July 6 – Begotten for God’s Glory

“I will tell of the decree:
The Lord said to me, “You are my Son;
today I have begotten you.” – Psalm 2:7-8 (ESV)

Psalm 1 and 2 haven’t any title or notations about the author. Sometimes, comparing “blessed” in Psalm 1:1 and Psalm 2:12, these songs are said to share in the role of introducing the Psalter. “You are my Son” in verse 7  recalls 2 Samuel 7:8–16 and is the only Old Testament reference to the Father/Son relationship in the Trinity; a relationship decreed in eternity past and demonstrated in the incarnation ⸺ a major message of the New Testament. But it appears seven times in the Gospels. Once in Acts and quoted directly twice in the letter to the Hebrews. It’s an affirmation, a promise, an announcement from Heaven by God our Father on two occasions (the baptism of Jesus and when He appeared with Moses and Elijah while He was transfigured on the mountain.). Thus, recorded six times in the first three Gospels. Treasured by believers, in 1740 Charles Jennens, George Fredrick Handel’s friend included these words in the libretto he wrote from scripture for Handel’s Messiah ⸺ 18 months before Handel actually composed the music. Often heard at Christmastime, we’re reminded of it now for in July, only six months until Christmas when many start their countdown.

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December 17– It Was Because

“And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.” Luke 1:31-32a (ESV)

During this Christmas season, we sing about the message which the angels told to the shepherds near Bethlehem the night Jesus was born. But today's verse tells us that before that, God’s angels had been busy. His angels were sent with messages about the coming of Jesus. God had sent Gabriel, His messenger angel to announce the birth of John who would proceed the Messiah. In today's verse from the Gospel of Luke, we read the record about angel Gabriel who came to announce His coming to Mary. When the same angel came later to Joseph who was to be Mary's husband, he also mentioned why God had chosen the name Jesus for the child who was to be born. It was because He would save His people from their sins. Both of these messages, before the child was to be born, are important to us. Jesus was coming in order to be our Savior. We should rejoice today that God sent His Son to save us. It was an important message given before He came. It is just as important today. God promised to provide a way for us to be saved and Jesus is that Way.

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November 10 – A True Confirmation

“And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him;”  -  Matthew 3:16  (ESV)

We might say that we have a hidden promise in today's passage.  But, it is more a promise drawn from what God the Holy Spirit did and then God the Father proclaimed to all.  Jesus, was at the beginning of His ministry on earth and he came to where His cousin, on His mother's side, was doing his job of calling people to repentance and baptizing them. John, the Baptist was also preparing the people for the appearance of Jesus, the Son of God.  Jesus asks for and is baptized by John even though John believed he was not worthy to do so.  As Jesus steps out of the Jordan River, the Holy Spirit of God appears as a dove out of heaven and comes to rest upon Jesus. Those witnessing this heard a voice from heaven say “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” We have from this, the promise that is repeated many times and places in the Bible, Jesus is the Son of God and God himself confirms it and we believe it by faith.  

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August 23 – Love Because First Loved

“In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” 1 John 4:10 - (ESV)

The marvelous truth in our verse today, and the promise we have is the love which God has for us before we ever loved Him.  There is no love of this kind for us to have and express that is not preceded by love from God.  In fact, without God, we could never experience having that love for God or others.  It is sacrificial, unconditional love which was manifested ultimately and majestically by Jesus.  Jesus, the Son of God was sent to be the sacrifice we needed in order to receive God's love.  The word 'propitiation' is a mouthful and very few of us may understand just a little what it means.  Thousands of words have been written to define its meaning.  The basic idea behind the word for propitiation* is a human effort to dispose in one's favor the awful power of the consequences of a grievous offense toward God which requires the death of the offender.  A sacrifice acceptable to God can only be offered by one who has no responsibility for the original offense.  Jesus Christ is the only one who ever could fulfill those requirements. 

* The words propitiation, atoning sacrifice, and expiation are also used to translate the Greek word hilasmos which appears only in 1 John.

