{"id":356,"date":"2023-12-15T10:37:43","date_gmt":"2023-12-15T15:37:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/canacom.org\/?p=356"},"modified":"2024-01-22T10:37:51","modified_gmt":"2024-01-22T15:37:51","slug":"devotions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canacom.org\/?p=356","title":{"rendered":"Devotions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>December\u00a015, 2023<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Psalm%20122:7-9&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Psalm\u00a0122:7-9<\/strong>\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><sup>7&nbsp;<\/sup><\/strong><strong>Peace&nbsp;be&nbsp;within&nbsp;thy&nbsp;walls,&nbsp;and&nbsp;prosperity&nbsp;within&nbsp;thy&nbsp;palaces.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><sup>8&nbsp;<\/sup><\/strong><strong>For&nbsp;my&nbsp;brethren&nbsp;and&nbsp;companions&#8217;&nbsp;sakes,&nbsp;I&nbsp;will&nbsp;now&nbsp;say,&nbsp;Peace&nbsp;be&nbsp;within&nbsp;thee.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><sup>9&nbsp;<\/sup><\/strong><strong>Because&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;house&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;<\/strong><strong>LORD<\/strong><strong>&nbsp;our&nbsp;God&nbsp;I&nbsp;will&nbsp;seek&nbsp;thy&nbsp;good.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Friends,&nbsp;I&nbsp;greet&nbsp;you&nbsp;in&nbsp;the&nbsp;Advent&nbsp;season&nbsp;as&nbsp;we&nbsp;await&nbsp;the&nbsp;coming&nbsp;of&nbsp;our&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;the&nbsp;Christ&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Child,&nbsp;the&nbsp;Prince&nbsp;of&nbsp;Peace.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even&nbsp;as&nbsp;we&nbsp;wait,&nbsp;we&nbsp;prepare&nbsp;our&nbsp;homes&nbsp;and&nbsp;surroundings&nbsp;for&nbsp;the&nbsp;special&nbsp;event,&nbsp;remembering&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>the&nbsp;birth&nbsp;of&nbsp;Christ.&nbsp;But&nbsp;it&nbsp;is&nbsp;the&nbsp;sad&nbsp;case&nbsp;that&nbsp;the&nbsp;Christmas&nbsp;season&nbsp;does&nbsp;not&nbsp;promote&nbsp;a&nbsp;sense&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>of&nbsp;peace.&nbsp;Quite&nbsp;the&nbsp;contrary.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u00a0is\u00a0the\u00a0hustle\u00a0and\u00a0bustle\u00a0and\u00a0long\u00a0traffic lines.\u00a0People\u00a0sometimes\u00a0need\u00a0to\u00a0pull\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>themselves\u00a0away\u00a0from\u00a0the\u00a0confusion\u00a0the\u00a0season\u00a0tends\u00a0to\u00a0generate.\u00a0The\u00a0noisy\u00a0mood\u00a0of\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Christmas,&nbsp;especially&nbsp;in&nbsp;cities,&nbsp;bears&nbsp;no&nbsp;resemblance&nbsp;to&nbsp;the&nbsp;originally&nbsp;remembered&nbsp;Christmas&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>scene.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sadly&nbsp;too,&nbsp;in&nbsp;a&nbsp;world&nbsp;long&nbsp;accustomed&nbsp;to&nbsp;wars&nbsp;and&nbsp;rumours&nbsp;of&nbsp;wars,&nbsp;the&nbsp;debilitating&nbsp;and&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>bloody&nbsp;wars&nbsp;taking&nbsp;place&nbsp;in&nbsp;2023&nbsp;are&nbsp;part&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;tragic&nbsp;reality&nbsp;of&nbsp;life.&nbsp;The&nbsp;Israeli\/Hamas&nbsp;war&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>is&nbsp;taking&nbsp;place&nbsp;even&nbsp;against&nbsp;the&nbsp;backdrop&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;Christmas&nbsp;season.