Welcome! I'm so glad that you're here. I'm Michelle, the founder of Pray God's Way. My mission is to help women grow closer to God through prayer and Bible study. I encourage you to pray more confidently, more frequently, more intimately, more boldly, and more expectantly. Check out my About Page to learn more, peruse some past posts, and subscribe if you'd like to receive regular email content. (When you subscribe, please check your inbox to confirm that you want to receive emails from me. Otherwise, you'll probably never hear from me again. š) I hope to "see" you in our Pray God's Way family! BLESSINGS, Michelle | To God Be The Glory
He came for everyone.
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As I mentioned in last week's email, I'm reading a chapter a day in the Book of Luke as is my tradition each December. Any time I read the Bible, I learn something new or recall something that I've heard but have forgotten. This week was no different. In Luke chapter 2, Jesus is presented at the temple. Babies were not baptized, but they were brought to the temple to be dedicated to the Lord (Luke 2:22-23). The prophet Simeon "took him [Jesus] up in his arms and blessed God . . ." (Luke 2:28) Then Simeon said, . . .for my eyes have seen your salvation
that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel.
Luke 2: 30-32
What's so significant about this verse? First, Simeon acknowledges that Jesus is Salvation, the fulfillment of a promise that God had made. Second, Simeon made it clear that Jesus came to save not only the people of Israel, but also the Gentiles. In the Book of Acts, God makes it very clear through Peter's sermon and the Holy Spirit's pouring out, "even on the Gentiles." (Luke 10:34-45) And later, Paul becomes the apostle who preaches first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles. But before Jesus' ministry even begins . . . Before Jesus even says a word, Simeon says that Jesus came to offer salvation to the Jews AND the Gentiles! That's fascinating to me. The text only indicates that Mary and Joseph heard Simeon's words and "marveled at what was said about Him." (Luke 2:33) But I wonder how I would have reacted if I had attended the dedication ceremony. Would I have hung on every word and known, in advance of the apostles, that the Gentiles were included in the promise of salvation? I hope so. What a merry first Christmas it would have been for anyone who was allowed to hear and internalize Simeon's words! LET'S PRAY Heavenly Father, Thank you for sending your only begotten Son to save us, Lord. Thank you for the gift of Salvation. I don't deserve anything from you, yet you offer me Salvation and more every day. Thank you for your living Word that connects dots for me each time I read it. Thank you for giving me a thirst and a hunger for Your Word, so I can know You and Your story better. I ask that You touch the heart of each person in my orbit, so she will be freed from sin, encouraged by Your promises, and hopeful for your Your gift of Salvation. In Your Son's, Name, Amen Reader, If you haven't been reading your Bible lately, why not commit now to reading one chapter of Luke each day? It doesn't take long. You can read it in paper form or online using an app like Bible.org. I'd love for you to join me as we feast on God's Word together. Please see my invitation below. AN INVITATION I love to read the Book of Luke in December. I read one chapter each day, and by Christmas Eve, I've read the whole book (24 chapters): From Jesus' birth through His Resurrection and Ascension. If you'd like to join me, click on the Yes option as your answer (to the poll) below. You're only committing to reading (independently) one chapter a day and, possibly, receiving a mid-week email or two. Staying in the Word during this busy time of year puts everything from the world into perspective. I'd love for you to join me!
Blessings, Michelle | To God Be The Glory Helping women nurture a deeper relationship with our one and only living God through prayer and the Bible
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Pray God's Way
Welcome! I'm so glad that you're here. I'm Michelle, the founder of Pray God's Way. My mission is to help women grow closer to God through prayer and Bible study. I encourage you to pray more confidently, more frequently, more intimately, more boldly, and more expectantly. Check out my About Page to learn more, peruse some past posts, and subscribe if you'd like to receive regular email content. (When you subscribe, please check your inbox to confirm that you want to receive emails from me. Otherwise, you'll probably never hear from me again. š) I hope to "see" you in our Pray God's Way family! BLESSINGS, Michelle | To God Be The Glory
In my last post, I talked about creating a List of Rights about someone or something rather than keeping a List of Wrongs. [Love] keeps no record of wrongs.1 Corinthians 13:5d NIV During my prayer time this week, I realized that Iāve been keeping a different kind of List of Wrongs. I call it the List of Gone Wrongs, as in, this and that have gone wrong. I donāt know about you, but when Iām in a spiritual valley, I notice everything that goes wrong. Nothing gets past me! I was feeling like...
When we were teenagers, my friend and I used to save the āLove Isā comic from the newspaper each week. They were sweet little cartoons about everyday secular loving and living š„°. But in 1 Corinthians 13, the Bible tells us what real, holy, unconditional love is. āļø Today, I'm focusing on a small portion of one verse, so we can make a simple but not so easy change in our lives. . . . [Love] keeps no record of wrongs. 1 Corinthians 13:5d NIV This verse is about God's forgiveness . . . an...
As we enter this season of giving, what do you give someone who has everything? We typically think about this question in the context of well-off parents or grandparents who don't need one more material thing. But I challenge you today to think about the question in the context of God. What do you give Someone who has everything? God literally owns everything. He gave us everything that we haveālife, material items, talents, spiritual gifts, even people. When someone gives me a gift, I am...