The Promise of Christ’s Birth
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Posted:Dec 25, 2023 6:03 am
Last Updated:May 2, 2024 4:44 pm 6678 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: Luke 2:1–7
Bible in a Year: Zephaniah 1–3; Revelation 16
You, Bethlehem Ephrathah, . . . out of you will come . . . one who will be ruler over Israel. Micah 5:2
In November 1962, physicist John W. Mauchly said, “There is no reason to suppose the average boy or girl cannot be master of a personal computer.” Mauchly’s prediction seemed remarkable at the time, but it proved astonishingly accurate. Today, using a computer or handheld device is one of the earliest skills a learns.
While Mauchly’s prediction has come true, so have much more important predictions—those made in Scripture about the coming of Christ. For example, Micah 5:2 declared, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” God sent Jesus, who arrived in tiny Bethlehem—marking him as from the royal line of David (see Luke 2:4–7).
The same Bible that accurately predicted the first coming of Jesus also promises His return (Acts 1:11). Jesus promised His first followers that He would come back for them (John 14:1–4).
This Christmas, as we ponder the accurately predicted facts surrounding the birth of Jesus, may we also consider His promised return, and allow Him to prepare us for that majestic moment when we see Him face to face!
How might you respond in worship to the truth of the prophecies of Christ’s birth? How does His promise to return for us impact your decision-making?
Loving Father, I’m so grateful for the birth of Jesus and His mission of rescue and redemption. Thank You for His certain return for me.
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The Christmas Star
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Posted:Dec 24, 2023 5:38 am
Last Updated:May 2, 2024 4:44 pm 6628 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: Matthew 2:1–5, 7–12
Bible in a Year: Habakkuk 1–3; Revelation 15
When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. Matthew 2:10
“If you find that star, you can always find your way home.” Those were my father’s words when he taught me how to locate the North Star as a . Dad had served in the armed forces during wartime, and there were moments when his life depended on being able to navigate by the night sky. So he made sure I knew the names and locations of several constellations, but it was being able to find Polaris that mattered most of all. Knowing that star’s location meant I could gain a sense of direction wherever I was and find where I was supposed to be.
Scripture tells of another star of vital importance. “Magi from the east,” learned men (from an area encompassed by Iran and Iraq today) had been watching for signs in the sky of the birth of the One who was to be God’s king for His people. They came to Jerusalem asking “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him”
(Matthew 2:1–2).
Astronomers don’t know what caused the star of Bethlehem to appear, but the Bible reveals that God created it to point the world to Jesus—“the bright Morning Star” (Revelation 22:16). Christ came to save us from our sins and guide us back to God. Follow Him, and you’ll find your way home.
In what practical way will you follow Jesus today? What can you do this week to share His love with others?
Dear Jesus, thank You for being the Way to my forever-home in heaven. Please help guide me by Your light today!
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Fellowship in Jesus
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Posted:Dec 23, 2023 3:27 am
Last Updated:May 2, 2024 4:44 pm 6693 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: 1 Thessalonians 5:11–15
Bible in a Year: Nahum 1–3; Revelation 14
Encourage one another and build each other up. 1 Thessalonians 5:11
I’m not sure who’s responsible for turning out the lights and locking up the church after our Sunday morning service, but I know one thing about that person: Sunday dinner is going to be delayed. That’s because so many people love to hang around after church and talk about life decisions, heart issues and struggles, and more. It’s a joy to look around twenty minutes after the service and see so many people still enjoying each other’s company.
Fellowship is a key component of the Christlike life. Without the connectivity that comes from spending time with fellow believers, we’d miss out on many benefits of being a believer.
For instance, Paul says we can “encourage one another and build each other up”
(1 Thessalonians 5:11). The author of Hebrews agrees, telling us not to neglect getting together, because we need to be “encouraging one another” (10:25). And the writer also says that when we’re together, we “spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (v. 24).
As people dedicated to living for Jesus, we prepare ourselves for faithfulness and service as we “encourage the disheartened” and are “patient with everyone” (1 Thessalonians 5:14). Living that way, as He helps us, allows us to enjoy true fellowship and “to do what is good for each other and for everyone else” (v. 15).
What benefits do you gain from being with believers? How can you help others experience fellowship in Christ?
Dear God, please help me to be a “fellowshiper”—one who generously encourages others in love and compassion.
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Walls Torn Down, Unity Found
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Posted:Dec 22, 2023 5:26 am
Last Updated:May 2, 2024 4:44 pm 6856 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: Ephesians 2:11–22
Bible in a Year: Micah 6–7; Revelation 13
[Jesus] broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. Ephesians 2:14
Since 1961, families and friends had been separated by the Berlin Wall. Erected that year by the East German government, the barrier kept its citizens from fleeing to West Germany. In fact, from 1949 to the day the structure was built, it’s estimated that more than 2.5 million East Germans had bolted to the West. US President Ronald Reagan stood at the wall in 1987 and famously said, “Tear down this wall.” His words reflected a groundswell of change that culminated with the wall being torn down in 1989—leading to Germany’s joyous reunification.
