Tuesday, December 20, 2022

Tuesday, December 20, 2022
Luke 1:30-31
And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.”

The coming of Christ began long ago with God’s promise to fix the broken world; but for Mary, it began with a message from the angel Gabriel. As if meeting an angel wasn’t astonishing enough, Gabriel then told her that, by the power of God’s spirit, she would have a son named Jesus. He would be called Son of the Most High and His kingdom would never end. Like anyone would have been, Mary was probably confused and a little scared… but she had faith and followed the will of the Lord. By trusting in God and becoming His servant, Mary took on one of the most important duties in human history: carrying and raising the Son of God!

Monday, December 19, 2022

Monday, December 19, 2022
Isaiah 7:14
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Christ has been a part of God’s plan to save the world since the beginning. In Genesis, God tells the serpent that the descendant of Eve will crush his head, and that the serpent would bruise His heel. Thousands of years later the prophet Isaiah, guided by God’s spirit, told of a coming Messiah who would be born from a virgin. Sure enough, on a starry night in Bethlehem, that Savior took His first breaths in a manger, with angels in the heavens singing for joy. While Jesus’ coming was a surprise to some, His coming had been foretold for centuries. He was the spotless lamb who would save the world by becoming the sacrifice for the sins of mankind.

Friday, December 16, 2022

Friday, December 16, 2022
Isaiah 40:8
The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.

Seasons change; God never changes. The hot summer sun slowly loses its warmth, but the Lord’s love never grows cold. Leaves change color and fall from the trees, but the glory of God never fades. Winter comes with a flurry of snow, and for a time we forget about the green grass underneath. But the Lord never forgets one of His children, though they are as numerous as blades of grass. Around the world seasons shift, storms come and go, and nature is seldom one way for long. But God has always been, and always will be the great I AM. He is your Father, your Savior, and your Helper all in one, and nothing will ever change that.

Thursday, December 15, 2022

Thursday, December 15, 2022
Isaiah 1:18
Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

While you were nothing but a sinner, Christ died for you. You weren’t owed anything, and you could never earn a place in God’s kingdom on your own. But by the grace and love of God, Jesus took the punishment for your sins, making you pure. When you see snow this Christmas season, let it remind you not just of the birth of the Savior, but also of this verse. Though your sins were red like scarlet, Christ made them white as snow.

Wednesday, December 14, 2022

Wednesday, December 14, 2022
Ecclesiastes 3:11
He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.

Winter isn’t everyone’s favorite season, but we don’t have the perspective to appreciate things the way the Lord does. You see only one moment at a time, but God see’s all of it like a beautiful portrait. Shoveling the driveway and worrying about slippery roads isn’t fun, but there’s value to those experiences that only God can see from His eternal perspective. He has made everything beautiful in its time, including cold winters. There’s a proper place for everything in Creation, and when bad things happen, the Lord can transform those things, too, into something beautiful.

Tuesday, December 13, 2022

Tuesday, December 13, 2022
Job 37:9-10
From its chamber comes the whirlwind, and cold from the scattering winds. By the breath of God ice is given, and the broad waters are frozen fast.

Whether or not you get much snow this time of year, we’ve all seen what it can do. A flurry of winter weather can freeze lakes, grind traffic to a halt, and bury entire cities in a thick layer of white. Snow is as majestic as it is powerful, much like it’s Creator. Next time you open your blinds to see three feet of snow and a white-out, remember that there’s a God with power over every flurry and frost: and He’s our God. He’s more powerful than a thousand winter winds, and He holds not only all of nature, but all His children in His mighty hands.