Intro

We have just celebrated a blessed holy day of the Birth of Jesus, and now we are embarking on a new year. There always is new mercy available, and fresh grace from God. Let’s make this a banner year for spiritual growth. Hi, this is Dorette Schaal with an encouraging word for your day. This year is a year for joyfully celebrating the Word. I’ve determined to live filled with the joy of the Lord, and filled up with God’s word. I hope you will too. Here is your encouraging word for today.

Monday

Before we move on to the new year, let’s take 2 days and celebrate the love of God that came in the form of a baby. We talked about hope, joy, peace, faith and love, and because we only spent one day on the topic of love, I want to expand on it just a bit. The day had finally arrived. After expecting and preparing, Christmas day has come and gone. But we continue to celebrate the gift… we celebrate Jesus. After being in captivity for 700 years, and then a period of waiting to 400 more years, Jesus, God’s gift, came to earth to deliver God’s people. He came as a baby, innocent, fragile, and holy. He came as a King, longed for and long expected, who was mighty to save. On Christmas, we celebrated the birth of Jesus who changed history forever. Jesus came to be God with skin on. God came to be with us. Everyone longs to know that they have someone who will never leave them, disown them, or desert them. Jesus came as Emmanuel, which means, God dwells among us. That means we are never alone. In the moment of our greatest joy, or the deepest season of despair, Jesus is always there. His Name means that He is always with us. What can take comfort in His permanent presence. As we prepare for a new year, let’s make a commitment to enjoy His presence every day. Take time to talk to Him and listen for His voice, and become more aware of what is happening in the unseen realm than in what you see with your eyes. Then you will be an expression of God’ s love in a greater degree than ever before. What a great way to start a new year!

Tuesday

Jesus came as love personified. He came as a baby, lived, died, and rose again all because of the love of God. God is love, and he who abides in love, abides in God, and God in him. (I John 4:16) The God of love has come to never leave us, and to abide with us in love. Love is the greatest of all (I Cor 13:8). We should pursue love and be love to the world. One thing love does is cover - love is like the snow. The beauty of snow is in what it covers up. Everything can be dirty underneath, but put a blanket of snow over the top, and everything looks beautiful. That is just like love. We can bring beauty all around us when we cover other’s mistakes and when we extend grace to others. When we make an effort to cover everything in love, just like a fresh dusting of snow, beauty emerges. If you look at each snowflake indidvidually, you notice that each snowflake is unique. God demonstrates His love to us in unique ways… what could be more unique than a royal king born in a manger? When each of us, like individual snowflakes, begin to manifest the love of God, the beautiful body of Christ can be revealed. And, when each member loves like Jesus, we can envision the purity of fresh fallen snow, covering ugliness and bringing loveliness to this earth.

Wednesday

As the month of December comes to an end, and as the new year approaches, everyone starts thinking about new beginnings. What I love about January is that it comes right after Christmas. Not only are the days beginning to get longer, but we just finished celebrating the arrival of the King of kings and Lord of lords. When Jesus comes on the scene, doesn’t He just make everything better? The new little baby, gives us the opportunity to start fresh starting today. He is alive and living big on the inside of you and me. Whatever you and I are facing is not insurmountable. Jesus is here. What a great start to a New Year. We have a fresh slate, a blank canvas, a clean sheet of paper to begin working with. What happens when Jesus comes? We get new life, new hope, new joy! He brings rest and peace, and power to overcome. Jesus came to reverse the curse of the devil. He actually came to destroy the devil’s work. He did it right out in the open, on the cross of Calvary, and in the belly of the earth as He took on the powers of darkness and triumphed over them. Jesus came onto the scene and changed destiny. When Jesus comes where we are, we got all those same benefits. As we prepare for what God has for us in 2011, recommit yourself to living life full…full of life, full of hope and full of joy. What is in the past is just that, in the past. Why not live your very best life right now. That’s God’s desire for you!

Thursday

Moment by moment, day by day, we have new mercy and grace applied to our lives. There is new mercy for each new day. There is grace for the next moment, even if we messed up in the last moment. We have hope to start new at any time. That helps us have a heavenly perspective. We don’t have to look only at what we see, but we can see through the eyes of faith and our faith become sight as we walk it out. So did you mess up real bad last year? Or did life mess with you last year? Was it a year you want to forget? Well, the Bible says we can forget those things which are behind and look ahead to those things before us. One thing we should always do is to check our heart and learn from our mistakes. We don’t want to have to take this same trail again, so learn the lesson and then live it! If what you learned is that you stand on the Word of God and never quit, keep on standing. If you learned you shouldn’t hang around with people who pull you down, make some new relationships. If you learned that your mouth gets you in trouble, keep a tighter rein on your tongue. If you learned to be more sensitive to others, put it into operation. God is giving us clues and reminders all the time. Let’s be listening to His Word, and paying attention to the Spirit of God, so we walk in God’s ways, and live and love like Jesus wherever we are.

