Hairs of you Head -Luke 12:4-7

"And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him! Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. But the very hairs of our head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows."

The Shepherds -Luke 2:8-20

This will be my last Christmas post...the one before was technically my Christmas Eve post, but by the time I had posted it was Christmas day...

"Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. “For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. “And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them."

The promise given to the shepherds of Christ's birth.

I really like the last verse, as we see how all the glory and praise went back to God. Wouldn't it have been amazing to have been one of the Shepherds that night?

Merry Christmas...Christ is Born!!! -Luke 2:1-7

Merry Christmas!!!! This is the account in Luke of Christ's Birth.

"And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn."

I'm encouraged to see this, as we see clearly proclaimed Christ's birth. All of the prophecies leading up to Christ's birth were fulfilled in Christ.


We can rest in this Christ.

The Prophet of the Highest -Luke 1:76-79

Today I thought I'd finish the prophecy of Zacharias. This next part is spoken to John, his son.

"And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, To give knowledge of salvation to His people By the remission of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God, With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace."

This section I found encouraging as it describes, first off, that Jesus the Messiah came to earth to save us from our sins. It also talks about the mercy of God, that Jesus would come to earth. Lastly, we see that He came "to give light to those who sit in darkness", and to guide us into "the way of peace."

And John the Baptist had the privilege of being able to come before Christ, to announce His coming.

God Remembers -Luke 1:68-75

Today I thought I'd go to Luke, right to when God releases Zacharias from his temporary dumbness and He speaks for the first time. Here is the first part of what he said.

"Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited and redeemed His people, And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of His servant David, As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, Who have been since the world began, That we should be saved from our enemies And from the hand of all who hate us, To perform the mercy promised to our fathers And to remember His holy covenant, The oath which He swore to our father Abraham: To grant us that we, Being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life."

In the passage we really see fulfillment. Zacharias clearly proclaims in this passage how God has kept His promise, and will truly redeem His people.

We can take encouragement knowing that God does remembers what He has promised, and that He will fulfill His promises...period.

Seeing Christ -Luke 2:25-32

Today I thought I'd share the story of Simeon...

"And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.”"

God promised Simeon that He would not die until He has seen Christ...and here we see God keeping His promise to Simeon. This can be an encouragement to us, as we can know that God does keep His word...He doesn't lie.

Favor With God -Luke 1:30-31

This doesn't have anything to do with today's post, but I wanted to remind people to be praying for those affected by the shootings in CT...and specifically, pray that this horrible tragedy will draw people closer to Christ, and that people would put their hope in Him.

I realized that although I had already done the verses following the two I'm sharing today, I thought I would go ahead and do the two before...as this is where the Angel announces the promise of the birth of Jesus.

"Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.""

The promise of Jesus coming to earth is really the promise of Good news. That our Savior would come to earth, humbling Himself as He took on the form of a servant, is truly amazing.


Another promise from this chapter tomorrow...

His Kingdom Will Have No End -Luke 1:32-33

These verses are part of what the Angel said to Mary when she first heard the news.

"He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end."

One thing I have found really interesting looking at all the promises/prophecies about Christ is that they often include a name that He will be called. These verses say that He will be called the Son of the Highest.

I feel like this verse is a promise of the power of Jesus...the passages says that "He will be great, He will be called the Son of the Highest, He will receive the throne of His father David, He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will never end.

Wow. From reading this we get a clear picture of God's Power. Christians can gain encouragement from this passage knowing that this powerful God is in control. Those who aren't Christians need to be afraid for the exact same reason.


I wonder how Mary felt, hearing the news of this birth.

What was running through her head when she heard these words spoken to her by an angel?