218the Week, Christmas 2024

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Monday, Luke 1: 1-20, ZECHARIAH, ELIZABETH and JOHN THE BAPTIST

Narrative on Zechariah

Taken from Life Application Bible

Jeanie Boldt

Zechariah was a priest and a righteous man before God.  He was told before anyone else that God was setting in motion his own visit to earth. Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth, were known for their personal holiness.  They backed up their outward appearance with their inward obedience to our God.  Their obedience was from the heart, and that is why they are called "upright in the sight of God".  The couple shared the pain of not having children, and in Jewish culture this was considered not having God's blessing.  They were both old, and they had stopped even asking for children.  However, physical limitations do not limit God.  God accomplishes His will, sometimes in unexpected ways.  

The trip for Zechariah to the temple in Jerusalem for his duty turned into an unexpected blessing.  He was chosen to be the priest who would enter the Holy Place to offer incense to God for the people.  This was not by chance that he was chosen. Suddenly, much to his surprise and terror, he found himself face to face with an angel. The angel's message was too good to be true!!  But Zechariah did not respond to the news of the coming Savior as much as he expressed doubts about his own ability to father the child the angel promised him  His age spoke more loudly than God's promise.  As a result, God prevented Zechariah from speaking until the promise became reality.  This Godly man did father John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ.  John's name means "The Lord is Gracious".  

The record of the prayer Zechariah prayed, which was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied in Luke 1:67-79, is our last glimpse of Zechariah.  Like so many of God's most faithful servants, he passed quietly from the scene once his part was done.  He becomes our hero for those times when we doubt God and yet are willing to obey.  We gain hope from Zechariah's story that God can do great things through anyone who is available to him.  

  

Now we journey from Zachariah and Elizabeth to Mary and Elizabeth.    

Tuesday, Luke 1:26-79, MARY AND ELIZABETH

Luke 1

Verse 38

Jane Jones

 

Verse 38: "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.

THOUGHT

I really enjoyed reading Chapter One. The story of John the Baptist and the conception of the virgin birth with the appearance of the Angel Gabriel is the beginning of the beginning. Elizabeth and Mary were relatives and they spent a great deal of time during their pregnancies with each other. How awesome it was that the Lord had these two women share in the joy of both giving birth to holy men, John the Baptist and Jesus.

What courage Mary had.  Mary had no idea at this time the tremendous opportunity she would have.  She knew that God was asking her to serve him. She was so willing to obey. She faced huge risks but stepped out in faith regardless of the scary journey she knew was ahead of her.  How many of us stand on that line and never step out because we don't know the bottom line, the end result?  Have you ever thought what would have happened if Mary would have acted the direct opposite and not stepped out in faith?

PRAYER

Lord, we may feel that our ability, experience, or education makes us an unlikely candidate for God's service. WRONG!! We should not limit God's choices by doing that. With God nothing is impossible. Jesus, tonight with that one thought we will close along with the words on our lips, “We love You”. AMEN

Wednesday, Matthew 1:18-25, JOSEPH

Matthew 1

Delores Little

THOUGHT

I’m doing a Beth Moore Bible study called “Jesus the One and Only”.  As we study Matthew let us see Him as the One and Only and put Him above everything in our lives truly seeking the Kingdom of God first.  Open our eyes to the truth of Your Word, Lord.

 

Here we have the genealogy of Jesus from verses 1 to 17.  We see 3 women, Tamar, Rahab, and Ruth.  David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife.

The Birth of Jesus Christ came, “Immanuel, God with us”.   Mary is found to be with child by the HOLY SPIRIT.  Joseph was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace; he had in mind to divorce her quietly. Back in those times if a woman was found with child, she could have been stoned and killed.  Since Joseph knew this wasn’t of him, he didn’t want her killed. He would divorce her quietly.

But God sent an angel who appeared to him in a dream.  The angel told him what had happened to Mary.  The angel even shared with him that the baby would be named Jesus. Just hearing Jesus’s name makes me think of the song, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, there is something about that name. Master, Savior, Jesus, like the fragrance after the rain.  You all know the song.  Don’t you just love saying His name?  Can you hear Mary and Joseph saying it for the first time to the baby?

After the dream Joseph took her, but had no union with her until after Jesus was born.  Luke gives more of the story of Jesus' birth in Luke 2 and how He was born in a place where the animals were kept.  Some would say, “Why would God let His only begotten Son be born there?”  The reason is because Jesus became the perfect Sacrifice.  He did it once and for all. 

PRAYER

Father, forgive us daily.  We thank You for Jesus and how He came and told us to live in this world. I think of the 3 gifts given Him when He was a child around 2 and what they mean to me.  The gold for where He came from.  Heaven and the incense was His walk on earth teaching us the Father’s ways, and myrrh the bitter death He died on the cross for us sinners.  Help us turn them around.  The myrrh is where we are before we accept Him for we are in the bitterness of sins.  Then after we accept Him we are like sweet incense bringing the good news of Jesus to others.  Thank You for all that You have done for us.  AMEN

Thursday, Luke 2:1-52, Jesus' birth, the shepherds and Christ's maturity.

Luke 2

Verse 52

Jane Jones

Verse 52:  "And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God  and men."

THOUGHT

Jesus was God's chosen. Luke 2 shows us that even though Jesus was unique, He had as normal of a childhood and adolescence as He could. In developing, He went through the same progression we do. He grew physically and mentally, He related to other people, and He was loved by God because He was about His Father's business. I believe the uniqueness with Jesus was that He was so wise. He had wisdom and insight that surpassed His age.

A full human life is not unbalanced, and so it was important to Jesus. It should be important to all believers. We need to develop fully and harmoniously in all areas, physically, mentally, socially and spiritually. Jesus' spiritual life was so strong. Can you imagine being twelve, a young boy, leaving your parents for three days all by yourself, and visiting with adults about the teachings of the laws? He was truly led by the Holy Spirit. People listened to Him even at age twelve. He grew in favor of men and God. What a great thing for us to strive for as adults. May we grow in stature in our daily walk as well.

PRAYER

We love You, Jesus. By the life of Jesus we have learned today that we need to walk in faith and trust You no matter what our age. We thank You for giving Jesus to us for 33 years. We come boldly before Your throne of grace thanking and praising You for this day. AMEN

Friday, Matthew 2:1-23, The Magi, Jesus escapes to Egypt, then returns to Nazareth

Matthew 2

Verse 13

Jane Jones

Verse 13:  When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up.” he said, “Take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

THOUGHT

In this chapter it is written that angels appeared to Joseph in dreams giving him directions as to when and where to take his wife and new little baby. Can you imagine how scared Joseph must have been to know that he was being followed?  And once caught, he knew his enemy would kill his little baby boy, Jesus.  What a huge responsibility Joseph had. But he listened to the Lord and followed His directions perfectly.  In such a short period of time Joseph’s plans were changed a number of times.

Finding Jesus may mean that your life must take a different direction, one that is responsive and obedient to God’s Word.  Are you willing to be led a different way?  Joseph remained receptive to God’s guidance.

Sometimes I think that people today are often afraid that Christ wants to take things away when, in reality, he wants to give them real freedom, peace and joy.  Don’t fear Christ!!  Follow His lead and give Him the throne of your life.

Is the Lord speaking to us today in dreams, through family members, through our friends, through our Bible readings, through teachings that we hear on Sunday mornings?  Be on the alert!! He may want you to change directions very soon in life.  Are you ready to go a different way?

PRAYER 

Lord, we praise You for the week that we had.  What a special gift from above.  We thank You for Your guidance and direction.  May we be receptive to You this week as we wait upon Your direction. AMEN

Are You Ready?