Friday

Was last year a banner year? Hallelujah!! Let’s believe for an even better one in 2011. Jesus is here. He came to dwell with us permanently. He will never leave us, and His love lives inside of us. What great joy and comfort that brings. We are loved with the purest, most abiding love available – God’s love. Let’s be as committed to loving Him as He is to us. Let us never leave Him and let us always demonstrate His love to others. As we finish this year and begin the next, let’s operate in hope, joy, faith, peace and love all through the year. We have experienced His presence. We know His promises are yes and amen to us. We know who we are in Christ, and we walk in His grace and mercy. Let’s make it our goal in 2011 to see as many people come into the kingdom of God as possible. Let’s be faithful to pray for God’s will to be done on the earth as it is in heaven. Let’s see the enemy be defeated and God be glorified in our lives more than ever. Let’s make this a banner year for proclaiming the goodness of God. More obedience, more faithfulness, more sensitivity to the Spirit of God, more growth in the spiritual realm, more confidence in who God is, more blessings, more joy, more peace, more rest, more victory! If all we want is more of Him, He will reward us, because He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. I believe that is who you are…a diligent seeker of the Lord! And as you diligently seek the Lord, you will become more Godly, more gracious and more generous! Those are all attributes of heaven, and exactly what we want to see manifested on the earth! Let’s believe together for more attributes of heaven in 2011!

Saturday-Eword for kids

Have you ever been disappointed by someone who said they would do something for you and then they didn’t? I know we all have. You know what? There is someone who will never disappoint you, who will never leave you, and who loves you unconditionally. I bet you already know who it is. It is Jesus. We celebrate on Christmas day that He came as Emmanuel which means God is with us. He will never leave you. He came to stay by your side, and to always be there for you. He also came as the most perfect example of pure love. God is love, and when Jesus came as a baby in a manger, He became love to the world. When we live in Him, we have that same love living in us. So we never have to be alone, and we can always know we are truly loved by God.

As we start the new year, I hope you know better than ever that God is with you. He will never leave you. The presents you received should be a reminder of God’s love that came as a present to the world. He wasn’t wrapped in wrapping paper and a bow, but in swaddling clothes! He came to bring joy and peace, and He still does that today. There is great joy in knowing that God is always near, and great peace in knowing you are fully loved by God. This New Year share some of what you have with someone else. Most importantly this New Year, give God all of you. Let Him know you are as commited to loving Him as He is to you. Let Him know that you will always love Him, and that you will never, ever leave Him. Happy New Year!

Sunday

Did you know that the Bible says that God rewards those who diligently seek Him? What do you think it means to diligently seek God? When you are diligent, you are actively trying to do your best in every area where God gives us direction - like reading God’s Word, talking with God, living out the principles of the Bible, and becoming more like Jesus every day. So another way of saying that God rewards those who diligently seek Him is this - God gives good gifts to those who do their best to do what He asks of them. What is cool about God is that He is Good and loves to bless us. It almost sounds like you’re his favorite! YOU ARE! And I am too! It is the diligent ones who get rewarded.

Isn’t that how life works on the earth too? Those who do a good job get rewarded. Those who aren’t diligent, probably won’t get any special recognition. God wants us to get the best out of this life, and He gave us a huge hint how to get it. Be diligent. If you haven’t been diligent in the past, choose today to start! Today can be a great new beginning. You don’t have to wait until every one else is making resolutions to make changes in your life. Be one who decided on a consistent basis to make right choices, when it comes to actions and attitudes. We are world changers, and we can start by changing ourselves, in our own world, by becoming more like Christ. Then others will be drawn to the Jesus in us, and we can model to them how to diligently seek Him. How rewarding!

Intro

Hope, joy, faith, peace and love. This is weekend of Christmas and we will take these simple, basic words and weave them into the reality of a baby born in a manger to bring God to us. Hi, this is Dorette Schaal with an encouraging word for your day, during the advent season. As we look at love this Christmas, I believe that you will be encouraged to love others like Jesus does during Christmas and always. Jesus came so that we could receive His love and then give it to others. Here is your encouraging word about love for Christmas.

