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Today is Friday, December 5th, 2025; Karen's Korner #5500
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Jesus is the Reason for the Season! "And while they were there,
the time came for her baby to be born;
and she gave birth to her first child,
a son.
She wrapped him in a blanket
and laid him in a manger,
because there was no room for them
in the village inn."
~ Luke 2: 6 & 7 LAB
** Comments on these verses: 'Although our first impression of Jesus is as a baby in a manger, it must not be our last. The Christ child in the manger makes a beautiful Christmas scene, but we cannot leave him there. This tiny, helpless baby lived an amazing life, died for us, ascended to heaven, and will come back to this earth as King of kings. He will rule the world and judge all people according to their decisions about him. Do we still picture Jesus as a baby in a manger ---or is he our Lord? We need to make sure we don't underestimate Jesus. And let him grow up in our lives."
***
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Today is Thursday, December 4th, 2025; Karen's Korner #5499
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A reading shared by a friend at a recent prayer group. It's a writing by Helen Steiner Rice and taken from "Somebody Loves You":
"In God Is My Strength" "'Love Divine, All Love Excelling'
Make my 'humbled heart YOUR DWELLING,
For without YOUR LOVE DIVINE,
Total darkness would be mine,
My earthly load I could not bear
If YOU were not there to share
All the pain, despair, and sorrow
That almost makes me dread tomorrow,
For I am often weak and weary
And life is dark and bleak and dreary.
But somehow when I realize
That HE who made the sea and skies
And holds the whole world in HIS HAND
Has my 'small soul' in HIS COMMAND,
It gives me STRENGTH to try once more
To somehow reach 'THE HEAVENLY DOOR'
Where I will LIVE FOREVERMORE
With friends and loved ones I adore!"
***
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Today is Wednesday, December 3rd, 2025; Karen's Korner #5498
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I just finished reading the book "The Promise of Heaven: 31 Reasons to Get Excited About Your Eternal Home" by Dr. David Jeremiah. The last couple of pages of the nearly three hundred page book concludes with these several paragraphs:
"Whoever believes in Jesus will be saved. There is no doubt in that promise No wiggle room. We can be confident of our salvation simply by confessing with our mouth and believing in our heart. That's all it takes.
He then encourages readers to say these words: "Lord Jesus, I trust You have offered me a place in heaven. I trust You have offered me eternal life---and I accept that gift. Right now I choose to believe in my heart that You died on the cross for my sins and were raised from the dead, and I confess with my mouth that You are Lord. You are Lord of my life. I confess that I have sinned against You throughout my life, and right now I repent of every one of those sins. I accept Your forgiveness for every single sin.
"I speak this prayer in Your name, Lord Jesus. Amen." He continues: "I didn't write this book so you would be smarter about heaven. I wrote this book so you would GO to heaven--so you would be sure of your eternal salvation. That way we can meet up one day along the streets of gold within New Jerusalem and talk together about all the wonders we've experienced and all the wonders that still await us in that perfect place. That eternal home.
"I look forward to seeing you there!" ***
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Today is Tuesday, December 2nd, 2025; Karen's Korner #5497
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"Jehovah is constantly thinking about us,
and He will certainly bless us." ~ Psalm 115:12 LAB * Bible Commentary: "'Jehovah is constantly thinking about us' says the psalm writer. What a fantastic truth! There are many times when we feel isolated, alone, and abandoned, even by God. In reality, He sees and understands, and is thinking about us. When we are depressed by problems or struggling with self-worth, we need to be encouraged that God keeps us in His thoughts. If He thinks about us, surely His help is near."
****
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Today is Monday, December 1st, 2025; Karen's Korner #5496
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Friday's Karen's Korner was Max Lucado. So is today's!
I got this in my email this morning. Good one to kick off December and the Christmas season!
HIS GRIP IS SURE
"My dad, a man of few words, told my brother and me, 'Boys, Christmas is about Jesus.' In one of those bedtime, book-time moments, somewhere between the fairy tales and the monkey with the lunch pail, I thought about what Dad had said. I began asking the Christmas questions, and I’ve been asking them ever since.
"God knows what it’s like to be a human. When we talk to him about deadlines or tough times, he understands. He’s been there. He’s been here. Because of Bethlehem, we have a friend in Jesus. Christmas begins what Easter celebrates. The child in the cradle became the King on the cross. And he doesn’t tell us, 'Clean up before you come in.' He offers, 'Come in and I’ll clean you up.' It’s not our grip on him that matters, but his grip on us. And his grip is sure.
