Tuesday, December 12, 2023

Tuesday, December 12, 2023
Luke 6:38
Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.

When you hear “generosity”, you imagine someone giving money to charity or volunteering their time to a good cause. But an act of generosity can be simple and personal. Spending time each week with someone who needs company, paying for your friend’s food when you go out to eat, going two miles with someone when they ask you to go one. The money, time, and life you own was given to you by God for a purpose. He expects you to be responsible with what He’s given you. What you give to those around you, you give right back to the Lord.

Monday, December 11, 2023

Monday, December 11, 2023
Hebrews 13:16
Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

Before Christ, people gave burnt offerings as sacrifices to God. This demonstrated that the intangible King of Kings was worth giving things up for, even if He was unseen. But Jesus emphasized that even a dishonest, coldhearted person can put a sacrifice on an altar. However, giving to the needy and sharing what you have with others is a sacrifice that takes a truly humble heart. And it’s those sacrifices that mean more to God than the ones the Pharisees gave on Jesus’ day, for though outwardly they were whitewashed, on the inside they were full of dead men’s bones.

Friday, December 8, 2023

Friday, December 8, 2023
Psalm 148:7-8
Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all deeps, fire and hail, snow and mist, stormy wind fulfilling his word!

God created everything in this world, and the world remembers Him who created it! We read of how the Psalmist is often overwhelmed by God, whose power, mercy, and love exceed every imaginable limit. Don’t forget how big the Lord is! Praise the God of the earth, of the skies and the deeps, and of fire, storm, and snow!

Thursday, December 7, 2023

Thursday, December 7, 2023
Proverbs 26:1
Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, so honor is not fitting for a fool.

Snow in the summer would be wrong and out of place. After all, we’ve got enough snow to deal with in the winter! In the same way, don’t let your society and culture convince you that foolishness should take a place of honor and approval. The world will always try to normalize evil. It’s nothing new, but the Bible gives the same warning to each age of the world: let God’s word discern what is good and evil, and do not honor what is foolish.

Wednesday, December 6, 2023

Wednesday, December 6, 2023
Job 38:29
From whose womb did the ice come forth, and who has given birth to the frost of heaven?

Man has done his best to explain how the world works using science. But the more you dig into the intricacies of what God has made, the more you begin to realize just how brilliant the Designer of the cosmos is. The world is cursed by sin and death, but it doesn’t take more than a few glances to understand that it was made, and for a purpose. The intricate and masterful creation declares that there must be a Creator, and one day, He will establish a new Heaven and a new Earth.

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Tuesday, December 5, 2023
Isaiah 1:18
Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

When you see snow this Christmas season, think of how the stain of your sin was made white as snow by Jesus’ death and resurrection. Jesus was born in a manger so that He could pay the price for your sin. He was beaten, stripped, and crucified to make you like wool. Can you or I ever appreciate Him enough?