Dee2rites Blog

Tag: Bible Study

  • Good Friday – The End and the Beginning

    “After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!” … So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. John 19:28, 30

    Today is Good Friday, a Holy Day for Christians because it is the day we remember the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is the day a perfect sacrifice was made once and for all for our sins and the price was paid for our healing. Sometimes we seem to take this too lightly and fail to consider what it cost Jesus.

    King David wrote Psalm 22, a prophetic psalm describing Jesus death on the cross. “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” was Jesus’ cry from the cross. Why would God the Father turn his back on His beloved Son? The answer is in Isaiah 53:6, “And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” God had to turn His back – He cannot look at sin and the sin of all mankind was placed on Jesus. The Apostle Paul wrote “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21.

    God the Father and Jesus, God the Son, had been One, in perfect unity and harmony, from eternity past until that moment when Jesus took on Himself the sins of the world. My sin, your sin, the sins of our parents and our children were all put on Jesus. The Man who never committed a single sin was made to be sin so that a woman who never did anything righteous could be made the righteousness of God. Praise God!

    There was more to come. After being beaten into a bloody mess, being nailed in the most humiliating way possible to a cross and dying of suffocation, there was more to come. Jesus descended into hell where He finished the price and defeated Satan on his home field.

    That was the end. The end of sin having dominion over the man God created to have fellowship with. Ah, but with the end came a glorious beginning! After 3 days and 3 nights, Jesus came up from the heart of the earth. “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” Matthew 12:40.

    That is the beginning – Christ is risen from the dead so that we may have eternal life! Praise God! The grave where they laid His body, is empty. He is risen from the dead! We have the testimony of eyewitnesses, people who saw and spoke with Jesus after the resurrection. As a woman, it blesses me to know that one of the first people Jesus appeared to was a woman.

    “Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.
    “Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.” Mark 16:9-11, 14

    Jesus was crucified for our sins, paid our debt in full, rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. His work completed, He’s given all who believe eternal life in Him, forgiveness of all sin, healing for our bodies, and peace for our minds. Now it is our job to share the good news to the world.

    THE LORD IS RISEN! YES HE IS RISEN INDEED!

    Peace and blessings in our Lord Jesus Christ,
    Dee

    New King James Version (NKJV)
    The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

  • Through Jesus Christ I Have…

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    “For while the Law was given through Moses, grace (unearned, undeserved favor and spiritual blessing) and truth came through Jesus Christ.” John 1:17

    A number of years ago I was challenged to read the New Testament looking for all the prepositional phrases referring to Jesus. I don’t know how many there are, I lost count but I know it’s in the hundreds. But the purpose of the assignment was not to count them, but to grow in my understanding of everything Jesus has done for us. I began reading and every time I came to a phrase referring to Jesus, I would circle the phrase and meditate on what the Scripture was saying to me. The result was I came away with a deeper understanding of who I am in Jesus Christ.

    I encourage anyone wanting to grow spiritually to try the same process. Starting reading the New Testament actively looking for “in Jesus Christ”, “in Whom”, “by Jesus Christ”, “through Jesus Christ”, “through Whom”, “from Whom” and so on. As you find one, stop and meditate on what the verse is saying. Ask yourself how that applies to you and your life, what exactly has God done? Sometimes you need to consider the verse before and after it to fully understand the context of the verse.

    To help you get started, here is a small list of verses. But these are but a small sample of what is waiting for you in your Bible.

    John 1:17 – we have grace and truth through Jesus Christ
    Romans 8:1 – we are free from condemnation
    1 Corinthians 5:18 – we are reconciled to God through Christ Jesus
    Philippians 1:11 – we are filled with the fruits of righteousness by Jesus Christ
    Colossians 2:3 – wisdom and knowledge are in Christ Jesus
    Romans 5:11 – we have eternal life through Jesus Christ

    Peace and blessings in our Lord Jesus Christ,
    Dee

    Amplified Bible (AMP)
    Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation

  • Life or Death, Your Choice

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        “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Genesis 2:16, 17

     