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For&nbsp;many,&nbsp;war&nbsp;is&nbsp;a&nbsp;consistent&nbsp;part&nbsp;of&nbsp;their&nbsp;daily&nbsp;lives.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet&nbsp;the&nbsp;word&nbsp;of&nbsp;God&nbsp;reminds&nbsp;us&nbsp;that&nbsp;to&nbsp;have&nbsp;peace&nbsp;within&nbsp;our&nbsp;walls&nbsp;is&nbsp;a&nbsp;desirable&nbsp;thing.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Can&nbsp;you&nbsp;truly&nbsp;imagine&nbsp;a&nbsp;life&nbsp;which&nbsp;is&nbsp;full&nbsp;of&nbsp;peace?&nbsp;A&nbsp;life&nbsp;through&nbsp;which&nbsp;peace&nbsp;flows&nbsp;like&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>living&nbsp;streams&nbsp;of&nbsp;water?&nbsp;Can&nbsp;you&nbsp;imagine&nbsp;communities,&nbsp;regions,&nbsp;countries,&nbsp;the&nbsp;world&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>experiencing&nbsp;peace&nbsp;as&nbsp;a&nbsp;major&nbsp;life&nbsp;force.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I&nbsp;often&nbsp;dream&nbsp;of&nbsp;a&nbsp;world&nbsp;like&nbsp;that.&nbsp;God\u2019s&nbsp;desire&nbsp;for&nbsp;us&nbsp;is&nbsp;that&nbsp;we&nbsp;would&nbsp;live&nbsp;in&nbsp;peace&nbsp;and&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>enjoy&nbsp;the&nbsp;fruit&nbsp;of&nbsp;our&nbsp;labour.&nbsp;These&nbsp;and&nbsp;other&nbsp;joyful,&nbsp;peaceful&nbsp;benefits&nbsp;could&nbsp;be&nbsp;ours&nbsp;if&nbsp;we&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>would\u00a0serve\u00a0him\u00a0and\u00a0trust\u00a0him\u00a0to\u00a0take\u00a0us\u00a0into\u00a0the\u00a0ways\u00a0of\u00a0peace.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This&nbsp;scripture&nbsp;has&nbsp;great&nbsp;resonance&nbsp;with&nbsp;my&nbsp;spirit&nbsp;because&nbsp;I&nbsp;am&nbsp;convinced&nbsp;that&nbsp;as&nbsp;Christians,&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>we&nbsp;have&nbsp;a&nbsp;duty&nbsp;of&nbsp;love&nbsp;and&nbsp;care&nbsp;to&nbsp;pray&nbsp;and&nbsp;work&nbsp;for&nbsp;peace.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u00a0should\u00a0pray\u00a0for\u00a0everyone\u00a0to\u00a0experience\u00a0peace,\u00a0particularly\u00a0for\u00a0the\u00a0ruler\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0world.\u00a0If\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>the&nbsp;rulers&nbsp;were&nbsp;to&nbsp;more&nbsp;clearly&nbsp;understand&nbsp;peace&nbsp;and&nbsp;develop&nbsp;a&nbsp;desire&nbsp;to&nbsp;spread&nbsp;peace&nbsp;in&nbsp;the&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>world&nbsp;then&nbsp;the&nbsp;likelihood&nbsp;of&nbsp;national&nbsp;and&nbsp;world&nbsp;peace&nbsp;would&nbsp;be&nbsp;enhanced.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As&nbsp;we&nbsp;work&nbsp;together&nbsp;across&nbsp;our&nbsp;different&nbsp;member&nbsp;churches&nbsp;we&nbsp;have&nbsp;a&nbsp;part&nbsp;to&nbsp;play&nbsp;in&nbsp;the&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>creation&nbsp;and&nbsp;maintenance&nbsp;of&nbsp;peace.&nbsp;Let&nbsp;us&nbsp;encourage&nbsp;our&nbsp;people&nbsp;to&nbsp;renew&nbsp;their&nbsp;own&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>commitment&nbsp;to&nbsp;peace&nbsp;and&nbsp;to&nbsp;take&nbsp;necessary&nbsp;steps&nbsp;to&nbsp;keep&nbsp;peace&nbsp;alive.&nbsp;Let&nbsp;us&nbsp;not&nbsp;be&nbsp;derailed&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>and&nbsp;discouraged&nbsp;by&nbsp;the&nbsp;local&nbsp;and&nbsp;global&nbsp;news&nbsp;stories.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I&nbsp;urge&nbsp;you&nbsp;to&nbsp;claim&nbsp;the&nbsp;words&nbsp;of&nbsp;II&nbsp;Thessalonians&nbsp;3:16&nbsp;as&nbsp;your&nbsp;own&nbsp;and&nbsp;to&nbsp;share&nbsp;them&nbsp;widely.