Christ Church Daily Devotion Jan 3 2024

Welcome to Christ Church's Daily Devotion for January 3rd, 2024. Today we will be reading from Colossians chapter 4, verse 2. Devote yourself to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Stand By Me became the faithful saint's beloved hymn following the tornadoes in the area in 2011. Written by Charles Albert Tindley in 1906, the first verse is, When the storms of life are raging, stand by me. When the storms of life are raging, stand by me. When the world is tossing me like a ship upon the sea, Thou who rulest wind and water, stand by me. After a faithful church member's home was damaged by the tornado, the United Methodist hymn book on her piano was still open to this hymn, which she had played as a prayer song prior to the tornado's arrival. The readers of Colossians are urged to pursue a life characterized by prayer. Sometimes having a life characterized by prayer can be overwhelming because we think that we don't have the right words, don't know enough Bible verses, our sin is too great, we are too insignificant, or we are too angry at God for God to hear and listen to our prayers. And at other times, we think that we don't have time to talk and listen to God. The God created within us a longing to be in relationship with God. A prayer life can begin by simply being thankful. Being thankful unto God moves us away from our own self-centeredness. In a life characterized by thanksgiving to God, we realize that God's love demonstrated to us in the gift to us in Christ is the true center of our lives. We can let Jesus' words in Matthew chapter 6 verse 33 lead us, but seek first God's kingdom. During the Apostle Paul's time, they had to be a people of prayer to endure the storms of persecution, of their newfound faith in Jesus Christ, and of the persecution of the new congregations being formed. God's faithfulness in and through their prayer life sustained them, enabling them to be witnesses of Christ for the generations who followed them. Today's personal worship option, listening God, let my life today be characterized by gratitude and thanksgiving for the little blessings I too often take for granted. Thank you for standing by me through the storms of life. Thank you for your love demonstrated to us through Christ your Son. Amen. Welcome to Christ Church's daily devotion for January 3rd, 2024.