Paper (cardstock) Dreidel

Need:

• color pencils, crayons or markers
• scissors
• glue
• straw
• pattern printed on cardstock
• glitter glue – if desired

.

.

.

.

 

New Beginnings – Eighth Night

At the end of the long dark night, right before daybreak, we may be tempted to fall asleep. The Holy Spirit gives us strength to be awake and aware of the approaching of daylight.

Matthew 25:1-13  NKJV

“The kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ The all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I saw to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you do not know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.”

Is your heart crying out, “Come, Lord Jesus, come!”? Are you desperate for Jesus‘ return? Does your heart beat rapidly in anticipation of His return? Are you watching and waiting for Jesus’ return?

Revelation 21:2  NKJV

“Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

Our number one desire should be to please Jesus. As His bride we are to make ourselves ready for His return. He is coming back for people that are watching and waiting (and preparing) for His return. Only those who have properly prepared themselves will be taken to heaven to be with God forever. Sin interferes with a person being properly prepared, however God offers forgiveness of sin through Jesus’ sacrifice.

Revelation 22:17  NKJV

“And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.”

We should live each day with the attitude of, “Today might be the day.” We are to watch and wait.

Luke 12:40  NKJV

“Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

Dear Father,

Thank-you for forgiving me of my sins. It is through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross that I am restored into a right relationship with You. By the power of the Holy Spirit, give me strength to be awake and aware of the approaching return of Jesus Christ. Don’t allow me to be slumbering or distracted. My heart cries out, “Come, Lord Jesus, come! May I please You, O Lord each day. Convict me of sin in my life and cause me to be quick to repent. May I live each day with the attitude of, “Today might be the day.”

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

LIGHT 8 CANDLES

Walk In The Light – Seventh Night

Ephesians 5:8-14  NKJV

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things that are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says: ‘Awake, you who sleep,

Arise from the dead,

And Christ will give you light.’ ”

When we receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior our position changes. We were one in darkness, evil, but at salvation we become righteous and full of light through Christ Jesus. We were spiritually dead but are made spiritually alive. God expects our walk to change since our position changed. We must walk worthy of the Lord.

1 John 1:5 – 7   NKJV

“This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

There is no darkness (evil) in God and if we truly are in fellowship with God we will not have any in us either. We will have God’s standards and God’s morals.

 

Father,

Thank-you that we are children of the light. Cause us to have not fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness. I thank-you that through Jesus my position has changed. I have become righteous and full of light through Christ Jesus. I am spiritually alive. By the power of the Holy Spirit help my walk to be changed since my position has changed. Let me walk worthy of the Lord. Cause my fellowship with You to grow.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

LIGHT 8 CANDLES

Our Responsibility As A Light – Sixth Night

 

 

Colossians 1:12  NKJV

“…giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.”

With every inheritance comes responsibilities. Christians have a responsibility to be a light everywhere they go and in everything they do. The light within them is to be shared. Our task is to spread light, to illuminate the world with the light of God’s Word.

Matthew 5:16  NKJV

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Everything we do and say should point people to God. When people look at us they should not see us, instead they should see Jesus shining through us. There are people watching each and every one of us. May what they see be the light that they need to create a hunger for God and the things of God. As the heavenly bodies shine forth  in brightness against the blackness of the night, so the lives of true Christians lighten the moral darkness of the world. We are to shine as lights to both the lost and the saved.

Matthew 5:14-16  NKJV

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

 

As the moral climate of this world becomes darker and darker it is very important that Christians let Christ shine through them. Darkness will not go away by itself. By allowing the light of Christ to shine through us we are in essence creating more light, which makes the darkness disappear.

 

Father,

Thank You that You have qualified me to be a partaker of the inheritance of the saints in the light. Holy Spirit, help me to fulfill my responsibilities. Let everything I do and say point people to You, O Lord. When people look at me may they see Jesus shining through me. May what people see in me be the light that they need to create a hunger for You within them.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Light 6 candles

Man Made Worship vs. True Worship – Fifth Night

1 John 5:18-21  NKJV

“We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him. We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.”

The worship of an invisible, omnipotent God must not be replaced with worship to pagan deities, idols or manmade worship.

