Today’s Verse – Philippians 2:9-11
Therefore God exalted him… that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. —Philippians 2:9-11 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… I love the fact that I do each day what everyone will one day do: bow before the majesty and proclaim the glorious Lordship of Jesus Christ to honor the Father’s glory. How wonderful it is to be able to make that proclamation because of grace rather than in fear at the end of a life that has been spent wasted in rebellion, denial, and selfishness. I gladly bow my knee, humble myself, and prostrate myself before the King of Glory, Jesus Christ my LORD! My Prayer… Father, I do praise you for the truth about Jesus. I believe that his greatness will one day be realized fully by everyone who has ever lived. Doubters, haters, hypocrites, and pretenders may have sway in our fallen world, but Jesus is coming. I can’t wait to see him in his glory! May my life display the truth of Jesus’ glory in sacrifice through the way I treat people today. May my lips suitably proclaim this truth so others can know Jesus is LORD, today. In the name of your Son and my Savior, I pray. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Today’s Verse – Philippians 2:9
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name… —Philippians 2:9 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… For Jesus, the formula for saving grace was tough! graciousness + faithfulness + sacrifice + suffering = True Glory Yes, salvation’s math doesn’t make much human sense in our selfish, self-promoting world. However, from the perspective of faith, salvation’s math is powerful wisdom. Jesus came to our world because of God’s graciousness. Jesus was faithful and left heaven to face the hardships of humanity. The LORD was willing to sacrifice himself to serve all humanity, even though it required his suffering and humiliation on the cross. Because he faithfully lived salvation’s math, the Father crowned the Son with all glory and honor, which has been rightfully his since before creation. The apostle Paul reminds us in this passage (Philippians 2:5-11) that God doesn’t forget our sacrifices, hardships, persecutions, or service. He honors them with his pleasure and glory because people who choose this way walk the path of their LORD, Jesus, as they live with others. My Prayer… Holy Father and LORD God, I believe that Jesus Christ is your Son, my Savior and LORD. I surrender my heart and want to have no rival to the lordship of your Son in my life. I want to serve and bless his disciples as he served and blessed me. I want to live my life passionately, as I seek to reach the lost people of my world. Continue to mold my heart and mind to be more like Jesus. I pray this to honor him in thought, word, and deed. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Today’s Verse – Philippians 2:5, 7-8
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who… made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! —Philippians 2:5, 7-8 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Christianity is not for wimps or the faint-hearted. Our example, Jesus, “made himself nothing… taking the very nature of a servant… humbled himself… and became obedient to death – even death on a cross!” That’s tough stuff. What’s more, he is our example of how to live and sacrifice for others. The story of Jesus may begin with a sweet child, a tender virgin girl, and a loving, strong man who protected them. However, it also starts with his crib being the trough where animals ate their food, while an evil king was plotting to murder him. The birth stories of Jesus are precious and powerful. They are not, however, saccharine-sweet fake sentiment. Jesus’ way of life is about servants who are willing to pay the price to redeem the ungrateful and undeserving, and disciples who are different because they know their Redeemer and are determined to become like their Teacher, Savior, and Lord (Luke 6:40). My Prayer… Almighty God, loving Father, thank you for placing the gospel story in the real world where I live. Jesus, thank you for being a Savior who has come into my world and faced its toughest edges and worst ugliness. Help me, please, as I learn to be sacrificial, obedient, redemptive, and humble so that I can be used to help others find your grace. I pray. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Today’s Verse – Philippians 2:5-6
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped… —Philippians 2:5-6 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Jesus did not cling to his heavenly glory but surrendered it to save us. He was born in a stable, made his first bed in a manger, and was welcomed to this world by lowly shepherds. His adoptive dad, Joseph, had to flee to Egypt with Mary to protect young Jesus. The LORD made his boyhood home in despised Nazareth, apprenticing in Joseph’s carpenter’s shop. Paul uses Jesus’ surrender of his heavenly glory as an example for us. Paul, God’s apostle to the nations, expended his human energy so Jesus would come alive in those who followed Jesus as LORD (Colossians 1:28-29). He reminded all disciples to focus on Jesus, to obey his teaching, and to follow his example. As we do, the Holy Spirit transforms us, with increasing likeness, into our Savior’s sacrificial character. Now, we must serve each other as Jesus served. We must think of others’ needs before our own comfort, preferences, and rights. Jesus’ incarnation, ministry, crucifixion, burial, and resurrection were revolutionary. Now it is our turn to join the revolution and turn our fallen world upside down – a revolution we give our lives to help come to pass! Video Commentary… ToGather Worship Guide | More ToGather Videos My Prayer… O Father, please mold me through the transforming power of your Holy Spirit as I pursue becoming more JESUShaped. May my thoughts be JESUShaped thoughts. May my heart’s desire reflect the passions of the Son. In Jesus’ name, I choose to relinquish my sense of self-importance to serve others as Jesus did. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Today’s Verse – Romans 1:16
I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. —Romans 1:16 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Are you ashamed? Culture tries to make us ashamed about our faith, portraying people of faith as stupid, insensitive, judgmental, and hypocritical. Are you ashamed? Or, because you reverence Jesus as LORD in your own heart and life, you are willing to share your faith humbly and gently with those who do not know Jesus as their LORD (1 Peter 3:15-16). Are you ashamed? Your hero left heaven to come to earth and risk everything so that you could go home to heaven with him. This Gospel is powerful. This Gospel is transformational. This Gospel, and the salvation it brings, are for all people. So let’s not be ashamed; let’s be joyous and generous with this incredible gift that we have received and share this grace with all peoples of the world! My Prayer… Father in heaven, please give me wisdom, sensitivity, humility, and courage to share your wonderful story of grace with those around me who do not know Jesus as their LORD and Savior. In Jesus’ name. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Today’s Verse – Matthew 1:22-23
