Angels would herald His birth. Wise men would follow a star to worship Him. Shepherds would stand in awe of what they saw. A king would try to kill Him. Satan would scheme to destroy Him and God’s plan. But Mary pondered it all in her heart. As we rush around with all the last-minute shopping and preparations, let’s remember the Greatest Gift.

And not lose sight of the reason behind all that we do this Christmas season … that the Creator of the Universe humbled Himself and became a babe, was born in a stable among animals and filth, lived as a man among sinners, and submitted to a horrible death in your place and mine.

Welcome to “God’s Word Day by Day.” Why not make the coming year the best ever when it comes to your understanding and enjoyment of Scripture by signing up for these daily devotionals? 

Today’s Readings:

Micah 4 & 5
Psalm 145.1-9
Proverbs 30.11-14
Revelation 10.1-11

The Greatest Gift

Micah 4 & 5:

Birthplace of the King

As Christmas approaches and we rehear the story of Christ’s birth, it’s exciting to read here in Micah the prophecy Herod’s counselors relied on when they told him Bethlehem was to be the birthplace of the king:

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 (Mic.5.2)

“Whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting …” The Father and the Son had planned this event from before the beginning of time.

Pointing Us to the Greatest Gift

Angels would herald His birth. Wise men would follow a star to worship Him. Shepherds would stand in awe of what they saw. A king would try to kill Him. Satan would scheme to destroy Him and God’s plan. But Mary pondered it all in her heart.

So as we rush around with all the last-minute shopping and preparations, let’s not lose sight of the Greatest Gift and the reason behind all that we do this Christmas season … that the Creator of the Universe humbled Himself and became a babe, was born in a stable among animals and filth, lived as a man among sinners, and submitted to a horrible death in your place and mine.

As we give gifts to those we love, let them point us to the Greatest Gift.

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 (Jn. 1.14).

Among all the conversations, let’s have the most important ones by reading the Christmas story with those we love and sharing the gospel with those who don’t know it.

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins (1 Jn. 4.10).

In the midst of the celebrations, let’s remember why we have reason to rejoice!

¹⁰ 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. ¹¹ For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger (Lk. 12.10-12).

Jesus Christ … “The Greatest Gift.”

Today’s Other Readings:

Psalm 145.1-9:

Full of Compassion

8 The LORD is gracious and full of compassion,
Slow to anger and great in mercy.
9 The LORD is good to all,
And His tender mercies are over all His works.

Just as we saw in the book of Jonah, God is full of compassion and mercy for His creation. He is not a hateful God, trying to keep everyone He can out of heaven, but a loving Savior, who stands ready to forgive and save!

Even warnings of coming judgment are intended to bring repentance and forgiveness. In fact, if you have read through the Old Testament this past year, you have seen how He extends mercy to the worst of the worst giving them every opportunity to repent and change.

Proverbs 30.11-14:

Sins that Permeate Our Society

11 There is a generation that curses its father,
And does not bless its mother.
12 There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes,
Yet is not washed its filthiness.
13 There is a generation—oh, how lofty are their eyes!
And their eyelids are lifted up.
14 There is a generation whose teeth are like swords,
And whose fangs are like knives,
To devour the poor from off the earth,
And the needy from among men.

As John MacArthur points out, “certain sins can uniquely permeate a whole society or time period.” Sadly, many of those listed here characterize our generation: disrespect toward parents, calling sin enlightenment, sexual immorality, and pride, just to name a few.

Revelation 10.1-11:

Bittersweet Realities

9 So I went to the angel and said to him, “Give me the little book.”
And he said to me, ‘Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.’
10 Then I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter. 11 And he said to me, ‘You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.’

How bittersweet the revelation John was shown. There was the sweet anticipation of God’s promises: His protection, the removal of His church before the beginning of the Tribulation, and ultimately His return and millennial reign. But there was also the bitterness of His judgment on those who refuse Him. We, too, should be grieved over the rejecters of Christ and their eternal separation from Him.

Coming Up

In the next few days, we’ll talk about grace, the responsibility involved in being a true friend, contentment, the goal of life for every believer, the second death, and about God as the Righteous Judge. I hope you’ll join us.

Get Ready for the Coming Year with a Plan for Your Bible Reading

The holidays are just around the corner and the new year will be on us before we know it. What will you do to make Bible reading an ongoing habit in the coming year? I want to encourage you to set a goal to read through the Bible again or for the first time. If you join me here, I’ll take you through a plan that covers both the Old and New Testaments in about 15 minutes a day. Sign up here for my daily email. It can serve as a gentle reminder to stay on track and I believe you’ll benefit from the additional background and application comments that I share.

Start today so you can begin the habit and it will be a regular part of your day come January.

You can also follow me on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest. Just click on the social media icons. But nothing replaces having the daily devotion pop up in your inbox each day. It, usually (once in a while life gets in the way), goes out at 6 a.m. MST. Also, don’t forget to check out our sister site Joyful Marriage Ministries.

Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥

Note about this post:

I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer. 

A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”

I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.

Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)

I sometimes LINKUP with these blogs.