"But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart" (Luke 2:19 NKJV)While the shepherds immediately shared what they had experienced, Mary had a different response. She treasured all these events in her heart, quietly pondering their meaning. Luke the historian asked Mary about these details, and several times it says Mary "treasured these things in her heart."That word "pondered" mean...  Read More

"Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him" (Matthew 2:2 NKJV)The wise men traveled great distances and faced significant challenges to find Jesus, and when they found Him, they worshiped. It took them about three months to get from Persia to Bethlehem. This required great financial sacrifice, but they were searching.These wi...  Read More

"Then the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people'" (Luke 2:10 NKJV)The first words from heaven when Jesus was born were "Do not be afraid." The shepherds were used to the fields, the cold, everything about their line of work, but they were not used to the glory of God bursting through the darkness.Jesus came to remove ou...  Read More

"Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife" (Matthew 1:24 NKJV)Joseph understood that Mary was pregnant, and he was confused. This was a surprise calling for the confused Joseph. He was so just and righteous and he knew he wasn't the father, but he loved Mary and didn't want to mistreat her. So he decided to put her away quietly.But ...  Read More

"Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people" (Luke 2:10 NKJV)Every time an angel appears, the first thing out of their mouth is "Don't be afraid." There was a little boy in a first-grade Christmas pageant who had one line: "It is I, be not afraid." But on the day of the pageant, he got nervous and said, "It's me, and I'm scared to death!"The ang...  Read More

"Then Mary said, 'Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.' And the angel departed from her" (Luke 1:38 NKJV)If we were planning the birth of the King of Kings, I highly doubt we would choose a teenage girl in Nazareth, a lowly village. We would find a royal family, a wealthy family that would provide support for the Chosen Messiah. Yet God's plan was to bypass t...  Read More

"You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:13 NKJV)In Matthew 2:1-12, the wise men were searching for Jesus, but really God was initiating the relationship with them. John 6:44 says, "No one comes to Me unless the Father Who sent Me draws them." No one seeks after God first - before you were searching for Him, He was wooing you to Himself. You must resp...  Read More

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14 NKJV)When John calls Jesus "the Word," he's describing expression - the expression of God. When we see Jesus, He is expressing Who God is. We use words to describe something invisible in our mind to put it into your mind. If I say "dog," you h...  Read More

"Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated, 'God with us'" (Matthew 1:23 NKJV)Immanuel (or, Emmanuel) means "God with us," and this captures the heart of Christmas. Think about it - God could have remained distant from our struggles. He could have just shouted instructions from heaven or sent messengers with His commands. But...  Read More

"For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6 NKJV)When the angels proclaimed "peace on earth," they weren't promising an end to all conflict. The peace Jesus brought is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of God in the midst ...  Read More

"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined" (Isaiah 9:2 NKJV)Before Jesus came, the world was in spiritual darkness. People were trying to find their way to God through their own efforts, but they kept stumbling. Then Jesus came as the Light of the world.I think of being at the beach, walking or joggi...  Read More

"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting" (Micah 5:2 NKJV)Seven hundred years before Jesus was born, the prophet Micah predicted that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. This tiny, insignificant town - perhaps just a couple hundred ...  Read More