Loving Jesus Style

  Scripture: Romans 11:33-36 (ESV) 33  Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! 34     “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” 35     “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” 36  For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. Devotion:             Believe it or not, a new year is upon us again. As we prepare to celebrate the arrival of 2023, we look back to see all the wonderful things that the Lord has blessed us with in 2022. To be certain, the year had many ups and downs. While there were many things that happened in the last year we will not necessarily celebrate. However, we can rejoice that even in the challenging times that God has brought us through.             We celebrate with Paul that you are our God who is the creator, redeemer, and sustainer of this old world. Yet we know that

Scripture: Isaiah 30:18 (ESV) Therefore, the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore, he exalts himself to show mercy to you.        For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.   Devotion:                         Isaiah’s message to the nation of Israel was that if they waited for the Lord they would surely be blessed. It is not clear from the context when exactly these words were written. But it matters little. Because it seems that Israel was always waiting for something. From waiting to return from exile, waiting to be free from domination by foreign powers, to waiting for the long-awaited messiah, Israel seems to have been in permanent wait mode.               Nevertheless, God always fulfilled his promises to Israel. For us Christians, who live having received the fulfillment of the promised messiah. We can understand Israel’s impatience with God. Christians have been waiting two millennia for the return of that savior.

Scripture: Hebrews 1:1-3 (NIV) In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways,  2  but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.  3  The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. Devotion:             We have made it through another Christmas season. But what was it all about really? The gifts, the food, the parties with relatives, what did it all mean? The writer of Hebrews begins his book by giving us a clue who this Jesus is whose birth we just celebrated. The author breaks down exactly what this baby born to poor parents in a barn means for the world. Jesus’s birth by all standards was not an auspicious occasion. Who would this baby become? Because his beginnings were

  Scripture: Luke 2:41-52 (ESV) 41  Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42  And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. 43  And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, 44  but supposing him to be in the group they went a day’s journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, 45  and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. 46  After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them, and asking them questions. 47  And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48  And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” 49  And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did yo

Luke 2:25-32 (ESV) 25  Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.  26  And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.  27  And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law,  28  he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, 29      “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; 30      for my eyes have seen your salvation 31          that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32      a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”   Devotion:                    Christmas day has come and gone, but the infancy narrative of Jesus moves forward. Today we meet Simeon. He was described as a “righteous and devout” man. Who was

Scripture: 7:14 (NIV) Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel. Devotion:             The verse above is a promise of the coming Christ child. Because there is no other child in Old Testament history that this verse can point to. We can conclude that Isaiah was gifted with a vision of Jesus centuries into his future. We are left to marvel at Isaiah’s words. While the thought of a virgin birth raises many doubts in the modern mind. With our eyes of faith, we can see clearly that this miracle happened just as it is written about in the gospel texts. Yet another prophesy about Jesus that is fulfilled.             God worked miracles in Jesus' life even before he was born. His birth in Bethlehem rather than Nazareth, and most astounding for us today is the virgin birth. Very few aspects of Jesus’ life have provoked more debate. Those who write commentaries either dismiss it or applaud it. We the faithf

Scripture: Luke 2:8-14 (NRSV) 8  In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.  9  Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  10  But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people:  11  to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.  12  This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.”  13  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,  14            “Glory to God in the highest heaven, Devotion:             Today, we consider the shepherds. These folks were in charge of their flocks of sheep to care for and feed them. It was night and the shepherds were simply watching over their flocks to see that no harm would come to them in the darkness. It started out as

Scripture: Luke 1:57-66 (ESV) 57  Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son.  58  And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.  59  And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father,  60  but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.”  61  And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.”  62  And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called.  63  And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered.  64  And immediately his mouth was opened, and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God.  65  And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea,  66  and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him

Scripture: Luke 1:39-45 (NLT) 39  A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town  40  where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth.  41  At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. 43 Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? 44 When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. 45 You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.” Devotion:             This scripture passage gives us a peek into the future of the two children of these two mothers. Mary, we are told, took off a few days after the angel announced to her that she was pregnant to see Elizabeth. She came see her older relative because of the words spoken to her by the angel who had declared that Elizabeth too was with child. Both E

