First Baptist Church, Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Devotional: Luke 1:26-33

Today’s passage: Luke 1:26-33

Helpful thoughts:

  • Mary was shown favor…she was a favored one.  This means Mary was not given the role of mother to Jesus because she was full of grace to bestow, but because God poured out favor/grace on her.  Mary needed a savior just like we all do.
  • Isaiah 7:14 – Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
  • The mention of Joseph being of the house of David was a hint at who Jesus was going to be (Joseph adopted Jesus as his own, therefore Jesus was Joseph’s legal heir).  Then, verses 31-33 come right out and tell us exactly who Jesus is!
    • Jesus means, Jehovah (Or Yahweh) saves.  Jesus is our salvation!
    • Jesus is the Son of God, God the Son.
    • Jesus is the King of Kings.
    • Jesus is King forever!

Questions to consider:

  1. What made Mary special?  What did Gabriel tell her?
  2. What did Gabriel tell Mary about the baby she was going to have?  What is Jesus?  Who is Jesus?
  3. What was Jesus going to do before he reigned forever?  How was He to become our savior? (Isaiah 52:13-53:12)

Devotional: Luke 1:1-25

Today’s passage: Luke 1:1-25

Helpful thoughts:

  • The goal of this gospel? That you might have certainty (Exact truth) concerning the things you have been taught.
    • Luke compiled the content of his gospel carefully from the eyewitnesses (The Apostles) and wrote everything out in an “orderly manner.”
  • This gospel was initially written to one person!  Theophilus was (And we are) able to read the Gospel of Luke knowing that we are reading a detailed, historically accurate, precisely depicted account of the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Our faith should be strengthened as a result!
  • John the Baptist was to have a ministry of repentance.  Israel was not ready for their Messiah to come.   They needed to return to the Lord.

Questions to consider:

  1. What can we learn from Luke’s painstaking attention to detail when seeking to communicate these important truths?
  2. What can we learn from the size of the original intended audience?  How many people do we need to like our posts, watch our videos, attend our talks, in order for them to be worth putting forth 100% effort?
  3. John the Baptist was great in the sight of the Lord.  What made John the Baptist great?  What makes a person “great in the sight of the Lord” and what do those characteristics do for our reputation here on earth?  How can this encourage our boldness to proclaim the Gospel?

Devotional: 1 Samuel 31:1-13

Today’s passage: 1 Samuel 31:1-13

Helpful thoughts:

  • While David and his men were fighting the Amalekites, Saul and his men were being defeated by the Philistines.
  • It was a terrible day for Israel (Verse 6).  The defeat was so thorough the king’s dead body was just left on the battle field.  The Philistines took land and cities all the way to the other side of the Jordan!
  • Saul preferred suicide to what he knew the Philistines would do to him.  His act encouraged his armor-bearer to do the same.
    • Saul and his sons’ bodies were displayed within the newly acquired territory in a grotesque way.  The people of Jabesh-gilead would later be commended for their efforts to respect Saul and his sons (2 Samuel 2:5-7)

Questions to consider:

  1. If David was about to become king of Israel, what kind of nation was he going to be leading (In the world’s eyes)?  What is the condition of the nation?  What crisis are they in?
  2. What might have been running through Saul’s mind as all this transpired?  What had Samuel told him would happen? (1 Samuel 28:19)
  3. What had been the final fruits of the king Israel asked for?  Why is this book able to end with such tragedy, while at the same time have an undercurrent of hope?  What is God about to do? (2 Samuel 7:12-16, Matthew 1:1)

Devotional: 1 Samuel 30:16-31

Today’s passage: 1 Samuel 30:16-31

Helpful thoughts:

  • God’s promises are true.  David’s army defeated the Amalekites and everyone was rescued.
  • The spoil was to be shared among those who stayed with the supplies because (Verses 23-24):
    • God was the one who gave them the spoil in the first place.
    • The victory over the Amalekites and the preservation of their lives by God were greater gifts than the spoil.
    • Every aspect of the battle, including the care of what must be left behind, is important.
  • David’s gift to the leaders in Judah would have served as an announcement.  The Israelites were used to people being used by God to save them from their enemies.  Those people would then judge Israel.
    • A transition in leadership was about to take place.

Questions to consider:

  1. What promises has God given us through Christ?  Why can we be completely confident they will come to pass?
  2. Why should someone who stays home with the kids so that their spouse can go serve be encouraged by this passage?  What are some different ways we work together to accomplish ministry?  What are some ways we still “stay with the baggage” today?
  3. What was the greatest reward for David in this passage?  How would it compare to Paul’s reward in 1 Corinthians 9:18?  What is more important than the “spoil”?

Devotional: 1 Samuel 30:1-15

Today’s passage: 1 Samuel 30:1-15

Helpful thoughts:

  • When these warriors returned to their new hometown, all of their possessions, and more importantly all of their wives and children were gone.  They wept until they were too exhausted to to weep anymore.
  • “David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.”
  • The Amalekites left this Egyptian man for dead.  David obeyed the Lord during his own distress and blessed the man (Leviticus 19:34).
    • David’s kindness and obedience yielded fruit.

Questions to consider:

  1. What had all these men just experienced?  As we read through this passage, be careful not to let the quickness of the movement in the narrative take away our understanding of the pain they were in.
  2. What would you be thinking about as the leader of all these men, having just taken them all away for battle?  What was available for David to trust in at this time?  What might he have been tempted to rely upon to try to “fix” this?
  3. Why would David trust the man who just helped to raid his city and people?  What did David know?  Whom did David trust?