What Can I Give Him? Inspirational Stories

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Hey friends, it's a time of year that I love dearly. Christmas. It's also a very busy time of year.

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So thank you for hanging out with me for a bit of inspiration.

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I'm your host Jodie Chiricosta, ministry leader at Somebody Cares America and International, author and traveler on this journey of faith.

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If you're like me, you've been listening to, humming and singing your favorite Christmas songs over and over again.

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They're joyful and hopefully are helping us focus our hearts and minds on Jesus,

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the reason for the season we celebrate.

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Every year a different Christmas song seems to speak to me, and this year I've been drawn to The Little Drummer Boy,

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which was written by Katherine Kennecott Davis in 1941.

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I'll read you the chorus lyrics without the rum pum pums and then explain why.

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Come they tell me, a newborn king to see, our finest gifts we bring to lay before the king, so we honor him when we come.

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Little baby, I am a poor boy too. I have no gift to bring that's fit to give our king. Shall I play for you?

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Mary nodded. The ox and lamb kept time. I played on my drum for him. I played my best for him.

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Then he smiled at me, me and my drum. Come they told me, a newborn king to see, me and my drum.

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Of course, this song is using the Magi's visit to see Jesus as the backdrop and it paints a beautiful picture

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of what we all experience when we encounter Jesus. We want to honor him by giving him something, anything.

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Matthew 2 tells the story of the Magi in verses 1, 2, and 7 through 11 in the NIV read.

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After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked,

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Where is the one who's been born King of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and came to worship him.

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Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.

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He sent them to Bethlehem and said, Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me so I too can go and worship him.

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After they'd heard the king, they went on their way and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.

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When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary and they bowed down and worshiped him.

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Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

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Worship. That is a gift we can all give Jesus.

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John 4 23 says, But the time is coming indeed it is here now when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth.

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The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way.

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The Magi came far looking for the King of Kings following a star and when they found him, they did worship.

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And then they laid their treasures at his feet. What treasures, what gifts do we have today that we can lay at his feet?

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I think of another hymn written by Christina Rosetti in 1830.

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It reads, What can I give him, poor as I am, if I were a shepherd I'd give him a lamb. If I were a wise man I'd do my part.

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I know what I'd give him. I'd give him my heart.

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What can I give him to show in my love the stars smile on him and twinkle above.

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They sing me a song that shines in the dark.

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I know what I'll give him.

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I'll give him my heart.

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I know what I'll give him.

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I'll give him my heart.

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What does it really mean to give him our heart?

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When we first make a commitment to follow Christ, we of course give him our heart.

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But we must continue to do that through daily decisions to glorify and honor him in our lives.

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We know from scripture the greatest commandment as stated by Jesus and the new commandment he gave his disciples are one and the same.

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Love. Love God. Love others.

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Love is a funny thing. It's expressed in so many different ways by different people and that is just how God created it to be.

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We know from 1 Corinthians 13 that love is patient and kind. It's not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.

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It doesn't demand its own way. It is not irritable. It keeps no record of wrongs.

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It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.

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Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

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Those are attitudes of our heart which should then be revealed through our actions and our lives.

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God has gifted each of us uniquely to glorify him in every conceivable way in the earth.

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But caring for others, loving others is always a part.

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This time of year during the Christmas season we all tend to be a little more generous, kind, and caring with others.

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We are more open to helping and more opportunities are available to us to show our love for God by loving others in tangible ways.

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For over a decade I oversaw outreaches for a Christian organization which included Christmas outreaches.

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For a number of years we sponsored what we called our 12 Days of Christmas Outreach.

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For 12 consecutive days in December we mobilized volunteers and partnered with community organizations to show the love of God in tangible ways to those in our community who were struggling in a variety of ways.

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One day we hosted a dinner with gifts for migrant workers.

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Another was a day of beauty at a spa for battered women living in shelters.

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We offered a special celebration for foster kids with gifts, brought cheer into nursing homes.

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We served meals, washed feed, and gave out new socks and hygiene items to the homeless.

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We delivered groceries to shut-ins. We provided presents for prisoners' families as well as struggling single-parent families.

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We hosted special gatherings for residents who were blind, physically challenged, teens in crisis, as well as those in institutions.

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And by the end we were exhausted but so full of joy knowing we had spent ourselves on behalf of others.

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God eventually called me to something new.

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Now that I'm not leading Christmas Outreaches, I always look for some way to share God's love with the hurting this time of year.

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I love buying just the right gifts for some angel tree children or helping fill wish lists at a local battered women's shelter.

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But there are so many ways to share God's love tangibly. I'm sure you have some favorite things too.

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And because God has gifted each of us uniquely, we all have something special we can offer to others to share his love.

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Not only at Christmas time, but all year round.

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There have been times when the Lord has directed me to stop and talk to someone in distress on the side of the road.

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Now I realize how unsafe that can be, so I only do that if I'm absolutely sure the Lord has impressed me to do so.

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On one of those occasions, I discovered the woman I was talking to had lived in my own neighborhood, just two blocks from me, until she lost her home.

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She had some ongoing health issues and lost her job, then her home.

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She was camping in the woods, not far from where we lived.

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The Lord provided a way for me to get her into an efficiency hotel until a space opened up for her at a home for women.

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A few years later, I ran into her again and was able to encourage her in the Lord, and she had recommitted her life to Jesus.

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Other times I participate in meal trains for families with newborns or health issues.

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But when we look in the Bible, we see a variety of ways. People have offered their gifts to the Lord for his glory.

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Tabitha was a believer who lived in Joppa.

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Acts 9, 36-42 tells us that she was always doing good and helping the poor by making them robes and other clothing.

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But then she got very sick and died. People were distraught.

