Church Blog (Page 10)
A Done Deal
A Done Deal Daily Devotion for Advent | Tuesday December 18, 2018 And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David.” Luke 1:67-69 Take a close look at what Zechariah says to his newborn baby John. Speaking by the Holy Spirit, he says, “Blessed…
They Meant Well
They Meant Well Daily Devotion for Advent | Monday December 17, 2018 Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.” And they said…
Facing The Music
Facing The Music Daily Devotion for Advent | Sunday, December 16, 2018 And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home. Luke 1:56 I’ve always been curious about Mary’s homecoming. That’s probably the point where she had to talk with her parents, and with Joseph, about her pregnancy. Would they believe her? What if they didn’t? At only three months along, Mary probably had a few more weeks before she began “showing,” but she didn’t have…
A Home Away From Home
A HOME AWAY FROM HOME Daily Devotion for Advent | Saturday, December 15, 2018 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the…
Impossibles
Impossibles Daily Devotion for Advent | Friday, December 14, 2018 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the Child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son …. For nothing will be impossible…
The Right Person?
The Right Person? Daily Devotion for Advent | Thursday, December 13, 2018 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern…
“He Looked On Me”
“He Looked on Me” Daily Devotion for Advent | Wednesday, December 12, 2018 After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.” Luke 1:24-25 Did you ever feel overlooked—like nobody saw you, or cared? That can be a miserable feeling. It’s hard to be the only one not invited to a…
Missing The Obvious
Missing The Obvious Daily Devotion for Advent | Tuesday, December 11, 2018 And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that…
Afraid
Afraid Daily Devotion for Advent | Monday, December 10, 2018 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have…
Being Punished?
Being Punished? Daily Devotion for Advent | Sunday, December 9, 2018 And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. But they had no child … (Luke 1:6-7a) The Bible says that Zechariah and Elizabeth were “righteous” and “blameless” in God’s eyes—a compliment the Bible gives to almost nobody. They were clearly believers, and their lives brought glory to God. But they had no child. In that culture, not having children…
Give Me A Miracle
Give Me A Miracle Daily Devotion for Advent | Saturday, December 8, 2018 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His Name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14) Have you ever heard somebody say, “If God would just do a miracle, right here and now in front of me, I’d believe in Him”? Whenever I hear this, I roll my eyes. What kind of miracle exactly were they thinking…
On His Shoulder
On His Shoulder Daily Devotion for Advent | Friday, December 7, 2018 For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His Name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6) This is a really odd image. Isaiah starts out by painting a picture of a newborn baby boy, and then abruptly says, “the government shall be upon His shoulder …”…