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Christmas 2021

 Into the darkness Has come a great light A Savior—a Prince Born into the night Don’t look in a palace Of royal design Look in the manger To see the divine. Draw near to God He will draw near to you Seek Him and find Him Who makes all things new. But where do I look Where do I search In myself or in others In a place called a church? God came as a baby Woke a world fast asleep While angels sung of His coming Among shepherds and sheep. Do I look for God Or does He find me and see I could never touch Heaven But Heaven touched me. Whose darkness is it He came to ignite? Mine or yours Or humanity’s blight? Sometimes his light  Feels like one small candle Lit just for me To personally handle Passed so gently  From Him to me Lighting one step at a time To a path I can’t see. And sometimes it’s something  Pressed into my shame And it hurts to be burned Though worse to remain. And other times His light feels untame Fiercely fighting  Like a sword wrought with flame Where do I look When the dar
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Jude 1:1-25

  Jude 1:1-25   1  Jude, a servant [ a ]  of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for [ b ]  Jesus Christ: 2  May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you. Judgment on False Teachers 3  Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.  4  For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. 5  Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved [ c ]  a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.  6  And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the
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3 John 1:1-15

  3 John 1:1-15   1  The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth. 2  Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.   3  For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers [ a ]  came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth.  4  I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. Support and Opposition 5  Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are,  6  who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God.  7  For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles.  8  Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth. 9  I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority.  10  So if I come, I will bring
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2 John 1:1-13

  2 John 1:1-13   1  The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all who know the truth,  2  because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever: 3  Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father's Son, in truth and love. Walking in Truth and Love 4  I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father.  5  And now I ask you, dear lady— not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another.   6  And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it .  7  For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist.  8  Watch yourselves, so that you
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1 John 5:1-21

  1 John 5:1-21 Overcoming the World 5  Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.   2  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments .  3  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.  4  For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.  5  Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?   God, Strengthen my belief that Jesus is the Christ.  Strengthen my love for You and my will to obey your commandments---that I might know Your love better.  Thank You for Your promises.   Testimony Concerning the Son of God 6  This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spir
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1 John 4:1-21

    1 John 4:1-21 4  Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2  By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,  3  and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God .  God, I know that You came in the flesh as Jesus Christ.  Thank You for Christmas---thank You for a time of remembering when You came down from heaven and perfection into a broken world to rescue me---to rescue everyone.  Thank You.   This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.  4  Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. God, help me to live like this is true.  Because it is true.  I can read this now---and find peace and comfort in You.  But sometimes I feel like I am overcome by other things.  Please fix
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1 John 3:7-24

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  1 John 3:7–24 English Standard Version 7  Little children,  o let no one deceive you.  p Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.  8  q Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was  r to destroy the works of the devil.  9  s No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s 2  seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.  10  By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God,  t nor is the one who  u does not love his brother. God---turn me away from sin.  Clean up my heart and let me love others well.     Love One Another 11  For  v this is the message that you have heard from the beginning,  w that we should love one another.  12  We should not be like  x Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did
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