Author: thartung

Weekly Challenge:
Give-This year, Westside has participated in Operation Thanksgiving Blessing, Operation
Christmas Blessing, and Operation Christmas Child to help spread the Gospel to those families
in need. This week, we want to challenge you to bring that same attitude to those in your circle.
Who do you know who is having a hard time this year? Did they lose their job? Is this their first
Christmas without a loved one? Is there someone you know who is struggling and needs the hopeof Jesus? We want to challenge you this week to bring them a meal, some goodies (I know my family loves passing out baked goods during Christmas), or some other thing to show that you are praying for them and that they are loved by you and loved by God.

Sunday, December 13th

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and
joy in the Holy Spirit – Romans 14:17 (NIV)

This morning, Pastor Jay shared a message on joy. Although it is easy for us to fall into this idea that there is little to be joyful about, we can be reminded about finding Joy in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We can still rejoice because we know whose we are and the love that He has for us. Right now, if you are struggling with not finding joy, know that you are not alone. Many of us are struggling with how the holidays might be different. Maybe you lost a loved one at some point this year, perhaps you had to abandon travel plans to be with family, or maybe you had to forgo a yearly tradition that helps you remember and celebrate Christ. Those feelings are not invalid. But through those feelings, remember to turn to Jesus and rejoice in His presence and in His love.

Saturday, December 12th

“1 Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called
Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul.
2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me
Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 So after they had fasted and
prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.” – Acts 13:1-3 (NIV)

Spiritual Discipline: Fasting

This week’s Spiritual Discipline is fasting. In Acts 13, we see early Church leader gathering to see what was next for the Church. This passage indicates that they were praying and fasting in order to prepare the Holy Spirit to prompt them on what to do next. After being told by the Spirit, they continued to fast and pray to God. Fasting, the act of giving up food, is a way to show our dependance on God. We show God that we are fully dependent on Him and what He provides for us. Jesus fasts in Matthew 4 in preparation for His ministry. This Saturday, we are challenging you to join us as we fast in preparing our hearts for the celebration of Jesus’ birth. Today you will feel hungry, but we ask that you take that as a reminder to pray to God. Pray that He guides you through this season, pray that He walks with you, and pray to give thanks to God.

Author Ian Jeffries

Friday, December 11th

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of
stone and give you a heart of flesh. – Ezekiel 36:26 NIV

Yesterday, we talked about being reborn due to the resurrection and God’s Mercy on us. The Lord tells Israel in this passage of Ezekiel that He will provide them a new heart for them… one of flesh instead of stone! Have you ever had a disagreement with someone so harsh that it felt as though there were an immovable wall between you and the other person? In tense situations, the heart can become cold and hard… like a stone! Ezekiel is saying this is how God feels about Israel. They have pushed back against the Lord and lived in opposition to Him, but soon their hearts will be softened. Just as Israel had been hardened against God back then, so the hearts of all mankind are hardened against God even today. It is only by receiving the gift of rebirth through the Holy Spirit and made possible through Jesus Christ, that we begin to develop a new heart. As we celebrate the birth of Christ, let’s remember that we have been reborn because of Him. Let your heard be evermore softened day by day towards Jesus, His church, and the surrounding community that you are called to love.

Author Ian Jeffries & Tom Hartung

Thursday, December 10th

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead – 1 Peter 1:3

Over the next two days, we are going to look in to what it means to be reborn because of
Christ. Today, we want to look at this great mercy. Without Christ, we are helpless in sin. We are overwhelmed by our sin with no hope for the future. Yet, Christ has mercy on us. Being Holy, He has no requirement, no need to give us a second chance through the resurrection. Websters defines mercy as: “compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one’s power” some examples of this according to Webster’s are: “imprisonment rather than death imposed as penalty for first-degree murder” or “a blessing that is an act of divine favor or compassion” God in his mercy goes beyond simply lessening the sentence from death to imprisonment. God in his divine favor extends love to all who believe in His Son Jesus. Not only that but they are adopted into sonship.

When we look around at the world and see the depths of human depravity, and how each of us has individually missed the mark of perfection; it would stand to reason that a perfect god would want nothing to do with all our mess. But, even in spite of our mess, He chooses us out of love. He has given us a living hope through a sacrifice none other than His own. That is His mercy for you today!

Author Ian Jeffries & Tom Hartung

Wednesday, December 9th

Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. – Isaiah 9:7 NIV

Do you ever wake up one day at the end of the month and realize how fast it went by? At this point in the year, do you ever feel like we were just in the middle of the blazing hot summer?
Our perceptions of time are so interesting at times. Sometimes the day drags on, other times it
seems like it takes forever. The same happens when it comes to eternity. There is never an end to eternity. It is beyond all comprehension. If a single grain of rice was a lifetime, would a jar of rice be eternity? Not even close. Would an ocean full of rice represent eternity? Closer, but still not there. The idea that peace, justice, and righteousness ruling over the Earth seems foreign already, but the idea that it will last a lifetime is unfathomable for us. But that is what Christmas is celebrating. Satan was going to lose, and that was becoming more and more apparent to mankind. Christ was going to be seated as our King.