Christmas Devotion (Dec 15) - Mary Visits Elizabeth

 

 

Read Luke 1:39-45

Luke 1:46-47 - And Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.

Mary went to visit Elizabeth and Zechariah. Elizabeth and Mary were related, so Mary most likely knew of the miracle of Elizabeth’s pregnancy in her old age, and she wanted to share her own miracle with someone she knew would understand. When Mary arrived at Elizabeth’s home, the baby in Elizabeth’s womb "leaped" as he recognized the Child in Mary’s womb.

There are many people in our world today who believe babies in the womb are not human and cannot feel anything. From our verses today, as well as others in the Bible, we see that even these tiny babies can respond to God. 

Mary’s song in answer to Elizabeth’s blessing is also proof the women of this time memorized Scripture just as the young men did. Much of her song comes from the song Hannah sang when she praised God for giving her a miracle son, Samuel – you can read it in 1 Samuel 2:1-10.

As we learned in our last lesson, Mary knew she would face some very difficult problems because she was pregnant before her marriage. The Law even said Joseph, as the husband, had the right to have her executed. But she chose to obey God and let Him work out the problems.

*When God asks you to do something for Him, and then problems come up, how do you react?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, what an incredible gift You are! Help me to recognize and fight for even the tiniest baby that You have created. Help me also to trust in You and walk in obedience, even when the road is unclear or filled with obstacles. I love you Jesus! In Your name I pray, Amen. 

Will You Seek Him?

 

"Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem,  saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”  

When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet (Micah 5:1-2):

 “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for from you shall come a ruler

    who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

Herod and his counsellors possessed what the wise men lacked - the Scriptures that spoke about Christ. But they lacked what the wise men had - the desire to find Him.

The wise men were saying, We believe the King of the Jews has been born; we don't know where, but wherever He is we want to go to reverence Him.

The religious leaders were saying, We know where Messiah will be born, but we have no intention of going there. (Any religious leader worth his salt should have said - Bethlehem is only a few miles away from Jerusalem; we'll take you. Let's go!)  

It is possible to know the Bible well and yet to be tone deaf to its message. That's what Jesus was talking about when He said: "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life." John 5:39-40

Knowing what is in the Bible, even not doubting its teaching, is not the same as finding and trusting Christ. The religious leaders' eyes could read the truth the Bible taught them, but their hearts were hardened. They saw no need to find Christ for themselves. 

Meanwhile Herod's reaction was different again. He was incensed: When I find out where Messiah has been born, I am going there - to destroy Him.

Three responses to the good news about Jesus Christ: we see them still today when people encounter Him in His Word or in the lives of Christians they know. 

     A hunger to hear more

     An indifference that passes itself off as sophistication

     A hostility that manifests itself often in an antagonism or outright persecution to Christ, His people, the lifestyle He taught and the exclusive claims He made about Himself. 

There are three responses you can make to Jesus Christ: 

1. Learn about Him and seek Him - as the wise men.

2. Know about Him but be indifferent to Him - like the Jewish scholars. 

3. Realize that He is the promised Savior and King - but seek to destroy Him as Herod did. 

Which is yours? 

(Taken from The Dawn of Redeeming Grace by Sinclair B. Ferguson) 

Christmas Devotion (Dec 14) - Gabriel Visits Mary

 

 

Read Luke 1:26-38

Luke 1:38 - And Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.’ And the angel departed from her.

Mary was probably only a teenager when she received a visit from the Angel Gabriel. This was about six months after Gabriel had visited Zechariah.

Mary was engaged to be married to Joseph. Both she and Joseph came from the royal family of David, so the marriage may have been arranged for them many years before. However, both had to give their consent to the marriage before the engagement contract could be legal. Normally, there would be a year between the engagement and the marriage itself, but the engagement was so binding that a divorce was required to break it, and usually the only reason for such a divorce would be evidence of impurity, such as a child being born.

Mary knew all these things, and yet, when Gabriel told her God’s plan for her to have a baby before the wedding, it was her decision if she wanted to face all the awful things people would think and say about her. Please note she also asked Gabriel how this could be, just as Zechariah had asked. But her question was from innocence rather than doubt – God knew what was in her heart. Gabriel’s answer that this child would be from God was met with Mary’s faith. Her answer, in the verse above, came from trusting God.

*When God asks something of you that might mean you lose favor with others around you, what is your answer?

Prayer: O Lord, thank you for answering the questions of a young woman with gentleness and understanding. Please help me to answer the questions of others in the same way. And help me, O Lord to show the willingness of Mary to do everything You ask of me...May Your Word be fulfilled in me. In Jesus' name, Amen

The Eyes of a Woman

 

 

Their eyes...their eyes can speak volumes...of the hope that is in each female for someone to love her, protect her, tell her she is important. They plead for justice, equality and liberation. They show strength of character, determination and love for her family. They can also convey loss, fear, hopelessness and despair.

Jesus saw this in the eyes of the widow whose son had just died (Luke 11:1), the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4), the woman caught in adultery (John 8) and so many others throughout His time on earth. Their eyes spoke volumes about their suffering. And His heart was moved with tenderness and compassion for them. He reached out to not only heal and free them but to touch them and call them "daughter" (Matthew 9:22). 

He broke all societal norms in His inclusion and outreach toward women. He elevated the status of women more than any other human ever has. It is a testament to the power of the Gospel that where true, heartfelt Christianity spreads, women and girls benefit.
One such example can be seen in the life of William Carey, missionary to India. 

