Loving Jesus Style

  Scripture: John 1:14 (ESV) 14  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. Devotion:             Today’s scripture is a perfect ending to the Advent/Christmas season. These words explain to us what happened on that night in Bethlehem. They describe the actions of our God and yet are full of mystery and intrigue. No one, even the angel messengers, could fully comprehend what God was up to in that ordinary scene the gospels bear witness to. What, for example, does “the word made flesh” really mean?             John talks about the glory of God being made plain in this tiny baby. We know that God's glory would be made known to all later in life at the transfiguration and the resurrection. Jesus' ascension into the heavens would be a definitive sign of his majesty. ...

  Jesus Has Come Scripture: Isaiah 9:6 (ESV) 6            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.   Devotion:             Today is the day. All the Christmas shopping, wrapping, and hiding presents is over. Our world likes to pretend this is all there is to the Christmas season. Soon, however, the kids will get tired of their new presents. They may even begin to play with the boxes that high-end toys come in! Soon, it will be t...

Scripture: Matthew 2:`13-23 (ESV) 13  Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”  14  And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt  15  and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.” 16  Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.  17  Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:              18        ...

Scripture: Matthew 1:18-25 (ESV) 18  Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.  19  And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.  20  But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  21  She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”  22  All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:              23           “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name...

  Scripture: Luke 1:26-38 (ESV) In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. 28  And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29  But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30  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 forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34  And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 35  And the angel answered her, ...

Scripture: Colossians 1:15-20 (ESV) 15  He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.  16  For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.  17  And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.  18  And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.  19  For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,  20  and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. Scripture:             Today’s scripture stretches the imagination. Imagining Christ as being preexistent boggles our poor human minds. It is difficult to imagine Jesus as a baby growing i...

  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:             Peter, in today’s scripture, brings out a marvelous truth. Christians too often forget the importance of these words. We tend to go on living without acknowledging the truths contained in this passage. Our passion for Jesus is too often neglected in the day-to-day  hustle and bustle of our daily lives. We become like young children who forget that their parents are right there when they get into some minor trouble. We often live as though God were not there for us in our distress.        ...

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 6:1-2 (ESV) 6  Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.  2  For he says,         “In a favorable time, I listened to you, and in a day of salvation, I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. Devotion:             Advent is a season of waiting. Today’s scripture seems to indicate that we should not wait. As it says,  now is the time.  Yet in a certain way we need to be ready for the future coming in the here and now. Our salvation is not to be put off for a more opportune time, because that time will never come. Making our decision to follow Jesus knows no better time than the present. Advent is indeed a time of waiting but it is also a time to act. We must prepare ourselves for Jesus’ coming right now.         ...

Scripture: John 16:33 (ESV) 33  I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” Devotion:             Jesus is speaking in today’s scripture passage. He has been telling His disciples that He will soon be leaving them to go the Father. The disciples were understandably worried about what this might mean. In this verse Jesus comforts them by telling them that though trouble is coming their way they can rest assured that Jesus will be with them. They will not have to confront the persecution that is coming their way alone.             These words should calm our fears today as they did for the first disciples 2,000 years ago. Jesus wants us to know peace in Him. As our culture turns against Jesus and his followers today, we can be assured of His love and care for the church tha...

  Scripture: Isaiah 35:3-7 (ESV) 3  Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees.   4      Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not!        Behold, your God will come with vengeance,        with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.”   5      Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped;   6      then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.        For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert;   7      the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water;        in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down, the grass shall become reeds and rushes.   Dev...

  Scripture: Jerimiah 23:5-6 (ESV) 5   “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.  6  In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’ Devotion:             This passage of scripture is widely believed to be a prophecy of the coming Messiah. In it Jerimiah tells of a day when God will raise up one from the line of King David to rule with power and authority. All wisdom to execute justice having been given to this person He will reign as a king over Israel. Seeing Jesus’ coming through this scripture proves difficult for us. While Jesus did come from the line of David, He refused to be made King and instead chose to suffer as a servant on behalf of the peopl...

Scripture: Isaiah 35:1-4 (NLT) 1  Even the wilderness and desert will be glad in those days. The wasteland will rejoice and blossom with spring crocuses. 2  Yes, there will be an abundance of flowers and singing and joy! The deserts will become as green as the mountains of Lebanon, as lovely as Mount Carmel or the plain of Sharon. There the Lord will display his glory, the splendor of our God. 3  With this news, strengthen those who have tired hands, and encourage those who have weak knees. 4  Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you.”   Devotion:                         Isaiah here speaks hope to oppressed people. Israel was in captivity in Babylon. The prophet has in the chapters before this predicted all the hardships a...

  Scripture: Isaiah 9:6 (NIV)   For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.   Devotion:             It is advent time again. Christmas is right around the corner. We again call to mind the stories of Jesus coming into the world so long ago. We, also, renew our hope that this child will return again to claim us as his children and begin his reign in the new heavens and the new earth. Where there will be no more sin or sorrow. It is a season of already and not yet. The promise of his coming has been fulfilled, but the promise of his return has not yet been realized.             The hymns and songs of the season ring all around us. Our spirits are lifted from the fog of day-to-day life to contemplation of ...