First Letter of John 5,14-21.
And we have this confidence in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in regard to whatever we ask, we know that what we have asked him for is ours. If anyone sees his brother sinning, if the sin is not deadly, he should pray to God and he will give him life. This is only for those whose sin is not deadly. There is such a thing as deadly sin, about which I do not say that you should pray. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not deadly. We know that no one begotten by God sins; but the one begotten by God he protects, and the evil one cannot touch him. We know that we belong to God, and the whole world is under the power of the evil one. We also know that the Son of God has come and has given us discernment to know the one who is true. And we are in the one who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Children, be on your guard against idols.
Psalms 149(148),1-2.3-4.5-6.9.
Hallelujah! Sing to the LORD a new song, a hymn in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in their maker, the people of Zion rejoice in their king.
Let them praise his name in festive dance, make music with tambourine and lyre.
For the LORD takes delight in his people, honors the poor with victory.
Let the faithful rejoice in their glory, cry out for joy at their banquet,
With the praise of God in their mouths, and a two-edged sword in their hands,
To execute the judgments decreed for them-- such is the glory of all God's faithful. Hallelujah!
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 3,22-30.
After this, Jesus and his disciples went into the region of Judea, where he spent some time with them baptizing. John was also baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was an abundance of water there, and people came to be baptized, for John had not yet been imprisoned. Now a dispute arose between the disciples of John and a Jew about ceremonial washings. So they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is baptizing and everyone is coming to him." John answered and said, "No one can receive anything except what has been given him from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said (that) I am not the Messiah, but that I was sent before him. The one who has the bride is the bridegroom; the best man, who stands and listens for him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. So this joy of mine has been made complete. He must increase; I must decrease."
"YOU ASKED FOR IT"
"What we have asked Him for is ours." –1 John 5:15
Tomorrow is the last day of the Christmas season. The Lord has surprised us once again by loving us more this Christmas than we ever dreamed possible. But it's not over yet. As great as Christmas has been, the Lord may well have been saving the best till last (see Jn 2:10). He will bring Christmas to a glorious conclusion, but we must ask to receive the fullness of His love (Mt 7:7).
"We have this confidence in God: that He hears us whenever we ask for anything according to His will. And since we know that He hears us whenever we ask, we know that what we have asked Him for is ours" (1 Jn 5:14-15).
Ask the Father for the repentance and salvation of every member of your family. Ask Jesus to increase in your life while you decrease (Jn 3:30). Ask to hear Jesus' voice and to be overjoyed in the hearing (Jn 3:29). Intercede for those in authority to lead godly lives and make decisions according to God's will (1 Tm 2:1). Pray with Jesus for all to be one as He and the Father are One (Jn 17:21). Most of all, pray for all "to be saved and come to know the truth" (1 Tm 2:4). We haven't yet opened up our best Christmas presents. Ask and open.
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