Friday

Love came near – not only near but in. Love didn’t stay far off, it came close, it came close enough to touch! Jesus was love with skin on! Somebody once said that the almighty had to come as a baby so we could have someone to wrap our arms around. Don’t you love that? Why not let his love embrace you as well this Christmas? I hope you truly realize that God’s love sent in the form of a baby was for you! He loves you that much. We are only good at loving others when we realize how much we are loved. When we experience unconditional, uninhibited love that comes from God, we can take what we have been given and share it with others. Romans 5:5 says that the love of God has been shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Another thing we know the Holy Spirit came to do as it says in Act 1:8 is to give us power to be a witness. We have the love of God on the inside of us, and the power to show compassion to others as a gift from the Holy Spirit. If you put them together, we have the power to love within us! How powerful is that. Love came in, and now we get to love others with the same love that we have received. When we look at the big picture from the cradle to the grave and through Jesus’ resurrection, we see that love motivated it all. He was born to die, but then He came alive with resurrection power, so that we could live the abundant life that Jesus came to the earth to give us. How precious is that little one in the manger. It is love that we can wrap our arms around. How precious is it that He wraps His arms around us, with His amazing love. How wonderful it is that we can wrap our arms of love around others, and show God’s love to the world. Jesus so loved the world, He gave us Jesus. Jesus so loved us that He gave His life. We can so love God, that we give our lives back to him, and serve, love and bless others with all of the love He put in our hearts. What a wonderful way to spend Christmas.

Saturday – Love

Something amazing had happened in Bethlehem. A heavenly announcement about this special event was broadcast throughout the airwaves. In the heavenlies, angels made it known that this event would bring good tidings of great joy for all people. A very special baby was born. The amazing thing about this announcement was that it wasn’t made before kings or people of great worldly importance, it was made to shepherds out taking care of their flocks in the nearby hills. Often shepherds go about what they do quietly. They take care of their animals. They are rarely in the spotlight, so the brightness of the glory of the Lord was a new experience for them! They do their work behind the scenes, most often, unnoticed. But God noticed them. He knew they were faithful and committed and they were the first to know God’s own Son made His entrance on the earth.

The angels told the shepherds to go and see. This baby was God’s own son, the Savior who was Christ the Lord. Once they saw, THEY decided to go and tell. Once they had seen HIM, they made it known abroad. (Luke 2:17) Without satellite television, without FOX News or CNN, someone got the news out. It was those faithful, behind the scenes shepherds. Whether they were ready for prime time or not, they had something to tell. The news they shared would have a life altering impact. Their magnanimous message of the GOOD NEWS was spread abroad.

What was so great about this baby? He was the manifested presence and goodness of God. He came to bring great comfort and joy. He came to bring peace on the earth, and good will toward men. Their world badly needed comfort and joy. It was aching for peace on the earth, and good will towards all men. Hearing the message of Christ’s entrance into our world was for then and is for now. Jesus came to bring comfort, joy, peace and good to all. He still uses ordinary people, just like us, who often go unnoticed in the big scheme of things, to do important jobs for Him. Let us make the good news known abroad. Someone you know needs to hear it. They need to know the comfort and joy that comes through Jesus. They need His peace. Go and tell!

Sunday – love

The last candle of advent has been lit and we can still feel it’s glow. Have you been changed by the love of God during this season of Advent? How has the little baby in a manger affected your world? Are you living a hope filled life, excited about the possibilities in your future? Have you experienced the joy of the Lord that is only found in Jesus? Are you using your faith, and exercising your faith on a daily basis? Do you have a peaceful spirit and have you determined within yourself to become a peacemaker, peace keeper, and a reconciler in your own relationships? Have you been changed from the inside out because of God’s love penetrating your heart? Do you really know how loved you are? Do you desire for others to know that too? My prayer is that not only have you had a meaningful advent season, but that you are growing daily in your walk with God. I pray that your daily rituals include spending time with God, and getting fed by his Word! We make time for natural things on a daily basis, like grooming, cleansing, and feeding. Let’s do the same thing for our spirit. We can definitely be washed by the Word and feed on it daily to make our outward appearance more pleasing to those who are around us, through our attitudes and our actions. You don’t have to feel like change happens for everyone else but you. You are not the exception to the rule. The Word states it very clearly that if we give ourselves daily to the word, to worship and to fellowship, we will become more like Jesus. Isn’t that our goal? Isn’t it our goal to have others be drawn to the Jesus in us? Let’s take what we have learned, and experienced this Advent, and put it into practice. We can be hope filled, joyful, faith filled, peaceful, and love filled people. When we are full, we have overflow, and spilling over the top is a great way to live. Let’s let the overflow of hope, joy, faith, peace and love fill up someone else around us. We have it in us, let’s let it out. We have the light of the world living within, and we don’t have to let the glow fade. Let it shine, and let the warmth of God’s love permeate even the hardest hearts of those you know. Let’s make this a banner year for spiritual growth and numerical growth in our own church body. When we grow spiritually, we become encouragers to others around us to do the same. When we grow numerically, we get to reach more people for Christ. When each number represents a life, we realize that Jesus came for individuals, and his desire is that all would come to know him, and live with hope, joy, faith, peace and love. That’s how love changes the world…..one life a time.

