Christmas Story (6)
December 25, 2019 • Jo Krueger
A woman named Anna lived at the Temple in Jerusalem. She was very old, and she was a widow. She worshiped God at the Temple by fasting and praying. She was at the Temple when Joseph and Mary came to present baby Jesus to the Lord. When Anna saw Jesus, she praised God. She also talked to people about Jesus and told them that He was the One they had been waiting for. When Jesus was ready to leave earth and return to heaven, He commanded His followers to share the Good News about salvation with everyone. That command is for us today, too. We have the job of telling everyone we meet about salvation through Jesus. When Paul wrote to Timothy, he reminded him about Jesus’ command. Here is what Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:5. “But you should control yourself at all times. When troubles come, accept them. Do the work of telling the Good News. Do all the duties of a servant of God.” Anna knew that Jesus was God’s Son. What did she do? She told everyone about Jesus. We know that Jesus is God’s Son. So what should we do? We should talk about Jesus and share His plan of salvation. Give someone a Christmas gift today — tell them about Jesus!
Christmas Story (5)
December 24, 2019 • Jo Krueger
Joseph and Mary were Jesus’ earthly parents. They were not rich or famous. But God still chose them to raise His Son, Jesus. Why did God choose them? Because Joseph and Mary were willing to obey and serve Him. When the angel told Mary that she would have a son, Mary did not complain and ask a lot of questions. Instead, she said that she was willing to be God’s servant. Then God’s angel came to Joseph in a dream. The angel told Joseph that Mary’s baby was God’s Son and that he should become Mary’s husband. Joseph could have released Mary from their engagement. But instead, Joseph obeyed God and did what the angel told him to do. Peter wrote the New Testament letter of 1 Peter to Christians. He encouraged these Christians to continue serving God. In 1 Peter 1:14, Peter reminded them what they should do. “In the past you did not have the understanding you have now, so you did the evil things you wanted to do. But now you are children of God, so you should obey him and not live the way you did before.” Be like Joseph and Mary today. Obey God and do what He wants you to do!
Christmas Story (4)
December 23, 2019 • Jo Krueger
The wise men of the Christmas story studied the stars. They saw a special star which showed that the King of the Jews had been born. The wise men probably traveled a long way to find Jesus, and their journey may have been filled with hard times. But they did not give up. They searched and searched until they found Jesus. Why? Because they wanted to worship Jesus and give Him gifts. Jesus is our Lord and Savior. We should want to worship Him and give Him our lives so we can serve Him every day. But many people on earth today do not believe Jesus is their Lord and Savior. These people may laugh at Jesus and do bad things to His followers. But someday every person who has ever lived will bow down and worship Jesus. Paul explained this in Philippians 2:9-10. “So God raised him up to the most important place and gave him the name that is greater than any other name. God did this so that every person will bow down to honor the name of Jesus. Everyone in heaven, on earth, and under the earth will bow.” How can you worship Jesus today? You can read about Him in the Bible and praise Him for what He has done for you. You can also share the Good News about salvation with your friends and family.
Christmas Story (3)
December 22, 2019 • Jo Krueger
Have you ever waited a long time for something to happen? Maybe you waited for your birthday to arrive. Or maybe you waited for a package to come in the mail. We read in the Old Testament that God promised the Israelites that He would send His Son. The people waited thousands of years for this to happen. When the angel announced to the shepherds outside Bethlehem that their Savior had finally been born, they must have been very excited. They were so excited that they went right away to find baby Jesus. The shepherds were happy that Jesus had been born, and we should be excited that Jesus is coming back someday. Paul talked about this in Titus 2:13. “We should live like that while we are waiting for the coming of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. He is our great hope, and he will come with glory.” We should look forward to the time when Jesus will fulfill His promise and come back to earth. But there are many people in the world today who do not know Jesus. It is our job to help them be ready for Jesus’ return. Who will you tell about Jesus today?
