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Kislev is the third
month of the Jewish calendar. It is a time of the year in Israel for celebrating
the rains. It is also the month when Ezra reminded the exiles returning to
Jerusalem to stay faithful to the Lord by not marrying women who worshipped
other gods. Finally, it is the month when Hanukkah starts. As Christians,
Hanukkah reminds us to let our light shine for others to see.
Friday, November 9, 2018 | Kislev 1, 5779
“Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth
and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the
earth and there was no one to work the ground.” – Genesis 2:5
You are the Creator,
and Your timing is perfect. You do nothing without a reason. Help me to trust
in the wisdom of Your plan and Your methods.
Saturday, November 10, 2018 | Kislev 2, 5779
“Who cuts a channel for the torrents of
rain, and a path for the thunderstorm, to water a land where no one lives, an
uninhabited desert, to satisfy a desolate wasteland and make it sprout with
grass? Does
the rain have a father? Who fathers the drops of dew?”
– Job 38:25-28
You, oh, God, are the
only Father of all creation. You created the rain and You created me. Just as
You make the grass grow in the desert, make my mind fertile to learn Your ways.
Give me a vibrant spirit that springs to life in You.
~Week 10~
Sunday, November 11, 2018 | Kislev 3, 5779
“Do any of the worthless idols of the
nations bring rain? Do the skies themselves send down showers? No, it is You, Lord our God. Therefore our hope is in You, for You are the one who does
all this.” – Jeremiah 14:22
There is no one like
You, no one else that I can count on to give me everything that I need. I put
my hope only in You.
Monday, November 12, 2018 | Kislev 4, 5779
“And rain fell on the
earth forty days and forty nights.” – Genesis 7:12
Father, Your rain is a
blessing, but You can also use it to punish. Help me never to take Your gifts
for granted or to lose my holy and respectful fear of You.
Tuesday, November 13, 2018 | Kislev 5, 5779
“Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the Lord out of the heavens.” – Genesis 19:24
You rained destruction
on those who did evil to maintain Your justice and to warn me not to follow in
their footsteps. Keep my spirit pure, my thoughts focused, and my heart burning
with a passion for You.
Wednesday, November 14, 2018 | Kislev 6, 5779
“When Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, the Lord sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down
to the ground. So the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt.” –
Exodus 9:23
Father, I take no joy
in the destruction of my enemies, but rejoice in Your salvation. Would You rain
hail in my heart to break up its stony barriers if I ever let it get hard
toward You.
Thursday, November 15, 2018 | Kislev 7, 5779
“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘I will rain down bread from heaven for you.
The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I
will test them and see whether they will follow My instructions.” – Exodus 16:4
Provider of every good
gift, help me to receive Your blessings and use them as You would have me to.
Put me to the test and train me to follow You more closely.
Friday, November 16, 2018 | Kislev 8, 5779
“Then I will send rain
on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil.”
– Deuteronomy 11:14
Faithful God, You bless
me with more than I deserve or need. Help me to use Your gifts to bless others.
Saturday, November 17, 2018 | Kislev 9, 5779
“Then the Lord’s anger will burn against
you, and He will shut up the heavens so that it will not rain and the ground will yield no
produce, and you will soon perish from the good land the Lord is giving you.” – Deuteronomy 11:17
Holy Spirit, keep my
conscience sharp and my heart soft so that I will never cause You to withhold
Your good gifts from me.
~Week 11~
Sunday, November 18, 2018 | Kislev 10, 5779
“Like clouds and wind without rain
is one who boasts of gifts never given.” – Proverbs 25:14
Jesus, help me to be
humble not to boast. Help me to be generous in giving my time and resources for
the good of others. Help me to me diligent in following through with my
commitments.
Monday, November 19, 2018 | Kislev 11, 5779
“Like a north wind that brings unexpected rain is a sly tongue—which provokes a horrified look.” – Proverbs
25:23
My God, help me to
honor You in everything that I say. Help me not to deceive or manipulate others
with my words but only say what is true and uplifting, in Your Name.
