Birhen.com

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped... — Philippians 2:5-6 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Jesus did not cling to his heavenly glory but surrendered it to save us. He was born in a stable, made his first bed in a manger, and was welcomed to this world by lowly shepherds. His adoptive dad, Joseph, had to flee to Egypt with Mary to protect young Jesus. The LORD made his boyhood home in despised Nazareth, apprenticing in Joseph's carpenter's shop. Paul uses Jesus' surrender of his heavenly glory as an example for us. Paul, God's apostle to the nations, expended his human energy so Jesus would come alive in those who followed Jesus as LORD ( Colossians 1:28-29 ). He reminded all disciples to focus on Jesus, to obey his teaching, and to follow his example. As we do, the Holy Spirit transforms us, with increasing likeness, into our Savior's sacrificial characte...

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. — Romans 1:16 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Are you ashamed? Culture tries to make us ashamed about our faith, portraying people of faith as stupid, insensitive, judgmental, and hypocritical. Are you ashamed? Or, because you reverence Jesus as LORD in your own heart and life, you are willing to share your faith humbly and gently with those who do not know Jesus as their LORD ( 1 Peter 3:15-16 ). Are you ashamed? Your hero left heaven to come to earth and risk everything so that you could go home to heaven with him. This Gospel is powerful. This Gospel is transformational. This Gospel, and the salvation it brings, are for all people. So let's not be ashamed; let's be joyous and generous with this incredible gift that we have received and share this grace with all peoples of the world! My Prayer... Father in heaven, please give me ...

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" — which means, "God with us." — Matthew 1:22-23 Thoughts on Today's Verse... God had repeatedly promised his people his presence. During the Wilderness wanderings, he was with them with the cloud during the day, the pillar of fire at night, and in the Holy of Holies above the Ark of the Covenant in the Tabernacle. Men, women, and angels ( 1 Peter 1:10-12 ) had long anticipated our receiving God's presence close to them personally. Now, in Jesus, it has happened. God has come to us in his Son. Jesus is Immanuel - Immanu-El, God with us! We live on the visited planet, touched by the very presence of God among us, as one of us, who lived, died, and was raised from the dead for us (see John 1:1-18 ; Hebrews 1:1-3 ; and Colossians 1:15-23 for the declaration of these truths). And it was just as t...

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." — Matthew 1:20-21 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Jesus. Yeshua. Joshua of the spiritual world. Mary's boy, God's Son, comes to help us tear down the strongholds Satan has built in our lives. He comes to bring peace to our troubled spirits and joy to our nights of despair. He comes not only to minister to us and bless us, he comes to do what no one else could do: he comes to deliver us from our sins - our spiritual blemishes, neglects, rebellions, mistakes, transgressions, and failures. Praise God! A deliverer who actually conquered what we could not defeat to make us what we are not - pure, perfect, and holy children of God, like h...

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. — Matthew 1:20 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Reassurance beyond understanding! That's the beginning of the Christ story for Joseph: like with Mary and the angel at the annunciation, God's reassurance of things beyond human understanding was what Joseph received in this glorious visitation! What he could not understand and what he had no part in creating will now be the groundbreaking journey of his own faithful and generous heart. He was to be the human daddy to the Savior of the world and the Messiah of Israel. He would live the rest of his life knowing that a miracle happened with Mary without his input or involvement. As a righteous and kind man, he would bear the disgrace of the world's misunderstanding about the conception of their child. His f...

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. — Proverbs 31:30 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Want to find a really good woman? Look for one that honors and reveres the LORD with all of her heart, soul, mind, and strength and loves her neighbors as she loves herself ( Matthew 22:36-40 ). Appearance, physical strength, and even personality can change and degrade. A woman whose heart is anchored and enlivened by the presence of God in her life will be a lifelong blessing to others and a woman worthy of our praise, and the praise of her Father in heaven! My Prayer... Father, once again, I want to thank you for the important women in my life who have helped shape my faith and guided me to you... (Please pray by name for godly women who have blessed you!) Father, please help me to value godly women in ways that bless them, honor you, and build up your Church. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen. The Thoughts and Prayer on Today's Verse are w...