Intro

Hope, joy, faith, peace and love. This is week 4of Advent, and as we expect, prepare, proclaim and reveal the reason we celebrate the coming of our savior throughout advent, we will take these simple, basic words and weave them into the reality of a baby born in a manger to bring God to us. Hi, this is Dorette Schaal with an encouraging word for your day, during the advent season. As we look at Peace this week, I believe that you will be encouraged to make your Christmas preparations in a peaceful, calm and serene way. Jesus came so that we could live in peace and be peace makers. Here is your encouraging about peace for today.

Monday

Peace is a beautiful word. In Hebrew the word is Shalom which means nothing missing and nothing broken. In Israel, instead of saying hello, or even goodbye, people exchange the greeting of Shalom. What a lovely way to speak words of encouragement over everyone you meet. We know that when Jesus came, He came to bring peace in a world of turmoil, unrest and distress. He came to be the Prince of Peace, the counselor, and our mighty God. During the holiday season lots of people get stressed out. It can be from all the activity, because of dreading spending time with relatives that are difficult, or even the stress of feeling the necessity to over spend to keep up a good image. Take a deep breath! Let me speak shalom into your life. Let me speak peace to your soul. We really are too blessed to be stressed. We have the Prince of Peace living within us, so there is no reason to get stressed or live in a state of frustration or turmoil during the holidays, or any time of the year. Can we learn to rest in the peace of God? I believe we can. Peace is more than just a greeting, and more than just a sign we use to say we don’t like war, peace is an attitude that can prevail in our hearts and lives year round. Let’s live in a constant state of peace! When we look at the big picture, we have found what we are looking for. Jesus, who is in the center of our heart, came to fill in the missing pieces in our lives. He came to fix everything in our lives that was broken. So we can say about ourselves, I have Shalom in me, nothing is missing and nothing is broken. Because He came to fill us, we can live in peace, radiate peace, and be peacemakers in a world that is empty and broken. So speak Shalom to your own soul, and then begin speaking it to those around you. Make this Advent more peace-filled than ever, and enjoy Christmas in the peace of God. SHALOM!

Tuesday

Phil 4:7 God’s peace shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace, which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount a guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. How can we experience that tranquil state of soul, that peace that passes understanding in a world that is stressed out? One of the best things to do, during the holiday and really anytime is to speak peace to your soul. Jesus spoke to the storm, and He speaks peace to us through His Word. We can remind ourselves of his words and speak peace to our inner man, to silence the turmoil, or even the feeling that things are out of control. Doesn’t it do your heart good to know that everything is going to be ok? Sometimes we need to remind ourselves of that fact. God is our provider, protector and promoter. He is taking care of us. We know that even if the enemy attacks us, what the devil intends for evil, God can still turn it around for our good. So say to yourself, soul, be still. Speak peace to your inner man, and live fearlessly and victoriously. God has a great plan for your life and it is full of the peace that only he can give.

Wednesday

Be a peacekeeper. Did you know that’s what we are as believers? We are called to keep peace! The Bible tells us repeatedly to seek peace and to pursue it. We are called the salt of the earth, and one of the things salt does is preserve things. We are a preservative in this world’s system. When everyone else is in turmoil, unset, or living in chaos, we are the ones who set the standard of peace. We know a soft answer turns away wrath. We know that we don’t have to have the last word. We know that we don’t always have to state our opinion, when we know it will bring a conflicting view. We do know that we can raise the standard of righteousness by how we respond and react in any situation. We don’t fight fire with fire! We are called to bring peace, and because the Prince of Peace has come, we get to bring his message and live his message everywhere we go. So why not bring a higher level of peace to each situation you enter. Remember what Jesus came to do. He came to bring peace on earth. He brought joy to the whole world, and came as the prince of peace. Let him reign in your heart and life. You are called to peace!

