A Prayer about Being a Peace-Publisher

by Elizabeth | Dec 19, 2022 | Advent, Christmas, Christmas, Daily Prayer, kingdom living, Seasons & Holidays

A Prayer about Being a Peace-Publisher

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness… Isaiah 52:7

Lord God,

What a happy calling you have given us

as your church:

To bring good news,

to publish peace,

to bring good news of happiness,

to publish salvation,

to share the peace

that comes when “God reigns” (Isaiah 52:7).

We have long

longed for the peace

you made possible

through your King:

relief from every anxiety

about work, health, home, family,

joy in every effort

to bring beauty to broken places,

kindness and gentleness and forgiveness

in every difficult relationship,

flourishing throughout your earth.

As we worship you in our churches today,

empower and embolden us,

through the peace-producing work

of your Spirit,

to be people

who bring peace far and wide,

people who make peace known

in our lips and in our lives.

In Jesus’ peace-bringing name. Amen.

Read Isaiah 52:1-10.

Get Elizabeth’s Advent devotional for free here: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/34no8c805q.

A Prayer about Monday Motivation before Christmas

by Elizabeth | Dec 18, 2022 | Advent, Christmas, Christmas, Daily Prayer, Joy, Seasons & Holidays

A Prayer about Monday Motivation before Christmas

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing. Psalm 100:1–2

Almighty God,

As the final week of Advent begins,

may we put making a “joyful noise” to you

at the top, middle, and bottom

of our to-do lists.

Even as we go about preparing

to celebrate the coming of Christ,

may we focus first

on serving you with gladness.

May we not sing along mindlessly

with Christmas music,

but instead notice

our many reasons for rejoicing,

“Rejoice, rejoice,

Emmanuel shall come to thee,

O Israel” (“O Come, O Come Emmanuel”),

“Joy to the world,

the Lord is come!” (“Joy to the World”)

“O come all ye faithful,

joyful and triumphant” (“O Come All Ye Faithful”).

Lord, because you have made us in your image,

and because you have made us anew

in Christ,

we ask that you will make us

joyful,

believing that your zeal will accomplish this (Isaiah 9:7).

In Jesus’ joyful name. Amen.

Read Psalm 100.

Get Elizabeth’s Advent devotional for free here: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/34no8c805q.

A Prayer about What Jesus Came to Do

by Elizabeth | Dec 17, 2022 | Advent, Christmas, Christmas, Daily Prayer, Seasons & Holidays

A Prayer about What Jesus Came to Do

The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and he exalts. He raises up the poor from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. 1 Samuel 2:7-8.

Holy and Just God,

You bring death, and you bring life –

Thank you for bringing death to sin in our lives;

Thank you for bringing us new life in Jesus.

You bring poverty, and you bring wealth;

Thank you for showing us

that our accomplishments or lack thereof,

our right-ness or lack thereof —

are not what make you value us;

Thank you for making us wealthy

as your adopted children in Christ.

Father, from generation to generation,

you care for your faithful ones

Thank you for protecting us in our every step.

You put stumbling blocks in the path of the sinner;

Thank you for rescuing us from the miry road,

where we were ever stuck in sin;

Thank you for setting us on the way

of those who trust in you.

Holy, Just, and Merciful God,

you know our world is a wreck:

You know the terror,

you know the divisiveness,

you know the hatred.

Thank you for sending your King,

the only ruler who can truly restore peace on earth.

We are glad he has come,

and we pray he will come again soon

to establish your shalom finally and forever.

In the name of the holy infant, Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Read 1 Samuel 2:1-10.

Get Elizabeth’s Advent devotional for free here: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/34no8c805q.

A Prayer about Making Room for Jesus

by Elizabeth | Dec 16, 2022 | Advent, Christmas, Christmas, Daily Prayer, Seasons & Holidays

A Prayer about Making Room for Jesus

And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:7

Lord Jesus,

Sometimes I think the innkeeper has gotten a bad rap

in all of our Christmas programs

for not making room for the baby Jesus.

After all, if he had known

the Messiah would be born in his inn,

wouldn’t he have found him a room?

