“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”‭‭Romans‬ ‭15:13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

http://bible.com/59/rom.15.13.esv
All,
This stands out because ONLY God can give us real peace and real joy. Please pray that we and our friends place ALL our hope in Christ this next year. Please pray for CLC. Happy New Year.

“As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭14:1-4, 12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

http://bible.com/59/rom.14.1-4,12.esv
All,
This stands out because Paul says, “Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls.” I have many friends that love Christ and we disagree on several theological issues. This verse gives me great peace because it tells me that at the end of the day, my friend is answering to God and not me. Who am I to condemn? There are things that I feel very convicted about and I share those in love, but that’s as far as I go. I am free to express my concerns and he is free to express his as long as we are growing in our relationship w Christ and not causing others to stumble. Please pray that we and our friends build one another up and hold each other accountable in love for Christ today. Please pray for the CLC Prayer breakfast with Bill Curry on 2/18. 

“Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”‭‭Romans‬ ‭13:11-14‬ ‭ESV‬‬

http://bible.com/59/rom.13.11-14.esv
All,
This stands out because Paul says, “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” Do we want to live in the Spirit or in the flesh? Making no provision for the flesh could be as simple as not engaging in a conversation demeaning another person, or spending time thinking about something that Jesus would not be a part of. We can chose today to be in the Spirit or the flesh during every second today. Please pray that we and our friends chose to serve God and be about His purpose every second today. Please pray for the CLC Prayer breakfast with Bill Curry on 2/18. 

“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”‭‭Romans‬ ‭12:14-18‬ ‭ESV‬‬

http://bible.com/59/rom.12.14-18.esv
All,
This stands out because Paul says, “Never be wise in your own sight.” He could have said be humble, but he chose a better description here and he couched it with other unselfish actions. I’m sure we are all wise at moments, but we know that God has given us the wisdom through the Holy Spirit. Sometimes I think I can tell when it’s His wisdom instead of mine. I know I don’t have the ability to think certain things and I can just be appreciative that He gave me certain thoughts. Please pray that we and our friends seek God’s wisdom in all our pursuits today. Please pray for the CLC Prayer breakfast on 2/18. 

“But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you.”‭‭Romans‬ ‭11:17-21‬ ‭ESV‬‬

http://bible.com/59/rom.11.17-21.esv
All,
This stands out because Paul says, “but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear.” As Paul was speaking about God’s plans for Jewish people, he warns us from becoming spiritually proud. I love this because many of us Christians forget that we are here to glorify God, not just to make us better people. Can we see everyone (Muslim, unbeliever, etc) today as a child of God as someone that God wants to have a relationship with? Please pray that we and our friends chose to love the very person in our life who loves God the least. Merry Christmas!

“This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.”‭‭Romans‬ ‭9:8‬ ‭ESV‬‬

http://bible.com/59/rom.9.8.esv
All,
This stands out because Paul says, “but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.” There are many promises in the Bible that give me great peace in times of trouble. During times of anguish, it is very comforting to read Phil 4:6-7, Romans 8:28, 1 Thes 5:16-18 and John 10:10. Jesus loves us and will transform us if we want Him to. Please pray that we and our friends celebrate the coming of Jesus in our hearts today. Please pray for your unbelieving friend to receive the love of Christ today. 

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:37-39‬ ‭ESV‬‬

http://bible.com/59/rom.8.37-39.esv
All,
This stands out because Paul says, “we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” How are we conquerors? Through whom? I get caught up in thinking that I have the power to transform myself or to conquer if I only do “x”, but Paul is very clear here that it’s through Christ. If my hope is in anything else, it is futile. Please pray that we and our friends lay ourselves and all our hopes at the feet of Jesus today. Please pray for all the world to focus on relationships today. 

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:1-4‬ ‭ESV‬‬

http://bible.com/59/rom.8.1-4.esv
All,
This stands out because it’s about to be Christmas Day and what a wonderful verse to dwell on as we are celebrating Christ’s birth. What a present He has given us. If your like me, you get caught up in the season with the hurriedness and may move on to the peace of the season, but are you meditating on the fact that “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”? Please pray that we and our friends wake up to this promise everyday during Christmas time and after. Please pray for the CLC Prayer breakfast with Bill Curry on 2/18. 

“So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.”‭‭Romans‬ ‭7:21-25‬ ‭ESV‬‬

http://bible.com/59/rom.7.21-25.esv
All,
This stands out because Paul explains how we are made up of the flesh, but also of the Spirit. With the Spirit being our inner or true self. We can chose to live in the flesh or the Spirit and we can also decide which side “to feed”. I find it very difficult to discipline the flesh for very long, but Christ has given us the ability to chose to live by the Spirit and rely on His power. It’s our choice every second. Please pray that we and our friends continually chose to live in the Spirit today. Please pray for the CLC Prayer breakfast with Bill Curry on 2/18. 

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”‭‭Romans‬ ‭5:1-2‬ ‭ESV‬‬

http://bible.com/59/rom.5.1-2.esv
All,
This stands out because Paul says, “we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” We can’t have peace until we have peace with God. It’s said that we have a God-shaped hole in us that can only be filled with God. Many of us try to fill that hole with something other than God, but it will never be filled without God. Once we realize that only God can fill that hole, He gives us a peace “that surpasses all understanding (Phil 4:7)”. Please pray that we and our friends spend alone time with God today and ask Him to fill any “hole” in your life. Please pray for the CLC Prayer breakfast with Bill Curry on 2/18.