A Prayer for a Glistening Christmas - Your Daily Prayer - December 16

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A Prayer for a Glistening Christmas 
By Vivian Bricker

Bible Reading:
“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” - Luke 2:11

Listen or Read Below:

Christmastime is one of the most magical times of the year. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, we notice how much kinder everyone is to us. There seems to be a special joy in the air when Christmas is approaching. While I cannot give you a dogmatic reason for this kindness and joy, I know it is from the Lord. And through his generous common grace, he allows non-Christians and Christians alike to feel this joy and experience this kindness.

Even though there is much joy to be had at Christmas, some of us lose the joy of Christmas when we let rampant materialism take over. Rather than Christmas being a day to celebrate the Lord, we can get stressed out about buying presents for others, cooking elaborate feasts, and making sure our Christmas outfits are perfect. All these things can derail us from the true meaning of Christmas. Christmas isn’t about the gifts, the food, or the clothes we wear. It is the anniversary of the Lord’s first advent into the world. Jesus left Heaven to be born into the world, to grow up, and to save us from our sins. There is no greater love than this. The very act of Him leaving the beauty of Heaven to die for us demonstrates His everlasting love, grace, and forgiveness.

Luke 2:11 says, “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” An angel spoke these words to the shepherds in the field and they were overcome with joy to hear the good news. The long-awaited Messiah had finally been born into the world. He saved us from our sins and gave us eternal life through His Name.

Jesus needs to be the focus of our Christmas celebration and the source of our joy. But, for some, Christmas can seem painfully plagued with loss, grief, and illness. If you know someone going through this, be caring, sympathetic, and compassionate toward them. Spend time with them, listen to their pain, and validate their feelings. No longer will they feel alone or helpless, but they will know someone cares. Let’s focus on Jesus and how we can extend His love to others this holiday season. Visit a sick friend, cook a dish for an elderly neighbor, or try to reconnect with a struggling family member. Let us strive to follow Jesus’ example of loving others as He loves us (John 13:34-35).

Let’s Pray:

Dear Jesus, thank You for leaving Heaven to save me from my sins. Please forgive me for all the times that I celebrated Christmas in a way that was focused on materialism. Help me to make the change going forward, to celebrate every Christmas by giving glory to You and following Your example. All glory, praise, and thanks belong to You, Lord Jesus. Amen.

Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Kevron2001


Vivian Bricker author bio photoVivian Bricker obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Ministry, followed by a Master of Arts with an emphasis in theology. She loves all things theology, mission work, and helping others learn about Jesus. Find more of her content at Cultivate.

Related Resource: What If God’s Heart Toward You Is Kinder Than You Think?

In this episode of Talk About That, you will laugh along with stories about children’s books, volleyball mornings, St. Patrick’s Day, and even the questionable legacy of the Power Team, but underneath the humor is a thoughtful conversation about one of the deepest questions of faith: how God truly sees us. John and Jonnie reflect on weakness, mercy, and the struggle many believers feel in accepting that God is not only patient with them, but genuinely pleased to call them His own. It’s an honest, encouraging reminder that our relationship with God is not built on performance, perfection, or “having it all together,” but on His love, grace, and fatherly delight in His children. You'll come away challenged to see yourself less through the lens of self-criticism and more through the steady, compassionate eyes of a God who knows you fully, loves you deeply, and may just be rooting for you more than you realize. If you laughed out loud listening to this episode, be sure to follow Talk About That on Apple and Spotify!

 

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Larry Elder is an American lawyer, writer, and radio and television personality who calls himself the "Sage of South Central" a district of Los Angeles, Larry says his philosophy is to entertain, inform, provoke and to hopefully uplift. His calling card is "we have a country to save" and to him this means returning to the bedrock Constitutional principles of limited government and maximum personal responsibility. Elder's iconoclastic wit and intellectual agility makes him a particularly attractive voice in a nation that seems weary of traditional racial dialogue.” – Los Angeles Times.

Mike Gallagher Mike Gallagher began his broadcasting career in 1978 in Dayton, Ohio. Today, he is one of the most listened-to talk radio show hosts in America, recently having been ranked in the Talkers Magazine “Heavy Hundred” list – the 100 most important talk radio hosts in America. Prior to being launched into national syndication in 1998, Mike hosted the morning show on WABC-AM in New York City. Today, Talkers Magazine reports that his show is heard by over 3.75 million weekly listeners. Besides his radio work, Mike is seen on Fox News Channel as an on-air contributor, frequently appearing on the cable news giant.

Hugh Hewitt is one of the nation’s leading bloggers and a genuine media revolutionary. He brings that expertise, his wit and what The New Yorker magazine calls his “amiable but relentless manner” to his nationally syndicated show each day.

When Dr. Sebastian Gorka was growing up, he listened to talk radio under his pillow with a transistor radio, dreaming that one day he would be behind the microphone. Beginning New Year’s Day 2019, he got his wish. Gorka now hosts America First every weekday afternoon 3 to 6pm ET. Gorka’s unique story works well on the radio. He is national security analyst for the Fox News Channel and author of two books: "Why We Fight" and "Defeating Jihad." His latest book releasing this fall is “War For America’s Soul.” He is uniquely qualified to fight the culture war and stand up for what is great about America, his adopted home country.

