December 2, 2024

Bible Reading

Isaiah 60:1

Commentary Thoughts

Jesus Was God’s Promise

Prophet after prophet foretold the Messiah’s coming. Many of Israel’s customs and feasts were shadows of the substance that would come with His appearing. Yet as one century after another went by, life seemed to go on as usual without the promised divine interruption. Were the words of God to His people only empty promises? Were all the prophets wrong? Was man destined to live in the chains of sin and bondage?

Then, on a day that began much like any other, that longed-for divine interruption came in the form of a baby who would change the destiny of humankind. For all those who were still waiting for Him, Jesus came quietly and without fanfare. But on the day of His birth, the world changed profoundly. Nothing would ever be the same again.

Activity: Reflect on your testimony. Write down the specific ways your life changed when you accepted Jesus. Share it with a fellow believer to spur them on to greater faith.

December 4, 2024

Bible Reading
Isaiah 9:2
Commentary Thoughts

Light Overcomes

Jesus’ birth came at a time when spiritual darkness covered the land. The people of Israel had all but forsaken the ways of the Lord.

The temple had become a marketplace; sacrifices were offered for the sake of obligation and tradition rather than from an inner hunger to worship God.

And hope for the coming Messiah was often a worldly desire for military salvation and the destruction of the Roman oppressors.

But Jesus came for a purpose that completely transcended these ways of thinking. Truly, He came to destroy the works of the enemy—that is, the enemy of our souls.

He established His kingdom on earth by laying down His life as an offering of love and forgiveness—so that all men and women might have true, abundant life.

Activity: Brighten someone’s day—grab some friends and go caroling. If your neighborhood isn’t an option, try an assisted living community.

December 8

Bible Reading

Commentary Thoughts

He Longs for Us

Jesus was God before time began—He was the Word through whom all things were created.

He was in the Garden with Adam and Eve. His heart received sin’s first blow of violence that broke the intimate bond between Him and His beloved creation.

Throughout time, He watched His people struggle.

He freed them and led them through the desert.

He longed for them to desire Him alone, yet their hearts were far from Him as they worshipped worthless, man-made idols.

Think about how Jesus would have watched and prayed from heaven’s doorway year after year.

So when the fullness of time had come, consider His joy in finally coming to us as our Savior.

Activity: Invite some neighbors over for hot chocolate and fellowship.

December 10

Bible Reading

2 Corinthians 5:21

Commentary Thoughts

Original Fellowship with God

God’s mission of love began even prior to the Garden of Eden.

Before the foundation of the world and throughout time, He progressively moved toward one goal: the restoration of His original relationship with man.

Before they were banished from the Garden, Adam and Eve were provided with coverings made from the skins of the animals.

This act of God—sacrificing the lives of these animals to cover the shame of man—was a foreshadowing of Christ’s future sacrifice, which provided us with true and complete salvation.

Jesus came to earth on a mission of love.

Through His great sacrifice, we are restored to our original place of fellowship with our Creator.

Activity: Do you know someone who doesn’t feel at home in church? Invite them to attend the next service with you so they don’t feel alone.

December 13

Bible Reading

Isaiah 61:1

Commentary Thoughts

Jesus Is Kinsman-Redeemer

The Old Testament foreshadows a divine deliverer who would rescue humankind from bondage and captivity.

One symbol of this coming redemption was the role of the kinsman-redeemer, a close family member who could choose to rescue a relative by paying his debts.

As the fulfillment of this sign, Jesus became our Kinsman-Redeemer.

He became flesh and blood so that He might share in our humanity, becoming the Son of Man as well as the Son of God.

He walked with us, identifying with us so that He could pay our debts and show us the way back to our Creator.

No one else could have delivered us from our sins and freed us from bondage.

Activity: Bake some goodies and treat your neighbors or co-workers to something sweet.

December 16

Bible Reading

John 14:6

Commentary Thoughts

Love Everlasting

Our current world isn’t much different from the one into which Jesus was born. Political unrest, war, oppression, and heartache were daily realities back then—just as they are now. The people of His time were seeking the same things we long for today: peace, love, security, and a sense of purpose.

Jesus came to reveal Himself as the way for the human heart to experience true peace, contentment, and love that lasts forever. Anyone who has lived solely for worldly satisfaction knows that its sense of substance is always fleeting. Not even the most wonderful experience of human love is able to truly fill that inner void.

The soul-satisfying, unconditional love Jesus came to show us is ours when we embrace Him and receive His freely given gift. And in His love, we finally find what we were always searching for.

Activity: Check out the Christmas lights around town with your family.

December 18

Bible Reading

Luke 1:38

Commentary Thoughts

Responding to God

Mary and Joseph’s betrothal was probably something their families had long prayed for.

Both were from King David’s lineage—a perfect match that would have given both families reason to rejoice.

But suddenly God interrupted their celebration.

The swiftness of the angel’s descent into Mary’s story gave her no time to prepare for his message:

She had found favor with God and would give birth to His Son—even though she was still a virgin.

She must have experienced a torrent of emotion—besides her awe, thoughts of what her family and community would think must have poured into her mind.

Mary had to decide:

Would she surrender to God’s plan, one that seemed impossible and frightening on the surface?

Mary’s courageous and humble response blazed a trail for every believer.

When we surrender to God’s interruptions, we can rest in the knowledge that He always has a higher purpose for our lives.

Activity: As a family, research how different cultures celebrate Christmas. Consider adopting some new traditions.

December 20

Bible Reading

Matthew 21:1

Commentary Thoughts

His Higher Purpose

It’s often in times of great disappointment that God gives us opportunities to discover His higher purpose for our lives.

Some time after Mary’s engagement to Joseph, she came to him bearing unthinkable news. She was pregnant—and she claimed it was the result of a great miracle.

Joseph’s heart must have felt crushed.

There were no good options—marry an unrighteous woman and endure the blame or publically shame this woman he’d respected and cared for.

How could God have anything to do with this bizarre turn of events?

As Joseph tried to sleep that night, an angel came to tell him to believe Mary—and whole-heartedly partner with her in this unique calling to be the earthly parents of God’s Son.

Joseph could have responded with disbelief or bitterness.

Yet through his faith, God accomplished an incomparably higher purpose that would bless mankind for all eternity.

Activity: Take time out of your day to read a favorite storybook to a child in your life.