Tag: Love God Greatly

Angels (Singing Gloria)

What a beautiful Advent Study. I hope you’ve enjoyed it and find yourself enjoying every day the Christmas Season with a fresh awareness of God’s sovereign goodness to send His only begotten Son – Jesus – the True and Priceless Gift of Christmas! Our Everlasting Covenant!

If you have enjoyed the consistence of daily Bible reading and don’t want to stop the habit – I invite you to follow this site for a new LGG Bible Reading every week day. Beginning Monday, December 21, we will begin a 2-week study in the Psalms – keeping us faithful to our time in the Word before the first study of 2021 – “Shame Breaker”.

Shame Breaker

Everlasting Covenant: (4) Thursday, The Birth of John

Posted on December 17, 2020December 17, 2020 by

Today’s Scripture: Luke 1:57-80 (S.O.A.P. Luke 1:68, 72-73)

The Birth of John the Baptist

When it was time for Elizabeth’s baby to be born, she gave birth to a son. ⁵⁸And when her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had been very merciful to her, everyone rejoiced with her.

⁵⁹When the baby was eight days old, they all came for the circumcision ceremony. They wanted to name him Zechariah, after his father. ⁶⁰But Elizabeth said, “No! His name is John!”

⁶¹“What?” they exclaimed. “There is no one in all your family by that name.” ⁶²So they used gestures to ask the baby’s father what he wanted to name him. ⁶³He motioned for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s surprise he wrote, “His name is John.” ⁶⁴Instantly Zechariah could speak again, and he began praising God.

⁶⁵Awe fell upon the whole neighborhood, and the news of what had happened spread throughout the Judean hills. ⁶⁶Everyone who heard about it reflected on these events and asked, “What will this child turn out to be?” For the hand of the Lord was surely upon him in a special way.

Zechariah’s Prophecy

Then his father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy:

⁶⁸“Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,
    because he has visited and redeemed his people.
⁶⁹He has sent us a mighty Savior^[a]
    from the royal line of his servant David,
⁷⁰just as he promised
    through his holy prophets long ago.
⁷¹Now we will be saved from our enemies
    and from all who hate us.
⁷²He has been merciful to our ancestors
    by remembering his sacred covenant—
⁷³the covenant he swore with an oath
    to our ancestor Abraham.
⁷⁴We have been rescued from our enemies
    so we can serve God without fear,
⁷⁵in holiness and righteousness
    for as long as we live.

⁷⁶“And you, my little son,
    will be called the prophet of the Most High,
    because you will prepare the way for the Lord.
⁷⁷You will tell his people how to find salvation
    through forgiveness of their sins.
⁷⁸Because of God’s tender mercy,
    the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,^[b]
⁷⁹to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
    and to guide us to the path of peace.”

John grew up and became strong in spirit. And he lived in the wilderness until he began his public ministry to Israel.

Everlasting Covenant: (4) Wednesday, Mary and Elizabeth

Posted on December 16, 2020December 15, 2020 by

Today’s Scripture: Luke 1:39-56 (S.O.A.P. Luke 1:46-50)

Mary Visits Elizabeth

A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town ⁴⁰where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

⁴²Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. ⁴³Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? ⁴⁴When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. ⁴⁵You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”

The Magnificat: Mary’s Song of Praise

Mary responded,

Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.
⁴⁷    How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
⁴⁸For he took notice of his lowly servant girl,
    and from now on all generations will call me blessed.
⁴⁹For the Mighty One is holy,
    and he has done great things for me.
⁵⁰He shows mercy from generation to generation
    to all who fear him.

WEdnesday’S Worship Song

Everlasting Covenant: (4) Tuesday, The Messiah Announced

Posted on December 15, 2020December 14, 2020 by

Today’s Scripture: Luke 1:26-38 (S.O.A.P. Luke 1:31-33)

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, ²⁷to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. ²⁸Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings,^[a] favored woman! The Lord is with you!^[b]”

²⁹Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. ³⁰“Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! ³¹You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. ³²He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. ³³And he will reign over Israel^[c] forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

³⁴Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”

³⁵The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. ³⁶What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. ³⁷For the word of God will never fail.^[d]”

³⁸Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

Everlasting Covenant: (4) Monday, God’s Messenger Announced

Posted on December 14, 2020December 14, 2020 by

Today’s Scripture: Luke 1:1-25 (S.O.A.P. Luke 1:25)

Many people have set out to write accounts about the events that have been fulfilled among us. ²They used the eyewitness reports circulating among us from the early disciples.^[a] ³Having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I also have decided to write an accurate account for you, most honorable Theophilus, ⁴so you can be certain of the truth of everything you were taught.