John 4:23-24  NKJV

“But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

The dictionary describes spirit as the life force of person or the vital force that characterizes a human being as being alive. It also describes it as enthusiasm and full of energy. Truth is described as honesty, sincerity and loyalty.

If you want to be a true worshipper your entire life must reflect your love, reverence and respect for God. You must be honest (unpretentious / truthful) and sincere about your love for God. Your life (words, thoughts, actions) must show what you believe about God.  If you say that you worship God, but your actions don’t line up with your words, you are a hypocrite and you are not a true worshipper.

A hypocrite is somebody who pretends to have admirable principles, beliefs, or feelings but behaves otherwise. Jesus places hypocrites in the same category as the scribes and Pharisees. According to Jesus hypocrites will go to hell.

Matthew 23:13-33  NKJV

“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.’ Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold? And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.’ Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it. He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it. And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’ “Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt. Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?”

Dear Father.

Thank-you that Your Son has come and has given us understanding that we may know Him. Cause us to keep ourselves from idols. May our entire lives reflect Your love, and reverence and respect for You. Let our love for and to You be honest and sincere. By the power of the Holy Spirit, may our lives show what we believe about You. 

In Jesus’ name, Amen

Light 5 candles

Light Reveals Evil – Fourth Night

John 3:18-21  NKJV

“He who believes in Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

The Light of Jesus Christ was sent to this world by God the Father so that not none would be lost and that all would receive eternal life. When we believe in Jesus and His name we are not condemned and we receive life instead of judgment.

John 5:24  NKJV

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”

John 6:40  NKJV

“And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Those that do not believe in Jesus or His name are condemned and they will receive judgment. God sent His Son, Jesus, to this world to show us the way to Himself. Jesus is the Light of the World. Throughout history and in this present age, people offer many excuses for not accepting Jesus as their Savior and the Lord of their life. The excuses they give are an attempt to hide what is really in their heart. Deep in their heart they do not want to accept Jesus as the Lord of their life. They do not want the light of Jesus to shine in them because if it does it will show them for what they really are – a sinner that does not want to change and who does not want to draw closer to God.

We must never forget that the Light of Jesus Christ reveals sin and enables us to see ourselves as we really are and as God sees us.

The true believer, however, welcomes the light of Jesus shining in them. The light will help them see what they need to do in order to draw closer to God.

Ephesians 5:8  NKJV

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light”

When we accept Jesus as our Savior we are changed. We were once children of darkness (sin) but we become children of the light (righteousness). Our new life must reflect that change in us in every area of our lives.

This year may each one of us welcome the light of Jesus Christ into our lives and may we do whatever it takes to draw closer to God.

 

Father,

Thank-you for the salvation that I receive through Jesus. Help me to never forget that the Light of Jesus Christ reveals sin and enables me to see myself as I really am and as You see me. Help me to always welcome the light of Jesus shining in me. By the power of the Holy Spirit, help me to draw closer to You.

 In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Light 4 candles

In The Beginning God Said, “Let There Be Light” – Third Night

Genesis 1:1-4  NKJV

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.”

The ultimate goal and purpose of creation was that the divine light would shine throughout the world, transforming everything, even darkness itself.

God has always divided the light from the dark. Just as the natural light was separated from the dark, one day  God will separate the spiritual light from the spiritual dark.

Matthew 25:31-34  NKJV

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”

Dear Father,

We thank-you for Your transforming light. By the power of the Holy Spirit may we allow You to shine Your light into every area of our life. Cause us to live in such a way that when Jesus comes in His glory we will be ready. As He separates one from another may we hear, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”

In Jesus’ name, Amen

LIGHT 3 CANDLES

God Gives Light – Second Night

2 Corinthians 4:6  NKJV

“For it is God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

.

Genesis 1:3  NKJV

“Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light.”

God gave light to the world at the beginning, at creation, when He commanded it to be so. God also gives light to a person’s heart that they may see who Jesus is. Satan does not want you to see and believe in Jesus so he will do anything that he can to blind you to the light. The truths in the Bible will light, point to, and direct us to the source of all truth and life, Jesus Christ.

 

Father,

Thank-you Father, for it was You who commanded light to shine in our hearts. You gave light to the world at creation and You also give light to our hearts that we may see who Jesus is. We praise You for Your truths will light, point to, and direct us to the source of all truth and life.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Light 2 candles

Christians Are Lights – First Night

Matthew 5:14 – 16  NKJV

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

The sun gives off light and the moon has no light except the reflected light from the sun. Just as the moon has no light except that from the sun, we have no light except from Jesus. Christians are the reflective light of Jesus, the Light of the World.

