Daily Devotional
By Pastor Jerry Teboe
MIRACLES IN 2025
Advent Series- 11
Attitudes
Luke 6:20-23
And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. Luk 6:21 Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh. Luk 6:22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. Luk 6:23 Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.
During the Christmas season with all the activities that accompany it, we are often overwhelmed. It seems there is just not enough time to get it all done, and as such, we can sometimes let our attitudes get out of control.
In today’s portion, we find Jesus teaching the Beatitudes to His disciples. This is a shorter version of the one in Matthew and possibly is taught to a different group of people. Matthew’s teaching was called “the Sermon on the Mount.”
Whether they were the same or not, these teachings are often misunderstood. Jesus is not preaching a gospel message. No one can get saved by keeping what is taught in this sermon. Warren Wiersbe states concerning this portion, “Dead sinners cannot obey the living God; they must first be born again and receive God’s life (Joh_3:1-7, Joh_3:36).”
Some say that Jesus is giving a “constitution” for the kingdom of God. But that is not the case either. These teachings are for the here and now. They describe the type of character we should have in our daily lives and are based on attitude...the kind of attitude we should have toward our circumstances, other people, ourselves, and God.
Life was difficult for people in that day, as it can also be for us today. Our circumstances may not change, but we can change our attitude toward them. Here, we see that Jesus is teaching us how we can live in a different way than the unbelievers of this world. As believers, we should live with an eternal perspective. According to the teachings of Jesus, we can have proper attitudes every day with His help.
We cannot change our circumstances, but we can change our attitudes toward what happens to us. We need to realize that the Lord is seeking the best for us and is teaching us through His Word how He expects us to act in our Christian lives as we follow Him. Let’s ask the Lord to help us to live in such a way that our attitudes reflect Him in everything we do, especially during this busy Christmas season.
Bible Reading for the Year
December 11th, Philemon
Prayer Needs
Please continue to pray for Beth Buchta. She had a hip replacement, on November 25th. She saw her orthopedic doctor, and he explained she really had a hip revision which is more serious and will take much rest and recuperation time.
Please pray for Frances and Edward Lee who are both sick with upper respiratory infections. Edward is better, but Frances is still not well.
Please pray for John Head who has the flu.
Please continue to pray for Jennifer Teboe Buchamer. Today she will complete the 9th of the 28 radiation treatments.
Please continue to pray for Linda Franks. The doctor had to prescribe new medication that is helping her. She sees the surgeon on December 16th for a consultation.
Please pray for Lee Roy Elks, Jackie Whitehurst’s brother-in-law. He is home now, but under hospice care.
Please pray for Jackson Broome as he goes to Duke to discuss a new treatment plan.
Praise the Lord for Anderson and Meredith Womble, friends of Donna Dixion. The doctor said the fluid is gone from the baby’s heart. They will check the baby again as soon as the birth takes place. This is a great answer to prayer. Thank you for praying!!!
Please pray for Marvin Silverthorne. He will see his eye doctor on January 20th.
Please continue to pray for Phil Corey. Pray for his continual dialysis treatments.
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Pray for our Missionaries!
Sue Singleton and the mission in Cambodia
Dr. Joe Jordan and the CBM (Cross and Bible Ministries)
Travis and Caroline Fennessy – IBM missionaries to Southeast Asia