Day 47 - 50 Day Journey To Christ

Daily Reading:

Matthew 1

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

The Genealogy of Jesus Christ

1 The historical record of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:

From Abraham to David

2 Abraham fathered Isaac,

Isaac fathered Jacob,

Jacob fathered Judah and his brothers,

3 Judah fathered Perez and Zerah by Tamar,

Perez fathered Hezron,

Hezron fathered Aram,

4 Aram fathered Amminadab,

Amminadab fathered Nahshon,

Nahshon fathered Salmon,

5 Salmon fathered Boaz by Rahab,

Boaz fathered Obed by Ruth,

Obed fathered Jesse,

6 and Jesse fathered King David.

From David to the Babylonian Exile

Then David fathered Solomon by Uriah’s wife,

7 Solomon fathered Rehoboam,

Rehoboam fathered Abijah,

Abijah fathered Asa,

8 Asa fathered Jehoshaphat,

Jehoshaphat fathered Joram,

Joram fathered Uzziah,

9 Uzziah fathered Jotham,

Jotham fathered Ahaz,

Ahaz fathered Hezekiah,

10 Hezekiah fathered Manasseh,

Manasseh fathered Amon,

Amon fathered Josiah,

11 and Josiah fathered Jechoniah and his brothers

at the time of the exile to Babylon.

From the Exile to the Messiah

12 Then after the exile to Babylon

Jechoniah fathered Shealtiel,

Shealtiel fathered Zerubbabel,

13 Zerubbabel fathered Abiud,

Abiud fathered Eliakim,

Eliakim fathered Azor,

14 Azor fathered Zadok,

Zadok fathered Achim,

Achim fathered Eliud,

15 Eliud fathered Eleazar,

Eleazar fathered Matthan,

Matthan fathered Jacob,

16 and Jacob fathered Joseph the husband of Mary,

who gave birth to Jesus who is called the Messiah.

17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were 14 generations; and from David until the exile to Babylon, 14 generations; and from the exile to Babylon until the Messiah, 14 generations.

The Nativity of the Messiah

18 The birth of Jesus Christ came about this way: After His mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, it was discovered before they came together that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. 19 So her husband Joseph, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, decided to divorce her secretly.

20 But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is by the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to name Him Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”

22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

23 See, the virgin will become pregnant

and give birth to a son,

and they will name Him Immanuel,

which is translated “God is with us.”

24 When Joseph got up from sleeping, he did as the Lord’s angel had commanded him. He married her 25 but did not know her intimately until she gave birth to a son. And he named Him Jesus.

Key:  Bold - Verse of the Day 

Reflection:  The verse of the day is the fulfillment of biblical prophecy.  This prophecy can be found in Isaiah 7:14 "Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel."  Throughout the Old Testament (or Old Covenant) we have been guided lovingly to this very point in time; the birth of our Savior and King who has first come as a living sacrifice for us all, and then, in His second coming, will return as King of kings and Lord of lords.  Here, on the night of His birth, prophecy is fulfilled.  From this point on, our focus is on #nonebutChrist.

Discussion Topic:  Who would have thought, at that moment in time, at the birth of a boy child, that a new chapter in the war against the enemy had begun.  With Jesus on earth, it signaled the Kingdom of God's invasion into the enemy's territory.  Do you think Mary and Joseph had any idea of exactly what the significance of Jesus' birth was?

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Prayer:  Oh Lord, Your plan from the beginning was to create a people in Your image who would choose to love, obey and worship You of their own free will.  Sin came into the world in the Garden of Eden, but even then You knew that the day would come when You send Your only Son to rescue us from Your judgment of our sins and bring us back into a relationship with You.  Father, there are no words to describe how thankful I am that You sent your Son, my Savior, to this earth to save me and to make me a child of the Living God.  As I meditate on what was begun on that night, may your Holy Spirit wash over me and fill me anew, that I may sing songs of joy and raise up praises to You with a clean heart and a renewed mind and may this Christmas season offer us many more opportunities to share the gospel with others.  To You be the glory and honor and praise forever and ever!  Amen!

