December 18
Bible in a Year: Obadiah;
Revelation 9
Who We Listen To
The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you . . . . You must listen to him. Deuteronomy 18:15
... View MoreDecember 18
Bible in a Year: Obadiah;
Revelation 9
Who We Listen To
The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you . . . . You must listen to him. Deuteronomy 18:15
“I’ve got to declare an emergency. My pilot’s deceased.” Doug White nervously uttered those words to the control tower monitoring his flight. Minutes after takeoff, the pilot of the private plane Doug’s family had chartered suddenly passed away. Doug stepped into the cockpit with just three-month’s training in flying less sophisticated aircraft. He then carefully listened to controllers at a local airport who talked him through landing the plane. Later, Doug said, “[They] saved my family from an almost certain fiery death.”
We have one who alone can help us navigate the challenges in life. Moses, speaking to the Israelites, said, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you . . . . You must listen to him” (Deuteronomy 18:15). This promise pointed to a succession of prophets God provided for His people, but it also spoke of the Messiah. Both Peter and Stephen would later state that this ultimate prophet was Jesus (Acts 3:19-22; 7:37, 51-56). He alone came to tell us the loving and wise instructions of God (Deuteronomy 18:18).
During Christ’s life, God the Father said, “This is my Son . . . . Listen to him!” (Mark 9:7). To live wisely and avoid crashing and burning in this life, let’s listen to Jesus as He speaks through the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit. Listening to Him makes all the difference.
By Tom Felten
REFLECT & PRAY
Why is it sometimes challenging to hear Christ’s voice in this world? How can you better follow His wise and loving words today?
Dear Jesus, please help me hear and obey Your voice. AMEN!!
Wednesday, December 18, 2024
God’s Gift to You
Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words! (2 Corinthians 9:15 NLT)... View MoreWednesday, December 18, 2024
God’s Gift to You
Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words! (2 Corinthians 9:15 NLT)
There are gifts that you may receive this year that soon will be out of date or out of fashion. Some gifts, however, only grow in value over time. Maybe it’s a family heirloom that you received a long time ago, and it has become even more precious to you now.
God has given us a gift, and it never goes out of style. It’s the gift of all gifts: salvation. If you are a Christian, then you already carry this gift in your heart. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (NLT).
While this gift brings with it the hope of Heaven and the hope of eternal life, there are aspects of it that we can enjoy now. One of them is justification. The Bible says, “Since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us” (Romans 5:1 NLT).
The word justify has a twofold meaning. First, it carries the idea of the forgiveness of all our sin. Maybe you’ve been mulling over your sin and you’re troubled by it. If you have asked God to forgive you of that sin and have repented of it, then He has forgiven you.
God has forgiven you of every sin that you have confessed and turned from. Accept that. Often we dig up those sins, go over them again and again, and beat ourselves up over them. Yet God says, “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins” (Hebrews 8:12 NLT).
Here’s what we need to know: We should not choose to remember what God has chosen to forget. God has forgiven our sins. That is part of the gift that God has given to each of us. But there is also the positive side of justification.
When God justifies us, He places the righteousness of Christ in our account. That balances the moral and spiritual budget for us. We are declared righteous. This is not a gradual process; it’s something that happens immediately when we put our faith in Jesus Christ.
And there is even more. Not only has God justified us, not only has He forgiven our sins and placed the righteousness of Christ into our account, but He also has adopted us into His family.
By adopting us, God is saying, “Don’t merely stand in awe of Me. Come close to Me. I want you to be My child. You have access to Me anytime.” What a great joy to know that we have been adopted into God’s family.
If all there was as a Christian was this life we have now with Jesus, it still would be worth it to be a Christian. But that isn’t all there is. It will get even better. The afterlife will be better than the “before life.” The best is yet to come.
That is God’s gift to you. Open it. Enjoy it. Love it.
Copyright © 2024 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Billy Graham Daily Devotion: The Finished Work
A person is saved by trusting in the finished work of Christ on the cross, and not by bodily sensations and religious ecstasy. But you will say, "What
God With Us
DECEMBER 18, 2024
“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”
Matthew 1:23... View MoreGod With Us
DECEMBER 18, 2024
“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”
Matthew 1:23
Recommended Reading: John 1:14
The name Immanuel (“God with us”) occurs in Isaiah (7:14; 8:8) and in Matthew 1:23. In Isaiah 7:14, the prophet declared that a virgin would give birth to a son as a sign. The child’s name would be Immanuel. The child was to be a sign that God would be with King Ahaz of Judah in defense of the invading Assyrians.
God had promised to be with Israelites in the Old Testament on numerous occasions. For example, He was with Joshua as Israel entered the Promised Land: “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you” (Joshua 1:5). But when it came time for Jesus to enter the world, “God with us” took on a new reality. Matthew showed how the prophecy in Isaiah 7:14 had a more far-reaching meaning. The Son born to the virgin, Mary, would be God incarnate—God in the flesh, God in human form (Philippians 2:6-8).
The implications of the Incarnation are life changing. By the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ is with you at this moment—and for all your days.
By the light of the gospel we see [God] as Emmanuel, God with us.
Matthew Henry
page=2&profile_user_id=476811&year=&month=
Load More
