daily readings

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Journey Beyond Christmas

28th December

“Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 3:13-14

For some, Christmas means separation rather than reunion. It means a parting glance: Jesus leaving heaven; Joseph and Mary leaving Nazareth; the Magi leaving Babylonia; and maybe you being away from your loved ones.

But now it’s time for all of us to say goodbye to Christmas as we haul off the tree, throw away the leftover candy, box up the decorations, help the guests out the front door, and try to get our routine back to normal.

Here’s the great thing. The incarnation of Christ—the truth of His entering the world for us—is a reality we never leave behind. His abiding presence is a constant reality. We never say goodbye to Him. We’re never separated from Him, not today, not ever. The Bible says, “Neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39). Take a parting glance at Christmas and then press onward into a new year with Christ!

#Today’s message is taken from Turning Point Daily Devotions
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God’s Children

26-27th December

Weekend Edition

“See how very much our Father loves us, for He calls us His children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognise that we are God’s children because they don’t know Him.”

1 John 3:1

After the presents have been opened, the turkey has been eaten, games have been played and wine has been drunk, what is left? Is there still a buzz and do we still have the Christmas ‘spirit’? Of course. The root of our joy is knowing who we are, and our identity in our Saviour Jesus Christ. That is what we celebrate. His birth, life, death and resurrection. It is not a one-off event to remember but good news all year round. As C.S Lewis rightly said,

“The Son of God became a man, to enable men to become the Sons of God.”

That is the good news. The Gospel. The truth that remains throughout all generations and until the end of time. Jesus came into this dark world, to reveal His light, the light that shines in the darkness. His light exposes our wrongdoings and leads us to the path of repentance, acceptance and restoration. His light transforms us from being enemies of God to Sons and Daughters of the Most High God. That is joy; and that joy is not just for Christmas day, but all year round. We are His children because He loves us and we have accepted His love. Will you accept His invitation to become adopted into His family?

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Merry Christmas

25th December

“but the angel re-assured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Saviour – yes, the Messiah, the Lord – has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!””

Luke 2:10-11

Rejoice, it is Christmas day. A time to celebrate the goodness of all life has to offer. A time to let go of hurts, forgive and be reconciled to loved ones. A time to eat, drink and be merry. A time to give to those who are less fortunate. But also a time to remember those who don’t have, who live in poverty, without homes, without warmth or clean water. To remember those who are living through war and disease and those battling with loneliness.

Today, as we celebrate Christmas across the world, let us rejoice in the good news that Jesus was born and that through Him we can find peace in war-torn societies, shelter from life’s hardships, Spiritual wealth, healing, both physically and spiritually, and an identity and belonging in Christ.

Today, may you know the warmth of Jesus’ love, the acceptance of a Saviour and the joy that His birth brings. For it is in Jesus that our hope is found. Remember those who don’t have in your prayers and actions. Be blessed. Merry Christmas.

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Jesus Born In Bethlehem

24th December

“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on My behalf.”

Micah 5:2

Bethlehem was not considered the most notorious place for a Messiah to be born. In fact it was a very small town, even village, yet from it, this prophetic promise rang true; The Messiah was truly born. A ruler of Israel had finally come. His origins were in the distant past; namely at the beginning of time. Jesus’ birth fulfilled so many prophecies, of which this one of them.

Furthermore, this small village was so full of people at the time of Jesus’ birth, that there was not even a room that Jesus could be born. Instead of the majesty of a King’s room, He was born in a lowly stable, and put to sleep in an animals feeding trough.

Jesus showed us one of the greatest messages through His birth; Small beginnings are not insignificant: Wealth does not dictate the plan God has for your life. Jesus, being born in a lowly stable in Bethlehem, demonstrated complete humility and showed us that life should not be dictated by circumstance but by the plan God has for you. For it was from a lowly stable that the King of Kings and Lords of Lords was born and through His life, we can all be saved.

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Joseph – A Man Of God

23rd December

“As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Matthew 1:20-21

How would you feel if you found out that the woman you were engaged to became pregnant and it wasn’t your child? It almost sounds like something out of a soap opera. Yet this was the reality for Joseph, King David’s descendant. In fact so real was the emotion of this situation, Joseph planned to quietly separate from Mary. However as today’s verse shows, and angel of the Lord gave a prophetic word to Joseph in a dream to ease his fears as to how this situation happened and what to do next.

However, the angel offered no explanation. He gave no apology, and no further instructions of any kind – and yet Joseph hurried to comply with God’s command through the angel’s words. He immediately took Mary home to be his wife and named her Son Jesus the moment He was born.

At least three other times Joseph got instructions from an angel in a dream, and all three times he immediately complied (2:13-15, 19-21, 22-23). Today’s readers might think, ‘Hey, if I got a message from an angel, I’d listen too’… Really? Not everyone in the Bible did. Pilate’s wife ignored God’s dream about crucifying Jesus, and King Nebuchadnezzar ignored God’s dream about associating with the bovines. Yet Joseph, in all three dreams, completely obeyed God.

That’s the kind of man God looked for to rock His Son’s cradle. And it’s still the kind of man He seeks to rock the world. 1

1 Some of today’s content is taken from a commentary on the life of Joseph in the NLT ‘Man’s Bible’: PG 1255

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Jesus Lived As One Of Us

22nd December

“You must have the same attitude as Christ Jesus had. Though He was God, He did not think of equality with as something to cling to. Instead, He gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.”

