“When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.” Matthew 2:3 NIV You’ve likely heard the phrase, “If mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.” In this case we can say, “If Herod ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.” For Herod, Jesus’ birth was not cause for celebration. He was ‘deeply troubled.’ The …
Category Archives: Devotion
Choices
“Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:42 (NIV) Another Christmas come and gone. A new year awaits. It will combine challenges and blessings. I choose to focus on the blessings, cherishing each one as a hand-crafted gift from my heavenly Father. I also choose to …
Christmas 365 Days a Year
But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope; the steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:21-23 (ESV) Post-Christmas blues are common. So much time and energy – not to mention money – are spent …
Watching and Waiting
Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised. I have seen your salvation which you have prepared for all people. He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel! Luke 2:29-32 (NLT) Simeon had the inside scoop; the Spirit of …
The Gift of Peace
Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others – the armies of heaven – praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” Luke 2:13-14 (NLT) Did you know the word peace recurs more than four hundred times in the …
Everyone is Included
For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 (NLT) One of the concepts we struggle with as human beings is God’s mercy. We are wary of grace in its simplest form. We …
Promises
“Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” Luke 1:45 Promises; they’re a dime a dozen these days. Politicians dole them out like candy. Commercials thrive on them, promising everything from better health to inner fulfillment and happiness. Bosses sometimes use them as ‘incentive.’ God’s promises, on the …
Unto Us
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). Unto you… unto me… a child is born. God, the Almighty God, gets personal. …
Peace and Goodwill
“Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” Luke 2:14 (NKJV) Peace and goodwill – A fantasy? Wishful thinking? Perhaps a revolutionary philosophy? You have only to turn on the news to see it’s certainly not a part of the world in which we live. The problem is that our …
Obedient Faith
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. Matthew 1:24 (NIV) The Bible doesn’t tell us much about Joseph. We know he was a righteous man, a carpenter living and working in Nazareth, that he belonged to the house and line …