    Studying the book of Genesis, I notice something interesting. When God placed man in Eden, two special trees were in the center of the garden. One was the tree of life and the other was the tree of knowledge of good and evil. God told them they could eat freely of every tree in the garden, including the tree of life.  All the trees were pleasant for food but one was forbidden. Only the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was forbidden to them, with the caution that if they did eat the fruit from it, they would surely die. God was offering them life, if they obeyed, or death if they disobeyed.
        Then isn’t it interesting that the serpent tempted them with the one leading to death. The tree of life was equally appealing to the eye, but the serpent could only offer death.  There is no life in him. Jesus said the thief (referring to Satan, called the serpent in Genesis) “…does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” (John 10:10)
        Only God can offer life and He has offered it to us from the beginning. Deuteronomy 30:19, 20 says “I call heaven and earth to witness this day against you that I have set before you life and death, the blessings and the curses; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live and may love the Lord your God, obey His voice, and cling to Him. For He is your life and the length of your days, that you may dwell in the land…”
     God calls us to choose life. He has provided a way for us to have life. Jesus said then, and is saying to us now, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”  (John 14:6)
    The choice is ours. Life of death. I believe I’ll choose life. Thank You Jesus for giving me life, a fulfilled life on here on earth and when it’s done, eternal life with You in heaven.

    Peace and blessings in our Lord Jesus Christ,
    Dee

    All scripture quoted is from The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

  • Choose the Best Part

     

                “…but one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the best part; it will not be taken away from her.”  Luke 10:42 (NET Bible)

     

                I’m not big on making New Year’s resolutions. I know I need to decide to exercise more, but all year and not just on January first. Same with eating better, watching TV less or spending less time on Facebook, not that there is anything wrong with having occasional sweets or snacks, watching TV (assuming it’s quality shows and not garbage) or even Facebook. But these are things that are only good in moderation.

                I have been asking the LORD what changes I need to make this year over last year. One answer He spoke through a precious friend was “to stir up the gift of God which is in you”, meaning get back to writing more.  The other thing I kept hearing in my heart was “chose the best part.”

                In the book of Luke there is recorded a story about two sisters, Martha and Mary. Martha invited Jesus, and most likely the twelve disciples with Him, to her house for a meal.

     

    “Now it happened as they went that He [Jesus] entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me. And Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.’” Luke 10:38-42 (NJKV)

     

                While Martha was working in the kitchen preparing the meal, her sister Mary was sitting at Jesus feet listening to Him teach. Martha didn’t appreciate being left alone to do all the preparations. I occasionally have 15 or 16 people at my house for dinner, and even though they are invited guests and I am happy to have them, it is still a LOT of work to serve that many people.  I can understand Martha’s frustration that Mary wasn’t helping her and her request to Jesus for Mary to come help.

                Notice Jesus’ response to Martha. He simply told her that while she was overstressing, her sister had chosen “that good part”. Mary had chosen the Word of God over stressing about feeding their guests.

                It wasn’t that Martha was doing anything wrong. No, the meal had to be prepared because she had invited them there. But she could have first “chosen the best part” (NET Bible) that could not be taken from her. Then Jesus, Who had blessed the bread and fish to feed 5000 (see Luke 9:13-17), would have seen to it that Martha’s dinner was taken care of. 

                “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”  Matthew 6:33

                This year, 2014, I want to choose the BEST part of what God has for me and what He leads me to. I’m excited about the New Year. 2013 was a good year for my family and me; some really great things happened. One of the best was my younger grandson Braden asked Jesus into his heart. The only thing that could equal that would be for his little sister Kaylee to follow suit. Perhaps this year she will. Then all three of my grandchildren will be born again and have eternal life.

                I pray God will bless you and your loved ones beyond anything you can think or imagine this year, and Happy New Year!

     

    Peace and blessings in our LORD Jesus Christ,

    Dee

     

  • God Over the Trivial

    “Behold! God is mighty, and yet despises no one nor regards anything as trivial; He is mighty in power of understanding and heart.” Job 36:5 (The Amplified Bible)

    Have you ever felt that something you were concerned about was too trivial for God to care about? I’ve heard people say things like “Well God is too busy taking care of the big serious things to bother about my little problems.” There was even one woman who said she didn’t pray about her kids because she thought God needed to be busy taking care of the world and she could watch her kids. What!? Yes, God is indeed concerned with what is happening in the world, but He is also concerned with us, even the most trivial mundane things.

