DAY 1 –
DECEMBER 19
TITLE: “THE
WORLD DID NOT RECOGNIZE HIM”
WEEKLY
SCRIPTURE
DAILY
SCRIPTURE
KEY
VERSE: “He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the
world did not recognize him.” John 1:10
In my office,
I have a set of books about famous and significant theologians. One of those
theologians is Karl Barth. He was born on May
10, 1886 and died on December 10, 1968.
He was a Swiss –
German Reformed theologian whom critics hold to be
among the most important Christian thinkers of the 20th century.
One of my favorite stories
about Karl Barth took place when he delivered one of the closing lectures of
his lifetime at the University of Chicago Divinity
School. At the end of the lecture, the president of the seminary told the
audience that Dr. Barth was not well and was very tired, and though he thought
Dr. Barth would like to open the floor for questions, he probably could not
handle the strain. Then he said, "Therefore, I'll ask just one question on
behalf of all of us." He turned to Barth and asked, "Of all the
theological insights you have ever had, which do you
consider to be the greatest of them all?"
This was a remarkable
question to ask a man who had written tens of thousands of pages of some of the
most sophisticated theology ever put on paper. The students sat with pads and
pencils ready. They wanted to jot down the premier insight
of the greatest theologian of their time. Karl Barth closed his eyes and thought
for a while. Then he smiled, opened his eyes, and said to the young
seminarians, "The greatest theological insight that I have ever had is
this: Jesus loves me, this
I know, for the Bible tells me so!"
There is another interesting story about Karl
Barth that took place while he was
on a streetcar one day in Basel, Switzerland, where he lectured. A tourist to
the city climbed on and sat down next to Barth.
The two men started chatting with each other. “Are you new to the city?”
Barth inquired. “Yes,” said the tourist. “Is there anything you would
particularly like to see in this city?” asked Barth. “Yes,” he said, “I’d love
to meet the famous theologian, Karl Barth. Do you know him?” Barth replied,
“Well, as a matter of fact, I do. I give him a shave every morning.” The
tourist got off the streetcar quite delighted. He went back to his hotel saying
to himself, “I met Karl Barth’s barber today.”
As I think
about this story, I am reminded of the scripture for today. The world was made
through Him but they did not recognize Him. They did not recognize Him because
they refused to listen to or learn from the Father. Their eyes were blind to
the truth. I pray each of us will easily recognize who Jesus, the Word, the
Life, the true Light of men, really is. The world did not recognize Him, but we
can, when we open our eyes and heart to Him.
DAY 2 –
DECEMBER 20
TITLE: “A
RECEIVER”
WEEKLY
SCRIPTURE
DAILY
SCRIPTURE
KEY
VERSE: “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.” John
1:11
What do you
think of when you think of a receiver? One definition is that it is a listening
device. A receiver for a radio is an electronic device that converts a radio
signal from modulated radio wave into usable information, audio, video, or
otherwise. A receiver in Australian rule
football is a type of midfielder. A wide receiver is an offensive position in American
and Canadian football. A receiver can also be a person who receives goods in a
distribution center. To “receive” is “to accept, admit, take, acquire, get,
gain, win, obtain or catch.”
Scripture
says that when Jesus came to His own, they did not receive Him. Israel and
Judaism were the stage on which the drama of His public ministry was played
out. They should have welcomed Him and received Him, but He was rejected.
I heard a
story about a young person who married someone against her parents’ will. The father
refused to communicate with or see his daughter and her family. The daughter
kept sending letter after letter to her father, trying to restore the
relationship. Several years later, as I remember the story, she received a box
in the mail. She opened it up and inside the box were all the letters she sent
to her father. The tragedy was that they had never been opened. All the words written
from her heart to her father had never been received. What a heartbreaking
tragedy.
It was truly
a tragedy that “his own did not receive
him." They missed out on all that Jesus came to provide. They missed
out on the peace that only the Prince of Peace can bring. The people missed out
on the forgiveness of sins that only Jesus could offer. They missed out on the
relationship with God that only Jesus could provide. The people missed out on the
blessings that come when one walks in obedience with the Lord.
My heart
thinks of all that people miss today when they do not received God’s amazing
gift of love. When we fail to open His gift of love through faith, we miss out
on more than words could ever express. When people reject the Christ of
Christmas, they miss out on all the joy that the Good News of Christ brings.
Jesus came so
we might receive all that God has provided for us through faith. I pray that I
will be a good receiver of all Christ sees to pour out upon me. I don’t want to
miss out on anything the Lord has for me. I pray you will be a good receiver of
all God has for you.
DAY 3 –
DECEMBER 21
TITLE:
“BELIEVE IN HIS NAME”
WEEKLY
SCRIPTURE
DAILY
SCRIPTURE
KEY
VERSE: “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he
gave the right to become children of God –” John 1:12
Well-known
speaker, Ken Davis tells this story. “In college, I was asked to prepare a
lesson to teach to my speech class. We were to be graded on our creativity and
ability to drive home a point in a memorable way. The title of my talk was,
"The Law of the Pendulum." I spent 20 minutes carefully teaching the
physical principle that governs a swinging pendulum. The Law of the Pendulum
is: “A pendulum can never return to a point higher than the point from which it
was released. Because of friction and gravity, when the pendulum returns, it
will fall short of its original release point. Each time it swings it makes
less and less of an arc, until finally it is at rest. This point of rest is
called the state of equilibrium, where all forces acting on the pendulum are
equal.”
