Read Matthew 9:1-7. Jesus wants to be our strength. What power and authority does Jesus demonstrate in today’s reading?
Jesus’ power of forgiveness is brought to us in God’s Word. That very same word HAS the power to transform our lives.
Say a prayer, asking God to keep you in the Word, so that your life may have the strength of a mighty oak tree.
Read Luke 2:13-14 and Revelation 5:11-12. Jesus, God the Father’s Son, gives us a garment of praise rather than a spirit of despair.
Praise of God is a characteristic of children of God because our robe of despair has been exchanged for Jesus’ robe of righteousness.
The act of praising God seems to wipe away despair and sadness.
Ask God to show you when and where He wants you to praise Him, wiping away despair.
Read Luke 7:11-15. Jesus, the Messiah, brings comfort and gladness. In the Luke 7 reading, Jesus’ heart went out to the widow and he comforted her with words of kindness and the miracle of raising her dead son.
Christmas season is a time of joy, but for many people, it’s a time of darkness and loneliness.
What can you do this season to know Jesus’ comfort?
How might you bring His comfort to others?
Read 2 Corinthians 8:9 and Romans 8:18-21. Jesus was sent to “proclaim freedom to the captives.”
We are a part of the creation of God that has fallen into the bondage of sin, death, and decay. As a captive there is nothing we can do to bring about our freedom. That work was given to Jesus.
Today, how can the reality that as a child of God you are freed from sin, death, and decay effect your words and actions?
Read Romans 12:3 and John 13:2-5. Jesus, the Messiah, was anointed to bring good news to the poor.
What kind of poverty is referred to in Romans 12:3 and how does Jesus demonstrate “poverty” in John 13?
How does the Romans’ passage show us that our faith impacts how we see ourselves and act toward others?
This Christmas season, how is your faith calling you to be “poor?”
Read Luke 1:19; Luke 2:10, and Luke 8:1. Isaiah tells us that Jesus was sent to “preach good news to the poor.”
From today’s reading, what gave Gabriel the angel the authority to speak the good news of Jesus’ coming?
What gives you authority to speak the good news?
Would you say that Jesus haphazardly proclaimed the good news of God’s Kingdom or was he unswervingly focused on it?
Cite one story from Jesus’ life that affirms your answer. What can you take away from this reflection for your life?
Read Titus 3:5. Paul affirms that our relationship with Jesus comes by God’s grace, by God’s gift.
The word Paul uses for grace refers to God’s favor bestowed on us. Grace refers to the gift of salvation and the gift of His power and presence at work in our life each day.
Where do you find yourself needing to leverage God’s gift of grace in your life today?
Where might He be calling you to share His grace in the lives of others to enrich their lives?
Read Mark 1:7. John counters the pride of growing popularity with eyes on the Messiah and that gives John humility.
Since the Bible often warns us that “pride goes before the fall,” how are you doing in staying humble in your walk with God?
Is there an area of pride that is blocking your relationship with God?
What might you need to confess to get prepared for Jesus coming at Christmas and into your life today?
Read 1 John 1:8-9. The first of Martin Luther’s 95 theses read,
“When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, “Repent.”
He willed that the entire life of believers be one of repentance.”
Since you can’t un-sin, but only re-pent, how might you make repentance a part of your daily life?
How have you been growing this week in living a life of repentance?
How will you continue to grow in the days ahead?
Read Mark 1:5. Cris Carter said,
“When you’ve got a dark chapter in your life, people will try to make that the final chapter in your life. But it doesn’t have to be. For me, when it got the darkest, I said ‘this is not going to be the end of my book.’”
What dark chapter of your life do you need to turn over to God for a new beginning?
How did John the Baptist provide that for the Jews of His day?
How is God doing that for you today?