Christmas Story (2)
December 21, 2019 • Jo Krueger
When a baby is born to a king and queen, it is a very exciting time. The baby's birth is announced on TV and in the newspapers. Famous people from all over the world travel many miles to bring expensive gifts for the baby. And the baby lives in a beautifully decorated nursery in the place. Jesus is God’s only Son. But when Jesus was born, it was not like a royal birth today. Jesus was born in a place where animals were kept. His parents were poor people. Only a few people knew about His birth. Jesus’ birth was very humble. And Jesus continued to show humility throughout His life on earth. He lived His life as a servant. Paul explained about Jesus’ humility in Philippians 2:7-8. “Instead, he gave up everything, even his place with God. He accepted the role of a servant, appearing in human form. During his life as a man, he humbled himself by being fully obedient to God, even when that caused his death — death on a cross.” Jesus humbly gave up His life. Why? So we can have our sins forgiven. Wow! Thank Jesus today for coming from the glory of heaven to live and die on earth. And follow His example of love and humility.
Christmas Story (1)
December 20, 2019 • Jo Krueger
The story about Jesus’ birth is found in the New Testament books of Matthew and Luke. For the next few days we will look at some other New Testament verses that will help us understand more about the Christmas story. Let’s review what happened when Jesus was born. God chose Mary and Joseph to be Jesus’ earthly parents. An angel told Mary that she would give birth to God’s Son. Jesus was born in the small town of Bethlehem. An angel appeared to some shepherds and told them that Jesus, their Savior, had been born in Bethlehem. The shepherds went right away to Bethlehem to see the baby. Later, wise men traveled from another country to worship Jesus and give Him special gifts. All these things that happened were part of God’s plan of salvation for you and me. Paul explained about this in Galatians 4:4-5. “But when the right time came, God sent his Son, who was born from a woman and lived under the law. God did this so that he could buy the freedom of those who were under the law. God’s purpose was to make us his children.” If you are obeying Jesus, you are one of God’s children, too. Praise Him and thank Him today for sending Jesus so you can be forgiven and live forever with Him.
Wise Men (6)
January 19, 2019 • Gayle Thorn
Today is our last devotion about the wise men. Let’s review what we have learned about these men. God gave the wise men a sign to lead them to Jesus. That sign was a star. The wise men faithful obeyed God and followed the star. They knew it would lead them to Jesus who was the new king born on earth. After the wise men saw Mary, Joseph and Jesus, God gave them a warning message. Matthew 2:12 tells us this message. “But God warned the wise men in a dream not to go back to Herod. So they went home to their own country a different way.” Again, the wise men obeyed God and took a different route home. Like the wise men, we should faithfully obey God. We should devote our lives to doing what God wants us to do. And we should avoid things that God says are wrong. We can learn about those things by reading and studying the Bible. We don’t have a star to lead us to Jesus today. Instead, we have the Bible. When we study God’s Word, we can find the way to Jesus. Are you like the wise men? Are you faithfully obeying God and following His Word every day?
Wise Men (5)
January 18, 2019 • Gayle Thorn
After the wise men talked with King Herod in Jerusalem, the star led them to finally find Jesus. Matthew 2:11 tells us what happened when they found Jesus. “The wise men came to the house where the child was with his mother Mary. They bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their boxes of gifts they had brought for him. They gave him treasures of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” The wise men were probably well-educated men. They must have been wealthy, too. They had to be wealthy in order to give such expensive gifts to Jesus. We all know that gold is expensive. And frankincense and myrrh were very valuable spices at that time. The wise men were willing to give these wonderful gifts to a young child. It is interesting that these educated and wealthy men bowed down and worshiped a young child. These men were wise enough to know that Jesus was worthy of their honor, respect and worship. They were also humble and bowed before Him. How can you be like the wise men? First, recognize that Jesus is God’s Son and that He is worthy of your praise, adoration and worship. Then, show your humility by worshiping and serving Jesus every day.
Wise Men (4)
January 17, 2019 • Gayle Thorn
Matthew 2:10 tells us how the wise men felt as they traveled to see Jesus. “They were happy and excited to see the star.” When the wise men saw the star, they rejoiced. They were happy to see the special sign about Jesus’ birth. I imagine that the wise men were happy when they told King Herod about the birth of a new king. And they must have been very happy to finally find Jesus, worship Him and give Him their gifts. As Christians, our sins are forgiven and we are saved from eternal separation from God. We should be happy that Jesus was willing to die for us. We should also be excited to be close to Jesus and share the Good News about Him with other people. There are many ways we can express our happiness to God. One way is to worship Him through songs or dance. Another way we can share our happiness is to serve other people — preparing a meal for someone, visiting a person who is in the hospital or prison, mowing the lawn for an elderly neighbor or baby sitting for a young mother. Think about ways you can show your happiness to God today.