Satisfy us in the morning with your faithful love so that we may shout with joy and be glad all our days. (Psalm 90:14 CSB) The Christmas story evokes lots of emotions, but the most important might be joy. Joy means cheerfulness or gladness. Joy is what you feel when you win something. It’s what […]
Christmas Reading: December 20
After seeing them, they reported the message they were told about this child. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had seen and heard, which were just as they had been told. (Luke 2:17, 20 CSB) God chose shepherds as the first people to hear the news about Jesus’ birth. […]
Christmas Reading: December 19
See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name him Immanuel, which is translated “God is with us.” (Matthew 1:23 CSB) Immanuel. One of the sweetest names to describe our God. It means “God is with us”. Many times in my own life I’ve found comfort in this […]
Christmas Reading: December 18
This will be the sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped tightly in cloth and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:12 CSB) God often used signs to confirm things for His people. The rainbow was a sign for Noah, circumcision was a sign for Abraham, Moses’ miracles were signs, Gideon had a fleece, […]
Christmas Reading: December 17
Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you. As the Father has sent me, I also send you.” (John 20:21 CSB) Christmas is when God sent His Son into the world. By “world”, of course we mean planet earth. But we mean more than that. Jesus was sent into our broken world. The place where […]
Christmas Reading: December 16
Although I am free from all and not anyone’s slave, I have made myself a slave to everyone, in order to win more people. (1 Corinthians 9:19 CSB) What’s amazing as you read Paul’s words here, is they could’ve just as easily been spoken by Jesus. Paul understood that the story of Jesus should change […]
Christmas Reading: December 15
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: Though he was rich, for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9 CSB) Have you ever stopped to ask what makes a great gift? This isn’t new or groundbreaking, but the quality of a gift […]
Christmas Reading: December 14
You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near. (James 5:8 CSB) We aren’t generally very good at waiting. We get annoyed with YouTube Ads, long lines, being put “on hold”. Fast food companies are developing apps to reduce the wait, presumably because they are not “fast” enough. The term “On […]
Christmas Reading: December 13
We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19 CSB) It’s common to hear people summarize the Christian life in a simple adage— love God, love people. This is a good sentiment. No doubt the church would be better off if people did more of that. But “love God, love people” is not an […]
Christmas Reading: December 12
In the same region, shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. (Luke 2:8-9 CSB) Shepherds were like modern day custodians. They were unfairly viewed as below-average […]
Christmas Reading: December 11
After they were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Get up! Take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. For Herod is about to search for the child to kill him.” (Matthew 2:13 CSB) Herod was a maniac. No question. He […]
Christmas Reading: December 10
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star at its rising and have come to worship him.” (Matthew 2:1-2 CSB) Jesus was born in fulfillment […]
Christmas Reading: December 9
An account of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham— (Matthew 1:1 CSB) The entire Bible revolves around Jesus. All roads lead to Him. And when Matthew sat down to write his account of Jesus’ life, the Holy Spirit brilliantly inspired him to connect some dots for us. In Genesis […]
Christmas Reading: December 8
Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself! Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have. (Luke 24:39 CSB) When Jesus was conceived in Mary’s womb, God was eternally declaring his love for the physical world. God was not joining himself […]
