Bible League: Living His Word "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call his name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us."— Matthew 1:23 NKJV Immanuel, God with us. God the Son stepped out of heaven to come in the flesh. But why in the form of a baby, a child? God is the creator of heaven and earth, of you and me, and God desires and wants a relationship with each of us on a personal level. He desires we see and engage in His creation as it is a gift and blessing for us. He desires a personal relationship with His people on an intimate and loving level that goes both ways. "Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of His disciples whom Jesus loved" (John 13:23). I believe in order to illustrate the kind of reciprocal, intimate, loving, and caring relationship God desires, He sent His Son first as a child. It is Christ as a baby and child that evokes compassion in all of us—the compassion of a parent for a child. The Bible tells us that when Pharoah's daughter found the baby Moses in a basket by the river, "she saw the child: and behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him." Compassion evokes joy and the natural desire to be in a closer relationship. Elizabeth, upon hearing news of Mary's pregnancy rejoiced, and the babe in her womb even leaped with joy (Luke 1:44). What are some of the blessings of an intimate, loving relationship with the almighty God? For starters He promises to always be with us (Genesis 28:15, Hebrews 13:5). The Bible tells us the Lord God is our rest (Exodus 33:14, Matthew 11:28-30). God promises to be our strength in the battles (Deuteronomy 20:1, Romans 8:37-39). He promises to be our comfort (Isaiah 43:2, 2 Corinthians 1:3-4). God is our friend (James 2:23, John 15:15), and He promises to be with us to the end (Matthew 28:19-20). And these are just some of the wonderful promises we have with an intimate relationship with God. Christmas is the celebration of God's perfect gift to us. A gift of love and salvation and an invitation to a relationship with the real and living God. Jesus Christ, the gift, is the only baby with such promises and qualities. He was and is the only baby to be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, the Everlasting, the Prince of Peace. So revere and celebrate the baby Jesus, the divine child who came to invite you into a personal relationship with a personal God. Merry Christmas! By Pastor David Massie, Bible League International staff, California U.S. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingHaggai Haggai 1 -- The Word of the Lord by Haggai; Haggai Inspires Temple Building NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Haggai 2 -- The Builders Encouraged to the Work by Promise of Greater Glory; God's promise to Zerubbabel NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Revelation 16 Revelation 16 -- The Seven Bowls of God's Wrath; Armageddon NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away.Insight Peter wanted to rouse the complacent believers who had listened to the false teachers and believed that because salvation is not based on good deeds, they could live any way they wanted. Challenge If you truly belong to the Lord, Peter wrote, your hard work will prove it. If you're not working to develop the qualities listed in 2 Peter 1:5-7, maybe you don't belong to him. If you are the Lord's—and your hard work backs up your claim to be chosen by God (“called and chosen'')—you will never be led astray by the lure of false teaching or glamorous sin. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Isaiah 7:14 Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.Let us today go down to Bethlehem, and in company with wondering shepherds and adoring Magi, let us see him who was born King of the Jews, for we by faith can claim an interest in him, and can sing, "Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given." Jesus is Jehovah incarnate, our Lord and our God, and yet our brother and friend; let us adore and admire. Let us notice at the very first glance his miraculous conception. It was a thing unheard of before, and unparalleled since, that a virgin should conceive and bear a Son. The first promise ran thus, "The seed of the woman," not the offspring of the man. Since venturous woman led the way in the sin which brought forth Paradise lost, she, and she alone, ushers in the Regainer of Paradise. Our Saviour, although truly man, was as to his human nature the Holy One of God. Let us reverently bow before the holy Child whose innocence restores to manhood its ancient glory; and let us pray that he may be formed in us, the hope of glory. Fail not to note his humble parentage. His mother has been described simply as "a virgin," not a princess, or prophetess, nor a matron of large estate. True the blood of kings ran in her veins; nor was her mind a weak and untaught one, for she could sing most sweetly a song of praise; but yet how humble her position, how poor the man to whom she stood affianced, and how miserable the accommodation afforded to the new-born King! Immanuel, God with us in our nature, in our sorrow, in our lifework, in our punishment, in our grave, and now with us, or rather we with him, in resurrection, ascension, triumph, and Second Advent splendour. Daily Light on the Daily Path Titus 3:4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared,Jeremiah 31:3 The LORD appeared to him from afar, saying, "I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness. 1 John 4:9,10 By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. • In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Galatians 4:4,5 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, • so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. John 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. 1 Timothy 3:16 By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, Was vindicated in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory. Hebrews 2:14 Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. |
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