Scripture:John 4:10; Name of Jesus – The Giver of Living Water; Ornament – Water jug
On this Fourth Day of Christmas, I am reminded of Jesus’ words to the woman at the well – where He revealed Himself to her as the Giver of Living Water. The living water He was referring to was the Holy Spirit, a gift from the Father to every believer. A gift, that was only available through Him. In John 7:38, Jesus says, ” Anyone who believes in Me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.” He wasn’t concerned about her physical need for water but rather her spiritual need for a Savior. Do you know someone who needs the Living Water? Introduce them to Jesus, The miracle Baby in the manger, the Door to God, the Life Giving Vine, and The Giver of Living Water. Read the story – John 4:1-42 NLT – Jesus and the Samaritan Woman – Jesus – Bible Gateway – the woman didn’t even know she was thirsty but once Jesus introduced her to the Living Water her life and the lives of countless others were changed forever.
Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
Scripture:John 15:5; Name of Jesus – The Vine; Ornament – Cluster of Grapes
On this third day of Christmas, I am reminded to celebrate Jesus, not just as an infant in the manger, but as The Vine who gives me LIFE. I know and have experienced that apart from Him I can do nothing, but by ‘abiding’ in Him – I will bear much fruit, be known as His “true Disciple”, and bring glory to the Father.
Jesus, the True Vine “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. 3 You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. 5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.Read More
John 15:1-8
The fruit we bear is unique to those who abide in Jesus, The Vine, because it is a product of His Spirit in us. His Life-Giving Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control – Galatians 5:22-23. Abiding in Him changes us from the inside-out. We will look different, sound different, act different, respond differently, and think differently than the world. Abiding in Jesus, we will learn to live and grow to look more like Him – which is God’s ultimate goal for our life. The question is, “How do we stay connected to Him?” The answer – by faithfully spending time with Him in prayer and in His Word and living obediently to it. Abiding in Jesus may not always be easy – there will be hard choices and things we must give up in order to cling to the VINE but God has given us everything we need to live a godly life. Think of it this way – while John 5:5 teaches us that apart from Jesus “we can do nothing”, Paul teaches us that through Jesus “we can do all things”, Philippians 4:13. The struggles we face in this life are only truly surmountable when we are abiding in – or sometimes clinging to – The Vine – God’s gift of LIFE.
Me – From the Insideout
3 By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know Him, the one who called us to Himself by means of His marvelous glory and excellence. 4 And because of His glory and excellence, He has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share His divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.
Day 2: Scripture – John 10:9; Name of Jesus – The Door; Ornament – Door
On this second day of Christmas, I remember not just the baby in the manger – but the “Door” that He came to be.
Yes, I am the door. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures.
John 10:9
He came to be a door or gateway to God. When we choose to believe in Him we are given access to His safe pasture. We are invited into His Presence to live under the protection of the Great Shepherd. We feed on His Word and learn to know His voice and live in obedience to Him. In His presence there is peace and hope and strength, there is love and life everlasting. Those who choose not to enter are sheep without a shepherd, living in darkness and jeopardy, without hope.
Jesus says , “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.”
“Adornaments” It started as something I did with my children when they were growing up. The “adornaments” reading and ornament were a way to help them/us focus on the true meaning of Christmas amidst all the presents and lights of the seasons. Thirty plus years later and it is still a treasured part of our Christmas. For us, it has evolved through the years – from the 12 days leading up to Christmas to the 12 days after Christmas – leading to the Epiphany [əˈpifənē]1
1The manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi (Matthew 2:1–12) and the celebration commemorating the Epiphany on January 6.
My hope is that by sharing these 12 adornaments over the next 12 days – together we can enter the new year with a fresh awareness of JESUS beyond the manger. Each day we will be focusing on a different name of Christ leading us to understand – or perhaps just reminding us – who He is and why we should truly adore Him not just at Christmas but throughout the year.
Me – from the Insideout
Day 1: Scripture – Matthew 1:23; Name of Jesus – Immanuel; Ornament – Baby in a manger
On this first day of Christmas I remember God, my One True Love, from the depth of His goodness gave to me a Savior – who is Jesus Christ the Lord! Born as a baby in a manger – God in the flesh – He came to save His people from their sins.
21 And she will have a son, and you are to name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through His prophet: 23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”
Matthew 1:21-23
John 3:16 proclaims the reason for this gift was because – God loved the world so much that He gaveHis only begotten Son, so that whoever believes Him would not perish but have everlasting life. Why such a lavish gift? Because God loves with an amazingly lavish love! He knew we were sinners, unable to keep the law, unable to save ourselves, and by His standards deserving of death. Yet, as with Barabbas we were set FREE and Christ was sent to the cross – crucified for the sins of the world – making a way for sinners to have a relationship and everlasting life with God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
Me From the Inside Out 