Your Daily Bible

James 1:17 (NLT)

17 Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens.[a] He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.[b]

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2 At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. 2 (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. 4 And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. 5 He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child.

6 And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. 7 She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

The Shepherds and Angels

8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in highest heaven,
     and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. 17 After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, 19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. 20 The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.

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Luke 2:26

It has been revealed to Simeon by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Messiah.

I don't know about your family traditions but for my family there is nothing more exciting than Christmas Eve family and friends filling homes with love and laughter. The presents that we have lovingly chosen and wrapped will finally be opened. All of our planning and preparation has brought us here, and now we wait that final night with anticipation. Each year on Christmas Eve my family watches The Muppet Christmas Carol and as they sing the song “Only one more sleep till Christmas” I get the goose bumps each year! 

Simeon was no stranger to anticipation. The Holy Spirit promised him that he would not die before seeing the Christ. He probably woke up each morning thinking, today could be the day! Every day he continued to draw breath, he waited to see the promised Messiah. That, my friends, is a life filled to the brim with anticipation. 

Just as Simeon longed for Jesus’ coming, we now long for him to come again. We see promises of his return all throughout scripture. Revelation tells us that he is currently on his way, bringing justice and a new world (22:12) We live with the knowledge that not only will he come someday, but that he has coming into our life and into our world each and every day. How exciting is that?

For those of us who long for his final appearing, our days are filled with anticipation. A day is no longer just another 24-hour period filled with tasks or errands to run. For us, every night can be like Christmas Eve. Let's greet each new day with great anticipation knowing that Jesus has arrived and could arrive again at any moment. 

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Luke 2:38

Coming up at that very hour (Anna) began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

 Have you ever gone door to door at Christmas time singing carols to your neighbors? Historically, caroling in England was a way of wishing ones neighbor good health, and it was not strictly a Christmas activity. It wasn't until the 1800s that Christmas carols made their way into the song list. Caroling became a popular way to spread Christmas cheer to friends, neighbors, or those who were unable to leave their homes. Christmas was shared with the whole community.

Those who learned about the baby Messiah were quick to share good news with those around them. The shepherds went immediately to the Manger to share everything the Angels had spoken about the Christ child (Luke 2:17) after seeing Jesus in the temple, the prophetess Anna told everyone about him. They all grasped the importance of what was taking place and sought to share it with others. Why do you think caroling is not as prevalent these days? Are we too busy? Are we afraid it would be an imposition on others? What stops us from sharing the wonder of Christmas with those around us? No one is saying that you have to pick up some hand bells and start knocking on doors. The important part is not the act of singing but the act of going. 

How can we take the message of the Messiah to our neighbors? The good news is still good news after all these years. People still need to know that the savior has come for them. You can sing it if you like, or you can take a casserole or an invitation to a get together to one of your neighbors. It doesn't matter what methods we use as long as we share the message of Christmas in our communities. 

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1st Timothy 2:5-6

“There is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all.”

Starting a couple weeks before Christmas, many of us start to walk to our mailboxes with expectations. We know that Christmas cards and letters will arrive almost daily. Families in matching outfits will grace the covers of glossy cards. There will be postcards with brief greetings and warm wishes. Then there are the Christmas letters, full of details of all of the events that have taken place in the blast year. Whose Christmas letter do you look forward to receiving? 

Christmas letters are very personal things. They don't go to everyone because the message isn't for everyone. Not everyone needs to know what you've decided to go back to Disneyland or that your little sister finally got her braces taken off. They each contain a specific message for specific people. To share someone's letter with an unintended recipient might even amount to gossip. 

Well some Christmas letters may not be for everyone, but the story of Christmas is for every single one of us. Christ came to earth because God loved the whole world (John 3:16) anyone can read scripture and know that it is meant for him or her. Christ came for everyone, and he died for everyone. In today's verse Paul wrote that Christ gave himself as a ransom for all.

It's easy to assume that everyone knows the message of the gospel, but that's not the case. People in our lives hunger and thirst for the hope of Christ, and those of us who hold fast to the word of God must be willing to share it. You may not want to share the details of your sister's Christmas letter with the world, but the gospel isn't gossip. It's good news. For everyone. Let's share it! 

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Isaiah 49:16

“See, I have written your name on the Palm of my hands.”

How do you like to wrap your Christmas presents? There are so many options! Just this week I saw a viral video that showed how you can stretch that last square of wrapping paper further by turning your present kitty-corner my mind was blown! Some people  prefer to rap in paper with cartoon characters or Santa’s, or snowmen, or if you're like me the greatest invention ever was the wrapping bag!

Whatever presentation you choose the last step is attaching the gift tag. You lovingly write a person's name on the tag and set the gift apart for that specific individual. So the tag is the very last step in the whole process of thinking about, shopping for, and purchasing just the right gift. And when someone sees the gift sitting under the tree that's just for him or her, what a wonderful feeling that is! 

God's love for his people is the most well planned, extravagant, beautiful gift of all time. He went to great lengths to prove His love for us. Then, just so there wouldn't be any question, The Lord tells His people that their names are engraved upon His perfect and holy hands. 