The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

When Herod was king of Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was a member of the priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron. ⁶Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations. ⁷They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old.

⁸One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week. ⁹As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. ¹⁰While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying.

¹¹While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. ¹²Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. ¹³But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. ¹⁴You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, ¹⁵for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.^[b] ¹⁶And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. ¹⁷He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children,^[c] and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.”

¹⁸Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.”

¹⁹Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! ²⁰But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.”

²¹Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah to come out of the sanctuary, wondering why he was taking so long. ²²When he finally did come out, he couldn’t speak to them. Then they realized from his gestures and his silence that he must have seen a vision in the sanctuary.

²³When Zechariah’s week of service in the Temple was over, he returned home. ²⁴Soon afterward his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and went into seclusion for five months. ²⁵“How kind the Lord is!” she exclaimed. “He has taken away my disgrace of having no children.”

Everlasting Covenant: Week 3, Friday – Unity in the New Covenant

Posted on December 11, 2020December 9, 2020 by

After focusing on 2 Cor 3:4-6 this wee, without looking, where does our adequacy to be God’s servants come from?

Question of the Day: What happens every time we “eat the bread and drink the cup’?

Today’s Scripture: Luke 22:14-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-34 (S.O.A.P. 1 Cor. 11:25-26)

Luke 22:14-20 New Living Translation

When the time came, Jesus and the apostles sat down together at the table.^[a] ¹⁵Jesus said, “I have been very eager to eat this Passover meal with you before my suffering begins. ¹⁶For I tell you now that I won’t eat this meal again until its meaning is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.”

¹⁷Then he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. Then he said, “Take this and share it among yourselves. ¹⁸For I will not drink wine again until the Kingdom of God has come.”

¹⁹He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

²⁰After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.^[b]

1 Corinthians 11:23-34 New Living Translation

For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread ²⁴and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you.^[a] Do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁵In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it.” ²⁶For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.

²⁷So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against^[b] the body and blood of the Lord. ²⁸That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup. ²⁹For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ,^[c] you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself. ³⁰That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died.

³¹But if we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged by God in this way. ³²Yet when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned along with the world.

³³So, my dear brothers and sisters,^[d] when you gather for the Lord’s Supper, wait for each other. ³⁴If you are really hungry, eat at home so you won’t bring judgment upon yourselves when you meet together. I’ll give you instructions about the other matters after I arrive.

Everlasting Covenant: Week 3, Thursday – Fulfillment in Christ

Posted on December 10, 2020December 9, 2020 by

Today’s Scripture: Matthew 26:26-30; Hebrews 9:15 (S.O.A.P. Hebrews 9:15)

Matthew 26:26-30 New Living Translation

As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.”

²⁷And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, ²⁸for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant^[a] between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many. ²⁹Mark my words—I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new with you in my Father’s Kingdom.”

³⁰Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.

Christ Is the Perfect Sacrifice

That is why he is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant.

Everlasting Covenant: Week 3, Wednesday – A. Better. Covenant.

Posted on December 9, 2020December 8, 2020 by

Today’s Scripture: Hebrews 8:6-13; 2 Corinthians 3:4-6 (S.O.A.P. 2 Corinthians 3:4-6)

Hebrews 8:6-13 New Living Translation

But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises.

⁷If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it. ⁸But when God found fault with the people, he said:

“The day is coming, says the Lord,
    when I will make a new covenant
    with the people of Israel and Judah.
⁹This covenant will not be like the one
    I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
    and led them out of the land of Egypt.
They did not remain faithful to my covenant,
    so I turned my back on them, says the Lord.
¹⁰But this is the new covenant I will make
    with the people of Israel on that day,^[a] says the Lord:
I will put my laws in their minds,
    and I will write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
    and they will be my people.
¹¹And they will not need to teach their neighbors,
    nor will they need to teach their relatives,^[b]
    saying, ‘You should know the Lord.’
For everyone, from the least to the greatest,
    will know me already.
¹²And I will forgive their wickedness,
    and I will never again remember their sins.”^[c]

¹³When God speaks of a “new” covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear.

2 Corinthians 3:4-6 New Living Translation

We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. ⁵It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. ⁶He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life.

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