    Jesus said “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And [yet] not one of them is forgotten or uncared for in the presence of God. But [even] the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not be struck with fear or seized with alarm; you are of greater worth than many [flocks] of sparrows.” Luke 12: 6, 7 (The Amplified Bible)

    Wow, our Father even knows how many hairs are on our heads. (And knows which one are colored or not!) Yes, the Creator God who created us is concerned with anything that concerns us. It is only when we learn to trust Him with the small things that we truly learn to trust Him in the big ones.

    Ryan Kennelly, the first man to bench 800 lbs without controversy, started weight lifting at age 18, and became a serious power lifter five years later. In 2008, Ryan set the bench press record with a lift of 1070 lbs. Do you suppose Ryan started out lifting 800 or more pounds on his first work out? Of course not. That would have caused him serious injury. He started with a set of dumbbells his father gave him when he was 10 years old. It took 5 years of serious training and weight lifting, adding little at a time, before he was ready to compete.

    Developing our faith in God is the same way. If we learn to first pray and believe God for the small things, that increases our faith to believe Him for the big things. Faith is like a muscle – it only grows and gets stronger when it is used. But just like a baby has to learn to walk by developing her leg muscles and develop her balance by contracting her abs, we must use our faith for it to grow and develop.

    As for the woman who said she didn’t pray for her kids, that is an example of the polar opposite of faith – pride. Pride in believing she had the power to protect and take care of her children on her own. The Apostle Peter wrote, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:6, 7 (New King James Bible) My children and grandchildren are better off when I “cast the care” of them on God and not rely on my efforts!

    I have no pride. I know that left to my own choices, even in the mundane or trivial, I’ll mess up every time. I have to rely on God’s direction, I have to hear from Him to know which way to go, how to spend my day. What if I hear wrong? I repent and ask for clarity. And clarity only comes when I spend time with Jesus, talking about everything. Listening for His voice through His written word and through the Holy Spirit speaking to me. About the big things, about the trivial things. Nothing is too great – or too trivial – for my God!

    Peace and blessings in our Lord Jesus Christ,
    Dee

  • Signs of Mercy

    “Now David came to his house at Jerusalem. And the king took the ten women, his concubines whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in seclusion and supported them, but did not go in to them. So they were shut up to the day of their death, living in widowhood.” 2 Samuel 20:3
    (NKJV)

    I love King David. He was the man the Bible called “a man after God’s own heart” but that’s not why I love him. I love him because like most of us, his life took many twists and turns, highs and lows. He could worship God in total abandon, yet yield to dark temptations. Sounds like someone I know very well – me! David understood from personal experience about repentance, grace, love and forgiveness. He understood mercy.

    The history of King David recorded in 2 Samuel tells us about his son Absalom’s decision to take the kingdom away from him. Instead of defending the throne, David packed up his wives, his other children, and his army and went on the run. He left behind ten women, his concubines, to keep the house. Nathan the prophet had told David that division would come in his own house, and what he’d done in secret, would be done to him in public. Absalom pitched a tent on the roof and took the ten concubines of his father so the people could see he’d taken his father’s wives and the kingdom.

    When David returned after the death of his son, what was to happen to these women? Concubines were wives but they did not have the rights of a wife, they were really slaves. They were more easily dismissed than a wife, they had little legal protection.

    Jewish writers tell us that the widowed queens of Hebrew monarchs were not allowed to marry again but were obliged to pass the rest of their lives in strict seclusion. This is what David chose. They were not divorced, they were guiltless; but they were no longer publicly recognized as his wives. He sequestered them away where they were out of public view, where they could live in quiet privacy as Absalom’s widows. And he continued to provide for them the rest of their lives. That’s mercy.

    When we’ve been abused or wronged by someone or the world in general, we can call on God’s mercy to sequester us in His love. He’ll provide us with His lavish love. We’re not to be isolated, we need the right people around us; but we can be protected further abuse or from judgment.

    David wrote the 31st Psalm. Verses 7-8 says, “I will be glad and rejoice in Your mercy and steadfast love, because You have seen my affliction, You have taken note of my life’s distresses, And You have not given me into the hand of the enemy; You have set my feet in a broad place.” (The Amplified Bible)

    “I will be glad and rejoice in Your mercy”. David understood the mercy of God because he’d benefited from it over and over. “You have seen my affliction…you have taken note”. God not only sees when we’re abused, He’s taking notes! Beloved, God will not let your abuser go unpunished. But you He will set in a broad place because you are seated with Jesus, your life is hidden with Christ in God.

