December 31 / NKJV 365

 The eternal Son of God, Jesus, actually became a baby. God became an embryo. The deity in diapers! Once Jesus arrived on earth, He went through a learning process, just like anybody else. Luke tells us that, “Jesus increased in wisdom and stature.” (Luke 2:52). Some hear this and say, “Hold on! If you are God, then you’re omniscient, which means you know all things. So how can you learn anything?” That’s a valid question. And here’s the biblical answer: Jesus continued to possess His divine attributes without choosing to use them. In the words of Scripture, He “emptied” Himself and “humbled” Himself. But self-emptying is not self-extinction. In coming to earth He did not lay aside His deity — that was impossible — but rather the privileges of deity. He emptied Himself, not of His essential being or character, but of His right to draw upon the staggering privileges of His deity.

Taken from Start! The Bible for New Believers

“And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭2:52‬ ‭

Mary of Nazareth - An Honored Mother / NKJV 365

 

Mary of Nazareth

An Honored Mother

No other human being was closer to Jesus Christ on earth than Mary, His mother. Each of the gospels and the Book of Acts includes her as a woman uniquely gifted to share her Son’s earthly life. As a mother, she is one of us, but as the mother of our Lord, she is blessed above all women.

Matthew introduced Mary of Nazareth as the betrothed wife of Joseph, “a just man” (Matt. 1:19). When the angel Gabriel appeared to her with the birth announcement (Luke 1:26–28), Mary’s response clearly revealed her keen understanding of Scripture and her ready willingness to obey God.

The awesome concept of yielding her virgin body to the Holy Spirit as His instrument was sure to be misunderstood, but Mary’s spirit of total trust earned God’s pleasure (Luke 1:38). Overwhelming as the news was, she submitted herself to the assignment with joy. Her song of praise (Luke 1:46–55) describes a perceptive heart of overflowing exaltation to her Lord.

Intertwined with spiritual insight, however, were Mary’s anxieties. When at age twelve Jesus failed to join the family as they returned from Jerusalem (Luke 2:41–50), when the wine at the wedding feast was insufficient (John 2:1–12), when she was concerned during His ministry (Mark 6:2, 3; Luke 8:19) or horrified at His Crucifixion, her Son graciously responded to His mother’s disquiet on each occasion. He tenderly placed her in the care of John before He died (John 19:25–27).

Mary and Joseph became the parents of other children. Mary probably experienced early widowhood, but she shines as a faithful wife and mother. When Mary appeared publicly, standing at the Cross (John 19:25) and praying after the Lord’s ascension (Acts 1:12–14), she demonstrated her courage to the world. She was marked as “one of His,” liable for persecution along with the disciples.

The unknown maiden from the despised Galilean town of Nazareth (see John 1:46) illuminates for all time the basic nature of womanhood: entrusting to the next generation the message of God’s faithfulness, whether through the rearing of one’s own child or through the task of spiritual nurturing that might extend beyond the family circle. Not only was Mary God’s sovereign choice to bear the Christ Child, but she was also a devoted and humble follower of her Messiah.

Taken from The Woman’s Study Bible

“Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.””

‭‭Luke‬ ‭1:26-28‬ ‭

December 28 / NKJV 365

 We often romanticize the very first Christmas. We see the babe swathed in the blue night, sitting serenely in the stable with Mary and Joseph, with the shepherds looking on adoringly. In fact, Jesus was born in unsanitary conditions, surrounded by a stable full of filthy animals. His birth is not only the story of an arrival on earth; it is also the story of a departure from heaven. From earth’s perspective, unto us a child was born. But from heaven’s perspective, a Son was given (see Is. 9:6). Jesus, who was fully God, became a human born of a woman, who grew up in Israel, lived for about thirty years among His countrymen — every moment without committing a single sin or displeasing His heavenly Father to the slightest degree — and willingly died on a Roman cross to make a way for us to live with Him in eternity.

Taken from Start! The Bible for New Believers

““Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.””