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” — which means, “God with us.” —Matthew 1:22-23 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… God had repeatedly promised his people his presence. During the Wilderness wanderings, he was with them with the cloud during the day, the pillar of fire at night, and in the Holy of Holies above the Ark of the Covenant in the Tabernacle. Men, women, and angels (1 Peter 1:10-12) had long anticipated our receiving God’s presence close to us. Then, with Jesus’ incarnation, his coming in human flesh, it happened. God came to us in his Son. Jesus is Immanuel – Immanu-El, God with us! We live on the visited planet, touched by the very presence of God the Creator among us, as one of us, who lived, died, and was raised from the dead for us (See John 1:1-18; Hebrews 1:1-3; and Colossians 1:15-23 for the declaration of these truths). And it was just as the prophets of old had said. My Prayer… LORD God, my heavenly Father, thank you for keeping your promises, especially when it was so incredibly costly for you to do so in Jesus. You came to us in Jesus, the Son, to reveal yourself to us and show us how to live. I want to know you better, O God, not just as someone I study in Scripture, but as someone I encounter in my daily life. Please make your presence known as I seek you and use the Holy Spirit to transform me and mold me into someone who is truly JESUShaped (2 Corinthians 3:18; Colossians 1:28-29)! In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, our Immanuel, we pray. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Today’s Verse – Matthew 1:20-21
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” —Matthew 1:20-21 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Jesus. Yeshua. Joshua of the spiritual world. Mary’s boy, God’s Son, comes to help us tear down the strongholds Satan has built in our lives. He comes to bring peace to our troubled spirits and joy to our nights of despair. He comes not only to minister to us and bless us, he comes to do what no one else could do: he comes to deliver us from our sins – our spiritual blemishes, neglects, rebellions, mistakes, transgressions, and failures. Praise God! A deliverer who actually conquered what we could not defeat to make us what we are not – pure, perfect, and holy children of God, like him (Colossians 1:22, 28-29). My Prayer… Thank you, Father, for your forgiveness, cleansing, and transformation given to me by Jesus and the gift of the Holy Spirit that the Son poured out on me to cleanse me and make me holy.* In Christ’s name I pray. Amen. * See 1 Corinthians 6:11 and Titus 3:5-7 for these amazing truths!All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Today’s Verse – Matthew 1:20
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. —Matthew 1:20 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Reassurance beyond understanding! That’s the beginning of the Christ story for Joseph: like with Mary and the angel at the annunciation, God’s reassurance of things beyond human understanding was what Joseph received in this glorious visitation! What he could not understand and what he had no part in creating will now be the groundbreaking journey of his own faithful and generous heart. He was to be the human daddy to the Savior of the world and the Messiah of Israel. He would live the rest of his life knowing that a miracle happened with Mary without his input or involvement. As a righteous and kind man, he would bear the disgrace of the world’s misunderstanding about the conception of their child. His faith and God’s use of him in this story should awaken each of us to the incredible possibilities that God may have in store for us. Why not use this December to re-awaken your heart to the Holy One, born Jesus of Nazareth, and let’s ask God to bless us through Jesus with reassurance beyond our human understanding! My Prayer… Father, I have long admired Joseph for his trust in you – a trust that helped him deal with what he could not understand. Now I come, with wild-eyed Joseph-like excitement and bewilderment, to be reminded again of the miracle of your Son and my Savior. Please make him real to me as I seek to know him better and bless me with reassurance beyond my limited human understanding! In Jesus’ name and because of his miraculous conception and incarnation, I pray this. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Today’s Verse – Proverbs 31:30
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. —Proverbs 31:30 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Want to find a really good woman? Look for one that honors and reveres the LORD with all of her heart, soul, mind, and strength and loves her neighbors as she loves herself (Matthew 22:36-40). Appearance, physical strength, and even personality can change and degrade. A woman whose heart is anchored and enlivened by the presence of God in her life will be a lifelong blessing to others and a woman worthy of our praise, and the praise of her Father in heaven! My Prayer… Father, once again, I want to thank you for the important women in my life who have helped shape my faith and guided me to you… (Please pray by name for godly women who have blessed you!) Father, please help me to value godly women in ways that bless them, honor you, and build up your Church. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Today’s Verse – Philippians 1:29
For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him… —Philippians 1:29 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Suffer! How is suffering a privilege? It’s not unless it is for Jesus or to help redeem others with Jesus. Remember how the early apostles were joyful because they were counted worthy to suffer for the name (Acts 5:41). Let’s reawaken ourselves to Jesus’ reminder that if we follow him, we will likely suffer for him at some time in our lives (Mark 10:29-30). Many believers around the world are actually suffering, are persecuted, and even martyred today. So, let’s realize that while God IS working things out for our good and his glory (Romans 8:28), part of that work means our being conformed to the likeness of his Son, the Suffering Servant (Romans 8:29; Mark 10:45). Jesus suffered for us so that we could be saved. Now, when we face suffering for the cause of Christ and his Kingdom, we can help inspire others to live faithfully in adversity and show to all, even those who hate us, the genuineness of our faith. So few in the world today have anything worth living for, dying for, or suffering for. We, however, have many reasons to live, die, and suffer in honor of Christ. Our lives will be caught up in Jesus’ victory because we have shared in his trials (Romans 8:17)! My Prayer… Please grow our courage, LORD! Help us, your people, O God, to be faithful in times of trouble, strong in times of persecution, and steadfast in times of suffering and martyrdom. May the world see our faith under fire and be drawn to our hope in Jesus, in whose name we pray. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.