DECEMBER 14, 2023 “. . . and Joseph . . . being a righteous man . . .” (Matthew 1:19, NASB) Joseph Was Also a Model of Faith “The grounds for belief and disbelief are the same today as they were two thousand or ten thousand years ago. If Joseph had lacked the faith to …
DECEMBER 13, 2023 “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.” (Luke 1:32, NIV) The Father of the Eternal King When the angel Gabriel delivered the news to the virgin Mary that she would bear a child, …
DECEMBER 12, 2023 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. (John 1:6, NIV) He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. (John 1:8, NIV) “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29, NASB) Behold the Lamb of God God …
DECEMBER 11, 2023 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High. For you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways.” (Luke 1:76, NET) Birth with Purpose This year God allowed me to travel to Honduras to be present for the birth of my niece, Isabella. What a precious moment to …
DECEMBER 10, 2023 “This is what the Lord has done for me at the time when he has been gracious to me, to take away my disgrace among people.” (Luke 1:25, NET) Christmas Changed Elizabeth Personally Christmas is God coming to be with His creation, offering Himself as the Savior of the world. God’s people …
DECEMBER 9, 2023 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” [Gabriel] told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne …
DECEMBER 8, 2023 Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz: “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it …
DECEMBER 7, 2023 “On that day, declares the Lord of hosts, I will take you, O Zerubbabel my servant, the son of Shealtiel, declares the Lord, and make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you, declares the Lord of hosts.” (Haggai 2:23, ESV) A Chosen Predecessor of Jesus A small, worshipping remnant …
DECEMBER 6, 2023 “In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old, that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by my name,” declares the …
DECEMBER 5, 2023 Consider the work of God: who can make straight what he has made crooked? In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him. (Ecclesiastes …
DECEMBER 4, 2023 “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! He shall be to you a restorer of life…” (Ruth 4:14–15, ESV) How Ruth Saved Christmas If we think that the Christmas story started with Jesus’s birth, well, we aren’t …
DECEMBER 3, 2023 When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, who should come out to meet him but his daughter, dancing to the sound of timbrels! She was an only child. (Judges 11:34, niv) Only Child When we think of allusions to Jesus in the Old Testament, stories like Isaac’s sacrifice, David’s strength, and …
DECEMBER 2, 2023 “…call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). (Matthew 1:23b, niv) The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” (Exodus 33:14) Presence—what a present! The gift of presence intentionally hears, engages, and attends to another as appropriate and necessary. It’s really a present, a gift—undeserved, …
DECEMBER 1, 2023 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. (Matthew 2:11a, niv) In December 1948, Prince Charles, who was the future king of England, was baptized in Buckingham Palace at the age of four weeks. The following day the first pictures …
