Thursday, December 3, 2009

The Heart of Christmas Devotional


This year I picked up a daily devotional for the Christmas season. As I began reading on Tuesday, December 1 my first thought was it was a pretty "deep" book rich in theology. I wasn't exactly expecting that approach...but now that I am getting into it I really like it. I am planning on posting a little bit more about it throughout the month. The author, Hank Hanegraaff, organized the book by using the following acronym:
Christ
History
Resurrection
Incarnation
Santa Claus
Traditions
Miracles
Advent
Salvation
***
Christ
December 1-The Long Awaited Christ
Christ comes from the Greek(Christos) rendering of the Hebrew word Messiah meaning "anointed one". The Christ of Christmas is the long awaited Messiah who fulfills all the types and shadows of Old Testament scriptures.
December 2-Isaiah's Prophecy
It is incredible to consider that Isaiah, the holiest man in Israel, prophesied "The virgin will be with child, and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel", he was literally predicting that in the future the One who spoke the limitless galaxies into existence would tabernacle in flesh among men. Indeed that is precisely what the word Immanuel means- "God with us".
December 3-The Golden Key of the Messianic Prophesies
Amazing!
Eight centuries before the birth of Christ, Isaiah prophesied and said these words:
"For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, the government will be on his shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father(possessor of eternity), Prince of Peace."
Isaiah 9:6

1 comment:

  1. I really like the Christmas devotional idea. It really helps us to focus on the season and what it really means.

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