Scripture: Luke 1:30-33 (ESV) And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  31  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.  32  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,  33  and he will reign over the house of Jacob. Devotion:             In this week before Christmas, we read in this passage of scripture about the angel proclaiming to Mary that she will have a son. We are getting close to the coming of the Christ child. Our long season of Advent is coming to a close with the birth of the child announced by the prophets in the Hebrew scriptures happening soon.             The angel speaks words of comfort to Mary and tells her what she is to name to child. His name was to be Jesus=Joshua=The Lord is Salvation. The angel also tells Mary that the child she is to bear will be great, the Son of the Most High. Mar

  Scripture: Ephesians 5:8-9 (NLT) 8  For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So, live as people of light! 9  For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. Devotion:             Paul, in today’s scripture proclaims the truth about all of us who have been saved by being born again into new life through Jesus. He states that we have become as light itself. No longer do we need to stumble about in the darkness. We have been changed. We are new creations in Christ as Paul indicates in 2 Corinthians 5:17. As we wait to celebrate the coming of the Christ child in this season of advent, we can be of good courage knowing that we are new creatures in Christ.             This old world is full of darkness and evil. Those who are living without Christ are seeking to cover this season under a cloud of fleshly desires. They make it their goal to see that the name of Jesus, and the thought of him coming to earth in a tiny baby,

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:9-10 (ESV) 9  But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.  10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Devotion:             In today’s scripture we read that the people Jesus has called to himself are a special people. We are to be royal and holy. Giving us back the value that sin had taken away in the garden. We, as a people belonging to Jesus, are one nation. We come from various political nations, and we speak many languages, but we, in Christ, are considered one nation. Before Christ came, and we believed in him we were not a distinct people but now because of Christ alone we are a special people.             In keeping with our theme of the light of Christ this week, Peter states that we were once dwelling in darkness, but Jes

Scripture: John 3:19-21 (NIV) 19  This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.  20  Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.  21  But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. Devotion:             Today, we continue our meditations on the contrast between spiritual light and dark with these words from John’s gospel. These words are spoken by Jesus to Nicodemus and are the final words recorded in their meeting early in Jesus’ ministry. Jesus here declares his judgement about the majority of people. A serious judgement as Jesus sees many people are content to live in the darkness of their own sin.             Jesus holds out a clear alternative to living in this darkness. People can choose to come into his light and live for him. Just as

Scripture: John 8.12 (ESV) 12  Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. Devotion:             Today we turn to the words of Jesus in the gospel of John. This is one of the “I AM” statements that John records in his gospel. This particular statement must be important for John places these exact words on Jesus lips twice more in his gospel. (John 9:5, 12:46) Likewise, it is important to note that this statement was originally said during the feast of tabernacles. At this feast lighting of candles and torches lit up all of Jerusalem at night. Light played an integral part in this celebration. So, Jesus' announcement that he was the light of the world would have made quite an impression in the minds of his first hearers.             What do Jesus’ words mean for us today? They are an invitation to see the Christ child that we celebrate during this season of advent as the ans

  Scripture: Isaiah 60:1-3 (NRSV) Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. 2      For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. 3      Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn . Devotion:             We begin a new week of devotions looking at the theme of the coming of Jesus as Light. Here in Isaiah, we the prophet telling the people that even though they live in darkness they need not fear because God will send His light to them. So, even we in the 21 st century, who dwell in another time of darkness need not fear because the child whose coming we celebrate in this season will bring light to us.             Jesus the child we celebrate helps us to see in this time of darkness because his words bring comfort and hope to us. Jesus said of himself in John 9:5, “I am the light of the world.” Li

Scripture: Matthew 7:7-8 (NIV) 7  “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8  For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Devotion:             This scripture contains a wonderful promise. The surrounding verses indicate that these statements are all concerning prayer. We are often very skeptical about prayer as we have all had fervent prayer apparently answered by silence from heaven. So, we wonder whether those who ask, knock, and seek will truly receive, find, or have a door opened for them. We try all kinds of justification for the seeming lack of answers to our prayers from heaven. Jesus, who is speaking here is unequivocal. The verbs are all imperative meaning they are a command. The promises are all unconditional, meaning no preconditions apply. Since the word of Jesus is truth, how can we understand these promises in light of our experience? If