Thursday

Blessed are the peace makers. Jesus came to break down walls, so lets be like him, and do the same in our own relationships. Let’s encourage others to do the same too. Do you know that because you are a Christian, you have the ministry of reconciliation? That not only helps us in our personal life, with our spouse and kids, we can help others be reconciled to each other as well. Recently when I spoke at a Wednesday night service, I prayed for reconciliation for family members who were estranged. One woman came up to me right after service and asked that I specifically pray for her daughter who she hadn’t seen or heard from in 2 years. She went home from the service, called her up, and spoke with her for over an hour, and they reconciled that evening. She is planning to come home for Christmas. I was so happy to be able to help through my prayer, to begin the process of reconciliation in their lives. Don’t you know that was God’s heart for them all along? God put us on the planet to do that. He wants everyone to know His peace and his presence. Let’s be peace makers at work, in our churches, and especially in our homes. Let’s have homes that are an oasis, and a soft place to fall. Many homes are like a war zone, with fallout everyday. Let’s hold up the standard of righteousness and live in peace, and teach our families that living in the peace of God is the best way to live. During Advent, be a peacemaker in your own family, and radiate the peace of God wherever you go.

Intro

Hope, joy, faith, peace and love. In the coming weeks as we expect, prepare, proclaim and reveal the reason we celebrate the coming of our savior throughout advent, we will take these simple, basic words and weave them into the reality of a baby born in a manger to bring God to us. Hi, this is Dorette Schaal with an encouraging word for your day, during the advent season. As we look at hope this week, I believe that you will be encouraged to put more and more of your hope in God. Here is your encouraging word for today.

Monday

Oh Come, oh come Emmanuel and ransom captive Israel. Whenever I hear this song during the holidays, I am always so thankful that we are not waiting for, or still looking toward, or still hoping for our Savior to come to earth. There are many who don’t know this truth. In fact there are people all over the world who are still awaiting the first arrival of their Messiah. But He already came! The prophesies of old were fulfilled. Our hoped for messiah has come. He is here! Emmanuel means just that, God is with us. The simplicity of a baby born in a stable, contained the magnanimous revelation that God is with us. No longer do we have to hope for Him to manifest, He is Here. What an awesome thought! The waiting and the search is over. He found us and now we can find Him! He came to us, now we can come to Him. He offered His life to us, now we offer our lives to Him. His love was demonstrated, so that we can demonstrate our love back to Him. He was a willing vessel, and God’s plan was perfectly executed because he was willing and then obedient to every part of God’s plan. You know the Bible says With GOD, nothing is impossible. The opposite of that is without God there are lots of impossibilities. But God is with us. He is here, so now what was once impossible, is possible. Hope can be manifested into sight. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. He has come. He is with us. He is here. Emmanuel.

Word for the Day: Isaiah 7:14 …A virgin will conceive and bear a son, and His name will be called Emmanuel.

Tuesday

During the time of preparation for a baby, Mary and Joseph were on a journey. It was unexpected for both of them. They probably had their life planned out a little differently than what was now happening. Their personal hopes and dreams had taken an unusual turn. They made their way on this long journey to Bethlehem, to do, of all things, pay taxes. Didn’t anyone know how inconvenient it would be for a pregnant woman to travel on a donkey during her 9^th month of pregnancy? Joseph and Mary weren’t quite prepared for this, but this was their reality. This is not what they had hoped for. Our earth journey is really preparation for heaven. Earth really is very short, and heaven is really very long. What we have to look forward to in and hope for in heaven is way beyond what we can imagine with our finite minds. What the young couple on a journey to Bethlehem had to look forward to, with God’s own son living in their home, was way beyond what they could have imagined. But they made room for Jesus. And when they did, God gave them a taste of heaven on this earth. When we make room for Jesus, He does the same for us. The kingdom of God is within us. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. (Matt 6:10) The very presence of God, His life, His nature, and His ability resides in us, empowering us to make our earth life, a little bit of heaven. The very evidence of things we have hope for! He is giving us a foretaste of things to come. Yes, Lord, we welcome you. You are the one we have hoped for. What great preparation for an extraordinary celebration!

Wednesday

Be it unto me according to your word. This is one of my most favorite passages of scripture. It was said by a sweet young woman who had a big mandate on her life. Her name was Mary and she would become the mother of Jesus. She told the Lord when she was asked to do something way out of the ordinary, “yes Lord, be it unto me according to your word”. Those simple words she said, were words of hope for the world. Mary was willing to do whatever she had to do to see that Jesus would be born to the earth, to bring hope to everyone. Mary visited and stayed with her cousin Elizabeth who was also pregnant and would soon have a baby boy who would grow up to become John the Baptist. After speaking with Elizabeth, Mary sang this beautiful song.