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭1:23‬

December 27 / NKJV 365

 Herod believed enough in Scripture to inquire where they said the Messiah would be born, but not enough to shape his life according to its teachings. A little religion can be a dangerous thing. We must know the full counsel of God’s Word.

Taken from The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Daily Bible

“Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭2:4‬

The Lord’s Maidservant / NKJV 365

 

The Lord’s Maidservant

Mary of Nazareth might have been no more than fifteen years old when the angel Gabriel appeared to her (Luke 1:26, 27), and his startling announcement that she would soon bear the Son of God signaled the end of her normal life. Mary would be the subject of rumors and gossip from that moment on. Her husband-to-be had every right to publically end their betrothal, exposing her to public humiliation. Even if Joseph “put her away secretly” (Matt. 1:19), circumstances would force her to return in shame to her father’s house or to survive on her own by whatever means she could.

Faced with a bleak future through no fault of her own, Mary had plenty of reason to balk at Gabriel’s message. Yet she instead accepted her assignment without reservation. “Behold the maidservant of the Lord!” Mary replied. “Let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). She no doubt found a safe haven in Joseph, who committed to walking beside her on the strange and difficult path ahead.

Mary also found relief in visiting her relative Elizabeth. Mary arrived during the third trimester of Elizabeth’s pregnancy (1:39–56) and likely helped Elizabeth prepare for her baby at the same time that she acquired what she needed to set up a home with Joseph. Mary must have soaked up wisdom by listening to this older, righteous woman and observing her marriage to Zacharias.

Once Jesus was born and the family had established themselves in Nazareth (2:39, 40), Mary probably settled into a routine as a homemaker. With her baby strapped to her back or slung over her shoulder, she drew water, baked bread, spun wool, and more (see “Jewish Homemaking” at Mark 1:29–31).

Luke recorded the family’s obedience to Jewish law—having Jesus circumcised (Luke 2:21), observing Mary’s ritual purification (2:22), and presenting their son along with an appropriate sacrifice at the temple (2:22–24). Mary likely provided Jesus’ earliest instruction in the Scriptures.

The New Testament reveals little of Mary after Jesus was born. She is not listed among Jesus’ earliest followers, and when she does appear in the narrative, her son seemed to treat her with detachment (8:19–21; 11:27, 28). Nevertheless, she stood at the cross (John 19:25–27) and was among those who gathered together to await the Holy Spirit’s arrival (Acts 1:14).

Taken from The Modern Life Study Bible

“And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭1:38‬ 

December 25 / NKJV 365

God the Father of Christ — Every new Christian eventually wonders in what sense God may be called the Father of Christ and Christ the Son of God. The answer to this question is not a simple one. First, one must recognize that the title “Son of God” does not speak of physical nature, for God is spirit (John 4:24), and Christ was the Son of God before He assumed a human body in Bethlehem (John 3:16; Gal. 4:4). Passages that use terms implying physical origin must be taken in a figurative sense (Heb. 1:5).

Second, the title expresses a unique relationship. Christ distinguished His sonship from that of His disciples (John 20:17). He is begotten of God in a sense that no one else is (John 1:14; 3:16). Some call it “eternal generation,” signifying the timelessness of this “God from God” relationship.

Third, the title describes a relationship of equality. The Son of God is no less than God. When Jesus claimed to be “one” with the Father, He was speaking of a unity of “substance” with the Father and thus equality in all the attributes of deity (John 10:30). The Jews certainly understood this claim, for they took up stones to stone Him, protesting that “You . . . make Yourself God” (John 10:33).

Fourth, the title especially emphasizes Christ’s role as the revealer of God. He alone possesses the knowledge of the Father (John 14:6–91; John 1:2), and He is the sole mediator of that knowledge (1 Tim. 2:5). Therefore no one can know the Father except through the Son (John 14:6). The narrowness of this way to God should be a sober incentive to take to all the world the message that the Son of God has come to impart to every person the life of the Father.

Taken from The Open Bible

“and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.””

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭3:17‬

How are we to think about the astonishing miracles reported in Exodus? / NKJV 365

 

How are we to think about the astonishing miracles reported in Exodus?

