December 20, 2025

John the Baptist comes on the scene, preaching repentance and baptism for the remission of sin. The people were in high hopes that he was the Messiah, but he assured them that one was coming who he was unworthy of even buckling his shoes. The next day, Jesus came to where John was baptizing, and he introduced him to the people.

The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. John 1:29

John baptized him, and God confirmed what John had said.

And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased. Luke 3:22

The people were there, didn’t they hear God speak and see the Holy Spirit descend upon him? How much more confirmation did they need to prove that he was the Messiah they were waiting for? But, then again, we have had all our sins forgiven, are bound for glory, and yet we sometimes forget our privilege and revert to our old ways. When you venture off and mingle with society, remember whose you are, repent, and come back. Jesus will welcome you back like a lost child who was found. Jesus, always loving and quick to forgive. 

December 19, 2025

A cardinal flew into my window this morning, and it lay crumpled on the ground. I picked him up, fixed his feathers, and held him in my hands for a few minutes. He is sitting on my chair outside, recovering; I think he’s going to make it. It’s been a while since I taught in a parable, but since it was presented to me on a platter, or splatter, this morning, I will make a comparison. After munching on the snack that I had fed the birds, and just as that cardinal was minding his own business, he saw a pathway opened and decided to go for it, and ran smack dab into that fake opening. Unfortunately, the enemy is the purveyor of shiny objects that draw us in, seem light, but only lead to darkness. In our minds, it looks like a clear pathway; however, when we get excited about something that is a little off, we end up making mistakes by taking the easy way. Good things are not always easy. The wide path leads to destruction, which, unfortunately, the cardinal took. But the narrow path, with its many twists and turns, bridges, rocks, and downed trees, where you have to traverse the hard things, is the only pathway worth taking. We sometimes take a wrong turn, but because we trust in Jesus, he will be there to pick us up and soothe our weary heads once we turn back to him. We might be stunned for a while, but when we repent and turn back towards him, he will give us strength to move forward and forgive our indiscretions. Choose the narrow path!

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Matthew 7:13-14

There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Proverbs 16:25

December 18, 2025

I may have mentioned this before, but I asked God to fill in the gaps of my understanding at the beginning of this year. Being someone who has diligently feasted on the Word for many, many years, I’ve been overwhelmed by how much I lacked in knowledge, but also encouraged that He continues to answer that prayer. If you want to know the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God, ask Him to fill in the gaps in your knowledge, and He will answer your prayer in digestible pieces to help you form a more reliable picture. It’s not all going to come straight from the Bible, but the Bible will confirm the truth you receive from other sources. Don’t take any information as gospel without establishing it as the truth from the Bible.

Did you know that Mary’s lineage is written in Luke 3? Heli was her father, but because she was married to Joseph, they used his name as the son of Heli because the woman wasn’t supposed to be mentioned in the genealogy! I had always wondered why they were different from Matthew’s account, but I had never ventured any further to find out why. For those who know the truth about Mary’s immaculate conception, following Mary’s lineage back to King David is essential.

Submit to God’s authority, allow Him to be your source for confirmation, and He will open your eyes to all truth. 

And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli, Luke 3:23

December 17, 2025

The earliest words of Jesus were recorded by Luke after he was found in the temple when his parents headed home to Nazareth without him.

And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business? Luke 2:49

As a parent, I have so many questions about this. How could they not know where he was? We had four children and never left one on vacation. To us, his response seems harsh and slightly disrespectful. However, we are not talking about a regular child; he was, and is the Messiah, and Mary and Joseph both knew this, but also, we are not privy to the nuances of the language of that day, and what we think sounds disrespectful may have been a normal tone. We should never blame the child when it was clearly his parents' responsibility to ensure his safety and keep track of him. 

Here's an interesting fact: he was missing for three days. They looked for him, and they were sorrowful when they couldn't find him. Could this have been a living prophecy of what was to happen in the years to come and the sorrow Mary would feel once again when he went to the cross? 

Next time you feel like something is missing, maybe it's because you've left Jesus behind. Go back, find him, and recover your peace. 

