First Sunday of Advent

The Forerunner

He will turn the hearts of fathers to children, and the disobedient, the incredulous, and unpersuadable to the knowledge and holy love of the will of God, to make ready a people for the Lord [perfectly] prepared [in spirit, adjusted and disposed and placed in the right moral state].
(Mal 4:5-6, Is 40:3 and Luke 1:17 AMP)
 
This week read how John came preparing the way of the Lord.  Pray the fulfillment of this amazing promise above—the turning of hearts of fathers and children and unbelieving, in preparation for His second coming.  WOW!  What a prayer to pray!

Who do you need to speak that promise over?  Does your heart need turned toward your children or toward your parents?  Are you praying for a prodigal?  Look how John fulfilled the prophecies about him, and let your faith and hope be encouraged this week!

Who:  Elijah must come first.  Mal 4:5-6 & Lk 1:17, 76-79

About his birth:  filled with the Spirit in the womb.  Lk 1:15 & 41

What will he be like:
    - A hairy man with leather belt:  2 Kings 1:8 & Matt 3:4
   
    - Eating locusts:  Lev 11:22 & Mt 3:4

    - Where from:  the wilderness.  Is 40:3 & Lk 1:80 & 3:2

What message:  Repent for the kingdom of God is coming. Lk 3:7-14; 7:27

Messiah will purify with fire:  Mal 3:1-2, 4:1-2; & Lk 3:16-17

So that:  the glory of the Lord be revealed.  Is 40:5 & Jn 1:14

The end of the old and the coming of the kingdom:  “No prophet greater than John but the least in the kingdom is greater than him”  Luke 7:28

From Rebecca Petrie's Journal

God of Covenant, we ask for greater awareness of the daily grace you 

bring to us—especially in suffering and in the mysteries of daily life.

From Rebecca Petrie’s journal on the tenth anniversary of 

her accident becoming a paraplegic, Oct 6, 2001

In Paul's own weakness he cried out to the Lord, the Lord said, "My grace is sufficient... My strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Cor 12:9). I wonder if I have allowed His strength to be made perfect in me. I don't really think so, but I leave that with Father. I don't think I really know what it means. At times I get a glimmer and then it fades. I do understand though that His grace is the under-girding of His Person enabling me when there is nothing I have to give. 

In my Bible, the commentary on chapter 12:9 says this, "God's grace becomes His enablement or empowerment to achieve His plan, endure hardship, or access Him".  

In our need "God gives us grace, the supernatural ability or miraculous facility to sustain, endure, or maintain our call. If there is strength out of this weakness it is surely a work of His grace.      

Father, I pray that today You would enable me to access Your grace to allow You to be Yourself in me, and love through me. 

I can respond to grace    

Are you aware today of weakness, are you in pain, are you lonely? Run to Him, oh, run to Him! Sometimes we are tempted to be angry with the very One who loves  us and will turn our pain and weakness into His strength and purpose.

This week is Thanksgiving. Give thanks and pray for our   nation—for a great awakening resulting in us rising up in courage and love and God’s power as REFORMERS.

Next Sunday is the First Sunday of Advent (the four weeks of reverent worship of Jesus, The Word made flesh to dwell among us.

God reveals himself and restores us through covenant:

T       Worship God who is Transcendent (above all)
H      Follow Christ and his representative-Heirarchy
E       Build fellowship-Ethics-love one another  
O      Be good stewards-Oaths-agree with God’s consequences
S       Join him in Co-Mission-Succession for the future


-PD

God Is (T.H.E.O.S)... 

I Am (W.D.F.S.M.)...

 

 
Last Sunday I reviewed five values I believe in and we teach from God’s Word. Today I match them with the five aspects of living the covenant life, from chapter 4 in the Reformers Creed book.

    

T             God is transcendent (other, beyond, above like the top of the capital letter “T” -I am

                   a  worshipper  whom God  seeks.      (Jn 4:23-24)

H           God is re-presented delegated hierarchy. I am Christ's disciple so I can be 

                  discipled by another person and disciple others (Jn 8:31-32).

E            God shows his love giving us ethics  - I am  growing in love and the fellowship of

                  covenant relationships  by my obedience to God (Acts 2:42-46 and 1 Cor 13 “Love) 

O           God gives us his solemn oath of blessing and curses in covenant and I agree to His

                   terms-I am stewarding all I am and all I have been given for Christ (1Pet4:11).

S             God continues relationship and builds His kingdom through succession of

                   generational transfer, winning the lost and making discisples.  I am on co-mission  

                   with Christ for his kingdom and for the gospel (Mt28:18-19).

 

There is a progression from W   -->   D   -->   F   -->    S   -->    M  ...

Seeing God as He is, how could I not believe and worship? 

Seeing and believing and worshipping God, how could I not take up my own cross and follow him to be his disciple? 

Seeing, believing, worshipping and following God, how could I not love others, seeking their good and desiring fellowship and covenant with them?

Seeing, believing, worshipping, following and fellowshipping God with you, how could I not serve and minister to and with you (stewardship) using everything He has given to Me for His glory and joy? 

Seeing, believing, worshipping, following, fellowshipping and stewarding for God, how could we not go on co-mission with Him? How could we not want others to know Him and the good news of his kingdom? How could we not pray for them by name and nation, and invite them and befriend them and believe for them to belong and become re-formed with us and together participate With Christ in the re-forming of the earth in his image?

-PD

Creating a Culture of Honor Requires
the Touch Of The Master's Hand

You may know the story of the auctioneer who could not get a bid on an old violin until an elderly man interrupted the bidding, picked it up and began to play it beautifully. Immediately the value of the bids jumped—all because of the "touch of the Master's hand."

Today we desire to say "Thank You" to friends and neighbors who serve our community. Your "touch" on a child's life, your integrity in business, your help for a person in need, your protection, etc... You represent the grace of God who keeps watch over our city. We honor you today. May you feel the touch of the Master's hand in your life and through you to others.

This is week six in our study of God as the Creator of the form, man the bearer of God's form and creation reflecting the good form of God's image. In the second section of our book Reformers Creed, we look at God the Just Judge of the distorted form, man bearing that distortion, and the effect on creation.  Because  man aligned himself with the likeness of a distorted form (the Usurper-Liar-Accuser called Satan) God provided a means to restore us to His own image, and through us Re-form the earth.

Questions we might ask ourselves include the  following:

What is my image of God? How do I think of Him? Do I think about God? What do I feel about God's thoughts toward me? If God is good and loves me and places worth and value on me enough to send His only Son whom He loves to restore me to Himself,  does this affect how I view others and treat them? Do I value   myself and honor others as created in the image and likeness of God?

How do I show value for what God made? Am I a good representative in how I tend and guard and release  potential in people and things and the earth itself? What kind of house or rearing place am I making for God?

Finally, how do I show value for God's Word? Reading, meditating, studying and applying God's word brings blessing:  God created by His Word, holds things together by His Word, judges creation by his Word, and Jesus is the Word made flesh among us. How I value God's Word reflects how much I value Christ himself.  

Our hope is that we will grow in the knowledge of God and his word to us. We will bear his image in the earth. And by His grace we will create a culture of honor, affirmation, appreciation for others. The touch of the Master's Hand reveals the true value and image of God. Let Him choose you, lift you up in His presence, tune you and use you as his worship, releasing creativity, beauty, courage and hope.   -PD