The scientific materialism of many twenty-first-century people makes it difficult for them to consider any so-called miracles. If the laws of nature are considered supreme, the existence of a personal Supreme Being above the laws of nature and able to override them becomes inconceivable. Examples of miracles do little to convince someone who is already convinced that miracles are impossible.

Miracles can demonstrate God’s existence; they don’t prove it. Human beings display an amazing ability to come up with alternative explanations for God’s activity in history. The situation is not that twenty-first-century people can’t believe in miracles; rather, it is that twenty-first-century people often won’t believe in miracles.

For Christians, the matter is settled by faith. In becoming Christian, we had to believe in the central miracle: God came in the flesh, Jesus Christ, who lived, died, and rose from the dead to reign eternally as Lord and Savior. In the light of that miracle, the miracles of Exodus become less a matter for speculation and more a matter of wonder and worship. They are examples of the lengths to which God went to communicate to people. Even twenty-first-century Christians are humbled and awestruck by God’s amazing power!

Taken from The MacArthur Daily Bible

“But the people thirsted there for water; and they grumbled against Moses and said, “Why, now, have you brought us up from Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “What shall I do to this people? A little more and they will stone me.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pass before the people and take with you some of the elders of Israel; and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. He named the place Massah and Meribah because of the quarrel of the sons of Israel, and because they tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us, or not?””

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭17:3-7‬ 

December 23 / NKJV 365

 The Transfiguration took place within a week of Christ’s prediction that He would die. The three disciples included were the ones He allowed to witness the raising of Jairus’ daughter (Mark 5:37); they later would accompany Him to the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:33). Though tradition long held this “high mountain” to be Mt. Tabor, there is no record that Jesus was near Mt. Tabor at this time. Also, archaeological excavations discovered here a fortified city dating to this time, which would have made it difficult for them to have been in seclusion. Mt. Hermon seems a more likely place. Three events took place: Jesus’ body was transfigured (v. 2); Moses, the giver of the Law and deliverer from bondage in Egypt, and Elijah, the forerunner of John the Baptist and representative of the prophets in the OT, appeared (v. 3); and God spoke from a cloud (v. 5).

Taken from The Woman’s Study Bible

“Six days later Jesus *took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and *led them up on a high mountain by themselves.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭17:1

The Transfiguration / NKJV 365

 

The Transfiguration

Jesus’ transfiguration was a visionary revelation (Matt. 17:9) of the divine glory that the Son (Mark 9:7) possessed from His incarnation (see John 1:14). A brief scene in Luke’s Gospel clarifies what was at stake, not only in the vision but in Jesus’ ministry: Jesus discussed His “decease” with Moses and Elijah (Luke 9:31). The Greek word translated “decease” (exodus) refers to the process of “death.” It recalls the “Exodus” from Egypt as an earlier process of divine redemption. Thus, Jesus’ impending death and resurrection, also an “Exodus,” would further extend God’s redemption to humanity.

Taken from Chronological Study Bible

“Some eight days after these sayings, He took along Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while He was praying, the appearance of His face became different, and His clothing became white and gleaming. And behold, two men were talking with Him; and they were Moses and Elijah, who, appearing in glory, were speaking of His departure which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions had been overcome with sleep; but when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men standing with Him. And as these were leaving Him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tabernacles: one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not realizing what he was saying. While he was saying this, a cloud formed and began to overshadow them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. Then a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!” And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent, and reported to no one in those days any of the things which they had seen.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭9:28-36‬ ‭

Healing the Man Born Blind / NKJV 365

 

Healing the Man Born Blind

Jesus proclaimed, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12; 9:5) and demonstrated what He meant by healing a man with congenital blindness. Jesus’ presence in the world as “light” served first as a source of revelation, revealing “the works of God” (John 9:3) in overcoming affliction. But this “light” was also a source of judgment (see John 3:19–21). The healing provoked a crisis because it was performed on the Sabbath (9:16). By self-righteously condemning Jesus as a “sinner” for this breach of Sabbath observance traditions, Jesus’ Pharisaic opponents brought themselves under judgment (John 9:39–41).