My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant

From now on all generations will call me blessed

For the mighty one has done great things for me.

This humble servant girl had the most important thing God was looking for – a heart that was open and willing to do whatever He asked. Be it unto me according to your word, and The Mighty One has done great things for me. This holy season, let’s have that same attitude…be it unto me according to Your Word. Whatever assignment you are given, let your answer be a willing yes!

Word for the Day: Luke 1:37 For with God, nothing shall be impossible

Thursday

I once heard an acronym for the word Hope which has stuck with me. Honest Optimism Persevering eternally. Hope starts with honestly assessing where you are, and then realizing where you want to be. Hope is optimistic, and sees good in the future. Hope perseveres, and keeps on, even when it feels easier to give up. Hope doesn’t give up….it keeps on going, eternally if necessary. Hope sometimes gets a bad rap, but without hope, there would be nothing to shoot our faith toward! Faith is the substance of things we hope for. When we realize that Jesus himself, coming as a baby, was the substance of what the world was hoping for, we see that his life brings hope to us. We can live honestly, and optimistically realizing that when we do persevere until the end, we will see our desire manifested. When Jesus was manifested to the earth, everything we ever needed was delivered to us. He brought life, and not just average get by life. He brought life abundant. He brought life to the full and overflowing. So as we celebrate advent, and realize that our hope has been fulfilled in Jesus. He gives us hope for the difficult circumstances we may be facing in our own life. Is God big enough to handle them? He took on the whole world, so be confident, our God is able. Our God is willing, and our God wants you to overcome! Let’s be honestly optimistic and persevere eternally if necessary. Our faith will be sight….that is what we hope for.

Friday

Uncommon hope. In our world today, it isn’t uncommon to see people without hope. If we look only to the natural realm, things don’t look that great. The economy is suffering, many are jobless, and people everywhere are looking for an answer. During the season of Christmas, things can seem even more desperate for those without hope. One thing we know is that their answer won’t be found in the natural realm. In other words, the government won’t be their answer, a new relationship won’t be their answer, even a new job, or better job won’t be their answer. Jesus is the answer. He was the one the world was hoping for 2000 years ago, and He has arrived! Because of Jesus Hope should be common! As believers, especially those who know the truth, and live in truth, we should have hope abounding. The advent season is a reminder of hope for all the world. When it seems the darkest, the light will shine. When it seems like circumstances are overwhelming, God will make a way. When relationships bring disappointment, we are reminded that God never fails. I hope that encourages you today to be more hopeful than ever. Everythings we see in the natural realm is subject to change, but we serve a God who never does. He is always faithful. He gives us reason to be full of uncommon hope.

Saturday eword for kids

There is a scripture in Isaiah 1:19 that says if we are willing and obedient, we will eat the good of the land. We’re beginning a journey to Bethlehem, and this week is the first week of Advent we are talking about hope. I want you to think about what Mary must have felt like when she was told as a young teenager that she was going to be the mother of Jesus. When the announcement came to her through the angel Gabriel, she didn’t reply with “no way”, or “I don’t think so”. She said without hesitation, I am the Lord’s servant, be it unto me, just as you have spoken. Then she sang this hopefilled song and the Message Bible says it like this:

I am bursting with God news, I’m dancing the song of my Savior God

God took one look at me and look what happened

I’m the most fortunate girl on the earth

What He has done for me will never be forgotten.

Willingness and obedience in the heart of Mary led to great joy in her life, and a new song in her heart. She was pregnant with Jesus who would bring hope to all the world. God looks at our heart, and loves to see in you a willingness to obey. This advent season, set your heart to obey willingly – your parents, your teachers and especially God’s Word. When we do, we set in motion the opportunity to be a blessing to others. Maybe your obedience will help someone else have hope for their own life.

Word for the Day: Isaiah 1:19 If you are willing and obedient you will eat the good of the land.

Sunday

Sometimes you don’t just get what you expect, you get more. That would definitely apply when it comes to the birth of Jesus. When Mary was told that she would be the birth mother of a holy child named Jesus, she probably had no idea of what that all meant. The “world” was looking for and expecting a Savior, and she was expecting baby, still cradled in her womb. This baby was the darling of heaven deposited to the earth. He was sent to bring Joy to the world!She had great expectations for this baby, yet I am sure her wildest imaginations were exceedingly, abundantly, surpassed.

The phrase that Mary spoke when the angel first told her the news of her impending pregnancy was….. “Be it unto me, according to your Word. May it be just as you have spoken.” That phase should be the joy filled theme of our life. Whatever you want Lord, be it unto me, according to your Word. The great repository of truth, the Bible, has both the plan and the process for us not only to know and love God and His Word, but it has the revelation knowledge of the path and provision for a life filled with His joy. That is something to magnify God for!

