Monday, December 29
Matthew 1:18-25
Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be pregnant from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to divorce her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
“Look, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,”
which means, “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife but had no marital relations with her until she had given birth to a son, and he named him Jesus.
Pastor Paul has often shared that all of our activities that help us get ready for Christmas happen because of this story.
This story is most likely familiar to all of us. We’ve likely heard the story many, many times.
As you read this story today, ask God to share with you something new about the story. No matter how often we hear this story, we can still learn something new.
This story was a profound illustration of the gift of grace. As you pray today give thanks for the grace that you’ve received.
Do you find anything new in this story as you read it? Please share.
Tuesday, December 30
Matthew 2:1-12
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, magi from the east came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star in the east and have come to pay him homage.” When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him, and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet:
‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah,
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people Israel.’ ”
Then Herod secretly called for the magi and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” When they had heard the king, they set out, and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen in the east, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
The tradition of gift giving began when the three Magi presented gifts to Jesus. The giving of their gifts was a spiritual act. Note how they bowed down in homage to Jesus in this story. This was an act of worship. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that gift giving in our culture mostly is not an act of worship.
Be open to receiving the most important gift of the season—that is the birth of Jesus. It is not a sign of spiritual immaturity to be reminded amidst all that is going on in our lives that the message of the season is about receiving this gift.
What are your thoughts about this story? Please share.
Wednesday, December 31
John 4:7-15
A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?” Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.”
In verse 10 Jesus identified that his message was a gift and that he was a gift from God.
“If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”
His message and his presence is a gift. We do nothing to earn it. The gift is presented to us because we have entered the world.
This gift doesn’t make a difference for us unless we open it. As the world celebrated the birth of Jesus, pray that the world can continue to be receptive in opening this gift from him. Imagine a whole Christmas tree of gifts that never are opened. If we don’t receive this message and the presence of Jesus (his Spirit) the gift won’t make a difference. It will be like a Christmas gift that is never opened.
What are your thoughts about this story? Please share.
Thursday, January 1
Acts 8:14-25
Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. The two went down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit (for as yet the Spirit had not come upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus). Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying, “Give me also this power so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain God’s gift with money! You have no part or share in this, for your heart is not right before God. Repent therefore of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and the chains of wickedness.” Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may happen to me.”
Now after Peter and John had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, proclaiming the good news to many villages of the Samaritans.
Happy New Year!
Peter became offended because Simon wanted to purchase God’s gift.
“May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain God’s gift with money!” Acts 8:20
One piece of the power of God’s gift is the reality that it is free. No one can purchase grace with money. By definition it is a gift.
We humans sometimes try to put conditions on this gift. We say a person has to go through a program to become a follower of Jesus, or a person has to memorize the Ten Commandments, or a person has to join a church. Programs, memorization or joining a church are important, but they are not prerequisites for being a follower of Jesus. The prerequisite is receiving the gift that God has given to us.
Think about the gifts you received this Christmas. How were you at receiving them? Were you grateful, did your heart burn with appreciation, did you share thanks?
Simon saw this gift and wanted to purchase it with money. We might see a gift and take it for granted. In a similar way both acts are disrespectful to God.
What are your thoughts about this story? Please share.
Friday, January 2
Ephesians 3:7-13
Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God’s grace that was given me by the working of his power. Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have access in boldness and confidence through faith in him. I pray, therefore, that you may not lose heart over my sufferings for you; they are your glory.
Paul identified in these verses that grace is a gift. He identified himself as the least of all the saints, but even so he was given a charge to bring this gift to the Gentiles. Paul was asked by God to communicate the message of this gift to people who were outside of the religious community of the time.
This gift of grace is not something that we are called to keep to ourselves.
This doesn’t mean that we have to be shouting with a bullhorn that God has given the gift of grace to everyone. We’re not called to be obnoxious.
A vision that Pastor Paul has shared in the past is that Chain of Lakes will become a people of extraordinary blessing. We will go out of our way to bless people in an extraordinary way.
If we are people who go out of our way to share blessings in an extraordinary way, then we are communicating this gift of grace. Our actions are consistent with the calling that God has given to us.
You have been given a gift of grace. Consider blessing someone today in an extraordinary way!
During this season do you have a story of seeing an extraordinary blessing? Please share
Saturday, January 3
Romans 5:15-21
But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died through the one man’s trespass, much more surely have the grace of God and the gift in the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abounded for the many. And the gift is not like the effect of the one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the gift following many trespasses brings justification. If, because of the one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one, much more surely will those who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
Therefore just as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all. For just as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so through the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. But law came in, so that the trespass might increase, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so grace might also reign through justification leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
In these verses the Apostle Paul compared the gift of grace to sin or what he called trespasses. Earlier in chapter five of Romans Paul shared a central teaching about the death of Jesus and how Jesus’ death connected us to God. This chapter might seem confusing at first, but it’s worth reading slowly and carefully. An important message is in these words.
Paul wrote that the gift brought justification. That word means we were brought into relationship with God.
The message of Christmas is that God loved the world so much that he sent this gift of grace into the world as a baby. It’s an astounding story and one that is worth giving thanks for to God every day.
What are your thoughts about this story? Please share.