Conversely, the man who was healed received not only physical sight but also increasing spiritual insight. As he reflected upon what had happened to him, he gradually proceeded from referring to his benefactor as “a Man called Jesus” (9:11) to saying that “He is a prophet” (9:17), and ultimately to confessing belief that He is “the Son of God” (9:35–38).

Taken from Chronological Study Bible

“When He had said this, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and applied the clay to his eyes, and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went away and washed, and came back seeing. Therefore the neighbors, and those who previously saw him as a beggar, were saying, “Is not this the one who used to sit and beg?” Others were saying, “This is he,” still others were saying, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the one.” So they were saying to him, “How then were your eyes opened?” He answered, “The man who is called Jesus made clay, and anointed my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash’; so I went away and washed, and I received sight.” They said to him, “Where is He?” He *said, “I do not know.””

‭‭John‬ ‭9:6-12‬ ‭

The Healing of Spirit, Soul, and Body, DIVINE HEALING. / NKJV 365

 

The Healing of Spirit, Soul, and Body, DIVINE HEALING.

The Greek word sozo (“heal,” “save,” “make well or whole”) appears in this chapter, offering Luke’s unique perspective as a physician. A full range of encounters appears, manifesting Jesus’ healing power: 1) The Gadarene, delivered from the demonic powers dominating him, is “healed,” freed of evil powers that countermanded his own rational mind and physical actions. 2) The woman with the issue of blood (vv. 43–48) touches the hem of Jesus’ garment, and Jesus says, “Your faith has made you well.” 3) In v. 50, after being told the little girl is dead, Jesus declares: “Only believe, and she will be made well.” 4) In v. 12, as Jesus explains the parable of the sower, the word “saved” is used for one’s restored relationship with God through faith. Luke’s precise account offers a complete picture of the Savior’s concern to restore every part of man’s life: (a) our relationship with God the Father; (b) our broken personalities and bondages; (c) our physical health; and (d) ultimately our rescue from death itself at the Resurrection. Jesus Christ is the Savior of the whole man.

“Those who had seen it reported to them how the man who was demon-possessed had been made well.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭8:36‬ ‭

December 18 / NKJV 365

 If Jesus really loved Lazarus, then why didn’t he immediately go to heal him when he heard he was sick? When hardship, tragedy, or even death comes into our lives, we often ask the same. It is hard to see through eyes filled with tears! But even though we cannot see how a situation will end or why it has happened to us, we can know that it flows from the love of God and is controlled by him. That is why we should always interpret his delays in the light of his love — and not the other way around.

Taken from Start! The Bible for New Believers

 “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was.”

‭‭John‬ ‭11:5-6‬ 

What is the relationship between unbelief and Jesus’ working in people’s lives? / NKJV 365

 

What is the relationship between unbelief and Jesus’ working in people’s lives?

Although the people in Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth were “astonished” by Jesus’ wisdom and mighty works (Mark 6:2), their initial reaction gave way to skepticism and a critical attitude toward Jesus. They still thought of Jesus as a carpenter and the son of Mary with brothers and sisters (v. 3). The residents of Nazareth were deeply offended at Jesus’ posturing Himself as some great teacher because of His ordinary background, His limited formal education, and His lack of an officially sanctioned religious position.

In the face of this, Jesus “could do no mighty work there” (v. 5). This is not to suggest that His power was somehow diminished by their unbelief. It may suggest that because of their unbelief, people were not coming to Him for healing or miracles the way they did in Capernaum and Jerusalem. Or, more importantly, it may signify that Christ limited His ministry both as an act of mercy so that the exposure to greater light would not result in a worse hardening that would only subject them to greater condemnation, and a judgment on their unbelief. He had the power to do more miracles, but not the will because they rejected Him. Miracles belonged among those who were ready to believe.

“He marveled because of their unbelief” (v. 6). “Marveled” means Jesus was completely astonished and amazed at Nazareth’s reaction to Him, His teaching, and His miracles. He was not surprised at the fact of the people’s unbelief, but at how they could reject Him while claiming to know all about Him.

