Scripture Snippets

  Read Daniel 3 3 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its width six cubits. He set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. 2 And King Nebuchadnezzar sent word to gather together the satraps, the administrators, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 3 So the satraps, the administrators, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered together for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 4 Then a herald cried aloud: “To you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, 5 that at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, you shall fall d

  James 1:1-8 1 James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings. 2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. There are three main principles you can learn when you face adversity.  First, adversity is God’s choice tool for building godly, spiritual character into your life.  Until you experience heartache, disappointment, and pain, you are not properly equipped for s

  2 Corinthians 12:7-10 7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. When trouble comes, do you tend to doubt God’s mercy?  Or do you thank Him for His faithfulness during the heart-wrenching time?  Do you trust that He will never leave or forsake you?  Adversity will reveal where you stand in your faith.  It will reveal how much you are willing to endure for God.  You never know how much difficulty y

  1 Peter 1:1-12 1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory a

  Psalm 40:1-3 1 I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. 2 He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps. 3 He has put a new song in my mouth— Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the Lord. One of the biggest things I have a hard time with in my walk is waiting.  As a child of the 80’s and who is generally classified as “Generation X”, I think our generation would have been better classified as “Generation Drive-Thru.”  My generation was one that grew up with the fast food wars of the 80’s.  Who could get out the flashiest, tastiest, food item out to you cheap and quick.  The television was full of commercials showing Ronald McDonald, The Burger King, Dave Thomas, etc.  trying to convince us that they would help us have a good meal and better utilize our time.   Then came the internet and the “browser” wars.  Now, now, now.  Who was faster, etc. Hope

  Luke 2:28-32 he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.” Do you ever get the Christmas let-down? Or the after-Christmas-blues? I think our tendency to build toward huge events sets the stage for normal events to be somewhat deflating. Once the fun and excitement is over, then what? In today’s passage we eavesdrop on an important declaration from the angels announcing Christ’s birth. As they praised God, they reminded us of an all-important truth. Because Jesus was born, men have the opportunity for peace and favor from God. The Good News of Christmas did not end in a stable in Bethlehem. Instead, that was the beginning of an epic true story that would be played out for over two thousand years! Jesus came, in an unassuming

  Luke 2:17 17 Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. These words are the precursor to one of the most powerful responses in the Nativity scene. Here is a summarization that led to this episode:  • Caesar Augustus required a census (Luke 2:1–3).  • Joseph and Mary providentially ended up in Bethlehem (2:4–5).  • Jesus was born, wrapped in cloths, and placed in a manger (2:6–7).  It’s a powerful moment in Luke’s Gospel because he wants us to see that Jesus arrived in humility. There was no pomp and circumstance. The Messiah came in stealth on lap number one. But there was one announcement made—to shepherds living out in the fields of Bethlehem.  Shepherds—that’s fascinating. Tradition tells us that these shepherds may have watched over the Passover lambs. Although shepherding was big business in Bethlehem, shepherds were ceremonially unclean, the outcasts of the day. And they smelled of sheep. Did you note that the first

  John 15:15 15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. Many people throughout the world find themselves enriched by the gift of friendship. We desire a closeness of relationship with others, to know and be known. But what makes a friendship possible? Some think that friendships are grounded in common interests and that we gravitate toward people who like the same things we like. Others think that friendships are bound in mutuality and equality, thus making friendship between different social classes impossible. But if friendship requires mutual affection, how can we befriend someone who is our enemy? And if friendship is only possible among equals, how can we become friends of God?  Perhaps few things are more surprising than the fact that the Ruler of all creation, who needs and lacks nothing, has stooped low not only to heal us and save

  Matthew 2:16 16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. Have you ever noticed that the only children in the Christmas story—other than the newborn King—are the males whom Herod slaughtered? Imagine the stress as Mary and Joseph fled more than one hundred miles to hide the Prince of Peace in Egypt.  But wait—didn’t the angels say they had good news for all people?  Yes. But that rose of good news had—and has— not fully bloomed. And until it blossoms, we feel the disconnect between tidings of joy and actual shalom on earth. Christmas might whisper to us of the world to come—through time with family, beloved carols, ham and wassail, a long-awaited hug, and/or Christmas morning with eyes all aglow—but we also mourn the depressed bank accounts, the

John 1:9-12  Our Christmas gift-giving tradition traces back to the Magi who brought gifts to  the baby Jesus (Matthew 2:11). We often hear that these original Christmas gifts of gold,  frankincense, and myrrh were extremely valuable. This is true. On closer inspection, a valuable gift is certainly recorded here; however, it is not the  expensive material items brought by the Magi. Rather, as Simeon understands, the gift is  Jesus Himself (Luke 2:29–32). John describes this gift as “true light” (John 1:9). This gift is not typical but rather a  once-in-eternity gift. It is Jesus Himself and a never-ending relationship with God (1:12). One would expect John’s story to mimic the Nativity and have a happy ending: the  human race embraces Jesus with enthusiasm and thankfulness. But no. Instead, John  reads like a tragedy: “He came to what was his own, and [they] did not accept him” (1:11).  Humanity, which desperately needed this gift, rejected it! Think of the insult to the Giver.  Consid

  Matthew 2:9-11 9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. When the Magi left Herod, the star that had been leading them reappeared. Earlier it signaled the birth of the Jewish king (Matthew 2:2), prompting the far-off Magi to travel to Jerusalem. But now it was a guiding star, directing them to Jesus. The star’s movement indicated it was low in the sky, suggesting it was a supernatural phenomenon. When the Magi arrived, they bowed before Jesus and worshiped Him with their gifts.  This episode has a foreshadowing function in Matthew’s Gospel. The Magi, Gentiles from a dista

  Luke 2:20 20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them. Christmas is a wonderful time of celebration, but sometimes the biblical facts surrounding the holiday are obscured by the bustle of the season. This happens to me when I approach the holidays after an exhausting year of chores. Seasonal activities like decorating Christmas trees, buying presents, attending family gatherings, and other good things sometimes undermine my sense of the enormity of Christmas. When I catch my breath, the biblical facts appear in bold relief: “The most exalted of the kings of the earth” (Psalm 89:27) was born in a manger in Bethlehem, rather than in Jerusalem; and the heavenly hosts, shepherds, and visitors from the east all worshipped our King!  My Bibles usually have a chart that summarizes the prophecies fulfilled by Christ’s Advent. I regularly review the many references to the Incarnation, which seemingly cover ev