“And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste,…
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17, Christian Standard Bible). It’s that time of year again when we hear the word “exchange” a lot. There are gift exchanges and cookie exchanges. And let’s…
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17, NKJV). A very wise woman, my mother, once told me, “If someone wants to give you a gift, let them.”…
“And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him; and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” (Matthew 2:11 in the King James Version of the Holy Bible.)…
“For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.” Psalm 84:11
My daily Bible reading lately has been in I Kings and it is interesting to see the comments about each king that reigned: “he did right in the eyes of the Lord, as did David his father” or “and he did evil in the sight of the Lord,
They each had a decision to make when they became king, would they do good and follow God’s law, or would they do evil and worship the idols of others. Depending on which they decided, God either blessed them or caused judgment to come upon them. How different the history of Israel would read if each king that succeeded David had followed in His footsteps and honoured God. The nation would have been blessed and they would have lived in peace.
God gives each person on earth a choice today, we can serve God or turn our backs on Him. When we serve Him with all our heart, we can trust Him to shower us with grace and glory. He doesn’t give us everything we think we need, but He chooses what is best for our lives. He promised us wisdom, peace, victory, healing, joy and so many other blessings. May it be said of each one of us, that we walk uprightly, and are blessed by God.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, help us to walk uprightly before you and trust you to give us what is needed in our lives.
Devotion by Anne Johnston
“Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might;” Ecclesiastes 9:10, KJV
I recently dreamed that I was trying to play a song on the keyboard for my son-in-law to sing. Now I don’t even know how to turn a keyboard on, let alone play anything on it. If course, if I had the music in front of me, I might be able to pick out the top line and give him a key to sing it in, but that is the extent of my musical ability.
As I pondered on this dream, I realized that when my daughter was little, I had a good job and was able to pay for her to have piano lessons. Now she is an accomplished pianist and is very capable to accompany her husband as he sings. That was my contribution to help her develop her musical ability.
God gives each of us different gifts, skills and abilities. All He asks is that we give ourselves completely to Him, and use those talents wisely. He knows the future and will direct our steps. He only expects us to use what He has given us.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you that you look at us all as individuals, you know the gifts and talents that you have given us, and we desire to give them all back to you.
Devotion by Anne Johnston
“We have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.” Matthew 2:2
The wise men are always included in Nativity scenes and in pictures. But we know that they did not visit the Baby in the manger; they came later when Mary and Joseph were living in a house.
They followed the star and came to bring gifts for the promised one. This was all part of God’s plan, for, no doubt, those gifts provided the means of support of Joseph and Mary when they had to flee to Egypt. Where God leads, He provides.
So many times we can look back at circumstances in our lives and realize how the Lord was with us, and provided for our needs even before we know we had them. I can remember a Christmas when my parents did not have money for gifts, and just a couple of days before Christmas, a cheque arrived in the mail and met the need.
Prayer: Lord, you have blessed us so much. Open our eyes today to see the needs of others, and show us what we can do to meet those needs.
Devotion by Anne Johnston
When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 8:18-19, NIV) Simon was a sorcerer and must have…
“Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15 in the King James Version of the Holy Bible).
The next time I feel unimportant or overlooked in some way, I will remember that God gave me an indescribable gift – the gift of Himself! Of all the gifts I will ever receive, none will compare to the gift of living a life that is free from sin and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, Many people today think of the birth and death of Jesus Christ as only a story with a tragic ending, but those who have received Your gift are truly living a life of unspeakable joy!
Devotion by Julie Long