Lord’s Day, December 24, 2017

DAILY READINGS: Nehemiah 12:1-47; Zechariah 8:1-23; Revelation 16:1-21

Great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh. 1 Timothy 3:16

Two thousand years ago, a baby was lying in a manger in Bethlehem. Wrapped in swaddling clothes, He was in that manger because there was no room for Him in the inn. Yet this babe, despite His humble surroundings, was utterly wondrous and unique! He was the Creator of this vast universe and had come to redeem us from our sins! We cannot fully comprehend this, but by faith we believe it. We have to say, great is the mystery of Godliness! —John M. Clegg

God manifest in flesh! Oh wonder to behold,
Creative power within the breast, that felt the blast of cold;
God in our likeness made, O may we understand,
The One who made the universe, appears as lonely man. —Author Unknown

Saturday, December 23, 2017

DAILY?READINGS: Nehemiah 10:1-11:36; Zechariah 7:1-14; Revelation 15:1-8

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not. Luke 2:9-10

“O little town of Bethlehem how still we see thee lie,” depicts a quiet town scene of tranquility. But this was far from the case. A cruel tyrant governed the world. He imposed heavy taxes. Fear gripped people’s hearts. Yet behind it all, a sovereign God was at work. An angel bursts from heaven telling poor shepherds to “Fear not”, and that “a Saviour (Deliverer), which is Christ the Lord” (v. 11) had been born. The long promised Messiah had finally come. During this Christmas season there is still hope. He is coming again! —Jim Comte

Yet in thy dark street shineth the everlasting Light;
The hopes and fears of all the years are met in Thee tonight. —P. Brooks

Friday, December 22, 2017

DAILY READINGS: Nehemiah 9:1-38; Zechariah 5:1-6:15; Revelation 14:1-20

But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law. Galatians 4:4

A grandfather clock was being examined by a potential buyer impressed by its brass mechanism and the gold numerals on the clock face. What caught my eye was the carved nativity scene above the clock face and lettering which said, “When the fulness of the time was come.” The timing of the coming of Christ was so precise—the stage for His arrival was set, the characters that would interact with Him were in place. What is also amazing is that His decease was equally timely—”In due time Christ died for the ungodly” (Rom. 5:6). Perhaps for you “It is time to seek the Lord” (Hos. 10:12)? —Brian Powlesland

Soon, as I journey on, I’ll find time gone.
May Christ have saved my soul, by then, Amen. —H. Twells, G. Pentreath

BOOK PREVIEW: 31 DAYS AT BETHLEHEM’S TREASURE VOL 2: DECEMBER 21

Book Preview: This is an excerpt from the book 31 Days at Bethlehem’s Treasure (Vol.2) written by Shane Johnson.

A great devotional to pick up in December!



December 21 – Morning

“Glory to God in the highest…” Luke 2:14

Three little words: “…in the highest.” What do they mean? Upon reflection we discover they are not little words at all, but lofty ones and full of meaning. In exchange for His abject lowliness we ought to give Him the highest, fullest, greatest praise we can muster.

There are three ways we can understand the words “in the highest.” First, it might mean that God received glory in
the highest realm, the heavenly realm, as opposed to the earthly, on that night of His coming into the world. Note
that “a multitude of the heavenly host” (Luke 2:13), not just a few, but a multitude, arrived to give Him glory that first
Christmas night. Cherubim, seraphim, angels, archangels, principalities, powers, all were in attendance to witness and announce the incarnation of the Christ. In every neighbourhood, down every street, in every abode, the birth of Christ was heralded in the heavens. With a little imagination we can hear over the intercom throughout the golden street the announcement resounding: “Hallelujah! Christ is born in the city of David tonight! Go quickly! Tell the shepherds, redemption has begun!” Up to that point, the pinnacle of all angelic experience was to witness the birth of Christ. If they sang at creation (Job 38:7), surely they must have danced with joy over the incarnation.

Yet the angelic proclamation could be taken in another sense. The idea could be bound up in the degree of glory the
Lord achieved through the Incarnation, which was the highest. Never before in the history of earth, nor in the history of angels, had God so humbled Himself. The furthest He had gone in humbling Himself was “to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!” (Ps. 113:6). If it was humbling to the Lord to concern Himself with the events of heaven and earth, how much more humbling must it have been to become one of its citizens?

Imagine what it would be like to be the CEO of a global company. It would be an act of humiliation just to visit and
oversee the workers who swept the floors of the factories of your corporation. Now imagine yourself becoming that
sweeper! Imagine cleaning the floors and ministering in the lunchroom to the tired, aching workers, and at the same time being treated with contempt. Such is the story of Christmas. Men and angels, let us marvel at the One who crouched so low! “Let loving hearts enthrone Him” (What Child is This, William C. Dix).