Acknowledgements:  Scripture - BibleGateway.com, Image - Believers Journey

Day 39 - 50 Day Journey To Christ

Daily Reading:

Jeremiah 11

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Reminder of the Covenant

1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Listen to the words of this covenant and tell them to the men of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem. 3 You must tell them: This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let a curse be on the man who does not obey the words of this covenant, 4 which I commanded your ancestors when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the iron furnace.’ I declared: ‘Obey Me, and do everything that I command you, and you will be My people, and I will be your God,’ 5 in order to establish the oath I swore to your ancestors, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is today.”

I answered, “Amen, Lord.”

6 The Lord said to me, “Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: Obey the words of this covenant and carry them out. 7 For I strongly warned your ancestors when I brought them out of the land of Egypt until today, warning them time and time again, ‘Obey My voice.’ 8 Yet they would not obey or pay attention; each one followed the stubbornness of his evil heart. So I brought on them all the curses of this covenant, because they had not done what I commanded them to do.”

9 The Lord said to me, “A conspiracy has been discovered among the men of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem. 10 They have returned to the sins of their ancestors who refused to obey My words and have followed other gods to worship them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah broke My covenant I made with their ancestors.

11 “Therefore, this is what the Lord says: I am about to bring on them disaster that they cannot escape. They will cry out to Me, but I will not hear them. 12 Then the cities of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods they have been burning incense to, but they certainly will not save them in their time of disaster. 13 Your gods are indeed as numerous as your cities, Judah, and the altars you have set up to Shame—altars to burn incense to Baal—as numerous as the streets of Jerusalem.

14 “As for you, do not pray for these people. Do not raise up a cry or a prayer on their behalf, for I will not be listening when they call out to Me at the time of their disaster.

15 What right does My beloved have

to be in My house,

having carried out so many evil schemes?

Can holy meat prevent your disaster

so you can rejoice?

16 The Lord named you

a flourishing olive tree,

beautiful with well-formed fruit.

He has set fire to it,

and its branches are consumed

with a great roaring sound.

17 “The Lord of Hosts who planted you has decreed disaster against you, because of the harm the house of Israel and the house of Judah brought on themselves, provoking Me to anger by burning incense to Baal.”

18 The Lord informed me, so I knew.

Then You helped me to see their deeds,

19 for I was like a docile lamb led to slaughter.

I didn’t know that they had devised plots against me:

“Let’s destroy the tree with its fruit;

let’s cut him off from the land of the living

so that his name will no longer be remembered.”

20 But, Lord of Hosts, who judges righteously,

who tests heart and mind,

let me see Your vengeance on them,

for I have presented my case to You.

21 Therefore, here is what the Lord says concerning the people of Anathoth who want to take your life. They warn, “You must not prophesy in the name of Yahweh, or you will certainly die at our hand.” 22 Therefore, this is what the Lord of Hosts says: “I am about to punish them. The young men will die by the sword; their sons and daughters will die by famine. 23 They will have no remnant, for I will bring disaster on the people of Anathoth in the year of their punishment.”

(Note: Read Jeremiah 25)

Key:  Bold - Verse of the Day

Reflection:  Jeremiah was the Lord's prophet, hand picked from an early age (like Samuel), the Lord placed His words into Jeremiah's mouth (Jer 1:10).  When YHWH spoke to the people of Jerusalem, He spoke through Jeremiah.  This did not make Jeremiah a very popular person, nor the book of Jeremiah a very popular book.  In today's selection the Word of the Lord is calling us to examine ourselves, reminding us that we are His, and we must return to Him.  We have put other things, priorities and altars before our God.  We have made it more about the program, and not the Programmer; the gifts and not the Gift; the lights and not the Light; the tree and not the Tree. We fill our lives with things to do, promising to say grace @ dinner, and go to church on Sunday.  We must repent.  We must turn back to God.  Examine your heart before its too late.  We too have been sealed by a covenant, we too are guilty of the sins of Israel. 

Discussion Topic:  What idols do you have in your own life that you are not aware of?   

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Prayer:  Father in Heaven, Your grace overwhelms my heart, Your judgment my soul.  I long to be made whole in You.  Thank You for Your Covenant, thank You for Your Law.  Holy Spirit, please search my heart and reveal to me the idols I have suppressed  or passed off as normal or tolerable.  Show me, Lord, the things I do that keep me from the fullness of Your grace.  Lord Jesus, thank You for Your obedience, that despite my disobedience, You gave up Heaven to come to earth for my salvation.  You were led to slaughter, docile. You were chopped down for our sins.  Teach me to always make it about You.  It is for Your name, in Your name, and because of Your name I pray.  Amen. 