As I consider his story and the busy days of the Christmas season,

I pray that we will see who you really are—

the Messiah, the King of Kings,

who humbled yourself to take on humanity,

who submitted to being born in a stable

and laid in a feeding trough.

I pray that we will make room for you

in our noisy hearts.

Still us and silence us

that we might hear your kind invitation

into the space of forgiveness,

into the deepest, truest love

we have ever known.

By your Spirit, move us toward you,

the one who came to live among us

that we might live forever with you.

In your hospitable name.

Amen.

Read Luke 2:1-7; Psalm 46:10.

Get Elizabeth’s Advent devotional for free here: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/34no8c805q.

What Is Your Legacy and How Will You Share It?

by Elizabeth | Dec 16, 2022 | life and legacy coaching

What Is Your Legacy and How Will You Share It?

Have you ever given any thought to your legacy? Has it occurred to you that you are a legacy, and that you have a legacy? I believe God has created a legacy of good news in each of us and that we are made to share it. Let’s begin by considering the word legacy.

What is a legacy?

You can probably tell that the word legacy is related to the word legal, and indeed, the original meaning of the word had to do with legal direction for what we leave when we die. In this sense, a legacy has to do with legal direction for the financial and material goods we leave behind.

The word has taken on a broader meaning, though, as Oxford languages puts it, “the long-lasting impact of particular events, actions, etc. that took place in the past, or of a person’s life.” (Google, Oxford Languages).

Living our legacy as Christians

For Christians, our legacy points to the good news of God’s story of grace in our lives, and we are meant to live and share it for God’s glory:

“tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders” (Psalm 78:4).

We focus first on living a life that tells the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord. What I remember about my grandmother is how she faithfully taught Sunday School well into her eighties, how she took my brother and me to Vacation Bible School when we visited her in the summer, and how she cooked fabulous meals and made a home for us. We want to live a life that shows the grace of God to the “next generation,” whether our own children and grandchildren, or to anyone who needs to know the good news.

Numbering our days

Part of living this life includes a commitment to numbering our days:

“So teach us to number our days, that we may get a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12

We do so by facing the realities of aging, caregiving, and the end of life, intentionally, wisely, and hopefully. As Eugene Peterson said,

“We will learn to live well when we learn to live wisely. And we will learn to live wisely when we learn to realize that our days here on earth are numbered.” (Eugene Peterson, The Message: Conversations with Its Author).

For more thoughts on living our legacies by numbering our days, go here:

10 Benefits to Numbering Your Days

Preparing your legacy

I think of the legacy we prepare and share in two large categories: practical and spiritual.

Practical Legacy

Our practical legacy includes all of the information our loved ones will need if we are incapacitated or have died: the legal instructions such as will, advance directive, power of attorney, etc. as well as essential information like passwords, insurance, financial, etc. Our practical legacy also includes things we don’t leave behind because we have appropriately let go of things along the way.

My parents were divorced when I was young and had very different approaches to numbering their days and preparing a legacy. My father died without providing much in the way of a practical legacy although he knew he had terminal cancer. My mother, because she had seen the complications and additional grief caused by my father dying without this legacy, gathered all of the information I would need as her executor. Because she died unexpectedly, having this information in the midst of my shock and grief was a kind gift.

Spiritual Legacy

Our spiritual legacy is the non-material legacy we leave: our stories, beliefs, values, and wisdom. In addition to living authentically in the way we wish to be remembered, we gather and record our spiritual legacy, whether through writing or video or oral recording. There are a myriad of ways to record and share a spiritual legacy.

Sharing your legacy

I am passionate about helping you share your legacy. If you write stories in a little notebook but no one ever knows about them, they could be lost forever. I can help you gather your legacies into one place and to share them in ways that bless your loved ones. It can be difficult to have conversations with family members or friends about our legacies, both practical and spiritual, because people don’t want to think about our deaths. But when we number our days intentionally and wisely, we can share the hope of glory, our belief that our death is the beginning of our truest story, not the end.

Dear friends, let’s start today to live, prepare, and share our legacy intentionally.

Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage

Elizabeth is a life and legacy coach who offers gospel-centered wisdom and equipping to help you live, prepare, and share your life and legacy.

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