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“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”       John 3:16 Imagine looking at a swimming pool filled with people. All of a sudden, you see a small child caught out in the deep end, completely unable to swim and sinking to the bottom. So you start waving your arms and shouting at him, trying to give him some tips on how to make it back to the shallow end of the pool. Does that make sense? Would anyone in their right mind just stand there and shout while a child is drowning? Absolutely not! Every single rational-thinking person would jump in the water and pull that child to safety. Left in our sin, we’re exactly like that drowning child. We have no hope of escaping death on our own. And while the world’s religions wave their arms and shout instructions at us for pulling ourselves from death, Jesus is the only one who gets in the water to save us. As we move into the season of Advent, let’s focus our hearts and minds on the work of Jesus Christ – the one who came into the world to die for our sins and rescue us from a hopeless eternity. Praise God today that He loved you that much! Praise God that He didn’t just give us instructions for living, but came Himself to save us from a hopeless eternity! Holy Spirit Power by Dr. Paul Chappell “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.” Luke 24:49 Dr. A. J. Gordon enjoyed telling the story of a Welsh preacher who was staying with a family prior to preaching in their church that evening. He asked the homeowner if he could spend some time alone before the service to prepare. As the time for the service grew near and the preacher had not come out, the man sent the maid to see if he was all right and let him know that it was almost time to leave. As she approached the door she heard him asking for God’s power. “I will not go unless You go with me,” he prayed. Without knocking on the door she returned to the homeowner. “He will be here soon,” she said. “And the Other One is coming with him!” How we need the power of God’s Holy Spirit for every part of our lives! We cannot do it alone. One of the most effective strategies of the enemy is to get us to rely on our own strength and abilities as we work for God. But we lack the resources to accomplish meaningful and lasting results. It is only as our resources are empowered by the Holy Spirit that we are able to be effective in our ministry. Human ingenuity and devices are no substitute for God’s power. It was not until the Holy Spirit had come on them in power that the disciples were ready to begin their ministry. We are just as much in need of His filling and power. “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;” (Ephesians 5:18). This command is not for a one-time event, but an ongoing process of continual filling and empowering. Today’s Growth Principle:  We cannot do the work of God apart from the power of the Holy Spirit of God working in our lives.