Philippians 2:5-7

It is comforting to know that Jesus Christ lived as one of us. He felt our pains, lived through our temptations (although did not sin), experienced our struggles and yet still do all this without sinning and without compromising. As Paul writes, “He gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being”. Even more incredible is that the sentence “He gave up His divine privileges” in the original Greek, literally means that ‘He emptied Himself’ for our sake and made Himself of no reputation taking the form of a slave/servant… The God who is above all, became the least of all to show us His love by giving Himself as our substitution for the debt of our sins.

He walked as one of us, and was treated as one of us. He was beaten for our sake, and hung on the cross for our sins… The God of the universe, there at the beginning of time, put to death by the hands of those He has created. Why? He did it for us. Isn’t incredible to know that Jesus Christ lived as one of us, for our sake? If He didn’t, we would not know God’s love and His incredible plan for our lives.

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What Will You Be Doing For Christmas?

21stDecember

“The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptised into one body and one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.”

1 Corinthians 12:12-13

Christmas is celebrated differently everywhere… Interestingly some countries don’t even celebrate it at all. For some, Christmas is a normal working day, children still go to school, and Christmas passes by without an ounce of the Christmas spirit we experience in the western world. For others, Christmas is a fun time. Christmas is a time were family get together, sharing food and presents with one another, enjoying playing games, and being together.

Yet the one thing that unites the believers around the globe at this time of year, is the fact that we can celebrate the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, no matter where we are in the world. It is an incredible joy to know that there are millions of Christians around the world that are rejoicing that Jesus was born over 2000 years ago, to take away our sins, to shower us with His love and to show us the way back to God.

Whatever you are doing this Christmas and wherever you are celebrating it (if at all), then remember this – there are others around the world that are as excited about celebrating Jesus‘ birth as you are. They may not be celebrating in the traditional ‘Christmas’ way that you might know, but they are celebrating because a Saviour was born – the Lamb Of God.

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New Birth -New Creation

19th -20th December

Weekend Edition

“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun. And all of this is a gift from God, who bought us back to Himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to Him.”

2 Corinthians 5:17-18

Christmas time is about new beginnings; A time to give, and a time to receive (in the words of Cliff Richard). Yet the greatest gift humanity received was the birth of Jesus Christ. His birth was a new beginning for humanity. It was a new chapter of grace in the history of mankind. A new lease of life for all those lost in darkness and en-slaved in the captivity of sin. It was, as Paul rightly says, a ‘gift from God’. Salvation is a gift. A free gift that only needs accepting.

Yet once we accept this gift, our old lifestyles, habits, and decisions change to someone who is living not for themselves but for Jesus Christ. When Jesus enters our hearts, our desires change from living to please ourselves, to living to please Him. To put it plainly – we are spiritually re-born, or better still, we are spiritually awakened (once dead in our sins but now alive in Christ!).

Because of our new birth we are ambassadors for Jesus, telling as many people as we can about His goodness and reconciling people back Him. Let us not forget, that Jesus, the greatest gift, was given to us so that we can live in all that God has for us. If you have been changed by His grace, then share that gift with someone else too… Freely you have received, freely you shall give!

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Second Chance Jesus

18th December

“For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sins, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.”

2 Corinthians 5:21

Today’s message is very simple, but contains a truth that if accepted, could transform your life. They are not my words but God’s words through the Apostle Paul written to the church in Corinth and applicable for our lives too. The truth is this..

God sent Jesus to this world, to be an offering for our sins, so that we could be made right with God….THROUGH CHRIST.

How incredible. That blessing includes you and I. It includes all who believe in it. Friends, that is why Jesus came. He came to give us another chance, and to redeem and restore our relationship with God. He wants us to succeed. If He didn’t, He wouldn’t have sent His Only Begotten Son to suffer at the hands of the very people He created. Moreover, it is not a second chance He gives, but a third, fourth, fifth…. In fact His grace is unlimited for all those who call upon it. Jesus radically stepped into this world for us for our sakes.

Even more amazing, is that He didn’t wait for us to become good before He became an offering for us. He died while we were still sinners. He rose again victorious and patiently waits for us to accept His love, grace and forgiveness through the gentle leading of the Holy Spirit. And even after we accept it and still stumble into sin (or sometimes even purposefully sin), He still is waiting patiently to forgive and restore us until we call on His Name and ask for forgiveness. This is the nature of the man (and God!), Jesus Christ, who came to this earth over 2000 years ago. And if He had to do it just for you, He would have!!

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The Humble Saviour

17th December

““And you will recognise by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” . . . “They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger.””

Luke 2:12-16

Jesus, the King of the world, the creator of the universe, humbled Himself and became flesh. Not only did He leave His royal throne, not only did He give up His divine privileges but He also was born to a poor, humble family and laid to sleep in an animals feeding trough (due to the fact that there was no lodging available for them). Moreover, He was wrapped in nothing more than strips of cloth to protect Him from the cool of the night.

This same Jesus was the One who allowed Himself to be sacrificed on the cross and give Himself as a ransom for the very people He created, to free them from the chains of sin that they themselves bound themselves with, when Adam and Eve rebelled against God. The baby Jesus, that is so famously acted out in nativity stories across the world, is the same Jesus that made a way for you to have eternal life and life free from the chains of sin, a life forgiven and an identity restored. It is in Jesus that we can have life and life in all it’s fullness.

Next time you see a nativity play, remember that Jesus humbly allowed Himself to be found in the form an innocent baby, so that years later, He could restore the relationship between humanity and God; that includes YOU!