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Sean Hannity is a conservative radio and television host, and one of the original primetime hosts on the Fox News Channel, where he has appeared since 1996. Sean Hannity began his radio career at a college station in California, before moving on to markets in the Southeast and New York. Today, he’s one of the most listened to on-air voices. Hannity’s radio program went into national syndication on September 10, 2001, and airs on more than 500 stations. Talkers Magazine estimates Hannity’s weekly radio audience at 13.5 million. In 1996 he was hired as one of the original hosts on Fox News Channel. As host of several popular Fox programs, Hannity has become the highest-paid news anchor on television.

Michelle Malkin is a mother, wife, blogger, conservative syndicated columnist, longtime cable TV news commentator, and best-selling author of six books. She started her newspaper journalism career at the Los Angeles Daily News in 1992, moved to the Seattle Times in 1995, and has been penning nationally syndicated newspaper columns for Creators Syndicate since 1999. She is founder of conservative Internet start-ups Hot Air and Twitchy.com. Malkin has received numerous awards for her investigative journalism, including the Council on Governmental Ethics Laws (COGEL) national award for outstanding service for the cause of governmental ethics and leadership (1998), the Reed Irvine Accuracy in Media Award for Investigative Journalism (2006), the Heritage Foundation and Franklin Center for Government & Public Integrity's Breitbart Award for Excellence in Journalism (2013), the Center for Immigration Studies' Eugene Katz Award for Excellence in the Coverage of Immigration Award (2016), and the Manhattan Film Festival's Film Heals Award (2018). Married for 26 years and the mother of two teenage children, she lives with her family in Colorado. Follow her at michellemalkin.com. (Photo reprinted with kind permission from Peter Duke Photography.)

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A Prayer for a Glistening Christmas - Your Daily Prayer - December 16

Carbonatix Pre-Player Loader

Audio By Carbonatix

your daily prayer devotional art


A Prayer for a Glistening Christmas 
By Vivian Bricker

Bible Reading:
“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” - Luke 2:11

Listen or Read Below:

Christmastime is one of the most magical times of the year. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, we notice how much kinder everyone is to us. There seems to be a special joy in the air when Christmas is approaching. While I cannot give you a dogmatic reason for this kindness and joy, I know it is from the Lord. And through his generous common grace, he allows non-Christians and Christians alike to feel this joy and experience this kindness.

Even though there is much joy to be had at Christmas, some of us lose the joy of Christmas when we let rampant materialism take over. Rather than Christmas being a day to celebrate the Lord, we can get stressed out about buying presents for others, cooking elaborate feasts, and making sure our Christmas outfits are perfect. All these things can derail us from the true meaning of Christmas. Christmas isn’t about the gifts, the food, or the clothes we wear. It is the anniversary of the Lord’s first advent into the world. Jesus left Heaven to be born into the world, to grow up, and to save us from our sins. There is no greater love than this. The very act of Him leaving the beauty of Heaven to die for us demonstrates His everlasting love, grace, and forgiveness.

Luke 2:11 says, “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” An angel spoke these words to the shepherds in the field and they were overcome with joy to hear the good news. The long-awaited Messiah had finally been born into the world. He saved us from our sins and gave us eternal life through His Name.

Jesus needs to be the focus of our Christmas celebration and the source of our joy. But, for some, Christmas can seem painfully plagued with loss, grief, and illness. If you know someone going through this, be caring, sympathetic, and compassionate toward them. Spend time with them, listen to their pain, and validate their feelings. No longer will they feel alone or helpless, but they will know someone cares. Let’s focus on Jesus and how we can extend His love to others this holiday season. Visit a sick friend, cook a dish for an elderly neighbor, or try to reconnect with a struggling family member. Let us strive to follow Jesus’ example of loving others as He loves us (John 13:34-35).

Let’s Pray:

Dear Jesus, thank You for leaving Heaven to save me from my sins. Please forgive me for all the times that I celebrated Christmas in a way that was focused on materialism. Help me to make the change going forward, to celebrate every Christmas by giving glory to You and following Your example. All glory, praise, and thanks belong to You, Lord Jesus. Amen.

Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Kevron2001


Vivian Bricker author bio photoVivian Bricker obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Ministry, followed by a Master of Arts with an emphasis in theology. She loves all things theology, mission work, and helping others learn about Jesus. Find more of her content at Cultivate.

Related Resource: What If God’s Heart Toward You Is Kinder Than You Think?

In this episode of Talk About That, you will laugh along with stories about children’s books, volleyball mornings, St. Patrick’s Day, and even the questionable legacy of the Power Team, but underneath the humor is a thoughtful conversation about one of the deepest questions of faith: how God truly sees us. John and Jonnie reflect on weakness, mercy, and the struggle many believers feel in accepting that God is not only patient with them, but genuinely pleased to call them His own. It’s an honest, encouraging reminder that our relationship with God is not built on performance, perfection, or “having it all together,” but on His love, grace, and fatherly delight in His children. You'll come away challenged to see yourself less through the lens of self-criticism and more through the steady, compassionate eyes of a God who knows you fully, loves you deeply, and may just be rooting for you more than you realize. If you laughed out loud listening to this episode, be sure to follow Talk About That on Apple and Spotify!

 

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