    “…let all those who take refuge and put their trust in You rejoice; let them ever sing and shout for joy, because You make a covering over them and defend them; let those also who love Your name be joyful in You and be in high spirits.” Psalm 5:11 (The Amplified Bible)

    God’s mercy and love are a covering over us. We can shout for joy and rejoice even in our hard places. We are covered with His love. We are covered by mercy.

    Peace and blessings in our Lord Jesus Christ,
    Dee

    Scripture used but not noted: 2 Samuel 15:13-16; 2 Samuel 12:10-12; 2 Samuel 16:20-23; Ex 21:7-11: Colossians 3:3.

  • No Word, No Power

    I’ve been out of sorts the past few days and just really not wanting to do anything. I haven’t been able to write anything, haven’t worked on my website or studied nutrition. Just blah. And now my back hurts and I don’t deal well with pain.

    Finally this morning I understand, or I should say I acknowledged what the problem is. I already knew, just wasn’t willing to do anything about it. I’ve been too busy doing “other stuff” that I’ve not spent time reading and meditating on the Word.

    It’s no wonder I’ve felt so powerless, I’m not feeding my spirit. If I have time to read my email, check Facebook, watch TV, I have time for the most important things – Time meditating on God’s Word. Yeah, God’s Word is my food. And today is going to be a good day.

    “Then they cry to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivers them out of their distresses.
    He sends forth His word and heals them and rescues them from the pit and destruction.
    Oh, that men would praise [and confess to] the Lord for His goodness and loving-kindness and His wonderful works to the children of men!” Psalm 107:19-21

  • Meeting God at Sinai


    How important is it for us to hear from God for ourselves? Can’t we just go to church and listen to good Bible teachers, read good books about the Bible and depend on what others have learned to help us? Why do we need to spend time searching the Scriptures for ourselves?

    When God brought the people of Israel from Egypt to the Promised Land, they came to the Mount of the Lord, Mount Sinai. There He desired to speak to them directly so they might know it was HE who was leading them.

    Then Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”
    So Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all the words the LORD had commanded him to speak. The people all responded together, “We will do everything the LORD has said.” So Moses brought their answer back to the LORD.
    The LORD said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you.” Then Moses told the LORD what the people had said.
    And the LORD said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes and be ready by the third day, because on that day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.     (Exodus 19:3-11)

    God had been leading the people through Moses. Now it was time for them to hear directly from God. He wanted them to know for themselves that He was speaking to Moses so they could trust Moses’ leadership.

    At first they were willing. They were probably excited to hear from the I AM who had sent Moses to take them out of Egypt. They purified themselves for three days and washed their clothes. They drew close to the foot of the mountain, right up to the border where they were to stay and they waited.

    The third morning God began to reveal Himself to them. There was thunder and lightning, and a thick cloud descended on the mountain top. A loud trumpet blasted and the mountain was wrapped in smoke as the Lord descended upon it and the whole mountain shook. The people trembled with fear. They were not ready for a personal encounter with the I AM.

    “When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.”
    Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.’
    The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.”     (Exodus 20:18-21)

    “…Speak to us yourself but do not have God speak to us.” The people did not want God to speak to them directly. They only wanted to hear through Moses. They were so overwhelmed with the awesomeness of God’s presence, they believed they would die. They wanted Moses to listen to God and pass it on to them. They missed something very important in the reason God wanted to speak to them directly.

    “….God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.” He was going to give them some instructions to prepare them for the Promised Land; He wanted to arm them not to sin. God not only wanted to show them His awesomeness, but He longed to speak to his people directly. But because of their fear, the great I AM continued to speak through His messenger Moses.

    Verse 22 tells us “Then the LORD said to Moses, Tell the Israelites this: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven: Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold.”

    God was left with no alternative but to speak to the people through Moses. And the first thing He told them was not to make for themselves gods of silver or gold. Isn’t it interesting that the very first command God wanted to give His people was not to create their own gods. Of all the commands God gave Moses to relay to the people, the first one was ‘Make no other gods’. Then when Moses finished speaking, the people all said yes we will obey.

