We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day.
Be open to every opportunity to fill your book with faith, hope, and love this New Year. Let Christ always be your guide. Happy New Year… the TAGteam.
Calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father,
1 Thessalonians 1:3
Cherish your visions and your dreams, as they are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.
Put aside some time today to reflect on your visions and your dreams. Write them down and put them somewhere near at hand. Re-read them each week and make sure you thank Him for helping you work toward realizing them.
Consider the ramparts, examine its citadels, that you may tell future generations:
Psalm 48:14
If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice.
Remember to start out all your prayers with a heartfelt “thank you” to God for all his many blessings. Do this often.
VI - Praise the God of heaven, for his mercy endures forever.
Psalm 136:26
Old love does not rust.
True love may grow old, but it does not have to grow cold. Make an effort to breathe some fresh air and joy into a relationship you may have taken for granted.
Do not let love and fidelity forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart.
Proverbs 3:3
Gratitude never gets old.
Sing gratitude and praise to those around you whenever the opportunity arises. God has supplied you with a lifetime of these opportunities.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
Colossians 3:16
He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree. - Roy L. Smith
Every time you see a wrapped Christmas gift, think of the best give of all: God’s gift of the birth of His son to us. Keep the spirit of Christ Jesus’ birth with you throughout the Christmas season and throughout the year. Happy Birthday Jesus… the TAGteam.
The Visit of the Shepherds. When the angels went away from them to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go, then, to Bethlehem to see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.”
Luke 2:15
Advent Love Theme: We are made for loving. If we don’t love, we will be like plants without water.
Slow down. Live in the moment. Don’t allow the pace of your everyday life to numb your feelings. Laugh, cry, get excited…Most of all, LOVE someone and replenish and invigorate your life.
What is desired of a person is fidelity; rather be poor than a liar.
Proverbs 19:22
Advent Love Theme: The entire law is summed up in a single command, "Love your neighbor as yourself."
Many man-made laws are bound up in complexity and can be interpreted a number of ways. This law is very simple and easy to understand. Therefore, there is no good excuse or reason not to abide by it!
Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law. Awareness of the End of Time.
Romans 13:10
Advent Love Theme: To love and win is the best thing. To love and lose, the next best.
Never second guess an opportunity to love…Ask God for the honesty and courage to overcome any self-imposed obstacles you have created which prevent you from living a life of love and happiness.
Love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor.
Romans 12:10
Advent Love Theme: To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides.
We all have enjoyed the comfort of the warm sun. Warm your entire spirit by truly opening your heart this Christmas season to the ones you love the most.
So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13
Advent Joy Theme: Joy to the World, the Lord has come. Let earth receive her King. Let every heart prepare him room…
Take quiet time this Christmas season to make sure there is time enough and room enough for earth’s King to be received in your heart and in your mind. You will find the true Joy of Christmas by leaving room enough to remember the reason for the season -
“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.
John 15:11
Advent Joy Theme: A joyful home is a glimpse of heaven.
Regardless of how tough the day might be, make certain you go home tonight with the intention to spread the joy of the season in your home. Your joy will be contagious.
On the eighth day he dismissed the people, who blessed the king and went to their tents, rejoicing and glad of heart because of all the blessings the LORD had given to David his servant and to his people Israel.
1 Kings 8:66
Advent Joy Theme: Just as more money never makes anyone give more and more talent ever made anyone volunteer more, more of anything never makes anyone more joyful.
Pursue the joy that God offers you. Pray today that the joy of the Christmas season will sink deep into your spirit and show to others that you meet. Maybe they will ask you why you are so happy!
Then our mouths were filled with laughter; our tongues sang for joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The LORD had done great things for them.”
Psalm 126:2
Advent Joy Theme: By getting rid of the negative, we create a space for joy to take its space.
In prayer today, ask the Lord to free your mind of needless worries. Then, and only then do we create a new space for joy to enter.
I - LORD, the God of my salvation, I call out by day; at night I cry aloud in your presence.
Psalm 88:2
Advent Joy Theme: Lighten up! Spirituality and joy go well together.
As you pray today, do so with a sense of joy. Then, let this joy shine through to everyone you see today. Smile, and wish everyone a Merry Christmas.
A joyful heart is the health of the body, but a depressed spirit dries up the bones.
Proverbs 17:22
Advent Peace Theme: How blessed we are to have the peace and comfort of our church community in which to share our faith and values with fellow Christians.