Taken from The MacArthur Daily Bible

“Jesus went out from there and *came into His hometown; and His disciples *followed Him. When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and the many listeners were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things, and what is this wisdom given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?” And they took offense at Him. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own household.” And He could do no miracle there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He wondered at their unbelief. And He was going around the villages teaching.”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭6:1-6‬

The New Birth / NKJV 365

 

The New Birth

Early in His ministry, Jesus revealed the way to enter God’s eternal Kingdom. We must be “born again” (3:3), a birth from above realized by water and the Spirit.

In His conversation with Nicodemus, Christ states, “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (3:5). From the beginning, the Church has recognized the “water” to be the water of baptism, “the Spirit” to be the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the new birth consists of being joined to Christ in the water of baptism and receiving the Holy Spirit through anointing or “chrismation.”

Salvation, then, is more than forgiveness of sins, more than a mental acceptance of Christ and His teachings. For in salvation we are given union with God through Christ, a right and full relationship with the Holy Trinity, and the restoration of our full humanity. All these things are accomplished through the Incarnation, the union of God and man in the Person of Jesus Christ. Salvation, then, is founded on a substantial union of the believer with Christ in His full humanity, a flesh-to-flesh relationship. Paul likens it to the joining of husband and wife (Eph 5:23–32).

Throughout their epistles, the apostles remind us the new birth is necessary for salvation. We die to sin; then, buried with Christ and risen with Him, we are united to Christ and to His body, the Church. We are cleansed, justified, and sanctified—all in baptism, “the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit” (Tts 3:5). Without our repentance and faith, however, immersion in water would be of no effect.

Some Christians bypass baptism and stress only faith. Why is the mystery of the water necessary? Because just as Christ actually died on a cross, was buried, and rose again—all through His faith and God’s grace—so we must actually be immersed in the sacramental waters of baptism, made effectual through our faith and God’s grace.

The basic form of baptism is simple. The person that is born again is joined to Christ and immersed in the water in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (see Mt 28:19).

In the new birth, a true mystery takes place. For in the sacrament of baptism, we die, going down into the water to be mystically united to Christ in His death, and we live again, rising up out of the water in His resurrected humanity. In short, we are born again.

Taken from The Orthodox Study Bible

“Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus *said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”

‭‭John‬ ‭3:3-5‬

December 14 / NKJV 365

 Through Moses, God gave us His law, including the Ten Commandments. “You shall not have any other Gods before Me.” “You shall not lie.” “You shall not steal.” Every one of us has broken those commandments, and some of us have broken them many times—and His Word insists that the soul that sins shall die (Ezek. 18:20). The Bible also says that if you offend in just one point of the law, you are guilty of breaking it all (James 2:10). The righteous God says, “This is My standard. I am holy.” The problem is that we can’t get there on our own. And so Jesus makes us holy through faith in Him. The law of God was given that “every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God” (Rom. 3:19), then to drive us into the open arms of Christ, who alone can forgive and write His law on our hearts.

Taken from Start! The Bible for New Believers

“Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go.”

‭‭Joshua‬ ‭1:7‬

Can a genuine Christian lose salvation? / NKJV 365

 Can a genuine Christian lose salvation? 

Other NT passages indicate that true believers possess eternal security (see John 6:39, 40; 10:27–29; 1 John 2:1). The four verbal actions—“enlightened, tasted the heavenly gift, become partakers of the Holy Spirit, tasted the good word of God”—do seem to express authentic Christian conversion experience (Heb. 6:4, 5). Some interpret this passage as providing the strongest argument against reinstatement if it were possible to lose salvation. If the hypothetical case clearly describes a genuine believer, the verses would then assure believers of salvation. Other verses confirm the writer’s belief that salvation cannot be lost (see v. 19; Heb. 10:14).