Jesus gave it all. He gave up heaven for an earthly home. He willingly made a way for us to have exceeding joy and an abundance of peace, on the earth. He brought heaven to us, and made a way for our relationship to be restored to perfect intimacy with His Father. That certainly is exceedingly, abundantly above all I could have ever asked or expected!

Intro
Hi this is Dorette Schaal with an Encouraging Word for your day. In the coming weeks we’re going to be exploring how we can love more like Jesus. When Jesus invited us to love like Him, He not only told us how to love, but He demonstrated it by how he lived. During this journey we will be discovering how we can connect more deeply with Jesus, and be transformed into His image. This week will be an introduction to this “School of the Soul” and will begin to answer the common question we so often ask ourselves which is, “can I ever change?”The answer is YES!!! We can be love drenched, others focused and courage filled. Here is your encouraging word for today.

Monday
Where is your focus? We hear about focus a lot in our world. What we are focused on is what we will move toward. In the center of every Christian’s visions should be the image of Jesus. Our whole world should revolve around Him. He is the object of our affection and the lover of our soul. Because of His love, He desires for us to love like He does, as His character is formed in us. I think it is easy to become casual about serving God, or lackadaisical, and even sloppy when it comes to how we live. Jesus lived a better way, and He set the example for us to do better. He doesn’t expect perfection or for us to live perfect lives, but lives of excellence as we CONNECT with Him, demonstrating who He is the world around us. When we do the connecting He does the perfecting! So as a launching point for this whole series, we will be asking you to take some time each day to ponder, how Christ-like as I? Is my life love drenched, others focused and courage filled? If we want true transformation into the image of Christ, our lives will be! The transformation process will take us from the place of asking what would Jesus do, to how would Jesus do it? And how Jesus did it, is how we do it in our world. Are you ready to be transformed? I sure want to be and I hope you do too. Let’s love like Jesus.

Tuesday
One of the things we want to do during study is to comprehensively look at being transformed into the image of God. There are a couple of ways to do this. The best way to become like someone is to spend time with them. Another way is to read what others have said about them, and still another way is to read what they have written to you. What is so wonderful about that for Christians is that it is as easy as opening up the Bible and beginning to devour God’s Word to you. Jesus is the Word made flesh, and the Bible is all about Him, and His Words to us. So to get to know Jesus better we can do those three things….spend time with Him, read about His character, and actually study His words. If we do that on a human level, we would know someone pretty well. Today let’s talk about spending time with Jesus. This happens several ways. It can be personal, on your own, or corporately with others. To have the daily spiritual discipline of communicating with Jesus during your personal time of devotions and spending time with Him can be one of the most renewing and energizing things you can do. Making the choice to align your day by taking time to give God first place shows that we love Him. We spell love T I M E, and when we give our time to someone, we show them that we value them. In His presence we get “our cup” filled up. Taking time to worship and adore Him on a personal level is a great way to break into freedom. When we do all of these things with others, we get the benefit of the corporate anointing. Just as one can chase a thousand, and two can chase ten thousand, the power isn’t just added, it is multiplied. There is great joy in hearing others around you worship God. In fact, one of the most wonderful times of worship I’ve ever experienced is when I was at a Women’s Conference and all you could hear was thousands of women’s voices. I encourage you to daily practice being in God presence, and then worship God with others regularly in a church setting.

Wednesday
Another good way to be transformed in the image of Jesus is to read what others say about Him. The most reliable book source about who Jesus is, is the Word of God. A great place to start is in the New Testament with Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The gospels actually are 4 different accounts of Jesus’ life on the earth. It is good to know His character, and see how He interacts with people from four different perspectives. It is good to notice what kinds of questions He asks, and how He responds to questions that are asked of Him. You can find all of that in the four gospels. One of the most obvious things we see is that He showed compassion to the ones we might walk right by. He was more concerned about others than He was Himself. And most definitely He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil. If we want to have the same kind of attitude that Jesus had we can learn about it as we read about Him. Perhaps you’ve heard this that the Old Testament is the Word concealed, and the New Testament is the Word revealed. We can see shadows and types of Jesus in so much of the Old Testament. When Jesus walked on the earth, His motives and character were revealed for us to imitate. But the good thing is, we don’t just have to try to act like Him, He actually put His spirit in us, shed His love around in our heart, and gives us the power to be a new creation, as it says in the New Testament. This might sound odd, but we don’t have to “act” like Him, He is within us and we get to demonstrate “God in us” to the world. We are filled with the fullness of God when we know the love of God.

