirit led me to write this message today so that you can start preparing to make this the best and most blessed Christmas of your entire life. It is important for me to share this special word with you now, well enough in advance of all that goes on during the Christmas season, so that you can take the steps necessary to insure this Christmas is the most special and spiritually rewarding Christmas of your life!!!

In just 10 weeks from this Thursday we will celebrate Thanksgiving and the Christmas season will be in full swing. There will be the parties, the shopping, the food, the family and friends, the events at church, all leading up to Christmas morning. For most people, it is a very busy time of the year and no doubt Jesus will be mentioned and thought of during all of the hustle and bustle, but sadly not the real focus or attention. We get so busy "doing Christmas" that along the way we tend to lose sight of what this special time of year is really all about.

For most people every Christmas is about the same. You attend the various parties at work, with people you may share a hobby with, those in your neighborhood. Of course, there is always the shopping. Some start after Thanksgiving, others are shopping for Christmas now, and there are always those who do their shopping on December 24th. One of the highlights of the Christmas season is all the good food. It seems everywhere you go during this time of year there is an endless supply of scrumptious food to indulge in.

Obviously, Christmas would not be Christmas without family and friends. Each year it is the time of year for families to get together, for some the only time of the year they do, and catch up on each other's lives. We often see those dear friends from the past during Christmas and have the opportunity to spend some time with them. No doubt one of the things that makes Christmas so special each year is being with our family and friends. Then there are the Christmas events at church. The great Christmas carols we sing during December, the Christmas cantatas, pageants, and plays every year. Those events at our church help to bring our hearts and minds back to the focus of what this season is really all about.

Christmas morning is always a special time in most homes. We are surrounded by our closest family members, enjoying special food, sharing presents, reliving the memories of Christmases past and making new memories. Yes, the parties, the presents, the food, the family and friends, the activities at church all make each Christmas a very special time of the year in our lives, even though most people do pretty much the exact same things each Christmas season.

That is why this Christmas I want to challenge you to make it the most blessed Christmas of your life..EVER!!! There is nothing wrong with the parties, and the presents, and the food ( just be prepared for all of the hours in the gym during January), being with family and friends, enjoying the activities at your church. The problem is that we get so busy in all of the activities of the Christmas season we tend to forget or not put enough emphasis on what this time of year is all about, and that is the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Sadly, it is easy to lose sight of Jesus in the midst of all that is going on in our lives and I want to help you make sure that doesn't happen this Christmas!!!

I love you and care about you so much. I understand we ALL know the meaning of Christmas. The problem is we have heard the story of Christ's birth so many times and we know in our head that Christmas is about Jesus, that we really don't take the time we should each day during the Christmas season to let it sink into our hearts and get the full impact of the incredible miracle Christmas is.

This Christmas, I want to make sure that you stay focused each day in December on Jesus. This Christmas, I want to make sure that every day in December you are focused on the Lord and what really happened that first Christmas to change human history forever. I want to help you keep CHRIST in your Christmas so that it is the best and most blessed Christmas of your entire life!!!

In His love and service,

Your friend and brother in Christ,

Bill Keller