***
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Today is Friday, November 28th, 2025; Karen's Korner #5495
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Something written by Max Lucado and in my computer inbox from several days ago:
WHO CAN BE AGAINST US?
"Paul asks the question in Romans 8:31, 'If God is for us, who can be against us?' The question isn’t simply, 'Who can be against you?; You could answer that one. Who is against you? Disease, inflation, corruption, exhaustion. Calamities confront, fears imprison. Were Paul’s question, 'Who can be against us?' we could list our foes much easier than we could fight them.
"God is for us. God is for us. God is for us. Your parents may have forgotten you, your teachers may have neglected you, your siblings may be ashamed of you. But within reach of your prayers is the maker of the oceans – God! God is for you. Not may be, not has been, not was, but God is! He is for you. Today. At this hour. At this minute. As you hear this, he is with you. God is for you."
***
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Today is Thursday, November 27th, 2025; Karen's Korner #5494
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"Oh, how grateful and thankful I am to the Lord because He is so good. I will sing praise to the name of the Lord who is above all lords." ~ Psalm 7:17 LAB
* "Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is so good! For His lovingkindess is forever." ~ Psalm 118:29 LAB
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Today is Wednesday, November 26th, 2025; Karen's Korner #5493
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So what was the writing that I submitted to THE UPPER ROOM and it was selected and published many years ago. The devotional booklet for July - August 1979 went to more than eight million readers and translated into more than thirty languages.Human nature doesn't change much in more than forty years! So here we go:
Wednesday, July 4, 1979
Read John 6:1 - 14
"The Jesus took the loaves and gave thanks to God and passed them out to the people. Afterwards he did the same with the fish. And everyone ate until full!"
~ John 6:11 (TLB)
"Early last spring, my husband brought home a stray, skinny puppy. When we first started feeding him, I was amazed that he would allow the two cats to eat with him.
"But as time wore on, he became better fed, and he would not allow this. So when I fed him, I would make two piles of food. Otherwise, our cats would not be allowed even one bit from his precious morsels.
"Now, our puppy is a sleek well-fed dog. When we make the two piles of food, not only will be eat his own pile of food, he will chase the cats and eat theirs before he finishes his own.
"As I watched him several weeks ago, I thought to myself are we in our country so much different? During America's struggling pioneer days, we may not have had much, but there was a great sense of sharing and community.
"Now that we are much fatter and sleeker, we think, 'Better not share; my pile will be smaller and theirs might get bigger.'
"PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank You for all the things You have provided me and my family. Help me to share some of what I have with other people. Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"God says, 'Feed my sheep."
Karen S. Weld (Clarion, Iowa)
INTERCESSION: "Our nation and its people."
***
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Today is Tuesday, November 25th, 2025; Karen's Korner #5492
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My perpetual flip calendar by Sarah Young's "Jesus Calling" tells a number of 'thankful' topics as we near Thanksgiving. I particularly liked yesterday's, November 24.
What Young has written I have experienced.
"Thankfulness takes the sting out of adversity. That is why I have instructed you to give thanks for everything. There is an element of mystery in this transaction: You give Me thanks (regardless of your feelings), and I give you Joy (regardless of your circumstances). This is a spirtual act of obedience----at times, blind obedience. To people who don't know Me intimately, it can seem irrational and even impossible to thank Me for heartrending hardships. Nonetheless, those who obey Me in this way are invariably blessed, even though difficulties may remain.
"Thankfulness opens your heart to My Presence and your mind to My thoughts. You may still be in the same place, with the same set of circumstances, but it is as if a light has been switched on, enabling you to see from My perspective. It is this Light of My Presence that removes the sting from adversity."
~ Taken from Ephesians 5:20; Psalm 118:1: Psalm 89:15
***
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Today is Monday, November 24th, 2025; Karen's Korner #5491
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As we come into a busy Christmas holiday season:
"It is senseless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, fearing you will starve to death; for God wants his loved ones to get their proper rest."~ Psalm 127:2 LAB
* Bible Commentary: "God is not against human effort. Hard work honors God. But working to the exclusion of rest or neglecting family may be a cover-up for an inability to trust God to provide for our needs. We all need adequate rest and times of spiritual refreshment. On the other hand, this verse is not an excuse to be lazy. Be careful to maintain a balance; work hard while trusting God, and also rest while trusting Him."
***
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