Monday, December 6

Read the passage for the day and leave a comment about WHAT you learned and HOW you can apply it to your life.

Luke 2:21-40
 ²¹ Eight days later, when
the baby was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the
angel even before he was conceived.

 ²²
Then it was time for their purification offering, as required by the
law of Moses after the birth of a child; so his parents took him to
Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. ²³ The law of the Lord says, “If a woman’s first child is a boy, he must be dedicated to the Lord.” ²⁴ So they offered the sacrifice required in the law of the Lord—“either a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

The Prophecy of Simeon

 ²⁵
At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was
righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and
rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him ²⁶ and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. ²⁷
That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came
to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, ²⁸ Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying,

 ²⁹ “Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace,
      as you have promised.
 ³⁰ I have seen your salvation,
    ³¹ which you have prepared for all people.
 ³² He is a light to reveal God to the nations,
      and he is the glory of your people Israel!”

 ³³ Jesus’ parents were amazed at what was being said about him. ³⁴
Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “This
child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, but he will be a joy
to many others. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will
oppose him. ³⁵ As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.”

 ³⁶
Anna, a prophet, was also there in the Temple. She was the daughter of
Phanuel from the tribe of Asher, and she was very old. Her husband died
when they had been married only seven years. ³⁷ Then she lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer. ³⁸
She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she
began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been
waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem.

 ³⁹ When Jesus’ parents had fulfilled all the requirements of the law of the Lord, they returned home to Nazareth in Galilee. ⁴⁰ There the child grew up healthy and strong. He was filled with wisdom, and God’s favor was on him.

Sunday, December 12

Read the passage for the day and leave a comment about WHAT you learned and HOW you can apply it to your life.

Exodus 25

 ¹ The Lord said to Moses, ²
“Tell the people of Israel to bring me their sacred offerings. Accept
the contributions from all whose hearts are moved to offer them. ³ Here is a list of sacred offerings you may accept from them:

   gold, silver, and bronze;
 ⁴ blue, purple, and scarlet thread;
   fine linen and goat hair for cloth;
 ⁵ tanned ram skins and fine goatskin leather;
   acacia wood;
 ⁶ olive oil for the lamps;
   spices for the anointing oil and the fragrant incense;
 ⁷ onyx stones, and other gemstones to be set in the ephod and the priest’s chestpiece.

 ⁸ “Have the people of Israel build me a holy sanctuary so I can live among them. ⁹ You must build this Tabernacle and its furnishings exactly according to the pattern I will show you.

Plans for the Ark of the Covenant

 ¹⁰ “Have the people make an Ark of acacia wood—a sacred chest 45 inches long, 27 inches wide, and 27 inches high.^{[a] 11} Overlay it inside and outside with pure gold, and run a molding of gold all around it. ¹² Cast four gold rings and attach them to its four feet, two rings on each side. ¹³ Make poles from acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. ¹⁴ Insert the poles into the rings at the sides of the Ark to carry it. ¹⁵ These carrying poles must stay inside the rings; never remove them. ¹⁶ When the Ark is finished, place inside it the stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant,^[b] which I will give to you.

 ¹⁷ “Then make the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—from pure gold. It must be 45 inches long and 27 inches wide.^{[c] 18} Then make two cherubim from hammered gold, and place them on the two ends of the atonement cover. ¹⁹ Mold the cherubim on each end of the atonement cover, making it all of one piece of gold. ²⁰
The cherubim will face each other and look down on the atonement cover.
With their wings spread above it, they will protect it. ²¹
Place inside the Ark the stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the
covenant, which I will give to you. Then put the atonement cover on top
of the Ark. ²² I will meet
with you there and talk to you from above the atonement cover between
the gold cherubim that hover over the Ark of the Covenant.^[d] From there I will give you my commands for the people of Israel.

Plans for the Table

 ²³ “Then make a table of acacia wood, 36 inches long, 18 inches wide, and 27 inches high.^{[e] 24} Overlay it with pure gold and run a gold molding around the edge. ²⁵ Decorate it with a 3-inch border^[f] all around, and run a gold molding along the border. ²⁶ Make four gold rings for the table and attach them at the four corners next to the four legs. ²⁷ Attach the rings near the border to hold the poles that are used to carry the table. ²⁸ Make these poles from acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. ²⁹ Make special containers of pure gold for the table—bowls, pans, pitchers, and jars—to be used in pouring out liquid offerings. ³⁰ Place the Bread of the Presence on the table to remain before me at all times.

Plans for the Lampstand

 ³¹
“Make a lampstand of pure, hammered gold. Make the entire lampstand and
its decorations of one piece—the base, center stem, lamp cups, buds,
and petals. ³² Make it with six branches going out from the center stem, three on each side. ³³ Each of the six branches will have three lamp cups shaped like almond blossoms, complete with buds and petals. ³⁴ Craft the center stem of the lampstand with four lamp cups shaped like almond blossoms, complete with buds and petals. ³⁵ There will also be an almond bud beneath each pair of branches where the six branches extend from the center stem. ³⁶ The almond buds and branches must all be of one piece with the center stem, and they must be hammered from pure gold. ³⁷ Then make the seven lamps for the lampstand, and set them so they reflect their light forward. ³⁸ The lamp snuffers and trays must also be made of pure gold. ³⁹ You will need seventy-five pounds^[g] of pure gold for the lampstand and its accessories.

