March 28th

Scripture - Luke 2

Observation - Here we get another look into the life of Jesus. If you close your eyes, you can almost see the manger with the animals surrounding baby Jesus, and then growing up like any other child, even though he was fully God and fully man. The last part of this chapter is beautiful and simple. Jesus obeyed his parents and as he grew, growing in wisdom and finding favor with God and men.

Application - One look at the life of Jesus and you might think, man, he had it easy. But when he went to the Temple, it was a challenging moment for his parents. Is there a time in your life that was especially challenging —even as you followed God’s will? Did you find a way to resolve the challenge, to at least trust God even if you couldn’t understand, or did you just bury your emotions without unfolding the challenge you faced? We would love for this life to be a breeze, but unfortunately, it’s not. We can look at the birth of our Savior and know, that with Jesus, life becomes breathable again, with HOPE on the horizon.

Prayer - God, I don’t want to walk through this life feeling beat down and drowned by the waves of life. I want to be a person who can look at the challenges I face and know that you are here with me. Help me to remember why Jesus came to earth. Through that moment, I was set free. Thank you, Jesus, for loving me enough to die for me. In your name I pray, Amen.