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Advent Reading – Day 4

To follow along as we read through highlights from the twenty-four chapters in the book of Luke in our “countdown to Christmas,” be sure to subscribe to Petals from the Basket.

Full chapter:

Luke 4: Read Luke 4 by clicking here.

Today’s focus verses:

Luke 4:1–12 (KJV):

1And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

2 Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.

3 And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.

4 And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.

5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.

7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.

8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

9 And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:

10 For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:

11 And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

12 And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

Today’s meditation verse:

Luke 4:4 (KJV): “And Jesus answered him, saying, ‘It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'”

By Petals from the Basket | December 4, 2018 | Bible Reading |

Advent Reading – Day 3

 

To follow along as we read through highlights from the twenty-four chapters in the book of Luke in our “countdown to Christmas,” be sure to subscribe to Petals from the Basket.

Full chapter:

Luke 3: Read Luke 3 by clicking here.

Today’s focus verses:

Luke 3:1–6 (ESV):

1In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,[a]
    make his paths straight.
5 Every valley shall be filled,
    and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall become straight,
    and the rough places shall become level ways,
6 and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”

Today’s meditation verses:

Luke 3:21–22 (ESV): “Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.’”

By Petals from the Basket | December 3, 2018 | Bible Reading |

Advent Reading – Day 2

To follow along as we read through highlights from the twenty-four chapters in the book of Luke in our “countdown to Christmas,” be sure to subscribe to Petals from the Basket.

Full chapter:

Luke 2: Read Luke 2 by clicking here.

Today’s focus verses:

Luke 2:1–14 (NASB):

Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth.

2This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.

3 And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city.

4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David,

5 in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child.

6 While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth.

7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.

10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;

11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

Today’s meditation verse:

Luke 2:11 (NASB): “For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

By Petals from the Basket | December 2, 2018 | Bible Reading |

Advent – Day 1

To follow along as we read through highlights from the twenty-four chapters in the book of Luke in our “countdown to Christmas,” be sure to subscribe to Petals from the Basket.

Full chapter:

Luke 1: Read Luke 1 by clicking here.

Today’s focus verses:

Luke 1: 46–55 (“The Magnificat”):

46 And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
49 For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
And holy is His name.
50 And His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52 He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
And exalted the lowly.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich He has sent away empty.
54 He has helped His servant Israel,
In remembrance of His mercy,
55 As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and to his seed forever.”

Today’s meditation verse:

Luke 1:37 (NKJV): “For with God nothing will be impossible.”

By Petals from the Basket | December 2, 2018 | Bible Reading |

Thirty-Six Years of Gratitude

The Captain’s Corner

I was honored to work with many passionate professionals over the course of my thirty-six-year career with the airlines. These included crew members, flight attendants, mechanics, passenger agents, and baggage handlers. However, I had contact with one group of people more often than all of the others. These were the airline’s crew schedulers. Usually via phone contact, crew schedulers worked to ensure that all flights had the necessary crews. I often would be called for a trip during any time that I was available for duty.

You can imagine that crew schedulers worked with all kinds of people: the cooperative and the difficult, the helpful and the burdensome, the pleasant and the unpleasant. The schedulers could “make my day,” and with the right response, I could make theirs!

I eventually found out that these individuals had given me a nickname: “Thank-You Joe Henderson.” This nickname sprang out of my habit of thanking them for calling me to check my availability for a trip. Some of the crew members didn’t like to get that call. However, I was so thankful to be flying—from my first day of training to my very last flight–that I was always certain to say, “Thank you!” Of course, I was also grateful to God for giving me a wonderful job, particularly one that I loved doing!

It’s easy to be thankful for good jobs and pleasant situations, but God commands us to be thankful for all things. This includes difficult times and hard circumstances.

Philippians 4:6, NASB: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

1 Thessalonians 5:18, NKJV: “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Ephesians 5:20, NKJV: “Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

There are several examples in the Bible of this kind of praying. Let me share three of them with you.

  • The prophet Jonah, while in the belly of the big fish, said, “I will sacrifice unto Thee with the voice of thanksgiving” (Jonah 2:9, KJV).
  • Daniel continued kneeling in prayer to God, giving thanks to God, even after being threatened with being thrown into the lion’s den. (See Daniel 6:6–10, NKJV.)
  • The apostle Paul had an affliction that he asked God three times to remove. God did not remove it, but He gave Paul sufficient grace for the trial. Paul was able to say that he actually gloried in the situation so that God could show Himself strong in the midst of it. (See 2 Corinthians 12:7–10, NASB.)

Therefore, we must make saying “thank-you” part of our everyday lives.

Hebrews 13:15, NASB: “Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God,
that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.”

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By Petals from the Basket | November 29, 2018 | Bible Reading, God-and-I-Time, The Captain's Corner, Thirty Days of Gratitude |