Since we only have the light of Jesus, and no light of our own, we must be very careful to make sure that nothing comes between us and Jesus. We don’t want anything or anyone to block the light of Jesus shining in and through us. We are the light of the world as long as we reflect Jesus, and that light is given to penetrate the spiritual darkness of this world.

 

Father,

Thank-you for the light that You have given us through Jesus. Help me to be the reflective light of Jesus, the Light of the World. Don’t allow me to let anything come between me and Jesus. I don’t want anything or anyone to block the light of Jesus shining in and through me. As I reflect Jesus let that light penetrate the spiritual darkness of this world.

In Jesus’ name, Amen

Light 1 candle

Light

 

Hanukkah Devotions / Book 6

After the Jewish people returned to the land of Israel from Babylonia they rebuilt the temple. During this time they were subject to the reigning powers, first to the Persian empire and later to Alexander the Great. According to history books, Alexander the Great was a kind and generous ruler to the Jews. After his death his kingdom was divided. Judah was caught in the middle and ended up subject to Greek kings who reigned from Syria, the Seleucid dynasty.

Antiochus IV was Judah’s new king. He worshipped false gods, Greek gods. He did not allow the Jewish people to worship YHWH, the only true God. During the years of Greek power many of the Jews embraced the Greek culture and its pagan way of life. These Jews helped Antiochus abolish every trace of the Jewish religion, then he took the holy treasures from the temple. He also outlawed the Jewish people from observing their traditions and from observing their Sabbaths. After a period of time he banned the reading  and studying of God’s Word.

When things looked like they could not get any worse, Antiochus went into the temple and sacrificed a pig on the altar, then the Jewish people were required to bow down before the pig. If they refused to do so they were killed. Things looked very bleak for the Jewish people. The temple had been desecrated, innocent people were being put to death, they were being heavily taxed, altars were erected in every city and in the temple to false gods, and pigs were being sacrificed every day on the altar in the temple.

If the Jewish people practiced their Jewish religion they were beaten or put to death. If their sacred books were found they were destroyed. Overseers were appointed to help persuade the people to adhere to the kings orders.

Many Jews complied with the kings orders. Some did so voluntarily, and some out of fear. Some of the ones that accepted the Greek ways even changed their names. During this dark time even, the high priest changed his name from Joshua to Jason. He was a wicked and sinful man who depressed and demoralized his fellow Jews. Jason readily accepted and forced others to participate in pagan customs and immoral acts.

After a period of time Jason was replaced. In his anger over being replaced, he gathered an army and attacked the city, slaughtering many Jews. The disturbance was viewed as a revolt by Antiochus causing him to send armies into Jerusalem. The armies of  Antiochus plundered the temple and killed thousands of the Jews. After this even more idols and altars were erected for worship to the pagan Greek gods and goddesses. They were everywhere – every town, every city, and every village. Antiochus’ soldiers forced the Jewish people to make offerings to these false gods and goddesses. The people were also forced to eat food that God had forbidden them to, and to engage in ungodly and immoral acts.

There were some Jewish people who refused to follow the Greek practices and the pagan activities. They would not bow down to the false gods. These people chose to obey God and to follow His ways. This remnant of Jews organized a group of people to fight against the evil leaders. This remnant, under the leadership of Judas Maccabee, gained control of the temple.

The temple had to be purified, because it had been defiled, before it could be used again to worship the one and only true God. The altar was torn down and rebuilt and new vessels were made. When everything was finished they hung the curtain and put the bread of presence on the table. On the twenty-fifth of Kislev they rededicated the temple unto God. They poured all the oil the oil that they had found into the menorah, however, it would only enough to last for one day. They lit the menorah and miraculously the oil lasted for eight days, the exact time it took for new oil to be made!

.

.

.

First Night – Christians Are Light

Second Night – God Gives Light

Third Night – In The Beginning

Fourth Night – Light Reveals Evil

Fifth Night – Man Made Worship

Sixth Night – Our Responsibility As Lights

Seventh Night – Walk In The Light

Eighth Night – New Beginnings