December 16, 2025

If you've been following along with me as I walk through the steps of the holy family and the birth of Jesus, you'll see that the stories Matthew and Luke tell have some slight differences. Nothing major, just viewed through different lenses. If we were to make a timeline, Luke would have them going home to Nazareth right after Jesus was dedicated in the temple, but Matthew has them fleeing to Egypt before returning to Nazareth. Did Luke know about their trip to Egypt? Maybe, but he chose to shorten his account. If Luke's and Matthew's timelines are both right, and we have no reason to think they aren't because the Bible is God-breathed, then we must also believe that the Magi/Wisemen met Jesus while he was still an infant. Luke's account says they left to go home to Galilee after Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day in the temple in Jerusalem, which is about 6 miles from Bethlehem. Herod sent the Magi to Bethlehem to find Jesus, but because they were following the star, could they have gone to Nazareth? Nazareth is a 90-mile walk from Bethlehem; it's not impossible, but I highly doubt it. It also says they left a different way so they wouldn't have to see Herod, which was only about 6 miles from Bethlehem. It pays to read with understanding, because for all these years I thought Jesus was a little older when the wise men came to see him, but it's more likely that it was before they fled to Egypt, shortly after his being presented at the temple in Jerusalem. However, Herod was in Jerusalem, so the Magi must have come after his visit to the temple. Right after the Magi left, Joseph had a dream telling him to flee to Egypt. I hope I didn't confuse you with my rambling. 

For years, I believed Jesus was probably a toddler when the Magi came, but likely he was still an infant. Because I believed everything I was told, I felt it was wrong to include the Magi in the Nativity, so I left them in the box. Now, I proudly display them with the shepherds and the holy family. Read your Bible to help you unlearn the fables you've been told, even if they aren't completely wrong; that way, you can then sort them out for yourself. 

And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. Matthew 2:12 

December 15, 2025

When the wise men departed from visiting Jesus, they didn’t report back to Herod as he had asked, but went home another way; God had warned them in a dream not to go back. Then an angel of the LORD appeared to Joseph in a dream, telling him to leave for Egypt because Herod planned to destroy Jesus. Herod’s actions were purely from selfish ambition. Back in the Old Testament days, children were crowned king, and he was probably worried about Jesus taking over his throne. I wonder how he feels about that now that he is living with the consequences of his sins? When the wise men didn’t follow Herod’s instructions, he sent his men to Bethlehem to do away with all the babies aged two and under. After Herod’s death an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream telling him to return to Israel. However, when he heard that Herod’s son now reigned, he took his family to Galilee to the city of Nazareth. 

And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene. Matthew 2:23

And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: Isaiah 11:1

Nêtser is a Hebrew word meaning branch. It is thought that Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would come from Nazareth. It is pronounced nay'-tser, which is similar to Nazareth. 

December 14, 2025

I've always been taught that Jesus was about one year old when the wise men came. Did you know that the Bible never says how old Jesus was when they visited him to bring gifts? They use different words from Luke-"babe"-to Matthew-"young child"-to distinguish age, even though they have nearly the same meaning. They stayed in Bethlehem until after the wise men came. Now, why wouldn't they have gone home after his birth and paid their taxes? So maybe it was only a day or so after his birth that they came to visit while they were still there and waiting on Mary's recovery. It would be nice if, when we were told a Bible story, the teacher would make the distinction between what is biblical and what is speculation. Now you know that there is no biblical evidence of his age. 

Here's some food for speculative thought: What if these Magi were the ancestors of the magicians from Babylon, and they learned of the prophecies about the Messiah's birth through Daniel? I bet he taught them about the One True God; they believed and passed that information on to their children. As we begin to connect the dots, the picture becomes clearer. God is very orderly, and everything included in the scriptures has a purpose, so this idea is not too far-fetched. Another note to clarify the story: The Bible doesn't say how many Magi came to visit, only that there were three kinds of gifts. So, the three wise men idea is made up; we don't know how many came. Since we are still in speculative thought, being poor, I'll bet God had them bring all those gifts to give them the ability to move to Egypt to escape Herod's order to kill all the babies under the age of two. 

And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and 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