Good evening, Family. 💎
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This week, we are praying for:🧎🏽♀️
•Tamara, whose apartment caught fire last week after her heating system exploded. Thankfully, by God's grace, she was not at home and no one else in the other apartments was hurt. However, Tamara lost just about everything. As you can imagine, she needed time to process, which is why I didn't post about it until now, but she would appreciate your prayers. I have assured Tamara that she can count on the support of her church family always.
•Seth, that he might remember to practice proper posture and to keep his feet flat to prevent any further curvature in his spine. May God infuse his little body with strength and power.
•Torrey, who is at home fighting Covid pneumonia in both lungs and needs supernatural healing. We praise God that everyone in the house has now tested negative for Covid, including Cassandra and Elijah, who had previously tested positive. Praise God for His goodness and mercy!
•Arnold, who has recovered from COVID, and is back at work. May God continue to heal him and walk with him.
•Ellie, who is fighting Covid. Let’s pray for a speedy recovery. Ellie is grateful that her two sons tested negative. May God continue to protect them.
•Norma’s friend, Johnny, who is in the hospital and in need of a touch from the Lord.
•Carole’s grateful for how God has answered her prayers regarding the custody of her grandson, Elijah. The first phase of the case is over and she is happy to know that Elijah is OK. She is also requesting that everyone keeps praying so that the custody case will be resolved soon.
•Alejandro, that he might be protected while on deployment and overseas. May the Lord keep His angels in charge over Alejandro and his shipments until they return home in the summer.
•Skylar, Heaven Lee, Jackie and Doris. May God move in their lives in mighty ways!
•Julissa, A young lady suffering from mental health issues and currently wanting to end her life. May the Lord deliver her from this battle and give her victory and a sense of her worth to God.
•Stacey, Charen’s dear friend , who joined us for service on Sabbath morning. May God move in her life this week!
•John Vega, who is still awaiting results of his tests. We are praying for good results and know that he is in God's hands.
•Tracy, Norma's friend Who is undergoing chemo treatment for her cancer. May God give her strength and healing, because it has not been easy for her.
This evening’s devotional was submitted by Maggie . 🏆
WHAT WE CAN GIVE GOD THIS YEAR...
As we enter into a new year, here is something to remember: When it’s all said and done, we have three things we can offer God—our treasure, our talent, and our time. Each of these is given to us by God, and each of them should be given back in generous portions.
First, there is our treasure. I urge you to commit yourself to give faithfully and generously to the Lord in this coming year. Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:21 NKJV). Whenever we put our money into something, we develop a vested interest in it. It makes sense to us that we would place our treasures where our hearts are. If we love reading books, or being entertained, or the latest technology, we spend our treasure on those things. And if our heart’s desires change, that changes where we put our treasure.
But it works the other way too: Where we put our treasures, our heart will follow. Do you want your heart to be in the things of God? Then put your treasures in the things of God! Develop a vested interest in God’s kingdom.
The second thing we can give to God is our talent. God has gifted each believer in different ways. Everyone has something to offer for the work of the kingdom. Romans 12 says, “Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are all parts of his one body, and each of us different work to do” (NLT).
Finally, there is our time. Let’s say that one day your phone rang and it was the president of the bank that you use. He told you that an anonymous donor who loved you very much had decided to deposit 86,400 pennies into your bank account each and every morning. At first, maybe that didn’t seem like a lot. But then you figured out that it was $864 a day. At seven days a week and 52 weeks a year, those pennies add up to almost $315,000 each year! But the bank president added one thing: “The anonymous giver said you must spend all of the money on the day you receive it! No balance will be carried over to the next day. Each evening the bank must cancel whatever sum you failed to use! Remember, what you don’t spend is lost.”
That may sound like fantasy, but here’s the reality: Every morning, Someone who loves you very much deposits into your “bank of time” 86,400 seconds, which represent 1,440 minutes, which of course equals 24 hours each and every day. God gives you that much to use each day. Nothing is ever carried over on credit to the next day. There is no such thing as a 27-hour day. It’s called time, and you can’t escape it. Time is ticking away right now. The Bible tells us to “redeem the time”—to make sacred and wise use of every opportunity.
Offer God your treasure, your talent, and your time. Live this next year as if it were your last, because it could be. Make those minutes count!