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July 5 – What it Cost

“He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?”  Romans 8:32 (NASB)

The Apostle Paul, writing in his letter to the believers and followers of Jesus who lived in Rome is telling them something very significant.  Paul's lesson point is this, How can we think that God would do less for His children than He did for His enemies when He let the enemies take Jesus all the way to the cross.   He freely gives us all that we need when he bestows on us forgiveness and salvation out of grace because it cost so much to get us there.  When Jesus died on the cross it was to take our place and to pay the debt we owed, and if we have accepted what He did then God has adopted us as His children.  Think what it cost God to bridge the gap separating Him from us, the gap that was created by sin.  God has promised so much more to us when we, by faith believing, become His children.  After giving us His own Son to accomplish this we can trust the promise that He will give us everything we need.  Not everything we may lustfully want but we will not lack in anything that God has promised to us.  

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February 23 – Because of Love We Live

“By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.  In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”  1 John 4:9-10 (NASB)

We can learn from this verse today one of the most important truths recorded in our Bible.  We recognize that we are living here on this earth as the result of God's will and as a part of His plan.  One of the important aspects of God's plan for us is that we might become a part of His family and might benefit by His great love for us.  But there was the problem of sin which separated God's creatures from Him and from really belonging to His family.  There was a need for a Savior to make a Way for bringing us into His family.  Our verse tells us how through His great love, God sent His Son to become our Savior.  And now through Jesus we have eternal  life.  We continue on living by faith in His Word, His Promises.  It truly is because God loved us first that Jesus came to take the consequences of our rebellion, our sins, upon Himself.  Now we can accept that action, done on our behalf, because Jesus did it for us and offers us the opportunity to live forever in Him.  

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In 1 John 2:2 ; 4:10 , Christ is called the "propitiation for our sins." Here a different Greek word is used (hilasmos). Christ is "the propitiation," because by his becoming our substitute and assuming our obligations he expiated our guilt, covered it, by the vicarious punishment which he endured. 

https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/propitiation/

We pray that these contributions of hope and encouragement are touching the lives of people who need hope and encouragement.  If they have touched you, you are welcome and invited to let us know.  We keep all correspondence confidential and never share with others what readers share with us.  godspromises90@gmail.com

January 20 – We As God's Dwelling Place

“...but Christ is faithful over God's house as a son. And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.”  Hebrews 3:6  (ESV)

Our selected verse today draws a picture of us who believe in Jesus as being the house of God here in this world.  When we believe in Him we become children of God and we open ourselves for God to live in us.  Our verse today reminds us that Jesus the Son of God also lives in us and is a very important aspect of our life.  A few days ago we learned of the perfect peace that God gives to us if we remain steadfast in Christ in the presence of our minds.  A promise given that we enjoy when we follow the conditions necessary to enjoy the promise.  Today our promise is realized as we hold tightly on to our confidence and claim our hope that we are a house where Jesus dwells.  Yes, Jesus is a part of our Christian lives.  We should recognize that He is not just up there  in heaven.  He is with us in our lives.  Let's open our hearts every day to experience His presence as our Lord.  If we do, we'll  experience that He is faithful as our verse says.  

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December 30 – We Are His Own

“...and in the wilderness where you saw how the Lord your God carried you, just as a man carries his son, in all the way which you have walked until you came to this place.”  Deuteronomy 1:31  (NASB)

We have selected  another good verse from the Bible to read as the days of this year tick off.  It was Moses who spoke these words to the people of Israel after they had wandered around in the desert for 40 years.  Moses reminded the people of how God had been leading and caring for them.   He said God had been carrying them as a father would carry his son.  We do well to recognize that God has been doing the same for us this past year and years before that since we first believe in Him.  If we have entered God's family by faith in Jesus then God has adopted us into his family and He is our Father is carrying us.  So as we come to the end of this year and we pause to look back on our experiences the last 12 months, let's remember that we have not been doing this on our own – we have not been living by ourselves.  Our God has been with us providing guidance for us and bringing us along.  As promised, He has carried each of us as His own, because WE ARE His own. 

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December 17 – Possessing Our Inheritance

“He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession.”  Psalm 2:7-8 (NASB)

Christmas time is a time for singing praises to God for the gift of Jesus.  Have you wondered how that got started?  Of course we have been looking at the songs the angels sang for the shepherds near Bethlehem the night Jesus was born and we sing that song now.  But the song which the angels sang that night was not the first song about the birth of our Savior.  Actually the coming of the Savior was mentioned in several of the songs sung long before He came.  The New Testament reminds us that some of the Old Testament Psalms had referred to Jesus.  Today's we have a verse from Psalm 2.   These words and others like them were being sung for years and for many centuries before Jesus came to earth in the form of a human.  That's because God had planned long ago to send a Savior.  God gave us His Son so that we would have a way to enjoy the inheritance He desires us to have, to be His children.

