Songs of the Month:
Jesus Messiah ~ Chris Tomlin
I actually have two songs that I wanted to share with you this month! Saturday evening we went to a Christmas Musical at a church here in town and this song touched me and reminded me of the topic I was writing about this month. So, here is a portion of the song, "Is There Any Wonder?".(Thanks mom for taping it!) Click the link!
Bible Verses:
Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14 ~ Jesus' birth was prophesied in the Old Testament
And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:1-7
~ He is born as had been prophesied in the Old Testament!
My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?
Why are You so far from helping Me,
And from the words of My groaning? Psalm 22:1
Why are You so far from helping Me,
And from the words of My groaning? Psalm 22:1
~ The very words Jesus said on the cross are in the Old Testament. In fact, if you read the whole chapter of Psalm 22 it is about Jesus' Death.
Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, “This Man is calling for Elijah!” Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink. The rest said, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.”
And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!” Matthew 27:45-54 ~Jesus is Crucified
And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!” Matthew 27:45-54 ~Jesus is Crucified
Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.” So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. Matthew 28:1-8
~ And don't forget...HE AROSE!
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16
~ This verse is so well known to us, but it is it the basis of why we celebrate Christmas!
Devotion:
I feel like today in Christianity we sometimes tend to overlook what Christ did for us on Calvary. We get so busy in life, so caught up in the daily grind that it has almost become old hat to us. We have become so used to hearing the same story every Easter we just forget the importance of what Christ has done for us. He died on the cross for our sins and for our mistakes. He gave His life so we could have life more abundantly. His love for us is so great we can't even begin to fathom it. Just think how God felt sending his only Son to earth knowing how he would be mistreated and hung on a cross. It must have hurt Him very deeply. But He did it anyway, He knew that we needed a Savior to wash away our sins and wipe away our tears. Let us never forget the Lord's love for us. This Christmas as we celebrate let us remember the true reason we celebrate - Jesus being born for us. I am so grateful that God loved us enough to send Jesus to earth to be born and to later die for our transgressions. Let us not cease to remember the real reason for this wonderful Christmas season!
Love and Prayers,
Deborah Allyn
HAVE A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A BLESSED HOLIDAY!
