Daily Treasure

“For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:17).

I have a grown son I love very much. Would I be willing to give him to die on a cruel cross so the world could be saved? As an earthly parent, I would say no. However, God only had one Son and He, too, loved Him very much. With love and compassion for a lost world, God made a parent’s greatest sacrifice. It wasn’t a decision I could have made, but I’m eternally grateful God did this. As we approach Christmas Day, let us pause to remember the greatest Gift ever offered to mankind.

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray for family relationships as students and parents spend time together this month.

“The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger and of great mercy” (Psalm 145:8).

Today’s verse is kind of a companion verse to the one from yesterday. Our hope lies in the fact God is full of compassion. We receive mercy and not justice. If this were not true, we would probably all be destroyed by now. We often let down our guard, veering off the path God would have us walk. Instead of giving us what we deserve, He lovingly draws us back to Him. With compassion He forgives us when we confess our sins (1 John 1:9). Oh, that we would show that same kind of compassion in our dealings with others. We will have the ability to do this when we look at others through the eyes of Christ.

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray today for personal growth and increased spiritual fervor in the lives of our denominational leaders.

“Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skin and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21).

In spite of their disobedience, God showed mercy to Adam and Eve by clothing them with “coats of skin.” This represents the first shedding of blood to cover sin. God is holy and just and cannot condone sin. He had to devise a plan to cover it. This ultimately would lead to Jesus shedding His blood to pay the price for our souls. This was a great price for God to pay, but in His mercy He devised a plan so we could be free from the penalty of sin. The perfect sacrifice of the Lamb of God not only covered our sin but washed them all away.

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER: Take a few minutes today and prayerfully write a personal note to a friend or relative.

“But the Lord is faithful who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil” (2 Thessalonians 3:3).

We continue to learn more about the attributes of our Creator. The more we learn about Him and His Word, we should desire to draw ever closer to Him. As we place our trust in our faithful God, He will make us strong enough to fight the forces of evil. God may not always be able to depend on us, but there should be no doubt we can always depend on Him. We must commune with Him daily through prayer and Bible study so we can lead a victorious Christian life.

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray for newly organized WAC groups and leaders.

Our pastor said recently he was really glad of this season because, this is one of the very few times you will hear Christian (Christmas) music being played everywhere. No matter how you believe about the “Christmas” season, rejoice as you hear very biblically rich music in many places where you could not easily speak His Word. This may be the way some lost soul is reached for the Kingdom of God.

Diane Conn
Tennessee

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray for the church in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, as they present their Christmas play today.

PRAY TOGETHER: Reflect on what God has done in our lives as a result of this year’s TWG studies. Give Him thanks.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1).

I think today’s verse summarizes everything I have shared this week. The truth of all the traits of God more than qualifies Him to be our great Shepherd.

I would highly recommend you read the book A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 written by Phillip Keller. Within the pages of this book we see the picture of God, our great Shepherd, through the eyes of one who served as an earthly shepherd. As we put our trust in God to take care of us, we will discover we shall want for nothing.

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray for local, state, national and international WAC members today.