The gospels write about the angel Gabriel appearing to Mary to tell her she would bear Jesus. What a shocking and frightening experience this must have been. However, her response recorded in Luke is an example for all of us.

Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.
Luke 1:38

If only we could have this conviction and faith in response to the promises that are made to us in the Bible, like this in Hebrews 13:5-6, “For God has said, “I will never, never fail you nor forsake you.” That is why we can say without doubt or fear, “The Lord is my helper, and I am not afraid of anything that mere man can do to me.”

Dear Lord, you have given us a tremendous example of faith and confidence in Mary’s reply to Gabriel. Help us learn from this example to trust your promises and say as well, “we are your servants.” In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Though some don’t like to think of it, the Bible clearly states that the devil and his spirits are around trying to destroy us.

1 Peter 5:8-9 says “Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary, the devil, prowls around looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith.”

The devil is trying to separate us from our God; condemning us to damnation. He has many methods to deceive us and distract us to get us to sin. Then when we do sin, he tries to make us feel so much shame that we don’t believe we can be foregiven.

Resist. The devil is no match for us when we have God with us. Pray for protection. Accept the foregiveness and salvation of Jesus. Live in the peace and joy that can only come through faith in Jesus.

Dear Lord protect us from the evil ways of the devil, so that we may live our lives focused on serving your purposes. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

One of the fundamentals of Christianity is that God saves us. There is nothing we can do to be saved, it is a gift given to us by God through Jesus.

One way this is described, in the Bible, is in the revelation about Jesus by the angel to Joseph.

Matthew 1:20-21 says, “ an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. The angel said to him, “Joseph, descendant of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife. She is pregnant by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus [He Saves], because he will save his people from their sins.”

Jesus’ name actually means, “He saves,” or some translations say, “the Lord saves”

From the announcement that Jesus was coming, it was made known that God was saving those who believe, and Jesus is that salvation.

Dear Lord, what a comfort and joy it is to know that you save us, we never could meet the standard of perfection to earn our salvation, and by your grace we don’t have to. You save us. Joy to the World! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

One of the great things about the Bible is how it ties together. The books were all written separately over the course of a couple thousand years, and archaeological evidence continues being found supporting the details. The books are also written with reference to secular kings and rulers that can be cross referenced with other archaeological evidence.

This makes the Bible prophecies all the more amazing.

At this Christmas time of year, one prophecy in particular is relevant.

One of the many prophecies about Jesus and which Jesus fulfilled is in Micah 5:2 where the prophet wrote, “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf.”

Micah wrote this several hundred years prior to Jesus’ birth, but specified the town in which the Messiah would be born. It would be like someone from a time before the founding of the United States, writing the name of the town from which a US President 100 years from now would be born; Obviously hard to explain outside of the supernatural.

Dear Lord, Thank you for giving us the rich complexity and detail in our Bible, providing us continually amazing evidence for Bible accounts. Help us use this detail to strengthen our own faiths and our witness. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen

I occasionally have tried to describe God to myself in a few words, and what I come down to most often is that God is Power and Love.

Paul tells us in his letter to Timothy, 2 Timothy 1:7, “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline.”

When we are filled with God’s Spirit we also receive God’s power and love flowing through us. Fortunately, Paul also tells us the Spirit provides “self-discipline” or as some Bible versions translate it, “self-control,” which we men and women often need more of.

With these gifts from the Spirit, it is no wonder that Christians throughout history have done amazing things for their fellow men and women.

Dear Lord, give us your Spirit so that we may be filled with the power, love, and discipline to do your will on earth. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.