One of my favorite passages that speaks of Christmas isn’t normally thought of as a Christmas passage.

Take a look at John 1:1:

This pretty much sums up what John has to say about the birth of Christ. He doesn’t go into detail like Matthew and Luke do concerning the birth of Jesus as a human being.

John simply says that Jesus was there at the beginning, and is one and the same as God, which he reiterates several times throughout his Gospel.

A few verses after our passage for this week, he gives one final detail about the birth of Christ. He says,

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

In my opinion, John does an excellent job summarizing God’s mission to save us. Jesus is God. God came.

And that gives us plenty of reason to celebrate the season.

Merry Christmas!

What is your favorite Christmas passage? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

We’ve entered the month of December, and the Christmas season. Since we will be spending a lot of the season looking at the birth narratives, I figured we’d begin by looking at the end goal, and the why behind Jesus’ birth.

Take a look at how Paul describes it in Philippians 3:20-21:

Christ came once, and will come again, as Savior and Lord, and those who are his will be transformed to be like him. How’s that for the ultimate Christmas present?

Even though we don’t know when or how this will happen, we do know that it will happen. As a result, we can live as citizens of a heavenly kingdom, looking forward in anticipation of the day that will come when Jesus will return.

That makes the season seem especially bright!

What is your favorite part of the Christmas season? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

In keeping with the spirit of Thanksgiving, here’s another of my favorite passages on the topic.

This week’s passage is found in Psalm 95:2:

As this Psalm indicates, a major part of a lifestyle of worship is gratitude. Thankfulness is a key element in the life of the Christian.

It saddens me that we tend to lose our focus on this during the holiday season. We hardly make it through a day dedicated to being thankful for God’s provision before we tackle the crowded stores in order to get more.

And our focus through the rest of the season wanders as well.

But this Psalm draws us back to our reason for being: worship of the one who created us and saved us.

So, even in the midst of a busy, crazy season, let’s strive to continually come before him with thanksgiving.

That will be a key element for my family’s celebrations this year.

What do you do to keep your focus on God, where it needs to be? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

Thanksgiving is this week, so it goes without saying that those passages that speak on being thankful will be heard often.

Even though I’ve memorized this passage before, I think it’s beneficial to go back and review and renew it. Take a look at this week’s passage, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18:

This year will be difficult for my family. We’ve lost several family members in the past year. And the fact that we are 1000 miles away or more from the rest of our families adds to it.

But we have much to be thankful for.

For example, a few days ago, we received a card in the mail, no return address, unsigned, with a cashier’s check in it. We have no idea who might have given us that gift, but we are very thankful for it, especially since our finances are tight until we sell our home back in Missouri.

And that’s only one example.

We have much to be thankful for. Let’s make sure we express it, both to the people in our lives, and to God.

Happy Thanksgiving!

What has God provided for you that you are thankful for? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

This time of year has become rather difficult for me. In the past few years, I’ve lost my brother, father, stepfather, mother-in-law, brother-in-law, and three grandparents-in-law. Several of those losses happened in the fall. And others had birthdays in the fall. Missing them over the holidays makes memories of them even more poignant.

However, Scripture is full of comfort, especially in the Psalms. For example, read through Psalm 124, in it’s entirety. It’s only eight verses long. Our verse to memorize this week is verse 8.

Passages like this provide comfort and peace. They allow me to be reminded that God is fully in control, even though I may not understand why he has allowed certain things to happen.

And so, this year, and every other year, I can be thankful for that, even in the midst of missing those faces in my life.

I rest on the hope that I will see them again one day before the throne of God.

Like I said… Comfort.

When do you need reminders that God is in control, and will take care of our needs, hurts, and even many of our desires? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

The Old Testament is full of beautiful promises that God made to the Israelites. By extension, some of those promises are at least partially applicable to believers today as well.

Take this week’s passage, for example. It’s beautifully written and is pregnant with hope and promise. You can find it in Deuteronomy 30:15-16:

This promise was made to the Israelites shortly before they embarked on the conquest of Canaan, before they began to possess the land that God had promised to them for generations.

God is making the nation of Israel a significant promise here: if they love and obey him, he will pour out material blessings as they take possession of the land.

God offers the same promise to us. But for us, it isn’t so much of a material blessing that he wants to give us as a spiritual blessing. In fact, in Ephesians 1:3, Paul tells us that God wants to give us every spiritual blessing!

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

That, paired with the promise in Deuteronomy, provides an assurance and hope that give me the boost I need to keep going daily.

His blessings, in return for our love and obedience. Pretty simple.

What blessings has God poured into your life recently? Have you thanked him for those blessings? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

In the midst of a difficult situation, have you ever wondered “Why is this happening to me?”

I have.

And I think James gives us a hint as to the answer. Check it out in James 1:2-3:

God uses our tough times to grow us.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t believe that God necessarily causes us to face trials. For example, I don’t believe that God caused the cancer that claimed the lives of my brother and my father. No, I think sin is the culprit. Not sin in a specific way, but our sinful nature, the Fall, the curse, as described in Genesis 3. When sin entered the world, death and destruction and disease came with it.

And probably bell peppers, too.

No, God doesn’t cause all of our trials, but he can and will use them for our growth and good.

And so, James tells us to consider that as a reason to rejoice. Growth will be the result.

This has been true in my life, and I’m sure it’s been true in yours as well.

How has God used trials as a catalyst for growth in your life? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.