Thursday
I remember so well the time when my husband and I were engaged, and we lived a 13 hour drive apart from each other. As busy as his schedule was, going to school and working, and serving in a ministry, he took time every day to write me a letter, and I did the same. This was before email and cell phones, when we actually used pen, paper and stamps!!! Needless to say, I looked forward to getting the mail every day. And the very first thing I would do when I got home from college or work was read the letter from my beloved. Do you realize that the words God had written by men inspired by the Holy Spirit in the Bible were designed as a love letter to you? When it comes to being transformed into the image of the One we love, we should take time to read what He has written. When you know and love someone, you value their words. You can’t wait to read what they have written, or listen to them when they speak. You’ve probably heard it said that couples who have been married a long time often look like each other. They begin to finish each other’s sentences, and often don’t even have to ask their mate’s opinion because they already know what it is. As our connection and love grows with Jesus, what is so cool is that can happen with us. We start to look like him. His words are so familiar to us, that they naturally roll off of our lips. We don’t have to ask what His will is, because we already know it. That sounds like transformation to me!

Friday
As we develop spiritual disciplines, they are meant to lead us into a deeper relationship with God and at the same time into joy and goodness. They help us to show more mercy towards ourselves and others. It isn’t a way to earn God’s favor, because we already have it. Disciplines are a way to develop habits that connect us to Jesus and His transforming power. The disciplines we will talk about are not just for elite Christians. Anyone can do them. They are not necessarily hard either. They can fit into the fabric of our lives and can be practiced daily. And maybe the most important part of practicing spiritual disciplines is doing them with the right motivation. We don’t do them to impress others, or to look like we are super spiritual. The whole goal is to connect with God. As we connect with God and spend time in His presence, read His words, and live for Him, we will be transformed. The word transformation relates to the word metamorphosis. Whenever I hear that word, I think of a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. It is a total transformation, from ugly to lovely! If you can relate to the psalm that says that God rescued us from the pit, or the miry clay, you can see how transformed we become when we wear the radiant robes of righteousness that we receive at salvation. We are changed from the inside out. We are transformed into the image of God, never to be the same again. After salvation, as we practice spiritual disciplines and connect more deeply with God, the transformation continues and more and more we demonstrate the love of God to our world.

Saturday
We are going to be talking about how to love like Jesus loves today. When we realize that God’s love is on the inside of us once we ask Jesus into our heart, we can not only love ourselves, but we can love others around us. We can be transformed from being concerned mostly about ourselves, and really be concerned about others. That takes transformation. The Bible says that we are transformed by renewing our mind to the Word, which really means changing the way we think. We can do that with every breath we take. In each moment as we breathe in, we can take our thoughts and exchange them for thoughts that line up with what God’s Word has to say. When we do that, it will be like breathing out the tender love, mercy, and grace of God to those around us. We can do that when we wake up, when we eat, when we go to school, when we are with friends, when we are doing homework, when we watch tv, when we do chores, when we read, and when we go to sleep. As we continue to think about Jesus in everything you do, and our friendship with Him, we start to become like Him. Our own desires will be much less important than pleasing and obeying God. As we experience the love of God on the inside of us, and we will begin to do everything we do in the same way that Jesus would. So we can know what Jesus would do, know how he would do it, and then do it ourselves. That’s real transformation.

Sunday
Have you ever felt like you were getting squeezed by the circumstances in your life? I know we all have. It can be intense when we feel pressure from every side. There is good news associated with pressure. It’s probably time to get prepared for a promotion! If you go to a higher altitude in an airplane, or a lower altitude in a submarine, both places require a change in cabin pressure. So if we want to go deeper in God, or fly higher – with our strength renewed like an eagle, don’t be overly concerned when the pressure comes. On the other side of pressure is likely a promotion, higher or deeper ----if you pass the test…. If you don’t pass, get prepared to do it over again.

Moses and the children of Israel took 40 years to make an 11 day trip with lots of pressure. They kept circling, because they didn’t pass the test.

Abram passed the test after flunking first. He caved to the pressure to make the will of God come to pass on his own. He had his own plan, and because of Ismael, we now have upheaval in half of the world. Then he passed….Isaac was born. Then another test. Will he give Him back to God? Another passed test. God had a ram in the thicket to take Isaac’s place on the altar.

David passed the test with Saul

Are you going to pass? Or are you circling in the desert for a while? Use the pressures of life to your benefit! Know God more deeply, and use His strength on the inside of you to go to a higher place in Him.