Category: Devotionals

  Welcome back for the next in this Advent series on “Parenting Jesus.” I hope you’ll return tomorrow for the last of the series!   Christmas is a celebration of Jesus’ birth. What great joy we experience as we celebrate Emanuel, “God with us.” With Christmas only two days away, with families gathering and gifts …

Thank you for returning so faithfully day after day! We are almost through this Advent series on “Parenting Jesus.”   Yesterday we saw that even while hanging on a cross, Jesus fulfilled a command he learned in his childhood – to honor his father and mother. He honored his mother when he made arrangements for …

  As we are near the end of Advent and also the end of this series on “Parenting Jesus,” here is the latest thought to share with you.   John 19:25-27 presents a tender scene in the midst of Calvary horror. Mary is standing near the foot of the cross. Her son would die soon, …

  Can it be only 5 days until Christmas?  Here is the next installment on this Advent series on “Parenting Jesus.”   Would you be embarrassed if your daughter were arrested for drunk driving? Would your face flame red if your son were arrested in a sex scandal? What if these events were plastered across …

  Here we are together once again! Thanks for coming back for another in this Advent series on “Parenting Jesus.”   From the very beginning, Mary and Joseph taught Jesus to respect God’s commands. Like the author of Proverbs passing on wisdom to his son, Joseph recognized that his job was not merely to protect …

  Welcome back to day 18 in this Advent series on “Parenting Jesus”!   One of the holiest days in the Jewish calendar is the Day of Atonement. Once – only once – each year, the High Priest entered the Holiest Place and made atonement for the sins of the nation. This day was marked …

Ready for another installment on this Advent series on “Parenting Jesus”?   Jesus told lots of parables about family life. There is the obvious story about the rebellious prodigal son, a gracious father and an angry elder brother, but you may remember also the story of the father who asked his two sons to work …

  Thanks for continuing with me on this journey through my Advent series on “Parenting Jesus.”   Crowds began to follow Jesus everywhere he went. Mark 1:45 tells us that at times the number of people gathered around Jesus made it impossible for him to enter a town. Two chapters later in 3:20,21 – also …

  Ready for another Advent devotional in this series on “Parenting Jesus”?   In a small town, neighbors all know each other’s business. And Nazareth was no different. Everyone knew not only Jesus but his father and mother. Luke, in chapter 4, describes what it was like when Jesus returned to his home town. He …

  Here we are again with the next devotional in this Advent series on “Parenting Jesus.”   After the wedding celebration in Cana described in John chapter 2, Jesus went down to Capernaum with his mother, his brothers and his disciples. This is the apostle John’s first mention of Jesus’ brothers. Often I forget that …