And Jesus prayed this prayer: "O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding the truth from those who think themselves so wise, and for revealing it to little children. Yes, Father, for it pleased you to do it this way! "Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father. Only the Father knows the Son, And the Father is known only by the Son and by those to whom the Son reveals him. Come to me and I will give you rest - all of you who work so hard beneath a heavy yok

Read Luke 1:57-66 When the baby was eight days old, all the relatives and friends came for the circumcision ceremony. They all assumed the baby's name would be Zacharias, after his father. But Elizabeth said, "No! He must be named John!" "What?" they exclaimed. "There is no one in all your family by that name." So they asked the baby's father, talking to him by gestures. He motioned for a piece of paper and to everyone's surprise wrote, "His name is John!" Instantly Zacharias

Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-20 Our bodies have many parts, but the many parts make up only one body when they are all put together. So it is with the "Body" of Christ. Each of us is a part of the one body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves and some are free. But the Holy Spirit has fitted us all together into one body. We have been baptized into Christ's body by the one Spirit, and have all been given that same Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12: 12-13

Stop lying to each other; tell the truth, for we are parts of each other and when we lie to each other we are hurting ourselves. If you are angry, don't sin by nursing your grudge. Don't let the sun go down with you still angry - get over it quickly; for when you are angry you give a mighty foothold to the devil. If anyone is stealing he must stop it and begin using those hands of his for honest work so he can give to others in need. Don't use bad language. Say only what is g

Read Exodus 3:1-12 - Moses and the burning bush And John testified, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him." John 1:32 (NRSV) Kathryn Agnello lives in New Jersey. During the last days of her grandpa's life, her family and Kathryn took a break from the hospice center where he was staying and went for a walk. They went to a nature center where Kathryn noticed some mourning doves flying around them. She remembers thinking, Maybe God sent the

Read Luke 11:1-10 - prayer So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Mark 11:24 (NRSV) Milton Looney, from Alabama, was raised in a Christian home and his early Christian education taught him the power of prayer. These lessons have stuck with me, and he has adopted different prayer habits through the years. Unfortunately, he sometimes pray more for things than he prays "thank you." Early in his career he prayed for

Read 2 Corinthians 10:12-18 - on boasting When someone boats about himself and how well he has done, it doesn't count for much. But when the Lord commends him, that's different! 2 Corinthians 10:18 (TLB) Then the cloud covered the Tabernacle and the glory of the Lord filled it. Exodus 40:34 (TLB) Ester MacDonald lives in Quebec, Canada. She tends to fall into the trap of comparing herself with others quite easily. Usually she's comparing her spirituality or level of ministry

Read John 11:28-37 - Jesus arrives after Lazarus dies. When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jewish leaders, wailing with her, he was moved with indignation and deeply troubled. "Where is he buried?" he asked them. They told him, "Come and see." Tears came to Jesus' eyes. They were close friends," the Jewish leaders said. "See how much he loved him." John 11: 33-36 (TLB) "There is nothing more they can do." When Wendy Convillion's daughter told her that her husband was coming ho

"I know you well - you are neither hot nor cold; I wish you were one or the other! But since you are merely lukewarm, I will spit you out of my mouth!" Revelation 3:15-16 (TLB) Dear brothers, what's the use of saying that you have faith and are Christians if you aren't proving it by helping others? Will that kind of faith save anyone? James 2:14 (TLB) As Kim Koratsky, from Tennessee, was putting the dishes away this morning, she looked at their spoonula - a silicone kitchen t

Now all praise to God for his wonderful kindness to us and his favor that he has poured out upon us, because we belong to his dearly loved Son. So overflowing is his kindness toward us that he took away all our sins through the blood of his Son, by whom we are saved; and he has showered down upon us the richness of his grace - for how well he understands us and knows what is best for us at all times. God has told us his secret reason for sending Christ, a plan he decided on i