Friday Writing by Kelly Dobyns...12/9/16

Good Morning,

Today's devotional is named "Best News Ever!" and was written by Kelly Dobyns. Kelly starts off her writing sharing the fact that she really enjoys listening to Christmas music. She says that “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” is her favorite carol. She then goes on to quote the words of the song and give scriptures that illustrate the song. Kelly explains, "What an amazing proclamation of hope, joy and love for all of us!!  This also prompted me to look up the verses that teach this true story of our Lord Christ’s birth.  I have shared the first verse of the song along with the correlating bible verses with you." This provides a good study that you might like study. We hope you will be able to spend some time with it.

Have a fantastic Friday and fun weekend activities that add to the joy of celebrating the "Reason for the Season." Please keep our country in your prayers as well.

God bless,

Corinne & Kelly

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Devotional 

written by Kelly Dobyns

"Best News Ever!"

There are only two weeks until Christmas; therefore I have been listening to Christmas music throughout my day at my desk.  I realized that there are some carols that I really don’t care for so much and there are some that I completely love.  The ones that I love have memories of childhood or there is so much joy in the story that they tell.  One of those stories is when I heard “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”.  This song completely took over my entire heart and filled it with love for the declaration that our King has been born!!  What an amazing proclamation of hope, joy and love for all of us!!  This also prompted me to look up the verses that teach this true story of our Lord Christ’s birth.  I have shared the first verse of the song along with the correlating bible verses with you.

“Hark! The herald angels sing”;

Glory to the newborn King.”

Luke 2:10-12

 (MSG)

An Event for Everyone

There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep.
Suddenly, God’s angel stood among them
and God’s glory blazed around them. They were terrified.
The angel said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here to announce
a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide:
A Savior has just been born in David’s town,
a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you’re to look for:
a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger.”

“Peace on earth, and mercy mild,

Luke 2:14

(MSG)

At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir
singing God’s praises:Glory to God in the heavenly heights,|Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.

 Luke 1:78(NIV) 

 because of the tender mercy of our God,

    by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven

“God and sinners reconciled!"

 2 Corinthians 5:18-21

 (NLT)

And all of this is a gift from God,
who brought us back to himself through Christ.
And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself,
no longer counting people’s sins against them.
And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors;
God is making his appeal through us.
We speak for Christ when we plead,
“Come back to God!” For God made Christ,
who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin,
so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

Colossians 1:20-22

(NLT)

 and through him God reconciled everything to himself.

He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth

    by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. This includes you who were once far away from God.
You were his enemies, separated from him
by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself
through the death of Christ in his physical body.
As a result, he has brought you into his own presence,
and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him
without a single fault.

“Joyful all ye nations rise,

 join the triumph of the skies; 

with the angelic host proclaim,”

Revelation 21:24

(NLT)

The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory.

Haggai 2:6-7

New Living Translation (NLT)

 “For this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says:
In just a little while I will again shake the heavens and the earth,
the oceans and the dry land. ⁷ I will shake all the nations, and the treasures of all the nations will be brought to this Temple.
I will fill this place with glory, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

Christ is born in Bethlehem! 
Hark!  The herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!!”

Luke 2:10-11

 (NLT)

but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!

Micah 5:2

 (NLT)

A Ruler from Bethlehem

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,

    are only a small village among all the people of Judah.

Yet a ruler of Israel,

    whose origins are in the distant past,

    will come from you on my behalf.

Matthew 2:2

 (NLT)

 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”

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He is on His Way
He is coming!

We are waiting for Him!

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Prayers are lifted up daily for 

you by the Devotional Writers 

and the Monthly Writing Staff

of Women's Focus Ministries.

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