 ⁴⁰ “Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain.

Tuesday, December 7

Read the passage for the day and leave a comment about WHAT you learned and HOW you can apply it to your life.

Matthew 1
  ¹ This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David^[a] and of Abraham:

 ² Abraham was the father of Isaac.
   Isaac was the father of Jacob.
   Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers.
 ³ Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah (whose mother was Tamar).
   Perez was the father of Hezron.
   Hezron was the father of Ram.^[b]
 4 Ram was the father of Amminadab.
   Amminadab was the father of Nahshon.
   Nahshon was the father of Salmon.
 ⁵ Salmon was the father of Boaz (whose mother was Rahab).
   Boaz was the father of Obed (whose mother was Ruth).
   Obed was the father of Jesse.
 ⁶ Jesse was the father of King David.
   David was the father of Solomon (whose mother was Bathsheba, the widow of Uriah).
 ⁷ Solomon was the father of Rehoboam.
   Rehoboam was the father of Abijah.
   Abijah was the father of Asa.^[c]
 8 Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat.
   Jehoshaphat was the father of Jehoram.^[d]
   Jehoram was the father^[e] of Uzziah.
 ⁹ Uzziah was the father of Jotham.
   Jotham was the father of Ahaz.
   Ahaz was the father of Hezekiah.
 ¹⁰ Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh.
   Manasseh was the father of Amon.^[f]
   Amon was the father of Josiah.
 ¹¹ Josiah was the father of Jehoiachin^[g] and his brothers (born at the time of the exile to Babylon).
 ¹² After the Babylonian exile:
   Jehoiachin was the father of Shealtiel.
   Shealtiel was the father of Zerubbabel.
 ¹³ Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud.
   Abiud was the father of Eliakim.
   Eliakim was the father of Azor.
 ¹⁴ Azor was the father of Zadok.
   Zadok was the father of Akim.
   Akim was the father of Eliud.
 ¹⁵ Eliud was the father of Eleazar.
   Eleazar was the father of Matthan.
   Matthan was the father of Jacob.
 ¹⁶ Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
   Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called the Messiah.

 ¹⁷
All those listed above include fourteen generations from Abraham to
David, fourteen from David to the Babylonian exile, and fourteen from
the Babylonian exile to the Messiah.

The Birth of Jesus the Messiah

 ¹⁸
This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged
to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she
was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy
Spirit. ¹⁹ Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement^[h] quietly.

 ²⁰
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.
²¹ And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

 ²² All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:

 ²³ “Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
      She will give birth to a son,
   and they will call him Immanuel,
      which means ‘God is with us.’”

 ²⁴ When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. ²⁵ But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.

Wednesday, December 8

Read the passage for the day and leave a comment about WHAT you learned and HOW you can apply it to your life.

Luke 2:1-20

 ¹ At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. ² (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) ³ All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. ⁴
And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to
Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the
village of Nazareth in Galilee. ⁵ He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant.

 ⁶ And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. ⁷
She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in
strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging
available for them.

The Shepherds and Angels

 ⁸ That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. ⁹ Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, ¹⁰ but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. ¹¹ The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! ¹² And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

 ¹³ Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,

 ¹⁴ “Glory to God in highest heaven,
      and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

 ¹⁵
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.”

 ¹⁶ They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. ¹⁷ After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. ¹⁸ All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, ¹⁹ but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. ²⁰
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.

Thursday, December 9

Read the passage for the day and leave a comment about WHAT you learned and HOW you can apply it to your life.

Mark 9:33-37

 ³³ After they arrived at Capernaum and settled in a house, Jesus asked his disciples, “What were you discussing out on the road?” ³⁴ But they didn’t answer, because they had been arguing about which of them was the greatest. ³⁵ He sat down, called the twelve disciples over to him, and said, “Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.”

 ³⁶ Then he put a little child among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, ³⁷ “Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf^[a] welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not only me but also my Father who sent me.”

Friday, December 10

Read the passage for the day and leave a comment about WHAT you learned and HOW you can apply it to your life.

Matthew 4:12-17

  ¹² When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he left Judea and returned to Galilee. ¹³
He went first to Nazareth, then left there and moved to Capernaum,
beside the Sea of Galilee, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. ¹⁴ This fulfilled what God said through the prophet Isaiah:

 ¹⁵ “In the land of Zebulun and of Naphtali,
      beside the sea, beyond the Jordan River,
      in Galilee where so many Gentiles live,
 ¹⁶ the people who sat in darkness
      have seen a great light.
   And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow,
      a light has shined.”^[a]

 ¹⁷ From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.^[b]”

Isaiah 9:1-3

  ^{1 [a]}Nevertheless,
that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of
Zebulun and Naphtali will be humbled, but there will be a time in the
future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs
between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory.

 ^{2 [b]} The people who walk in darkness
      will see a great light.
   For those who live in a land of deep darkness,^[c]
      a light will shine.
 ³ You will enlarge the nation of Israel,
      and its people will rejoice.
   They will rejoice before you
      as people rejoice at the harvest
      and like warriors dividing the plunder.

Matthew 5:14-16

  ¹⁴ “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ No
one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is
placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

Saturday, December 11

Read the passage for the day and leave a comment about WHAT you learned and HOW you can apply it to your life.

Acts 20:35

 ³⁵ And I have been a
constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You
should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

1 John 4:10

 
¹⁰ This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.