    “When Moses went and told the people all the LORD’s words and laws, they responded with one voice, ‘Everything the LORD has said we will do.’ (Exodus 24:3)
    Moses wrote down everything God said and read it back to the people and again they promised to obey. Verse 7 says “Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, ‘We will do everything the LORD has said; we will obey.’”

    What was the first command they broke? The first one they had heard, to make no other gods. God again called Moses to come up the mountain and while Moses was gone, meeting with God, receiving the entire Law, the people grew restless and tired of waiting. They gave up on Moses and they forgot their promise to obey what they had heard. There at the very spot where they had trembled in fear of the great I AM, they took their gold jewelry to Aaron and created a golden calf, calling it their god. They reverted back to the gods of Egypt there on the grounds of the place where the one true God had desired to meet with them.
    Are we so different? We draw back from hearing from God ourselves, depending on Sunday morning sermons and Sunday school lessons to get us through our week. Maybe we’re not afraid we’ll die from God speaking to us, but we have too many other things to put our attention on. We let other gods in our lives alongside the one true God.
    God’s heart still longs to speak directly with his people. He calls us to meet Him so He can reveal Himself to us. He calls us to His Word. It is only when we stay and listen to His voice that we are able to not sin, not go back to the gods we learned in Egypt.
    Psalms 119: 9-16 says:

    How can a young person live a clean life?
    By carefully reading the map of your Word.
    I’m single-minded in pursuit of you;
    don’t let me miss the road signs you’ve posted.
    I’ve banked your promises in the vault of my heart so I won’t sin myself bankrupt.
    Be blessed, God;
    train me in your ways of wise living.
    I’ll transfer to my lips all the counsel that comes from your mouth;
    I’ll delight far more in what you tell me about living than in gathering a pile of riches.
    I ponder every morsel of wisdom from you,
    I attentively watch how you’ve done it.
    I relish everything you’ve told me of life, I won’t forget a word of it.

    (Message Translation)

    We need pastors, teachers, and Bible studies. We need books written by those called of God to share His Word. But we also need to hear God for ourselves. We need that time alone with Him, reading and meditating on His Word, listening for that word that will protect us, that will guide our decisions, that will prepare us to live a life for His glory.

    Father, I hide Your Word in my heart, do not let me go back to the gods of Egypt. Teach me Your ways and let me walk in them so my life glorifies You.

    Peace and blessing in our Lord Jesus Christ,
    Dee

  • Relationships – God’s Way


    The Word of God has much to say regarding our relationship, not only with Him but with others. Marriage, family, friends, fellow believers, worldly people and strangers, God tells us how we are to behave with each one. The Ten Commandments are not just God’s Law to be law, but God’s law on how we are to relate with Him and people.

    Jesus makes this pretty clear when He was asked which was the greatest commandment. “Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40)

    It’s very distressing when I see individuals who call themselves believers mistreat fellow believers. How can we show God’s love to the world when we fail to even act in love toward one another?

    The Apostle Paul writes in Colossians 3:12-14 “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” Compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience and forgiveness, then above all we are to put on love.

    Loving one another doesn’t mean we “feel” a certain way. Sensual love is feeling, but God given, God commanded, Agape love is a verb. It is a way of acting and being. Love does not lie but speaks the truth. Love does not tear down but builds up. Love does not turn away from others’ needs but reaches out. Love does not criticize but looks for the good in others. There is no hypocrisy in love. It’s not just words but it is how we relate to one another.

    Father, fill me with Your love today and through the power of Your Holy Spirit let me live it and show it to those You bring into my life every day. Amen

    Peace and blessings to you all in our Lord Jesus Christ.
    Dee

    Read 1 Corinthians 13

  • THE BEST GIFT


    “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.”

    “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”

    “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.”

    “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,”

    (so) “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

    “This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
    But after he had considered 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 home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’
    All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ which means, ‘God with us.’
    When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.”

    “So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
    And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’
    Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
    ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.’
    When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’
    So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.
    The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.”

    Scriptures: John 1:1,2; Isaiah 7:14; Micah 5:2; Gal 4:4; John 1:14; Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 2:4-20.

    MERRY CHRISTMAS!

    Peace and blessings in our Lord Jesus Christ,

    Dee

    For God so loved the world