I attached a
3-foot string to a child's toy top and secured it to the top of the blackboard
with a thumbtack. I pulled the top to one side and made a mark on the
blackboard where I let it go. Each time it swung back, I made a new mark. It
took less than a minute for the top to complete its swinging and come to rest.
When I finished the demonstration, the markings on the blackboard proved my
thesis.
I then asked
how many people in the room believed the Law of the Pendulum was true. All of
my classmates raised their hands, so did the teacher. He started to walk to the
front of the room, thinking the class was over. In reality, it had just begun.
Hanging from the steel ceiling beams in the middle of the room was a large,
crude but functional pendulum (250 pounds of metal weights tied to four strands
of 500-pound test parachute cord). I invited the instructor to climb up on a
table and sit in a chair with the back of his head against a cement wall. Then
I brought the 250 pounds of metal up to his nose. Holding the huge pendulum
just a fraction of an inch from his face, I once again explained the law of the
pendulum he had applauded only moments before, "If the Law of the Pendulum
is true, then when I release this mass of metal, it will swing across the room
and return short of the release point. Your nose will be in no danger."
After
that final restatement of this law, I looked him in the eye and asked,
"Sir, do you believe this law is true?" There was a long pause. Huge
beads of sweat formed on his upper lip and then weakly he nodded and whispered,
"Yes." I released the pendulum. It made a swishing sound as it arced
across the room. At the far end of its swing, it paused momentarily and started
back. I never saw a man move so fast in my life. He literally dived from the
table. Deftly stepping around the still-swinging pendulum, I asked the class,
"Does he believe in the Law of the Pendulum?" The students unanimously
answered, "NO!" Do you
believe in His name? Let your belief in the name of Jesus be seen in every word
you speak and everything you do.
DAY 4 –
DECEMBER 22
TITLE: “THE
NAME OF JESUS“
WEEKLY
SCRIPTURE
DAILY
SCRIPTURE
KEY
VERSE: “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he
gave the right to become children of God – ” John
1:12
There is no
other name by which people can be saved. The name of Jesus calls for the
attention of the whole world. Paul wrote of Jesus, “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name
that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in
heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-11. Take a
few moments to reflect on the name of Jesus as you read these words by Lydia
Baxter.
Take the name of Jesus with you, Child
of sorrow and of woe;
It will joy and comfort give you, take it then where'er
you go.
Precious name, (Precious name), O how sweet! (O how sweet!)
Hope of earth and joy of heav'n; Precious name,
(Precious name,)
O how sweet! (How sweet!) Hope of earth and joy of heav'n.
Take the name of Jesus ever as a shield from ev'ry
snare;
If temptations round you gather, breathe that holy name in pray'r.
Precious name, (Precious name), O how sweet! (O how sweet!)
Hope of earth and joy of heav'n; Precious name,
(Precious name,)
O how sweet! (How sweet!) Hope of earth and joy of heav'n.
O the precious name of Jesus! How it thrills our souls with joy,
When His loving arms receive us, and His songs our tongues employ.
Precious name, (Precious name), O how sweet! (O how sweet!)
Hope of earth and joy of heav'n; Precious name,
(Precious name,)
O how sweet! (How sweet!) Hope of earth and joy of heav'n.
At the name of Jesus bowing, falling prostrate at His feet,
King of kings in heav'n we'll crown Him, when our
journey is complete.
Precious name, (Precious name), O how sweet!
(O how sweet!)
Hope of earth and joy of heav'n; Precious name,
(Precious name,)
O how sweet! (How sweet!) Hope of earth and joy of heav'n.
DAY 5 –
DECEMBER 23
TITLE: “A
CHILD OF THE KING”
WEEKLY
SCRIPTURE READING: John 1:10-13
DAILY
SCRIPTURE READING: John 1:12-13
KEY VERSE: “…children
born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but
born of God.” John 1:13
Theologian, J. I Packer, in his classic book, Knowing God, said, “If you want to judge
how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he makes of the
thought of being God's child and having God as his Father. If this is not the
thought that prompts and controls his worship and prayers and his whole outlook
on life, it means that he does not understand Christianity very well at
all."
What
does it mean to you to be a child of God? The promise is to all who received
Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right or power to become
children of God. To be a child of God is a privilege of His grace. To become
children of God is a work wholly of God’s operation. We do not become children
of God because of our religious background or our parents. We do not become
children of God because of hard work or by being good. We become children of
God by putting our faith and trust in Him. We are children of God because of
God and His wonderful mercy. Through faith in Christ, you are a child of the
King. Take a few minutes to reflect on what that means as you read the words to
this song.
My Father is rich in
houses and lands;
He holdeth the wealth of the world in His hands!
Of rubies and diamonds, of silver and gold;
His coffers are full,
He has riches untold.
I’m
a child of the King, A child of the King:
With Jesus my Savior, I’m a child of the King.
My Father’s own Son,
the Savior of men;
Once wandered on
earth as the poorest of them;
But now He is pleading our pardon on high;
That we may be His when He comes by and by.
I’m
a child of the King, A child of the King:
With Jesus my Savior, I’m a child of the King.
I once was an outcast
stranger on earth;
A sinner by choice,
an alien by birth,
But I’ve been adopted, my name’s written down;
An heir to a mansion, a robe and a crown.
I’m
a child of the King, A child of the King:
With Jesus my Savior, I’m a child of the King. (Harriet E. Buell)