But perhaps we are to understand the angelic proclamation in yet another sense. Perhaps the idea is “Glory to God to
the highest degree.” In this sense, the angels are commanding all mankind to give God their “utmost for His highest”
(to borrow a phrase from Oswald Chambers). Yet, in the light of the humble circumstances of our Saviour’s birth, perhaps we should give our “utmost for His lowest.” Loud should be our singing. With all our might we should serve Him. Generous should be our giving. Droplets of praise are a poor exchange for rivers of blessing. Likewise, crumbs of gratitude, dispensed on Sundays only in the form of singing, are an insult to the One who daily spreads a feast for us.

Glory to God in the highest means God should get every ounce of praise due to His name. Fully God gave Himself to us; fully we should give ourselves to Him.

Let the cherubim and the flies
Let all the earth and purple skies
Let all creation’s symphony
Peacock the glory of God.

Thursday, December 21, 2017

DAILY?READINGS: Nehemiah 8:1-18; Zechariah 4:1-14; Revelation 13:1-18

And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. Revelation 19:8

Time is short. Let every saint of God prepare themselves for the crowning day. Like a bride spends the morning of her wedding beautifying herself and adorning herself in a spotless dress, so too, let us spend this brief period of time we call “life” arraying ourselves with purity and holiness for the gaze of our coming bridegroom—our Prince, the Lord Jesus Christ. We may only have a few days, weeks, months left before we hear “Go ye out to meet him!” (Matt. 25:6). —Shane Johnson

O spread His fame abroad;
Loud hallelujahs sing;
He clothes thee in a beauteous dress;
His own blest robe of righteousness. —Author Unknown

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

DAILY?READINGS: Nehemiah 7:1-73; Zechariah 2:1-3:10; Revelation 12:1-17

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. James 1:5

Reuben A. Torrey (1856-1928), evangelist, teacher, and author, was teaching a class on James. When he came to James 1:5 he asked the students what the primary secret of obtaining wisdom is. Everyone replied, “Asking God.” After making them think a little more about the matter, he told them that they had missed the point. He then kindly informed them that the primary secret of obtaining wisdom is realizing we lack it. —W. Ross Rainey

Oh, teach us more of Thy blest ways,
Thou holy Lamb of God!
And fix and root us in Thy grace,
As those redeemed by blood. —James Hutton

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

DAILY READINGS: Nehemiah 6:1-19; Zechariah 1:1-21; Revelation 11:1-19

And the king of Israel answered and said, Tell him, Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off. 1 Kings 20:11

Prior to battle, the Syrian king boasted of his martial prowess. However, making grand claims as if he had already won was foolish. “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov. 16:18). Christ promised beforehand to die as a redemptive sacrifice on the cross and rise again (Matt. 16:21). This was no idle boast, for He did exactly what He said He would. He has also promised to take believers to heaven’s glory. —Keith Keyser

To gladdest day, from saddest night,
From deepest shame to glory bright,
From depths of death, to life’s fair height,
From darkness to the joy of light. —Horatius Bonar

Monday, December 18, 2017

DAILY READINGS: Nehemiah 5:1-19; Haggai 2:1-23; Revelation 10:1-11

These things said Esaiah, when he saw his glory, and spake of him. John 12:41
And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all. Luke 2:38

After having a personal encounter with Christ, both Isaiah and Anna spoke about Him to others. Whether it was following a sight of His majestic glory or seeing something of His lowly humanity, they both felt an urgency to share Him with others. As we get a fresh glimpse of Him today, may we then, with thankful hearts for who He is, seek opportunities to share our Lord with those we meet. —Pete Smith

Ye servants of God, your Master proclaim,
And publish abroad His wonderful name. —C. Wesley

Lord’s Day, December 17, 2017

DAILY?READINGS: Nehemiah 4:1-23; Haggai 1:1-15; Revelation 9:1-21

When they saw the young child…[they] fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh. Matthew 2:11

The wise men worshipped the incarnate Christ when they saw Him. What does true worship involve? For them, it was three things: a posture of humilty, a heart’s desire to see and know Him, and the giving of their treasures. Worship for us today should be the same, the right attitude in the presence of God and a heart’s desire to speak to and about Him. —G. Frear

When wise men came seeking for Jesus from afar, With rich gifts to greet Him and led by a star, They found in a stable, the Saviour of men, A manger His cradle, so poor was He then.—Richard Slater

Saturday, December 16, 2017

DAILY READINGS: Nehemiah 3:1-32; Daniel 12:1-13; Revelation 8:1-13

The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought…The counsel of the Lord standeth forever…Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. Psalm 33:10-12

What in the world is happening? For many years we have purportedly had the greatest peace-keeping force the world has ever known—the United Nations. Yet we see nothing but war, chaos and confusion! The reason is that one cannot find any nation “whose God is the Lord” (v. 12). But in the midst of this bleak situation, as believers we rejoice, for we have the sure Word of God (v. 11). It tells us that one of these days, not only will we be raptured but seven years later Christ will return to set up His kingdom. —David Croudace

Peace, perfect peace, our future all unknown? Jesus we know, and He is on the throne. —Edward H. Bickersteth