December 2017 Passages
December 1, 2017
As promised, Jesus came to us , fully human and fully God that we might better understand the depth of his love and be saved.
"A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord —
December 2, 2017
Out of gratitude to Jesus for his love and faithfulness, may we also talk about him with those he brings to us.
"I will sing of the Lord ’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself."
December 3, 2017
Never discount that out of you the Lord will work His plan.
"“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord , in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.
December 4, 2017
Whatever your struggle, your pain, or your despair; the Promised One, Jesus, has come and will come again to deliver His people.
"“I will surely gather all of you, Jacob; I will surely bring together the remnant of Israel. I will bring them together like sheep in a pen, like a flock in its pasture; the place will throng with people. The One who breaks open the way will go up before them; they will break through the gate and go out. Their King will pass through before them, the Lord at their head.”
December 5, 2017
Our relationships with people have limitations with hope, but hope is limitless with Christ Jesus.
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
December 6, 2017
As did Luke, we also must take great care when sharing the hope and good news of Jesus.
"Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.
December 7, 2017
Walking faithfully with Jesus does not prevent heartbreak or challenges; instead, those times are used to strengthen our faith and deepen our relationship with him.
In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.
December 8, 2017
God also hears our prayers and the very desire of our hearts can be his plan to unfold at the appointed time.
"Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John".
December 11, 2017
There are times circumstances shake us to the core of our being. It is faith in the power of God Almighty that strengthens our stand.
"If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.’ ”
December 12, 2017
Immanuel, our Christmas Hope; always present regardless of how we feel or what we do- never are we alone- never.
"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel."
December 13, 2017
God's plan is precise; unfolding within the day to day matters of our life.
"In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary."
December 14, 2017
Fear is a natural response when the path is uncertain, yet the confidence in our ever present God establishes our faith to move forward.
"The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be."
December 15, 2017
As foretold, Jesus came to us to be our everything: Lord, Savior, Parent, Teacher, Friend, King...
"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
December 16, 2017
Our peace is directly proportional to how much we allow Christ to reign in our lives.
"Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.
December 17, 2017
Who we are,what we do,and how we impact others is only fruitful when done in obedience &reverence to God.
"A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord — and he will delight in the fear of the Lord . He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears;
December 18, 2017
Thankfully, our time on Earth will be judged by the righteousness of Jesus, not the self righteous ideologies of people or culture.
"He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist."
December 19, 2017
The birth of Jesus is THE most perfect and precious gift to be celebrated and shared with those He brings our way.
"Sing to the Lord , for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.”
December 20, 2017
God's favor is upon us in our willingness to listen and obey Him.
But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
December 21, 2017
Yielding to Christ Jesus, we will be used in ways unimaginable!
"“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.”
December 22, 2017
Incredible faith response to model. A question to ask ourselves; am I willing to fully submit as a servant of the Lord?
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
December 23, 2017
Jesus came to teach He is the way, the truth, and the life- our door to everlasting peace in a stressful and chaotic world.
"“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
December 24, 2017
Only by our faith in Jesus as Messiah do we have the ability to be united with our Father.
"He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God"—
December 25, 2017
"A blessed Day celebrating the birth of Jesus, our Messiah, Name above all names, blessed Redeemer, Immanuel. The rescue for sinners, the random from Heaven. Jesus Messiah, Lord of all. "
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
December 27, 2017
People can be changed when they witness Jesus working in our lives.
"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.” 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.
December 28, 2017
His promises fulfilled. Our hope everlasting.
"Lord , you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago.
December 29, 2017
Training your mind to redirect to God removes worry and stress; a lifelong practice.
"You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you."
December 30, 2017
Our faith walk with Jesus is built upon the demonstration of confidence in Him.
"Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord , the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal."
December 31, 2017
There are no self-help books nor a "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" way to peace. True peace is created by God and given to us by God.
"Lord , you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us."