Friday, November 29, 2019

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!

Hello!

Let me be one of the first people to wish you Merry Christmas!

To kick off this incredible season where we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, I wanted to share three Christmas resources with you. 

1. Celebrating Advent guide:

While this is currently the free gift for subscribing to my free A Shepherd's Heart Communications, I want to simply offer it this year to anyone whether they subscribe or not. 

Please click on the following link to download the guide:  Celebrating Advent

This a guide that I created to help provide you with the basic information to incorporate Advent into your Christmas celebration as you focus on The Reason for the season....Jesus! 

This Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent so there's still time to check out this guide, pray, and decide if you want to incorporate Advent into your Christmas celebration! 

2. Christmas: The Promise Fulfilled YouVersion Devotional:





















This is the first of two Christmas devotionals that are currently published in the YouVersion Bible App and Website. 

Please click on the following link to check out the devotional: Christmas: The Promise Fulfilled 


3. The Wonder of Christmas YouVersion Devotional:





















This is the second of two Christmas devotionals that are currently published in the YouVersion Bible App and Website. 

Please click on the following link to check out the devotional: The Wonder of Christmas

A note about these devotionals: You can either open these in the App or a web browser via your mobile phone or if you're opening them in a personal computer, it will prompt you to open them in a web browser. If you'd like both the audio and written versions of the devotionals then I recommend accessing them via the mobile app. 

From there it will give you the option of reading a sample and then give you the option of subscribing to the free devotional plans. 

I hope you check out, take advantage of, and enjoy these Christmas Resources as they were created to encourage you in your faith as you seek to celebrate the birth of Christ!

Again, Merry Christmas! It's an honor to serve you and The Lord!

Your Brother and Servant In Christ,

Randolph Koch

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Thankfulness...it's really a "thing".

What are you thankful for? Do you make thanksgiving part of your day-to-day or like many, do you relegate this to holidays or special occasions?

It may sound ridiculous to hear that but sadly it's true because some today don't have an attitude of gratitude...they have the opposite of that.

Thankfulness can be found despite the circumstances of a given day or moment. 

Thankfulness can be found with each new day because each day provides a fresh new start.

Thankfulness can be found in the beating of your heart and with every breath.

Thankfulness can be found in the rising and setting of the sun as each day is a gift to live out.

Thankfulness can be found in salvation, love and a new life found in the Savior. 

Thankfulness is a decision... a mindset... an attitude...a choice. 

You can find so many things to be thankful for if you just pause for a moment and look around you...what do you see? You should see a multitude of things to be thankful about. 

Maybe you need to periodically take time to pause for a few minutes and write down what you're thankful for instead of what you're ungrateful for?

Don't compartmentalize your thanksgiving. Be thankful daily. Thank others daily. Thank God for the life you've been given and for the people He's blessed and surrounded you with. 

Be thankful for the "big" and "small" things in your life because at the end of the day they are all truly big things. Your life, your attitude and your outlook will be far better if you are thankful and appreciate how blessed you truly are!

Here are 8 passages (of the many in God's Word) to help you meditate on regarding thankfulness.

Take time to read, study and pray about these and then go find more in The Word for yourself.

Psalm 95:2-3
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.

1 Corinthians 1:4-5
I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge—

2 Corinthians 9:11-12
You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God.

1 Chronicles 16:34
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!

Psalm 7:17
I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.

Psalm 100:4
Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!

Psalm 106:1
Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!

1 Thessalonians 5:18
18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 


Be thankful because God is good and He loves you beyond measure.

Thankfulness is really a thing...just make it your thing! 

Thankfully,

Randolph Koch