|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sun Dec 20, 2009 9:08 am
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 12:16 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2009 6:08 pm
 |
|
|
 |
December 22 So Joseph went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. — Luke 2:4-5 (NIV)Thoughts on Today's Verse...For the next few days, let's journey with Joseph and Mary as they experience the incredible grace of God. These verses give us the basics: they took a trip south from their home town, they went to Bethlehem which was King David's city, they were "betrothed" or pledged in marriage but not yet fully married, Mary was pregnant, and they were going there to register with the Roman government. Intrigue and scandal ripple between the lines of this straightforward account. Promise and fulfillment are strongly suggested with the connection. Faithfulness through the midst of storm is demonstrated. A real historical context for everyday people is made with the presence of a Roman census. Scandal, promise, faithfulness, and history collide. Jesus enters our world very much in a place where we find ourselves -- a place of hope and dreams marred by scandal, disappointment, travel, and bureaucracy. He will be a people's Messiah. We know it even before the story of his birth is told. It makes us love him and appreciate him more. God has chosen to enter our world as one of us, not as some pristine and untouched alien from beyond. This is a Messiah we can reach and follow. This Jesus is one of us. My Prayer...Holy and loving God, thank you for the gift of Jesus. Thank you that he entered our messy world with all its contradictions, ironies, and conflicts. Thank you for not being aloof or immune to our struggles. Thank you for Jesus, in whose name I pray. Amen. |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2009 10:30 am
|
|
|
|
December 13 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. — Luke 2:6-7 (NIV)Thoughts on Today's Verse...Jesus entered our world in the most normal of ways for a child: the time came, his mother gave birth, he was wrapped in soft cloth, and he was placed in a crib. Only this was the Son of God who was born. His crib was a corncrib where animals ate, not a baby’s crib. His room was a stable because there was no room for him. It wasn’t just normal; it was common, even below average conditions for his birth. Can you imagine? The Holy God who created everything enters our world as a baby to share our way of life as one of us. Why? He loves us and wants us to come home to him. Incredible! Incredible story. Incredible love. Incredible God! My Prayer...O LORD God Almighty, how can I ever show you how much the gift of your Son means to me? I am struck with wonder and joy that you should love me in this incredible way. Please accept my praise and adoration for both you and your Son. Praise to you, loving Father, for your indescribable gift! In Jesus' name. Amen. |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 24, 2009 10:48 am
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 24, 2009 11:28 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 26, 2009 3:42 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2009 4:09 pm
|
|
|
|
December 27 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. — Luke 2:20 (NIV)Thoughts on Today's Verse...Can you imagine the shepherds returning to their flocks after the night they had? They had seen God's glory. They had experienced the presence of angels. They had seen the newborn King, the promised Messiah, the Savior of the world. Even more amazing, it was just as they had been told. As amazing as the angel's words of announcement had been, they were gloriously fulfilled. In addition to all that Jesus was at the moment of his birth, he is also the absolute answer to God's greatest promises and the greatest assurance that God keeps his word. Incredibly, God had chosen shepherds, unnamed to us and unimportant to their peers, to be the witnesses and participants in God's glorious story of salvation. It is our Father's way of reminding us that no matter who we are, Jesus came for us because we are important to him! My Prayer...Lord God Almighty, I can only imagine what it was like for those shepherds who experienced your glory. However, dear Father, I do know how much Jesus means to me. I praise you for loving me and reaching my heart with your grace. Sanctify me and make me righteous through the work of your Holy Spirit as I seek to live my life in appreciation for all that you have done for me. In Jesus' glorious name. Amen. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 8:40 am
|
|
|
|
December 28 No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known. — John 1:18 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...Jesus is God's greatest message. He not only proclaims and declares God's love, mercy, and grace; he has made it known. Only Jesus can display God to us fully, for he is one with the Father. Yet when we "see" Jesus ministering in the Gospels, we see God. If we want to know how God feels about us, all we have to do is look at how Jesus ministers to others. If we want to know what God would do for us, we can notice what Jesus does to bless others. Jesus is our window to the Father's heart. So as this year winds down, and as you stand in the afterglow of Christmas, why not make a commitment to get to know Jesus better in this coming year by spending more time with him in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John)? If you do, you will better know God! My Prayer...Thank you, Father, for giving me a window to your heart through the life and ministry of Jesus. Please bless me as I seek to know you better by knowing, understanding, and following Jesus more passionately. I pray in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, my Lord. Amen. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 4:22 pm
|
|
|
|
December 29 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. — John 1:11 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...Jesus came to his own things -- the world he had created and the land he had promised his people -- and his very own people didn't receive him. Sometimes we are blinded by our desires and dreams for Jesus and we really miss what he wants for us and from us. Let's not let the following be true in our lives. "Jesus came to me, but I wasn't ready to receive him. I had other things I wanted to do and other things I wanted to experience before I fully surrendered my heart to him." Each time we put off surrendering our will to Jesus, each time we push him away as Lord, we allow our hearts to harden and it becomes easier and easier to push him away. Now, while our hearts are still attentive to his grace, let's renew our commitment to him afresh and completely offer him our hearts and lives for his glory and grace. My Prayer...Holy God, I surrender my heart to your will. Precious Jesus, now more than ever in my life, I recognize you as my Lord and want to serve you with my life. Please forgive me for the times that I have resisted your leading or turned away from your demands. I know you left everything, and gave up everything, to save me. So now, please mold me into the person you want me to be and use me in ways that bless others and bring you glory. Amen. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2009 11:09 am
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2009 2:32 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2009 7:12 pm
|
|
|
|
Almost the new year In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." — John 3:3 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse..."Fast away the old year passes ..." But we can be new and fresh and clean (cf. 2 Cor. 4:17). Kingdom people are those who have been born fresh and new through the power of the Spirit and the grace of God (cf. John 3:3-7; Titus 3:3-7; John 1:11). So as we close out the old year, with its good things and bad, achievements and failures, successes and disappointments, let's approach the New Year as Kingdom people. God's mercies are new every morning and our lives can be made new every day by the Holy Spirit who lives in us. Yes, we have been born again. But each sunrise offers us the opportunity to be made new, to live in a fresh new way, as God's grace rekindles our hopes and the Holy Spirit makes us new as we trust in Jesus our Lord. My Prayer...Heavenly Father, you are holy and righteous. I confess that as hard as I have tried and as much as I have wanted to be holy and righteous, without your grace and the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit, I fail. Thank you for your forgiveness. Please make me new. As I stand on the threshold of a new year, please empower me beyond my weaknesses and besetting sins. Open my eyes to your work in the world around me and use me in your work of grace. Fire my passion to live fully for your Kingdom and my King, Jesus Christ, in whose name I pray. Amen. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jan 01, 2010 8:04 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2010 3:57 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