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December 16 – The Gift of Gifts

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.”  Isaiah 9:6a (NIV)

We come back to this verse in Isaiah that is a prophecy of the birth of Jesus.  We focus on the first part and the prediction of His purpose.  When we sing Christmas carols we are aware that some of them refer to the baby Jesus as a new King born to sit eventually on the throne of David.  We realize that some of the prophecies about His reign as King have not yet been fulfilled and this would include this prediction of the government being on His shoulders.  We do want to recognize, however that Jesus came to be governor in our lives.  We will do well to let Him be in control of the details of our lives and also of the general plan of things which concern us.  We can allow Him to be our governor and our King with confidence because we trust His promise that He loves us and He will lead us in the best way at all times.  God the Father gave us His Son so that we could be born again as a child of God with Jesus as our King and Lord.  Let that fill our thoughts today and result in praise and thanksgiving for this Gift of gifts.  

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December 9 – Promises in His Name

““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 (NASB) 

Yesterday we considered the importance and source of the name given to the baby born to the Virgin Mary.  The meaning of the name of Jesus is significant.  But long before that another name was predicted for Jesus in the writings of the prophet Isaiah.  The Apostle Matthew, when he recorded the Gospel by his name, quoted the Isaiah passage.  This name is different from the name Jesus which was his name and what all people called him by.  We have no recorded time that anyone, during his ministry on earth actually called him Immanuel.  It was an important name that means “God with us,” and it expresses an important truth about Him.   Jesus is the one who is with us all the time.  Because we believe Jesus is God the Son we are thrilled to know that Immanuel is a promise from God that the Son born to the virgin Mary was God's promise to always be with us.  God the Savior is with us all the time.  He will never leave us, we can trust His promise revealed in His name, Immanuel*.  (There are nearly 200 names/titles given to Jesus in the New Testament**)

*Immanuel is the same name that is sometimes rendered Emanuel

** Names of Jesus in the New Testament

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December 3 – Shine the Light

“...because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness  and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”  Luke 1:78-79 (NIV)

Some of us are beginning to see Christmas lights around town and in our homes.*  We're beginning to hear Christmas music too. So is it too early to think about the real meaning of Christmas?  Actually the Christmas story began long before Jesus was born. We remember that John the Baptist was born 3 months before the birth of Jesus.  When John was born, his father regained the ability to speak and spoke these prophetic words about Jesus who was soon to be born.  Those who have believed and in faith have accepted the offer of salvation from Jesus Christ have seen the Light that Jesus came to bring.  We obediently walk in the Light and in the path of peace because of what Jesus did at the end of his life on earth.  He died in our place to satisfy the demand for our sin and He rose from the grave to give us a new life if we in faith believing turn to Him.  He is the Light of the World, the Lord of Peace and what we have comes to us because He promised.  

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* Editor's Note:   Christmas traditions and observations differ across the world.  Not every country has the same traditions as North America and some countries do not observe any holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.  

The commercialization of the Christmas season has changed in the 24 years since this was written by Richard Anderson.   Today it is common for the lights of Christmas and Christmas music to begin a good amount before Thanksgiving Week.  Christmastime is now Holiday time in the commercial world and  it begins in October in some places.  

December 30 – Remembering God's Goodness First

“The Lord your God who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness where you saw how the Lord your God carried you, just as a man carries his son, in all the way which you have walked until you came to this place.’” Deuteronomy 1:30-31 (NASB)

Today we have a verse intended to remind us of how gracious and loving our God is. We are at the end of another year. This is a good time to remember how much God has done for us in these days gone by. Moses was reminding His people about how God had cared for His people. God had been faithful to the people of Israel and He has also been faithful to us who believe and are His people today. It is good for us to think back and to recall how the Lord has helped us during this past year.  Our God deserves all the glory for His involvement in our lives. He has not helped us all in the same way because our needs are different and He knows what each one of us needs. We can thank Him today for the way He has responded to our needs this year. Remember Him instead while the world is trying to reminds us of themselves.

