Revelation‬ ‭19‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭(NLT‬‬)

 FROM Revelation‬ ‭19‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭(NLT‬‬)TODAY'S READING...

NOTE: Today is the last day of 2024. It also concludes my one-year daily commentary devotional of the entire Bible. While reading and contemplating Revelation chapters 19-22, I was especially impacted by the sobering reminder of what my/our focus should be in the coming New Year. 

Revelation‬ ‭19‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” And he added, “These are true words that come from God.” 

Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said, “No, don’t worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers and sisters who testify about their faith in Jesus. Worship only God. For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus.”

Apostle John 

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Colossians‬ ‭2‬:‭9‬ ‭(NLT‬‬)

FROM TODAY'S READING...

"What we celebrate at Christmas is not so much the birth of a baby, but the incarnation of God Himself."

R. C. Sproul (1939-2017)

Colossians‬ ‭2‬:‭9‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.

1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here.

2 John‬ ‭1‬:‭7‬ ‭(NLT‬) I say this because many deceivers have gone out into the world. They deny that Jesus Christ came in a real body. Such a person is a deceiver and an antichrist.

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Matthew 1:21 (NLT)

FROM TODAY'S READING...

“There were many who saw the babe, but did not see the salvation.”

Unknown author

Matthew‬ ‭1‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) 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.”

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1 Timothy‬ ‭1‬:‭15‬-‭17‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life. All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God. Amen.

Apostle Paul 

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Colossians‬ ‭1‬:‭15‬-‭17‬ ‭(NLT‬‬)

FROM TODAY'S READING...

“The birth of Christ is the central event in the history of the earth – the very thing the whole story has been about.” 

C. S. Lewis (1898-1963)

British writer, literary scholar, and Anglican lay theologian.

John‬ ‭1‬:‭14‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) So the Word (Jesus) became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

Colossians‬ ‭1‬:‭15‬-‭17‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.

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Luke‬ ‭5‬:‭32‬ ‭(NLT‬‬)

FROM TODAY'S READING...

There was the little boy who approached Santa in a department store with a long list of requests. He wanted a bicycle and a sled, a chemical set, a cowboy suit, a set of trains, a baseball glove and roller skates.
"That's a pretty long list," Santa said sternly. "I'll have to check
in my book and see if you were a good boy."
"No, no," the youngster said quickly. "Never Mind checking. I'll just take the roller skates."

Unknown Author 

Luke‬ ‭5‬:‭32‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) I (Jesus) have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.

1 John‬ ‭1‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

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Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭8‬ ‭(NLT‬‬)

FROM TODAY'S READING...

"Christmas is based on an exchange of gifts, the gift of God to man - His unspeakable gift of His Son, and the gift of man to God - when we present our bodies a living sacrifice."

Vance Havner (1901-1986)

Revivalist and author

John‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

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Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭8‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.

Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

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Luke‬ ‭2‬:‭8‬-‭20‬ ‭(NLT‬‬)

FROM TODAY'S READING...

It was in December of 1903, that after many attempts, the Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, were successful in getting their “flying machine” off the ground and into the air at Kitty Hawk. Thrilled over the accomplishment, they telegraphed this message to their sister Katherine: “We have actually flown 120 feet. Will be home for Christmas.” 

Katherine hurried to the editor of the local newspaper and showed him the message. He glanced at it and said, “How nice. The boys will be home for Christmas.” 

He totally missed the big news-for the first time in human history, man had flown! 

SOURCE: Daily Bread, December 23, 1991.

Luke‬ ‭2‬:‭8‬-‭20‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” 

Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” 

When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 

They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.

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