Taken from The Woman’s Study Bible

“and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭6:6‬

Salvation - God’s Deliverance / NKJV 365

Salvation

God’s Deliverance

Salvation can be described as “snatching” someone from serious danger. Just as you would “snatch” your child from before an oncoming automobile to save his life, the Lord Jesus saves or “snatches” every individual who trusts in Him from the pathway that leads to eternal death in Hell (Rom. 6:23). Salvation thus can best be understood as God’s deliverance. In the Old Testament, God delivered Israel from their enemies many times (Judg. 3:9, 15, 28). In the New Testament, God delivered sinners from eternity in Hell (Acts. 16:31).

Salvation requires not only God’s initial action but also your response. There are basically three aspects of God’s salvation or deliverance: justification, sanctification, and glorification. Justification is God’s deliverance from sin’s penalty. When a person accepts Christ into their life, they become totally free from the penalty of sin and spiritual death (Rom. 3:23–25). The penalty for sins that have been committed in the past or sins that will be committed in the future has been paid through the death of Jesus Christ on the Cross.

Sanctification is God’s progressive deliverance of a believer from sin’s power (Eph. 5:26; 1 Thess. 5:23). God desires that believers mature and become more Christlike, that become free from sin’s control in her life. But if the believer sins because of her fallen nature, God has made provision (1 John 1:9). God has given the Holy Spirit to aid believers in the process of sanctification.

Glorification is God’s ultimate deliverance of the believer from sin’s presence. Glorification will not be actualized until the Lord returns for His children (1 Cor. 15:51–57). While you are living on this earth, you will always be in the presence of sin. However, those who have trusted in Christ will one day be free from sin completely.

Your personal response to God’s action is also of utmost importance in salvation:

* You must know who Christ is, what He has done, and what He is able to do.

* You must have a conviction that this knowledge about Christ is true.

* You must act upon that knowledge and conviction, trusting in Christ daily.

You must have a personal encounter with Christ, surrendering your life to the Lord. At this point salvation or “deliverance” occurs. From that point throughout eternity, the power of Christ in the believer is greater than the power of sin over that believer (2 Tim. 1:12), and Christ, in turn, covers your sins by having paid the penalty for those sins through His death on the Cross. You then are challenged to live for Him and grow in His grace.

Taken from The Woman’s Study Bible

“so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭5:26‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬ 

December 11 / NKJV 365

 What did we do to merit our salvation? What great deed or accomplishment did we pull off? Are we worthy recipients of this gift? Hardly. God calls us sinners who have willfully departed from the way of righteousness, fallen short of God’s standards, and badly missed the mark. Instead of loving God with all our being, we have rebelled against him. At one point we were actually God’s enemies (Col. 1:21). Finally, we were powerless to save ourselves. So much for deserving our salvation! Instead, God saved us for his own sake, because of his love and grace. Period.

Taken from Start! The Bible for New Believers

“For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act; For how can My name be profaned? And My glory I will not give to another.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭48:11‬ 

December 10 / NKJV 365

 When you choose spiritual life over death, it’s possible to understand your salvation as an exchange. The apostle Paul talked about counting everything he once thought of as a profit now as a loss in Christ (Phil. 3:7). As sinners, this can be difficult for us to grasp. Sinful pleasures, the adoration of the world, and self-importance — all things we once cherished — are now things we must get rid of, lest they bring us down. But this is not a negative thing, because in salvation we have gained the ultimate profit in Christ and the righteousness and resurrection He offers us.

Taken from Start! The Bible for New Believers

 ““See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity;”

‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭30:15

December 9 / NKJV 365

 If you are not currently going through any suffering, then rejoice. Really! Just rejoice. And praise God for your current situation. Still, I hate to break this to you, but you are either coming out of one storm or you are headed into another. If you are having one of those nice intervals in life, then enjoy the interval. But hardship will come. We would rather avoid these things, but sometimes there’s no escaping them. Tragedy can happen so quickly, it boggles the mind. And when it hits, it opens your eyes. Everything changes. The way you see, the way you feel, the way you think — everything changes, and you can’t escape it. Suffering comes to every person and it will come to you. So prepare for it. It is not a matter of if suffering will come, but only of when and how much. So be prepared ahead of time.

Taken from Start! The Bible for New Believers

“For man is born for trouble, As sparks fly upward.”

‭‭Job‬ ‭5:7‬