Tuesday, November 20, 2018 | Kislev 12, 5779
“Because they lead my people astray, saying,
‘Peace,’ when there is no peace, and because, when a flimsy wall is built, they
cover it with whitewash, therefore tell those who cover it with whitewash that it is going to
fall. Rain will come in torrents, and I will send hailstones hurtling down, and
violent winds will burst forth. When the wall
collapses, will people not ask you, ‘Where is the whitewash you covered it
with?’ – Ezekiel 13:10-12
Seer of all things,
like the rain that washes chalk from a dirty wall, so You expose all that I do
and all that I think. Help me not to think that I can deceive You, myself, or
others but help me to be honest in my brokenness and humble in my holiness.
Wednesday, November 21, 2018 | Kislev 13, 5779
“These people are blemishes at your love
feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only
themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn
trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead.” – Jude 1:12
Holy Spirit, teach me
and ground me. Like a cloud full of rain, fill me with the truth, so that I can
stand firmly in You.
Thursday, November 22, 2018 | Kislev 14, 5779
“You heavens above, rain down My
righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide, let
salvation spring up, let righteousness flourish with
it; I, the Lord, have
created it.” – Isaiah 45:8
Father, open my spirit,
my mind, and my heart to receive the righteousness that You want to rain down
on me. I want all of it. I want all of You and Your holiness. Let Your
salvation spring out of me and spread to those around me for Your glory!
Friday, November 23, 2018 | Kislev 15, 5779
“As the rain and the snow come down from
heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud
and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so
is My word that goes out from My mouth: It will not return to Me empty, but
will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” –
Isaiah 55:10-11
You are God. What You
say, happens. What You will, occurs. Help me to trust in Your promises and know
that they will be fulfilled.
Saturday, November 24, 2018 | Kislev 16, 5779
“Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us
press on to acknowledge Him. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear; He
will come to us like the winter rains,
like the spring rains that water
the earth.” – Hosea 6:3
Father, like a land in
drought, there are times when I don’t feel You near me. But as the prophet
says, help me to persevere and know that You will rain in my heart again. You
will not abandon me but will come to me again and feed me with Your spirit.
~Week 12~
Sunday, November 25, 2018 | Kislev 17, 5779
“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute
you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.
He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the
righteous and the unrighteous.” – Matthew 5:44-45
Father, help me to be
openhearted and generous toward everyone, just as You are.
Monday, November 26, 2018 | Kislev 18, 5779
“The rain came down, the
streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not
fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” – Matthew 7:25
Jesus, establish me in
Your word. Establish me in Your Spirit. Establish me in You, so that when the
storms of life come, I will be able to stand strong, honoring and rejoicing in
You.
Tuesday, November 27, 2018 | Kislev 19, 5779
“Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the
fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to
seek the Lord, until He comes and showers His
righteousness on you.” – Hosea 10:12
My Father, turn my
heart toward You. Give me a passion to seek You. Show me how to sow
righteousness so that I experience Your unfailing love and share it with those
around me.
Wednesday, November 28, 2018 | Kislev 20, 5779
“And on the twentieth day of the ninth
month, all the people were sitting in the square before the house of God,
greatly distressed by the occasion and because of the rain. Then Ezra the priest stood
up and said to them, ‘You have been unfaithful; you have married foreign women,
adding to Israel’s guilt. Now honor the Lord, the God of
your ancestors, and do His will. Separate yourselves from the peoples around
you and from your foreign wives.” – Ezra 10:9-11
Father, help me to
exercise wisdom in who I associate with. Help me to recognize those who will be
a negative influence in my relationship with you. Help me to build
relationships with those who will help build me up, and help me to do the same
for others.
Thursday, November 29, 2018 | Kislev 21, 5779
“As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his
heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been.” – 1 Kings 11:4
Holy Spirit, keep me
from going after anyone or anything that would turn my heart from You. You are
the one I am devoted to. You are my all.