The gift of God's love has our names literally written on it, and it's ours to open and receive each and every single day. It would be terribly sad for such a precious gift to remain unopened. The enemy would have us believe that God's gift isn't for us. He tells us that we're unworthy of God's love. Do not believe it, sweet friends. God has made us were the through his son sacrificed. God reached out his hands, and they are marked with our names so that you know the gift of Christ is just for you.

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 Jeremiah 33:3 (NLT)

“Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come.”

Have you ever hidden a special gift deep inside the toe of a Christmas stocking? How exciting it is to watch someone pull out the rest of that candy or tiny trinket when you know there's something precious waiting for them in the very bottom! On the other hand, consider how frustrating it is when the person opening the stocking is satisfied with the candy or trinkets and does not seek anything beyond the initial treat. You can't wait for the moment when they will find the greater prize. 

Do you ever feel as though your life is missing something? So many of us have gratefully accepted Christ as Savior but have not taken our relationship with him any deeper. We love Jesus, but as we meet the challenges of everyday life, we stopped searching for Him. We forget God’s great desire to continue daily walking with us. We forget that God wants to be continually reveling Himself more fully to us. We really are missing out on an important gift: we are missing the more of him that he has to offer us. 

There is a sweetness to Salvation, much like the chocolate treat at the top of the stocking. We should certainly embrace an enjoy that indescribable gift. Oh, but let's also go deeper! Gems of wisdom and gifts of strong character and hope that come through perseverance will escape our notice and less we are willing to go further with Christ. The writer of Hebrews said that we must come to God believing that He exists and that He has rewards for those who diligently seek him (Hebrews 11:6) through the inspired words of scripture, God is encouraging us to dig for the deeper gifts of Christ -to continue to pray, study, and serve him with all of our hearts, to daily learn to walk with the Holy Spirit. This Christmas, let's ask him to reveal to us the deeper things that we did not even realize were ours for the taking. He is waiting for us to seek the greatest prize -Him.

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Nicodemus said to him, “how can a man be born when he is old?” John 3:4

Are you familiar with the Holderness family? They became an Internet sensation by creating videos about their new Christmas pajamas each year. Dressed in snowmen covered fuzzy pj's, they sing clever lyrics about their family Christmas traditions and dance around. Millions of people watch there videos, because who doesn't love a grown man and woman wearing footed pajamas? Last year my family started a new tradition taking a picture together on Christmas in our matching pajamas, because no one is too old or too big for Christmas pj's. 

Something about Christmas seems to make us young again. We can't help but experience a little childlike wonder this time of year. How sad would it be if we felt too old to throw a snowball or build a gingerbread house? In the same way, Christ’s love defies age.  

Nicodemus was an old man. He was familiar with Jesus’ teaching and wanted to know more. Because he was a ruler of the Jews, he went to question Jesus and to make sense of everything He had said. How could it be possible for someone to be born again to see the Kingdom of God? This troubled Nicodemus because he was already old- birth was a long time ago for him.

Jesus gives us good news: we are never too old to choose God and be born of the Spirit. We can have the faith of a child at any age-it's the spirit of God that makes us new. As long as there is breath in our bodies, He can use us. There is no limit to what God can accomplish through a willing vessel. It's not too late. Someone else won't be better suited for the job. We have not missed our chance. We are never too old for God to use, or for Christmas pajamas! 

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Amos 3:7 

 “For the Lord does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets” 

How good are you at keeping a surprise or a secret? Can you keep it to the very end, or are you the type who drops hints in the hope that it will be discovered? We all know that person who nearly burst at the seams when trying to hold something in. (and some of us are that person!) 

From gifts to surprise guest, Christmas is a season of fun surprises. Scripture tells us that God is a hint dropper. More than that, for those willing to listen, He shares his plan outright. There's something warm and endearing about knowing that God wanted to share details about his son. Throughout the years He was whispering pieces of his plan to the prophets. In Jeremiah God saw his people wondering in the darkness and whispered, “don't give up…he's coming.” He told Isaiah about the Virgin birth. It's as if he just couldn't help but give hints about what was to come. He knew he had the perfect gift to give the world, and he wanted to prepare God's people for its delivery. Because of these holy whispers throughout history, believers were expecting Christ. 

There's so much we don't know about the ways of God. Yet because of Christmas, His love for us is no secret. His hints throughout history were fulfilled in the manger. And He continues to whisper good things to his children: “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11) This advent season may we tune our hearts to listen to God so that we don't miss the surprises He may want to whisper into your heart this season.

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7 She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

The little drummer boy is a classic Christmas song written in 1941 it's about a little boy invited to see the Christ child being a poor boy he's worried about not having a suitable gift to bring to the newborn King. The little boy is far more concerned about this than Jesus is. Do you find yourself concerned in the same way this year? Have you been counting down the number of paychecks until Christmas? Are you disappointed that this may be a modest Christmas? When God sent his son into the world the options were unlimited, he could have been born into a wealthy family who would have provided him with lavish things. He could have been from a bigger town with more prestige, but that is not the Christmas God chose. Christ came to humble parents and humble circumstances those very circumstances made the little drummer boy in the song feel as if he could approach Jesus he took one look at him and declared “I am a poor boy too.”

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