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The widow she had helped pleaded with the Apostle Peter to come, and after praying for her, Peter commanded her to get up.

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And she did!

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The believers were rejoicing, and many people in Joppa put their faith in Jesus, all from her acts of service.

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Tabitha used her gifts to help the poor by making clothing and doing other acts of service.

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She particularly helped widows who were in need.

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The way she loved others was so overwhelming and needed that God raised her from the dead so she could continue loving.

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Think about it. She was not a great orator or excessively wealthy.

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She was just serving in her little corner.

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She gave her heart and all to glorify Jesus, and he was glorified.

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A friend of mine is like Tabitha. She loves to quilt and sew and uses that gift to bless others.

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She regularly makes scripture quilts for people who are struggling with cancer and illness, and they get to curl up knowing the Word of God is all around them.

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Priscilla is another woman in the Bible that gave her gifts to Jesus by blessing others.

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She and her husband Aquila risked their lives for the Apostle Paul when he was in need, it says in Romans 16.3.

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And they hosted a church in their home. 1 Corinthians 16.19 says,

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She gave what she had, her life, her gift of hospitality to help the church during a time of severe persecution.

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God was so blessed with her gifts that she's honored several times by Paul in the Bible.

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Priscilla and Aquila remind me of a couple I knew, the Kent's.

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They opened their home for large Bible studies and prayer gatherings for years when I first met Jesus.

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They discipled hundreds of believers, including me and my family.

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Their gift of hospitality and kindness were offered to the Lord, and he blessed it.

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Joanna was another woman who offered what she had to Jesus.

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Luke 8 tells us that she actually traveled with Jesus, the disciples, and some other women on at least one of his ministry tours.

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As the wife of Herod's business manager, she had some wealth.

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She freely gave of that wealth to support Jesus and the disciples.

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I imagine she also cooked and did other chores with the group that her servants would have taken care of when she was at home.

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Joanna was also one of the women who went to Jesus' tomb with spices for his burial.

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Luke 24 recounts that she was there in person when the angels told the women Jesus was alive.

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Can you imagine the joy, the amazement of receiving a first-hand account that Jesus is alive?

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There are countless people who generously support the work of the Lord through churches and Christian ministries around the world,

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offering their wealth, like Joanna and the Magi, as a gift to be used by the Lord.

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During this season, many will use their talents in cantatas and plays to glorify God.

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Others will take special care for those who are weak and overlooked.

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As you consider what you can give to Jesus this season and throughout the year,

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start with thanksgiving in praise, worship Him in spirit and in truth.

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Then, whatever action you take, whatever you offer, will be from a heart of love and will bring Him glory.

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In the New Living Translation, Psalm 96 verses 7 through 9 say,

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Give to the Lord the glory He deserves, bring your offering and come into His courts,

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worship the Lord in all His holy splendor, let all the earth tremble before Him.

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A gift to the Lord should not be burdensome. If it is, then it's not a gift.

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1 John 5.3 tells us, even the Lord's commands are not burdensome.

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So bring your gift, your offering to Him, with worship, and all around will see His glory.

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Let me pray for you. Heavenly Father, thank you for the precious gift of your Son Jesus.

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You gave out of love, and out of love Jesus came and walked among us, He died for us,

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He rose again so we can have eternal life with you.

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Because of your great love, Father, I ask you to shower each of my listening friends

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with abounding joy and peace that passes all understanding and revelation

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of the many gifts you've given them to be used for your glory.

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I ask that you open all of our eyes to see the opportunities before us to lay those gifts

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back at your feet in service to others. And Lord, meet their needs.

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I ask you, Father, to send provision from above to those who need provision.

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I speak healing to those looking to you for healing.

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I ask you to pour out the oil of Holy Spirit on strained relationships, heal those as well.

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We celebrate Jesus this season and invite you to be present in everything we do,

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directing us and guiding us into deeper relationship with you.

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In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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Tabitha, Priscilla, and Joanna are all inspirations to me.

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What about you? What woman of the Bible inspires, encourages, or has taught you something?

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I'd love to know who and why. Just take a moment to email herGodstory at SomebodyCares.org and tell me.

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It will encourage me, and I just might read it in a future episode, to encourage others who are listening.

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So please take a moment sometime today and email me at herGodstory at SomebodyCares.org.

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You know, friends, our Widow and Orphan Fund recently helped Rachel, a widow, and her two young children, get a new apartment in Israel.

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They had to flee violence along the Gaza border and needed a safe place to live with a bomb shelter.

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Because of friends like you, she knows she's loved by God.

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Right now there are widows and orphans all over the world who need to experience the tangible expression of God's love right now.

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Many have special needs that we, as a company of women, can meet together.

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Will you consider joining us with a special gift to help?

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Just go to herGodstory.org and click on the Widow and Orphan tab at the top of the page.

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Thank you for tuning in. In our show notes at HerGodStory.org, you'll find scriptures and other information we talked about.

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And as a special Christmas gift, you can get a six-week devotional on Women of the Bible that you can download for free.

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It'll help you start your New Year right.

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Or purchase the 12-week devotional on Women of the Bible that we'll send to you.

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And you'll know that all the proceeds are helping widows and orphans through our Widow and Orphan Fund.

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We'd love to pray with you on our 24-7 prayer and text line.

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So give us a call or text anytime at 855-459-CARE or email us at prayer@ somebodycares.org.

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And now, dear friends, I bless you from Isaiah 9: 6.

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This season, may you have a special encounter with Jesus, who was born a child, God's Son given to us.

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May you find peace knowing that the governments of all the earth are on His shoulders.

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May you know Him as your wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.

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Her God Story is a ministry of Somebody Cares America and international.

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To find out more about or support the ministry, go to somebodycares.org.