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Published 1/23/20 Read Luke 2:36-38 "There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem." Reflect

Published 1/22/20 Read Luke 2:33-35 "The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: 'This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.'" Reflect What did Simeon mean when he said, "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising

Published 1/21/20 Read Luke 2:25-32 "Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms a

Published 1/20/20 Read Matthew 25:34-36 "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.'" Reflect What are some ways that you have encountered Christ in t

Published 1/17/20 Read John 12:25-26 "Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him." Reflect Why is serving others in God's name so important? How do you and I get a new glimpse of Jesus? Mother Teresa said it is Jesus we serve in the poor, so as we get closer to them and each other, w

Published 1/15/20 Read Ephesians 3:20-21 "Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." Reflect What steps do you take to rely on God's strength and not your own? Striving is doing things in our own strength, worrying about pleasing people with our performance. Working while resting is doing our pr

Published 1/14/20 Read Hebrews 6:10-12 "For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises." Reflect What are some ways that you serve God? When we serve others, share the gosp

Published 1/14/20 Read John 6:9-12 " 'There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?' Jesus said, 'Have the people sit down.' Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, 'Gather up

Published 1/13/20 Read Isaiah 40:29-31 "He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." Reflect Why is it important to wait on the Lord? How has the Lord strengthened you? Twentieth Century author and spe

Published 1/10/20 Read Psalm 144:9-11 "I will sing a new song to you, O God; upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to you, who gives victory to kings, who rescues David his servant from the cruel sword. Rescue me and deliver me from the hand of foreigners, whose mouths speak lies and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood." Reflect What does it mean to sing a new song to the Lord? Whether you are a single or married woman, the Bible says that your Redeemer, Jesus, the

Published 1/9/20 Read Psalm 145:14-20 "The Lord upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works. The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them.

Published 1/8/20 Read Exodus 20:1-7 "And God spoke all these words, saying, 'I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, vis

Published 1/7/20 Read 2 Corinthians 3:18 "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." Reflect What image are we being transformed into? How is Jesus changing your life? In spite of what you may have been told, Jesus is not a myth or irrelevant. And He is not a God of the past who spun the world into existence and then left mank

Published 1/6/20 Read John 1:1-5 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." Reflect What is meant by "the Word was God"? How does the light shine in the darkness? Although I'd grown up in a mai

Published 1/3/20 Read 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 "Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you--unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scri

Published 1/2/20 Read Hebrews 1:1-4 "Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

Published 1/1/20 Read 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 "And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men bu

Published 12/31/19 Read Philippians 3:12-16 "Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything

Published 12/30/19 Read Isaiah 9:6-7 "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of

Published 12/27/19 Read 2 Timothy 1:13-14 "Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you." Reflect How does drawing near to God help in making the life changes we need to make? There's just something about the start of a new year that causes us to take a closer look at ourselves. "I want to lose weight," someone says. "I shoul

Published 12/26/19 Read Philippians 4:7 "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Reflect Why do some feel it's easier to trust a horoscope than it is to trust God? There was a program on TV about United States presidents who were influenced by fortune tellers. Many presidents got daily astrological readings, and some took their dreams very seriously. For a person with such high responsibility and press

Published 12/25/19 Read Matthew 2:10-12 "When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way." Reflect What is the gift of Immanuel? The Christmas season feels a lot dif

Published 12/24/19 Read Luke 2:7 "And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn." Reflect What other people meet Jesus in these verses and how do they respond? In what ways is Jesus "rejected by many" during the Christmas season? It's kind of ironic to be standing in line at a toy store with two dozen other people elbowing each other out of the way while trying to hold onto

Published 12/23/19 Read Psalm 27:9-10 "Hide not your face from me. Turn not your servant away in anger, O you who have been my help. Cast me not off; forsake me not, O God of my salvation! For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in." Reflect What are all things the LORD does for David? What's the one thing that David asks? Why does David ask this? There's an old joke that asks, "What happens when you play a country song backwards?" Answer: "Y