December 15 – It Was Because

“And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.” Luke 1:31-32a (ESV)

During this Christmas season, we sing about the message which the angels told to the shepherds near Bethlehem the night Jesus was born.  But today's verse tells us that before that, God had already sent angels with messages about the coming of Jesus. In today's verse from the Gospel of Luke, we read the record about the angel who came to Mary earlier. When an angel came later to Joseph who was to be Mary's husband, he also mentioned why God had chosen the name Jesus for the child who was to be born.  It was because He would save His people from their sins. Both of these angels' messages, before the child was to be born, are important to us. Jesus was coming in order to be our Savior. We should rejoice today that God sent His Son to save us. It was an important message given before He came.  It is just as important today. God promised to provide a way for us to be saved and Jesus is that Way.

December 21

“But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship*.” Galatians 4:4-5 (NIV)

We do not know the exact date Jesus was born. That is not recorded for us. We do know that He did come perfectly on time. Jesus came when the time had fully come. And who was it that had set that time? It was, of course God Himself. He had set the year, the month and the day. And He had set the hour and the place as well. So we know that when Jesus came was when the “time had fully come.” The same thing is true with the events of our lives. God allows things to come into our lives to fulfill His purpose for us. Things don’t just happen and they aren’t accidental. Let us praise God for that and trust Him. 

* The Greek word for adoption to sonship is a legal term referring to the full legal standing of an adopted male heir in Roman culture.

May 19

“God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”  1 Corinthians 1:9 (NIV)

Believers of Jesus Christ are called children of God. We think of ourselves as belonging to the family of God and we should be aware of the benefits of this relationship. When God provided a way for us to become His children, He wanted us to enjoy the benefits of His family. He wants us to enjoy the fellowship of His Son. Jesus, who died on the cross for us and then, after His resurrection ascended into God’s presence in heaven, now wants to be a part of our lives. He wants us to share the benefits of His nearness as members of God’s family. We can have fellowship with the Son of God, talking to Him and hearing His voice talking to our hearts.

April 13

“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 (NIV)

We have been thinking about how Jesus meets our needs. We see this again in our verse for today. We all need access to the great God, our Creator. We need a way to come to our heavenly Father. If we don’t come to Him, there is no hope for us at all. Jesus said that no one can come to the Father except through His Son. But He is the way; therefore we have access to God as we believe in what Jesus has done for us. Let’s be sure to approach God today and do it in the way He has provided – through His Son.

March 10

“Abraham answered, ‘God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.’ And the two of them went on together.”  Genesis 22:8 (NIV)
“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”  Romans 8:32 (NIV)

The first verse tells what Abraham told his son when in obedience he was ready to offer him. When God stopped him he saw a ram nearby. What did Abraham call that place? “THE LORD WILL PROVIDE.”  God provided an offering in response to his faith. God has done the same for us as we read in the second verse. Never question it. God gave His Son for us as an offering. He will also provide all your needs today and every day. 

January 31

"I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you." John 14:18 (NIV)

This is a brief promise which our Lord gave His disciples the last night He was with them before He died on the cross. Some might say that Jesus meant that He would come back to His disciples after He arose from the grave. It is true that He did come back to them on several occasions between His resurrection and His ascension. Still I believe Jesus meant this promise to cover his concern for His disciples as well as for all his followers since then. He meant that He is with us today. He has not left us as orphans to shift for ourselves. Do you sometimes feel like an orphan? Be assured your Father is with you as well as Jesus your Savior, just as he promised.

January 29

“Know that the Lord has set apart the godly for Himself. The Lord will hear when I call to Him.” Psalm 4:3 (NIV)

Our Lord is anxious that we recognize what He has done for those who follow Him and believe in His Son. When we put our faith in Jesus Christ as Savior, we enter into a very special relationship with God our Creator. He sets us apart for special treatment. One of the benefits of this new relationship is the assurance that God hears us when we call to Him for help. That’s what the Psalmist was so thrilled about as he wrote. But there are other benefits of being set apart for God. Just think of all the blessings He gives to His own. Be aware of those benefits!