God, thank You for coming to be with us-with me. I know that You created me, love me, and gave Your life to save me. Help me to see Your presence in my life. Remind me of all the times, both good and bad, that You've been there for me. I am trusting You today. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Jesus' arrival changed everything. Think about what Jesus' birth means for you as you prepare for this special prayer time.

God, You are worthy of all my adoration and praise! When I think about Your Son coming to earth as a baby, I am overwhelmed by how great Your love is. Who am I that I should be called Your child? I am only worthy because You are a God who keeps His word-and You saw that it was good to send Your Son to save our weary world. All glory belongs to You! In Jesus' name, Amen.

JOHN 1:32-34

And John bore witness: "I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me. "He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.

God always keeps His word, and He will never abandon you, keep that in mind as you bring your fears, requests and concerns.

JOHN 3:34-36

For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life' whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

God has put everything into Jesus' hands, so give Jesus permission to guide you, and show you His will.

Seek His will right now.

DAILY BIBLE READING:

HOSEA 1-4

REVELATION 1

HOSEA'S WIFE AND CHILDREN

ISRAEL'S UNFAITHFULNESS PUNISHED

she who conceived them has acted shamefully.

For she said, ‘I will go after my lovers,

who give me my bread and my water,

my wool and my flax, my oil and my drink.’

‘I will go and return to my first husband,

for it was better for me then than now.’

8And she did not know

that it was I who gave her

the grain, the wine, and the oil,

and who lavished on her silver and gold,

10Now I will uncover her lewdness

in the sight of her lovers,

and no one shall rescue her out of my hand.

THE LORD'S MERCY ON ISRAEL

14“Therefore, behold, I will allure her,

and bring her into the wilderness,

and speak tenderly to her.

15And there I will give her her vineyards

and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.

And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth,

as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt.

16“And in that day, declares the Lord, you will call me ‘My Husband,’

I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth

I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land, and I will make you lie down in safety. 19And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. 20I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord.

“And in that day I will answer, declares the Lord,

and I will sow her for myself in the land.

And I will have mercy on No Mercy,

and I will say to Not My People, ‘You are my people’;

and he shall say, ‘You are my God.’”

HOSEA REDEEMS HIS WIFE

“Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God, and David their king, and they shall come in fear to the Lord and to his goodness in the latter days.

THE LORD ACCUSES ISRAEL

the Lord has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land.

There is no faithfulness or steadfast love,

and no knowledge of God in the land;

Yet let no one contend,

and let none accuse,

for with you is my contention, O priest.

5You shall stumble by day;

the prophet also shall stumble with you by night;

and I will destroy your mother.

6My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge;

because you have rejected knowledge,

I reject you from being a priest to me.

And since you have forgotten the law of your God,

I also will forget your children.

PROLOGUE

Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.

GREETING TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES

Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.

Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

VISION OF THE SON OF MAN

“Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. 19Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. 20As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

PROVERBS 3:1-12

TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART

My son, do not forget my teaching,

but let your heart keep my commandments,

Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;

find favor and good success

in the sight of God and man.

In all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make straight your paths.

fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.

8It will be healing to your flesh

and refreshment to your bones.

9Honor the Lord with your wealth

and with the firstfruits of all your produce;

10then your barns will be filled with plenty,

and your vats will be bursting with wine.

My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline

or be weary of his reproof,

12for the Lord reproves him whom he loves,

as a father the son in whom he delights.

INSIGHT

The “proverbs of Solomon” were written “for gaining wisdom and instruction; for understanding words of insight” (Proverbs 1:1-2). Solomon says the beginning of such wisdom is “the fear of the Lord” (v. 7). In chapter 3, he warns his son not to be “wise in [his] own eyes” (v. 7). Only by wholly trusting in, honoring, and obeying God could he gain wisdom (vv. 5-6). That’s true for us today. When God, the source of all wisdom (2:6), is central in our hearts and minds, Scripture, prayer, and the Spirit guide and direct our lives and choices, including our interactions with others. Wisdom helps to keep us from making foolish decisions (vv. 12, 16) and helps us to treat others with love, patience, and kindness (Galatians 5:22-23; James 3:13) and thereby influence our community for good.

By: Alyson Kieda

UNFORGETTABLE LESSONS

Corey Brooks—“The Rooftop Pastor”—spent 343 days living on the rooftop of his church on Chicago’s south side to inspire community transformation. Online, Brooks posted a “shout-out” to his elementary school teacher Joe Stokes, who taught him four unforgettable lessons: the power of perseverance, the importance of integrity, the value of community engagement, and the impact of education.

By embracing Solomon’s wisdom in Proverbs 3, we likewise can strive to live in ways that have community impact. Solomon taught four lessons that are just right for those who trust in God and are called to be a positive force: “Trust in the Lord” (v. 5); “fear the Lord and shun evil” (v. 7); “honor the Lord with your wealth” (v. 9); “do not despise the Lord’s discipline” (v. 11). Such wisdom compels us to be God-focused, but there are people-touching dimensions to our faith too.

In Matthew 5:3-12, Jesus, the ultimate embodiment of wisdom, eloquently described the internal disposition of believers in Jesus. Furthermore, He reminded them that they were high-impact people. “You are the salt of the earth” (v. 13). “You are the light of the world” (v. 14). As such, we are honored to “Let [our] light shine . . . that they may see [our] good deeds and glorify [our] Father in heaven” (v. 16).

By: Arthur Jackson

REFLECT AND PRAY:

Who compels you to honor God in ways that also touch people? How can you reengage with lessons from the Bible you may have forgotten?

Heavenly Father, please forgive me for my failure to honor You fully. Renew my heart through Your words today. in Jesus' name, Amen.

THE CHOSEN AND FRIENDS: GOD WITH US

A WORD FOR SATURDAY

It’s been nearly 2,000 years since Jesus said those words, and I wonder just how many people have clung to them since they were first spoken, that they might draw from them just a little bit of hope that one day their weeping and their grieving will turn to rejoicing. Surely it’s been millions. But right now, as I’m writing this entry, I find myself thinking only of Jesus’ disciples.

It was a Thursday that the disciples heard the words from Jesus that you’ve read and watched just now—the Thursday before Good Friday, that fateful day that Jesus was killed and the world cruelly rejoiced.

And then?

Saturday.

The disciples are more than likely back in that Upper Room, and the only sound is the sound of weeping—which is, of course, the sound of grieving.

I wonder: did the words from Thursday echo back to them that Saturday?

“Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.”

Did the words echo back, and even more so, did they believe them?

Because it had to have been hard to.

But when Jesus said what he said on that Thursday, he was simply speaking a truth that had always been true, regardless of the day of the week. From Abraham to all of Israel after him, it had been true. God had always turned weeping and grieving into rejoicing. It usually took some time. It often meant some loss. It always had some mystery mixed in. But there was God, ever and always turning weeping and grieving to rejoicing.

I don’t know what day it is for you. But if it’s “Saturday,” The Father has a word for you through his Son about what he’s up to: “You will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve. But. Your grief will turn to joy.”

Saturday will turn to Sunday.

Cling to that with a white-knuckled tenacity like millions of others have.

Because it's true.

It’s what the Father has always done, and it’s what he’ll do. Even if it takes some time. Even though it often means some loss. Even though it will surely have some mystery mixed in.

JOHN 16:20