Find someone in your own church community that can use some peace and comfort this season. Help them strengthen their faith by sharing yours. You will find yourself enjoying your own measure of peace from the comfort you offered to them.
And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. And be thankful.
Colossians 3:15
Advent Peace Theme: The best place to start practicing peace this Christmas season is in your own home.
As you are with your loved ones today, remember to be loving, peaceful, patient, kind, good, gentle…
In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23
Advent Peace Theme: No God, no peace. Know God, know peace.
The more you know God, the more you know the peace that comes from understanding what His grace means in your life. Take time today to get to know God better – He wants to know you.
I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.”
John 16:33
Advent Peace Theme: Worry is like a rocking chair…it gives you something to do, but doesn’t get you anywhere.
It may be naïve to think we can eliminate worry completely, but it is not unrealistic to expect better outcomes if we can convert this anxious energy into positive actions. If you are worried about something today, ask God to help you focus on a solution.
Can any of you by worrying add a moment to your life-span?
Luke 12:25
Advent Peace Theme: There may be those on earth who dress better or eat better, but those who enjoy the peace of God sleep better.
This is a hectic time of year. Take time today to focus on the peace that only God can offer rather than the material aspects of the season. Relax.
And enter into peace; They rest upon their couches, the sincere, who walk in integrity.
Isaiah 57:2
Advent Hope Theme: The more impossible the situation, the greater God accomplishes His work.
It is when we are at the end of our rope and in a situation that seems hopeless that even the weakest of Christians cry out to God for help. It is at this point that God can accomplish great things – when He has our attention. Start today by giving Him the attention He deserves.
Slay me though he might, I will wait for him; I will defend my conduct before him.
Job 13:15
Advent Hope Theme: “I've always been in the right place and time. Of course, I steered myself there.”
Let Hope continue to steer you in the right direction. Stop and say a prayer at this moment that your Hope in life everlasting will guide your faith.
To live in a manner worthy of the Lord, so as to be fully pleasing, in every good work bearing fruit and growing in the knowledge of God,
Colossians 1:10
Advent Hope Theme: “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” …truly the most challenging of these is hope.
Although Hope is the most challenging, God promises that we won’t be disappointed. As we celebrate the birth of his son, let this celebration renew our hope in the reason for Christ’s life and death.
To live in a manner worthy of the Lord, so as to be fully pleasing, in every good work bearing fruit and growing in the knowledge of God,
Corinthians 13:12-13
Advent Hope Theme: It seems hope is most difficult when most necessary.
Take a few quiet moments to ask God to strengthen your faith, make positive your attitude and give you hope whenever you are faced with challenges and pitfalls.
He shall not fear an ill report; his heart is steadfast, trusting the LORD.
Psalm 112:7
Advent Hope Theme: When you awaken your awareness of God’s presence within you, you realize that all blessings are not only possible, but probable.
Hope is more than wishful thinking. Pray, read God’s word, practice Christ’s teaching, and open your heart to others – all these will help you to better understand the true meaning of hope.
Then you shall see and be radiant, your heart shall throb and overflow. For the riches of the sea shall be poured out before you, the wealth of nations shall come to you.
Isaiah 60:5
Faith grows in the field of uncertainty.
Nurture your faith each day by feeding it with prayer, scripture and praise. Do so, and you can be certain of a bountiful harvest of grace and love.
V. Examples, Discipline, Disobedience Chapter 11 - Faith of the Ancients. Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:1
Thanksgiving Day is a jewel, set in the hearts of honest men. Be careful that you don't take the day and leave out the gratitude."
Start your Thanksgiving day with prayful gratitude to God for all his blessings. Remember to say a heart filled prayer before taking your knife and fork upon your Thanksgiving feast. And finally, leave this blessed day with prayer once again. Happy Thanksgiving – the TAGteam!
Enter his gates with thanksgiving, his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name;
Psalm 100:4
Patience is a strong antidote to anger.
Practice patience. In times of anger or frustration, pause before reacting. You will find a calming effect and discover that you need not react in anger, but instead react with the peace that thoughts of Jesus bring to mind.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.
John 14:27
The soul, while itself invisible, is vividly seen by what it does through the body.
Let your soul shine today. The kindness of your soul can pour out through a smile, a hug or a kind word to someone who is down.
[And] be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.
Ephesians 4:32
He who waits for God fails to understand that he possesses Him.
What are you waiting for? Believe that God and happiness are one, and put all your happiness in the present moment. Enjoy the moment.
As they prayed, the place where they were gathered shook, and they were all filled with the holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness. Life in the Christian Community.
Acts 4:31