Paul wrote of a “wall of hostility” torn down by Jesus (Ephesians 2:14). The wall had existed between Jews (God’s chosen people) and gentiles (all other people). And it was symbolized by the dividing wall (the soreg) in the ancient temple erected by Herod the Great in Jerusalem. It kept gentiles from entering beyond the outer courts of the temple, though they could see the inner courts. But Jesus brought “peace” and reconciliation between the Jews and gentiles and between God and all people. He did so by “[breaking] down the wall . . . that separated us” by “his death on the cross” (vv. 14, 16 nlt). The “Good News of peace” made it possible for all to be united by faith in Christ (vv. 17–18 ).
Today, many things can divide us. As God provides what we need, let’s strive to live out the peace and unity found in Jesus (vv. 19–22).
What dividing walls do you see? How can you help remove them in Jesus’ strength?
God of peace, please help me tear down walls that deny Your truth and love.
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The Light of Hope
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Posted:Dec 21, 2023 3:57 am
Last Updated:May 2, 2024 4:44 pm 6787 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: Psalm 42
Bible in a Year: Micah 4–5; Revelation 12
Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. Psalm 42:11
My mother’s shiny red cross should have been hanging next to her bed at the cancer care center. And I should have been preparing for holiday visits between her scheduled treatments. All I wanted for Christmas was another day with my mom. Instead, I was home . . . hanging her cross on a fake tree.
When my Xavier plugged in the lights, I whispered, “Thank You.” He said, “You’re welcome.” My didn’t know I was thanking God for using the flickering bulbs to turn my eyes toward the ever-enduring Light of Hope—Jesus.
The writer of Psalm 42 expressed his raw emotions to God (vv. 1–4). He acknowledged his “downcast” and “disturbed” soul before encouraging readers: “Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God” (v. 5). Though he was overcome with waves of sorrow and suffering, the psalmist’s hope shone through the remembrance of God’s past faithfulness (vv. 6–10). He ended by questioning his doubts and affirming the resilience of his refined faith: “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God” (v. 11).
For many of us, the Christmas season stirs up both joy and sorrow. Thankfully, even these mixed emotions can be reconciled and redeemed through the promises of the true Light of Hope—Jesus.
How has Jesus helped you process grief while celebrating Christmas? How can you support someone who’s grieving this season?
Dear Jesus, thank You for carrying me through times of grief and joy all year round.
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Forgiveness and Forgetting
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Posted:Dec 20, 2023 12:56 am
Last Updated:May 2, 2024 4:44 pm 6962 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: Isaiah 43:18–25
Bible in a Year: Micah 1–3; Revelation 11
I am he who blots out your transgressions . . . and remembers your sins no more. Isaiah 43:25
Jill Price was born with the condition of hyperthymesia: the ability to remember in extraordinary detail everything that ever happened to her. She can replay in her mind the exact occurrence of any event she’s experienced in her lifetime.
The TV show Unforgettable was premised on a female police officer with hyperthymesia—to her a great advantage in trivia games and in solving crimes. For Jill Price, however, the condition isn’t so much fun. She can’t forget the moments of life when she was criticized, experienced loss, or did something she deeply regretted. She replays those scenes in her head over and over again.
Our God is omniscient (perhaps a kind of divine hyperthymesia): the Bible tells us that His understanding has no limit. And yet we discover in Isaiah a most reassuring thing: “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions . . . and remembers your sins no more” (43:25). The book of Hebrews reinforces this: “We have been made holy through . . . Jesus Christ . . . [and our] sins and lawless acts [God] will remember no more” (Hebrews 10:10, 17).
As we confess our sins to God, we can stop playing them over and over in our minds. We need to let them go, just as He does: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past” (Isaiah 43:18. In His great love, God chooses to not remember our sins against us. Let’s remember that.
What regrets do you harbor in your memory and play over and over again? How can you give them to God and release the past?
Dear God, thank You for forgiving and forgetting my sins.
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Learning from Scars
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Posted:Dec 19, 2023 3:29 am
Last Updated:May 2, 2024 4:44 pm 6882 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: Genesis 32:22–32
Bible in a Year: Jonah 1–4; Revelation 10
The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and [Jacob] was limping because of his hip. Genesis 32:31
Faye touched the scars on her abdomen. She had endured another surgery to remove esophageal-stomach cancer. This time doctors had taken part of her stomach and left a jagged scar that revealed the extent of their work. She told her husband, “Scars represent either the pain of cancer or the start of healing. I choose my scars to be symbols of healing.”
Jacob faced a similar choice after his all-night wrestling match with God. The divine assailant wrenched Jacob’s hip out of socket, so that Jacob was left exhausted and with a noticeable limp. Months later, when Jacob massaged his tender hip, I wonder what he reflected on?
Was he filled with regret for his years of deceit that forced this fateful match? The divine messenger had wrestled the truth out of him, refusing to bless him until Jacob owned up to who he was. He confessed he was Jacob, the “heel grabber”
( Genesis 25:26). He’d played tricks on his brother Esau and father-in-law Laban, tripping them to gain advantage. The divine wrestler said Jacob’s new name would be “Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome” (32:28.