Acknowledgements: Text - BibleGateway.com, Artwork - Stories Of

Day 27 - 50 Day Journey To Christ

Daily Reading:

1 Kings 3

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

The Lord Appears to Solomon

God Speaks to Solomon in His Sleep

1 Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt by marrying Pharaoh’s daughter. Solomon brought her to live in the city of David until he finished building his palace, the Lord’s temple, and the wall surrounding Jerusalem. 2 However, the people were sacrificing on the high places, because until that time a temple for the Lord’s name had not been built. 3 Solomon loved the Lord by walking in the statutes of his father David, but he also sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

4 The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there because it was the most famous high place. He offered 1,000 burnt offerings on that altar. 5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at night. God said, “Ask. What should I give you?”

6 And Solomon replied, “You have shown great and faithful love to Your servant, my father David, because he walked before You in faithfulness, righteousness, and integrity. You have continued this great and faithful love for him by giving him a son to sit on his throne, as it is today.

7 “Lord my God, You have now made Your servant king in my father David’s place. Yet I am just a youth with no experience in leadership. 8 Your servant is among Your people You have chosen, a people too numerous to be numbered or counted. 9 So give Your servant an obedient heart to judge Your people and to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”

10 Now it pleased the Lord that Solomon had requested this. 11 So God said to him, “Because you have requested this and did not ask for long life or riches for yourself, or the death of your enemies, but you asked discernment for yourself to understand justice, 12 I will therefore do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has never been anyone like you before and never will be again. 13 In addition, I will give you what you did not ask for: both riches and honor, so that no man in any kingdom will be your equal during your entire life. 14 If you walk in My ways and keep My statutes and commands just as your father David did, I will give you a long life.”

15 Then Solomon woke up and realized it had been a dream. He went to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant, and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then he held a feast for all his servants.

Solomon’s Wisdom

King Solomon's Wisdom of the Baby

16 Then two women who were prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. 17 One woman said, “Please my lord, this woman and I live in the same house, and I had a baby while she was in the house. 18 On the third day after I gave birth, she also had a baby and we were alone. No one else was with us in the house; just the two of us were there. 19 During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him. 20 She got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while your servant was asleep. She laid him at her breast, and she put her dead son in my arms. 21 When I got up in the morning to nurse my son, I discovered he was dead. That morning, when I looked closely at him I realized that he was not the son I gave birth to.”

22 “No,” the other woman said. “My son is the living one; your son is the dead one.”

The first woman said, “No, your son is the dead one; my son is the living one.” So they argued before the king.

23 The king replied, “This woman says, ‘This is my son who is alive, and your son is dead,’ but that woman says, ‘No, your son is dead, and my son is alive.’” 24 The king continued, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought the sword to the king. 25 Solomon said, “Cut the living boy in two and give half to one and half to the other.”

26 The woman whose son was alive spoke to the king because she felt great compassion for her son. “My lord, give her the living baby,” she said, “but please don’t have him killed!”

But the other one said, “He will not be mine or yours. Cut him in two!”

27 The king responded, “Give the living baby to the first woman, and don’t kill him. She is his mother.” 28 All Israel heard about the judgment the king had given, and they stood in awe of the king because they saw that God’s wisdom was in him to carry out justice.

Key:  Bold - Verse of the Day, Purple - Words of God

Reflection: Solomon could have asked God for anything.  He chose to ask for an obedient heart and discernment.  Solomon's desire was not to fulfill his own personal desires, but to serve God in the best way he could.  

Discussion Topic: When you approach the throne of God in your time of prayer, do you come with a heart that seeks to fulfill its own desires, or do your requests reflect your desire to please God?

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Prayer: Praise you Father.  Glory to you Lord God Almighty.  I pray that I can come before you with the same heart that King Solomon had when he asked for an obedient heart and discernment.  May my prayers and requests be made from a heart that is broken and in full submission to Your will.  May Your name be praised forever and ever.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

Acknowledgements: Text - BibleGateway.com, Artwork: God Speaks to Solomon in His Sleep - eborg3.com, King Solomon's Wisdom of the Baby - GoodSalt.com