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=2%20Thessalonians%203:16&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">II\u00a0Thessalonians\u00a03:16<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><sup>\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong><strong>Now\u00a0the\u00a0Lord\u00a0of\u00a0peace\u00a0himself\u00a0gives\u00a0you\u00a0peace\u00a0always\u00a0by\u00a0all\u00a0means.\u00a0The\u00a0Lord\u00a0be\u00a0with<\/strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>you&nbsp;all.<\/strong><strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>AMEN<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>December\u00a015, 2023\u00a0 Psalm\u00a0122:7-9\u00a0 7&nbsp;Peace&nbsp;be&nbsp;within&nbsp;thy&nbsp;walls,&nbsp;and&nbsp;prosperity&nbsp;within&nbsp;thy&nbsp;palaces.&nbsp; 8&nbsp;For&nbsp;my&nbsp;brethren&nbsp;and&nbsp;companions&#8217;&nbsp;sakes,&nbsp;I&nbsp;will&nbsp;now&nbsp;say,&nbsp;Peace&nbsp;be&nbsp;within&nbsp;thee.&nbsp; 9&nbsp;Because&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;house&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;LORD&nbsp;our&nbsp;God&nbsp;I&nbsp;will&nbsp;seek&nbsp;thy&nbsp;good.&nbsp; Friends,&nbsp;I&nbsp;greet&nbsp;you&nbsp;in&nbsp;the&nbsp;Advent&nbsp;season&nbsp;as&nbsp;we&nbsp;await&nbsp;the&nbsp;coming&nbsp;of&nbsp;our&nbsp;Lord,&nbsp;the&nbsp;Christ&nbsp; Child,&nbsp;the&nbsp;Prince&nbsp;of&nbsp;Peace.&nbsp;&nbsp; Even&nbsp;as&nbsp;we&nbsp;wait,&nbsp;we&nbsp;prepare&nbsp;our&nbsp;homes&nbsp;and&nbsp;surroundings&nbsp;for&nbsp;the&nbsp;special&nbsp;event,&nbsp;remembering&nbsp; the&nbsp;birth&nbsp;of&nbsp;Christ.&nbsp;But&nbsp;it&nbsp;is&nbsp;the&nbsp;sad&nbsp;case&nbsp;that&nbsp;the&nbsp;Christmas&nbsp;season&nbsp;does&nbsp;not&nbsp;promote&nbsp;a&nbsp;sense&nbsp; of&nbsp;peace.&nbsp;Quite&nbsp;the&nbsp;contrary.&nbsp; There\u00a0is\u00a0the\u00a0hustle\u00a0and\u00a0bustle\u00a0and\u00a0long\u00a0traffic lines.\u00a0People\u00a0sometimes\u00a0need\u00a0to\u00a0pull\u00a0 themselves\u00a0away\u00a0from\u00a0the\u00a0confusion\u00a0the\u00a0season\u00a0tends\u00a0to\u00a0generate.\u00a0The\u00a0noisy\u00a0mood\u00a0of\u00a0 Christmas,&nbsp;especially&nbsp;in&nbsp;cities,&nbsp;bears&nbsp;no&nbsp;resemblance&nbsp;to&nbsp;the&nbsp;originally&nbsp;remembered&nbsp;Christmas&nbsp; scene.&nbsp; Sadly&nbsp;too,&nbsp;in&nbsp;a&nbsp;world&nbsp;long&nbsp;accustomed&nbsp;to&nbsp;wars&nbsp;and&nbsp;rumours&nbsp;of&nbsp;wars,&nbsp;the&nbsp;debilitating&nbsp;and&nbsp; bloody&nbsp;wars&nbsp;taking&nbsp;place&nbsp;in&nbsp;2023&nbsp;are&nbsp;part&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;tragic&nbsp;reality&nbsp;of&nbsp;life.&nbsp;The&nbsp;Israeli\/Hamas&nbsp;war&nbsp; is&nbsp;taking&nbsp;place&nbsp;even&nbsp;against&nbsp;the&nbsp;backdrop&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;Christmas&nbsp;season.&nbsp;&nbsp; For&nbsp;many,&nbsp;war&nbsp;is&nbsp;a&nbsp;consistent&nbsp;part&nbsp;of&nbsp;their&nbsp;daily&nbsp;lives.&nbsp;&nbsp; Yet&nbsp;the&nbsp;word&nbsp;of&nbsp;God&nbsp;reminds&nbsp;us&nbsp;that&nbsp;to&nbsp;have&nbsp;peace&nbsp;within&nbsp;our&nbsp;walls&nbsp;is&nbsp;a&nbsp;desirable&nbsp;thing.&nbsp; Can&nbsp;you&nbsp;truly&nbsp;imagine&nbsp;a&nbsp;life&nbsp;which&nbsp;is&nbsp;full&nbsp;of&nbsp;peace?&nbsp;A&nbsp;life&nbsp;through&nbsp;which&nbsp;peace&nbsp;flows&nbsp;like&nbsp; living&nbsp;streams&nbsp;of&nbsp;water?&nbsp;Can&nbsp;you&nbsp;imagine&nbsp;communities,&nbsp;regions,&nbsp;countries,&nbsp;the&nbsp;world&nbsp; experiencing&nbsp;peace&nbsp;as&nbsp;a&nbsp;major&nbsp;life&nbsp;force.&nbsp; I&nbsp;often&nbsp;dream&nbsp;of&nbsp;a&nbsp;world&nbsp;like&nbsp;that.