12/30 Matthew 11:1-6
1 When Jesus had finished giving these instructions to his twelve disciples, he went off teaching and preaching in towns throughout the country. 2 John the Baptist, who was now in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, 3 “Are you really the Messiah we’ve been waiting for, or should we keep looking for someone else?” 4 Jesus told them, “Go back to John and tell him about what you have heard and seen — 5 the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor. 6 And tell him: ‘God blesses those who are not offended by me. ‘”
WHO?
Have you asked Jesus into your heart? Have you bent your knee to Christ and let Him be Lord of your life? If the answer is yes, then your life is blessed. Claim your blessing and live in Christ’s victory. Make your life count. Turn to Jesus.
Category - Devotionals
12/29 Matthew 2:16-
16 Herod was furious when he learned that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, because the wise men had told him the star first appeared to them about two years earlier. 17 Herod’s brutal action fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah: 18 “A cry of anguish is heard in Ramah — weeping and mourning unrestrained. Rachel weeps for her children, refusing to be comforted — for they are dead.” 19 When Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and told him, 20 “Get up and take the child and his mother back to the land of Israel, because those who were trying to kill the child are dead.” 21 So Joseph returned immediately to Israel with Jesus and his mother. 22 But when he learned that the new ruler was Herod’s son Archelaus, he was afraid. Then, in another dream, he was warned to go to Galilee. 23 So they went and lived in a town called Nazareth. This fulfilled what was spoken by the prophets concerning the Messiah: “He will be called a Nazarene.”
NAZARETH
Can anything good come out of Nazareth? When the Lord is in it good can come from anywhere. Your life in God’s hands equals victory. Claim your victory by asking Jesus into your heart and surrendering your life to Him.
12/28 Matthew 2:12-15
12 But when it was time to leave, they went home another way, because God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod. 13 After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up and flee to Egypt with the child and his mother,” the angel said. “Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to try to kill the child.” 14 That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother, 15 and they stayed there until Herod’s death. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: “I called my Son out of Egypt.”
LISTEN
The wise men listened to the Lord and returned home a different way. Joseph listened to the Lord and took his family to Egypt. Detail is the Lord’s domain. He knows everything big and small about us. He does not miss anything and He has a plan for our life. Surrender your life to Christ and live the plan He has for you.
12/27 Matthew 2:7-11
7 Then Herod sent a private message to the wise men, asking them to come see him. At this meeting he learned the exact time when they first saw the star. 8 Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!” 9 After this interview the wise men went their way. Once again the star appeared to them, guiding them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! 11 They entered the house where the child and his mother, Mary, were, and they fell down before him and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
WISE
The Wise Men discovered Jesus when they went to Bethlehem. A star from the Father guided them. They brought wonderful gifts to Him and recognized whom He was-God with us. When you come into the presence of the Lord you are no longer at the mercy of the world. Jesus gives us peace, value and direction in life.
12/26 Matthew 2:1-6
1 Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We have seen his star as it arose, and we have come to worship him.” 3 Herod was deeply disturbed by their question, as was all of Jerusalem. 4 He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law. “Where did the prophets say the Messiah would be born?” he asked them. 5 “In Bethlehem,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote: 6 ‘O Bethlehem of Judah, you are not just a lowly village in Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’ ”
CONTROL
The Lord is in control. Our life our circumstances may look totally out of control and we may feel weak and helpless. Jesus changes all of that. He walks with us and talks with us as we travel life’s way. Don’t let the world defeat you instead turn to Jesus and let him fill your life with victory.
12/25 Luke 2:17-24
Then the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, 19 but Mary quietly treasured these things in her heart and thought about them often. 20 The shepherds went back to their fields and flocks, glorifying and praising God for what the angels had told them, and because they had seen the child, just as the angel had said. 21 Eight days later, when the baby was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel even before he was conceived. 22 Then it was time for the purification offering, as required by the law of Moses after the birth of a child; so his parents took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. 23 The law of the Lord says, “If a woman’s first child is a boy, he must be dedicated to the Lord.” 24 So they offered a sacrifice according to what was required in the law of the Lord — “either a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”
JESUS
Testified to by the angels to the shepherds. They went to check out the birth of this child. Mary was amazed. Now He lives with us and rights all that is wrong in the world. Jesus is alive and He offers us a life filled with His presence. He will lead guide and direct our path. Jesus takes failure and creates victory. He brings meaning and value to our life.
12/24 Luke 2:8-16
That night some shepherds were in the fields outside the village, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terribly frightened, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news of great joy for everyone! 11 The Savior — yes, the Messiah, the Lord — has been born tonight in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And this is how you will recognize him: You will find a baby lying in a manger, wrapped snugly in strips of cloth!” 13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others — the armies of heaven — praising God: 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to all whom God favors. ” 15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Come on, let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this wonderful thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 16 They ran to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger.
DO NOT FEAR
Do not fear whatever you face. Jesus our Savior was born in Bethlehem in the City of David. God with us is now here. He won the victory. His word to us is Do not fear. He defeated death He paid the price that we might have life and gives the gift of life to us.
12/23 Luke 2:1-7
1 At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. 2 (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 All returned to their own towns to register for this census. 4 And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. 5 He took with him Mary, his fianc’e, who was obviously pregnant by this time. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. 7 She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the village inn.
EDGE
Jesus was born on the edge of the Roman Empire. They didn’t even know who He was but He sure knew who they were. Jesus came as an ordinary person into a world in darkness struggling with fear. We live ordinary lives but Jesus came for us. Jesus makes and ordinary life extraordinary.
12/22 Matthew 1:18-25
18 Now this is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, her fiance, being a just man, decided to break the engagement quietly, so as not to disgrace her publicly. 20 As he considered this, he fell asleep, and an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to go ahead with your marriage to Mary. For the child within her has been conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All of this happened to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: 23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and he will be called Immanuel (meaning, God is with us).” 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord commanded. He brought Mary home to be his wife, 25 but she remained a virgin until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.
JESUS
Born in Bethlehem. Lived for us. Died for us. Raised from the dead by the power of God. Jesus is alive. Do not be afraid. The GOOD NEWS has come and God is here with us. Do not fear. Jesus came for you.
12/21 Isaiah 11:10-16
10 In that day the heir to David’s throne will be a banner of salvation to all the world. The nations will rally to him, for the land where he lives will be a glorious place. 11 In that day the Lord will bring back a remnant of his people for the second time, returning them to the land of Israel from Assyria, Lower Egypt, Upper Egypt, Ethiopia, Elam, Babylonia, Hamath, and all the distant coastlands. 12 He will raise a flag among the nations for Israel to rally around. He will gather the scattered people of Judah from the ends of the earth. 13 Then at last the jealousy between Israel and Judah will end. They will not fight against each other anymore. 14 They will join forces to swoop down on Philistia to the west. Together they will attack and plunder the nations to the east. They will occupy all the lands of Edom, Moab, and Ammon. 15 The LORD will make a dry path through the Red Sea. He will wave his hand over the Euphrates River, sending a mighty wind to divide it into seven streams that can easily be crossed. 16 He will make a highway from Assyria for the remnant there, just as he did for Israel long ago when they returned from Egypt.
JESUS
Jesus was predicted, presented, prepared, powerful, and present and He provided exactly what we needed, a Savior. Jesus came and paid the price for our sin so that we could become a part of the family of God. His victory was won, and He lives today seated at the right hand of the Father providing for our best good. Live the life the Lord has given you by the power of the Lord and under His direction and guidance. Victory belongs to Jesus and He has poured His victory out on us.