"William Carey," argues an (Indian) female social science scholar, "was the first man to stand against both the ruthless murders and widespread oppression of women, virtually synonymous with Hinduism in the 18th and 19th centuries. The male in India was crushing the female through polygamy, female infanticide, child marriage, widow-burning, euthanasia and forced female illiteracy, all sanctioned by religion. The British Government timidly accepted these social evils as being an irreversible and an intrinsic part of India's religious mores. 

Carey began to conduct systematic sociological and scriptural research. He published his reports in order to raise public opinion and protest both in Bengal and England. He influenced a whole generation of civil servants, his students at Fort William College, to resist these evils. 

Carey opened schools for girls. When widows converted to Christianity, he arranged marriages for them rather than allowing them to be burned alive. It was Carey's persistent 25 year battle against sati that finally led to Lord Bentinck's famous Edict in 1829, banning one of the most abominable of all religious practices in the world: "widow-burning." (Vishal and Ruth Mangalwadi).

Today, the eyes that haunt me most are those of Muslim women and girls. Their fate is similar, in many ways, to the Indian women of Carey's time. Polygamy, female infanticide, child marriage, honor killings and forced female illiteracy, all sanctioned by religion. Yet the American government, in many ways, seems to mirror the British government by timidly accepting these social evils as being an irreversible and an intrinsic part of Muslim religious mores. 

Why? Political correctness, fear of being named racist or intolerant of Islam? 

Whatever the reason, as in the time of William Carey, it is not going to be the government of America, or any other nation, that speaks up for the Muslim women. It MUST be the Church. 

We must allow God to break our hearts for these women and girls. We must pray for them...especially that they would find Isa (Jesus), the One who loves them and can provide them with hope they have never known. We must reach out to Muslim women in our area...ask God to show you one or two and then pray for them and become their friends.

Their eyes...they can speak of pain that an American woman can not even fathom, but they can also speak of peace and joy that only Jesus, the lover of their souls, can give them. 

Christmas Devotion (Dec 13) - Zechariah and Elizabeth

 

Read Luke 1:1-24

"Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John...And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous - to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." Luke 1:13,17

It had been nearly four hundred years since God had given a prophecy to the people of Israel. He had been silent so long the people wondered if He had forsaken them. But then He sent His angel to a priest serving in the temple. This priest was an old man, and his wife was also too old to have children. Yet God told Zechariah he was about to have a son born.

Zechariah doubted God, which was surprising because he had been trained in God’s ways from a young child, trained to be a priest. He knew how God had given a child to Abraham and Sarah in their old age. Because of Zechariah’s doubt, God made it impossible for him to speak, and said he would regain the ability to talk when his son was born.

How often do we doubt what God says to us, even though we read it in the Bible? Maybe, like for Zechariah, God’s words just do not make sense because we cannot see how what He says can happen. Maybe we are listening to someone else trying to explain what God REALLY said, but it is not the same as the words in the Bible. For Zechariah, the moment he was unable to speak he knew he had done the wrong thing by not trusting God. But now he would have to wait for the birth of his son before he would be able to speak again.

*When did you doubt what God said to you? What happened?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us to not only believe in You but to believe You...to believe what You say to us in Your Word and what You speak to our hearts through Your Holy Spirit. May we believe and not doubt. We love you! In Jesus' name, Amen. 

Christmas Devotion (Dec 12) - God Sends a Forerunner

 

 

Read Malachi 3-4

Malachi 3:1 - Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple; and the Messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, He is coming, says the LORD of hosts. 

The last prophecy for this study, of the Messiah coming, is part of the last prophecy in the Bible before Jesus was born. Much of what you have read in the Scripture for today is about judgment, the judgment on evil the Messiah would bring. 

But just as we read over and over in the Bible, God gives people mercy and grace: another chance to repent and turn from wickedness. This is the purpose of this messenger God will send to prepare the way for the Messiah.

All through their history the people of Israel had been given prophets and leaders to tell them God’s ways and plans. Most of the time, the people had either ignored God’s warnings, or in some cases had even openly told God they did not care or they did not believe His warnings. This was one of the important reasons why God gave them prophecy warnings – telling them ahead of time exactly what would happen so they knew He was telling the truth. God has warned us the same way.

*What prophecy warning are you listening to from God?

Prayer; Thank you, O Lord, for Your mercy and grace to us! Thank you for the messengers you bring to us  who tell us the truth and lead us to You. We love you Jesus! In Your name, Amen. 

Christmas Devotion (Dec 11) - God Chooses a Town

 

 

Read Micah 5:2

Micah 5:2 - But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. 

One of the most incredible things about God’s prophecies is how He sometimes gives great details of what He will do. There are actually two very specific prophecies about Bethlehem regarding the Messiah. Besides our verse above, see also Jeremiah 31:15 which is a prophecy about the children of Bethlehem being killed – we will study this a bit more in a later lesson.

It did not matter where Mary and Joseph were living when Jesus was conceived (a later study). God had promised Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, and God would make that happen without picking Mary and Joseph up and spiriting them to Bethlehem just in time for Jesus to be born. 

Do you believe God knows or controls the smallest details of your life? And if He does, are you still able to make choices for yourself? You cannot choose everything in your life. For example, you could not choose who your parents were or who your siblings are. Yet, these relationships have the largest influence of your life in what choices you can make about who you want to be. God’s plan will work out – your choices determine whether you want Him to work out everything for good for you.

*What bad thing in your life have you seen God turn into good?

Prayer: Thank you for the choices You have made for me. Continue to guide my life O Lord. In Jesus' name, Amen.