Friday, November 30, 2018 | Kislev 22, 5779
“Come out from them and be separate, says
the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” – 2 Corinthians 6:17
Holy God, You have
called me to Yourself and I have answered. You want to be in a holy
relationship with me, but I need Your help. Show me what is unclean in Your
eyes and teach my spirit to see evil as dirty and as profane as You do.
Saturday, December 1, 2018 | Kislev 23, 5779
“If you belonged to the world, it would love
you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you
out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” – John 15:19
Jesus, You’ve called me
to something higher than the empty pleasures of this world. This world hates me
and only wants to keep from You. Help me to recognize its temptations and
apathetic attitudes as the true enemies of my spirit.
~Week 13~
Sunday, December 2, 2018 | Kislev 24, 5779
“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate
father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own
life—such a person cannot be My disciple.” – Luke 14:26
Savior, all that I have
is Yours: my life, my family, my desires. You are my first priority. I hate
everything else compared to my love for You.
Monday, December 3, 2018 | Kislev 25, 5779
Hanukkah / The Festival of Lights / The Feast of Dedication
“Early in the morning on the twenty-fifth
day of the ninth month, which is the month of Chislev, in the one hundred
forty-eighth year, they rose and offered sacrifice, as the law directs, on the
new altar of burnt offering that they had built. At the very season and on the
very day that the Gentiles had profaned it, it was dedicated with songs and
harps and lutes and cymbals. All
the people fell on their faces and worshiped and blessed Heaven, who had
prospered them. So they celebrated the dedication of the altar for eight days,
and joyfully offered burnt offerings; they offered a sacrifice of well-being
and a thanksgiving offering. They
decorated the front of the temple with golden crowns and small shields; they
restored the gates and the chambers for the priests, and fitted them with doors.
There was very great joy
among the people, and the disgrace brought by the Gentiles was removed.” – 1
Maccabees 4:52-58
Father God, as we enter
the season of Hannukah, I rejoice in Your victories. I rejoice that no one and
nothing can defeat You. No one can thwart Your plans. You can always redeem
that which seems lost, just as You redeemed me in Your Son’s ultimate victory
over sin and the grave.
Tuesday, December 4, 2018 | Kislev 26, 5779
Hanukkah / The Festival of Lights / The Feast of Dedication
“For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and
the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.” – 1 Kings 17:14
Just as You provided
oil that did not run dry, so Your Spirit never leaves me wanting. You are
infinite and Your grace and love to me continues forever.
Wednesday, December 5, 2018 | Kislev 27, 5779
Hanukkah / The Festival of Lights / The Feast of Dedication
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and
the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness
covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and His glory appears over you. Nations will come to
your light, and
kings to the brightness of your dawn.” – Isaiah 60:1-3
God of Light, You have
shined on me and helped me to see through the darkness of this world. Help me
to be a light that points others to You.
Thursday, December 6, 2018 | Kislev 28, 5779
Hanukkah / The Festival of Lights / The Feast of Dedication
“You are the light of the world. A town
built on a hill cannot be hidden.
Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead
they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may
see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” – Matthew 5:14-16
Father, show me the
good deeds that I can do today to inspire others to glorify You. Make me Your
light shining for all to see.
Friday, December 7, 2018 | Kislev 29, 5779
Hanukkah / The Festival of Lights / The Feast of Dedication
“I have made you a light for the Gentiles,
that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.” – Acts 13:47
Father, You have tasked
me with no small mission. Help me not to ignore it or downplay it. Help me to
offer salvation to everyone You put in my path. And help me to be active and
take salvation to those who don’t know You.
Saturday, December 8, 2018 | Kislev 30, 5779
Hanukkah / The Festival of Lights / The Feast of Dedication
“I, the Lord, have called you in
righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles.” – Isaiah 42:6
Yes, Lord, take my hand
and teach me. Build me up into who You’ve created me to be and help me to shine
Your light in the world. Help me to bring others into the covenant of faith in
Your Son, so that we can all be united in You.
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