Jacob’s limp represented the death of his old life of deceit and the beginning of his new life with God. The end of Jacob and the start of Israel. His limp led him to lean on God, who now moved powerfully in and through him.
What spiritual scars do you have? How might they symbolize the end of something bad and the start of something new?
Father, my limp is a sign of Your love.
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My God Is Near
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Posted:Dec 18, 2023 12:03 am
Last Updated:Dec 18, 2023 12:04 am 6808 Views
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Bible in a Year :
Obadiah
Revelation 9
The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but . . . present your requests to God.
Philippians 4:5–6
Philippians 4:4–7
For more than thirty years, Lourdes, a voice teacher in Manila, had taught students face to face. When she was asked to conduct classes online, she was anxious. “I’m not good with computers,” she recounted. “My laptop is old, and I’m not familiar with video conferencing platforms.”
While it may seem a small thing to some, it was a real stressor for her. “I live alone, so there is no one to help,” she said. “I’m concerned that my students will quit, and I need the income.”
Before each class, Lourdes would pray for her laptop to work properly. “Philippians 4:5–6 was the wallpaper on my screen,” she said. “How I clung to those words.”
Paul exhorts us to not be anxious about anything, because “the Lord is near” (Philippians 4:5). God’s promise of His presence is ours to hold on to. As we rest in His nearness and commit everything to Him in prayer—both big and small—His peace guards our “hearts and . . . minds in Christ Jesus” (v. 7).
“God led me to websites about fixing computer glitches,” Lourdes said. “He also gave me patient students who understood my technological limitations.” God’s presence, help, and peace are ours to enjoy as we seek to follow Him all the days of our life. We can say with confidence: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (v. 4).
Reflect & Pray
How can knowing that God is near change your reaction of worry to one of peace? What specific requests can you present to Him?
Dear God, thank You for being near me. Because of Your loving presence, help, and peace, I don’t have to be anxious.
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Christmas Dilemma
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Posted:Dec 17, 2023 6:35 am
Last Updated:Dec 17, 2023 6:36 am 6762 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: Proverbs 3:5–18
Bible in a Year: Amos 7–9; Revelation 8
For the Lord detests the perverse but takes the upright into his confidence. Proverbs 3:32
David and Angie had felt called to move overseas, and the fruitful ministry that followed seemed to confirm it. But there was one downside to their move. David’s elderly parents would now spend Christmases alone.
David and Angie tried to mitigate his parents’ Christmas Day loneliness by posting gifts early and calling on Christmas morning. But what his parents really wanted was them. With David’s income only permitting an occasional trip home, what else could they do? David needed wisdom.
Proverbs 3 is a crash course in wisdom-seeking, showing us how to receive it by taking our situations to God (vv. 5–6), describing its various qualities such as love and faithfulness (vv. 3–4, 7–12), and its benefits as peace and longevity (vv. 13–18. In a touching note, it adds that God gives such wisdom by taking us “into his confidence” (v. 32). He whispers His solutions to those who are close to Him.
Praying about his problem one night, David had an idea. Next Christmas Day, he and Angie put on their best clothes, decorated the table with tinsel, and brought in the roast dinner. David’s parents did the same. Then, placing a laptop on each table, they ate together via video link. It almost felt like they were in the same room. It’s become a family tradition ever since.
God took David into His confidence and gave him wisdom. He loves to whisper creative solutions to our problems.
What dilemma are you facing? What loving solution might God have for you?
Father God, please whisper to my heart Your creative solution to my problem.
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Community in Christ
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Posted:Dec 16, 2023 7:02 am
Last Updated:May 2, 2024 4:44 pm 6755 Views
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Today's Devotional
Read: Acts 2:38–47
Bible in a Year: Amos 4–6; Revelation 7
They devoted themselves . . . to fellowship. Acts 2:42
In the southern Bahamas lies a small piece of land called Ragged Island. In the nineteenth century, it had an active salt industry, but because of a decline in that industry, many people emigrated to nearby islands. In 2016, when fewer than eighty people lived there, the island featured three religious denominations, yet the people all gathered together in one place for worship and fellowship each week. With so few residents, a sense of community was especially vital for them.
The people of the early church felt a crucial need and desire for community as well. They were excited about their newfound faith that was made possible by Jesus’ death and resurrection. But they also knew He was no longer physically with them, so they knew they needed each other. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teachings, to fellowship, and to sharing Communion together (Acts 2:42). They gathered in homes for worship and meals and cared for others’ needs. The church is described in this way: “All the believers were one in heart and mind” (4:32). Filled with the Holy Spirit, they praised God continually and brought the church’s needs to Him in prayer.
Community is essential for our growth and support. Don’t try to go it alone. God will develop that sense of community as you share your struggles and joys with others and draw near to Him together.
How might you commit to spending time with fellow believers? Where and when will you do this?
I need You and Your people, God, to help me live the fullest life for You.
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