'Devotion' Tagged Posts (Page 9)
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 …”…
A Strange Turn Of Phrase
A Strange Turn Of Phrase Daily Devotion for Advent | Thursday, December 6, 2018 … And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah … (Matthew 1:6b) “By the wife of Uriah.” Why not just call her by name—Bathsheba? Why use a description instead? For that matter, why not just write “David was the father of Solomon” and end the statement there, as with most of the other steps in this genealogy? Why even bring up the…
A Long Time Coming
A Long Time Coming Daily Devotion for Advent | Wednesday, December 5, 2018 Abraham was the father of Isaac … (Matthew 1:2a) “Abraham was the father of Isaac …” If there’s one verse in the New Testament Abraham would have loved to read ahead of time, it’s probably this one. God reached out to a childless man in the ancient Middle East and promised, “I will make of you a great nation” (Genesis 12:2-3). God kept that promise when Isaac…
Who Cares?
Who Cares? Daily Devotion for Advent | Tuesday, December 4, 2018 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. (Matthew 1:1) The book of Matthew starts with an odd choice of subject matter—42 generations of Jesus’ genealogy, all the way back to Abraham. Some people find this fascinating. Other people are probably yawning and saying under their breath, “Who cares?” Apparently, God cares. God cares enough to give us a list of…
Enemies
Enemies Daily Devotion for Advent | Monday, December 3, 2018 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel. (Genesis 3:15) Can being enemies ever be a good thing? Normally my answer would be “No.” We learn even as children that it’s not good to be enemies with other people. Our parents tell us, “Say you’re sorry,” and “Be nice and…