&nbsp;God\u2019s&nbsp;desire&nbsp;for&nbsp;us&nbsp;is&nbsp;that&nbsp;we&nbsp;would&nbsp;live&nbsp;in&nbsp;peace&nbsp;and&nbsp; enjoy&nbsp;the&nbsp;fruit&nbsp;of&nbsp;our&nbsp;labour.&nbsp;These&nbsp;and&nbsp;other&nbsp;joyful,&nbsp;peaceful&nbsp;benefits&nbsp;could&nbsp;be&nbsp;ours&nbsp;if&nbsp;we&nbsp; would\u00a0serve\u00a0him\u00a0and\u00a0trust\u00a0him\u00a0to\u00a0take\u00a0us\u00a0into\u00a0the\u00a0ways\u00a0of\u00a0peace.\u00a0 This&nbsp;scripture&nbsp;has&nbsp;great&nbsp;resonance&nbsp;with&nbsp;my&nbsp;spirit&nbsp;because&nbsp;I&nbsp;am&nbsp;convinced&nbsp;that&nbsp;as&nbsp;Christians,&nbsp; we&nbsp;have&nbsp;a&nbsp;duty&nbsp;of&nbsp;love&nbsp;and&nbsp;care&nbsp;to&nbsp;pray&nbsp;and&nbsp;work&nbsp;for&nbsp;peace.&nbsp; We\u00a0should\u00a0pray\u00a0for\u00a0everyone\u00a0to\u00a0experience\u00a0peace,\u00a0particularly\u00a0for\u00a0the\u00a0ruler\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0world.\u00a0If\u00a0 the&nbsp;rulers&nbsp;were&nbsp;to&nbsp;more&nbsp;clearly&nbsp;understand&nbsp;peace&nbsp;and&nbsp;develop&nbsp;a&nbsp;desire&nbsp;to&nbsp;spread&nbsp;peace&nbsp;in&nbsp;the&nbsp; world&nbsp;then&nbsp;the&nbsp;likelihood&nbsp;of&nbsp;national&nbsp;and&nbsp;world&nbsp;peace&nbsp;would&nbsp;be&nbsp;enhanced.&nbsp;&nbsp; As&nbsp;we&nbsp;work&nbsp;together&nbsp;across&nbsp;our&nbsp;different&nbsp;member&nbsp;churches&nbsp;we&nbsp;have&nbsp;a&nbsp;part&nbsp;to&nbsp;play&nbsp;in&nbsp;the&nbsp; creation&nbsp;and&nbsp;maintenance&nbsp;of&nbsp;peace.&nbsp;Let&nbsp;us&nbsp;encourage&nbsp;our&nbsp;people&nbsp;to&nbsp;renew&nbsp;their&nbsp;own&nbsp; commitment&nbsp;to&nbsp;peace&nbsp;and&nbsp;to&nbsp;take&nbsp;necessary&nbsp;steps&nbsp;to&nbsp;keep&nbsp;peace&nbsp;alive.&nbsp;Let&nbsp;us&nbsp;not&nbsp;be&nbsp;derailed&nbsp; and&nbsp;discouraged&nbsp;by&nbsp;the&nbsp;local&nbsp;and&nbsp;global&nbsp;news&nbsp;stories.&nbsp; I&nbsp;urge&nbsp;you&nbsp;to&nbsp;claim&nbsp;the&nbsp;words&nbsp;of&nbsp;II&nbsp;Thessalonians&nbsp;3:16&nbsp;as&nbsp;your&nbsp;own&nbsp;and&nbsp;to&nbsp;share&nbsp;them&nbsp;widely.&nbsp; \u00a0II\u00a0Thessalonians\u00a03:16\u00a0 \u00a0Now\u00a0the\u00a0Lord\u00a0of\u00a0peace\u00a0himself\u00a0gives\u00a0you\u00a0peace\u00a0always\u00a0by\u00a0all\u00a0means.\u00a0The\u00a0Lord\u00a0be\u00a0with\u00a0 you&nbsp;all.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; AMEN&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-356","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-devotion"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canacom.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/356","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canacom.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canacom.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canacom.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canacom.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=356"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/canacom.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/356\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":357,"href":"https:\/\/canacom.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/356\/revisions\/357"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canacom.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=356"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canacom.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=356"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canacom.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=356"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}