December 16

Nine Lessons, continued...

Fifth Lesson: In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!" But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?" And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy--the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God." And Mary said, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:26-38)

Sixth Lesson: In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. (Luke 2:1-7)

Seventh Lesson: And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. (Luke 2:8-16)

Eighth Lesson: Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him." When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: "'And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.'" Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him." After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. (Matthew 2:1-11)

Ninth Lesson: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-14)


Thanks be to God.

December 15

Nine Lessons

First Lesson: And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?" And he said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself." He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate." Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."
(Genesis 3:8-15)

Second Lesson: And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, "By myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice."
(Genesis 22:15-18)

Third Lesson: The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined. You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.
(Isaiah 9:2-7)

Fourth Lesson: But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel. And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth.
(Micah 5:2-4)

to be continued...

Lessons from Job

"But as for me I know that my Redeemer liveth, And at last he will stand up upon the earth: And after my skin, even this body, is destroyed, Then without my flesh shall I see God; Whom I, even I, shall see, on my side, And mine eyes shall behold, and not as a stranger. My heart is consumed within me." (Job 19:25-27)


Gill says of the article "but" that it should be read as an explanative, "to wit" or "namely." In the preceding verses, Job states that he wishes his words were written down, inscribed in a book, engraven on a rock to endure forever. Why? Because it is so important for all to know that despite the fact that Job has just lost his family, his wealth, his health and his friends are attacking him, he is still hopeful in His Redeemer. And it is not any mere man of whom he speaks, nor of God himself. Job speaks of The Christ, the Son of God.

Satan thought that he would get the upper hand of Job, after all he took from him everything. He thought that now would be his chance for someone to forsake the Master, indeed he told God that Job would falter in his faith. As is evident in this verse, Job held strong to his faith. But it was not by his own strength, but that which the Spirit of God gave him.

Job was a righteous man, but still a fallen man. He was righteous because his Redeemer is righteous.

Some lessons to learn from Job:

1. There is only one Redeemer: Jesus Christ the Lord.
2. You do not have to endure trials by your own strength, but lean on the strength of the Lord.
3. Even Satan knew and believed in God, but he did not worship Him nor submit to His will. He did not claim Christ as his savior. There are many who appear to be Christians, but do not truly submit themselves to Christ by His grace.
4. When our life on this earth has come to an end, all that matters is who is our Master. Is your master your family, your wealth, your health or is it the One who promises an eternity in a land flowing with milk and honey?

"Faith is not believing that God will do what I want him to do, or what I think I need him to do. Faith is believing that God will do what he said He would do. Faith in Christ is an abandonment of our own thoughts and ways, and a complete, unreserved trusting of him as our Righteousness, Sin-offering and Sovereign." Pastor Chris Cunningham

Today is the first day...

The following is an excerpt from a longer letter written on the first day.

As your father, who though doesn't show it much, loves you, I want you to know that you're not on this journey alone. You're going to have mountain top experiences and valley low times. Laughter and sorrow! Good times and not so good times. Remember that each day offers a new opportunity, yesterday is gone forever, but learn from your mistakes and build upon your successes. Tomorrow never gets here, but always live with the thought of making tomorrow better for you and those around you. That leaves today...make each day count. Enjoy the blessings given to you daily. Take advantage of every opportunity to better yourself.

How can you do that?

1. Be honest with yourself and all with whom you are in contact.

2. Be worthy of who you are! You are Michelle Dawn Campbell - Be proud of that and be careful not to destroy yourself.

3. Be helpful - give a helping hand to those in need. There is always someone who can use some help. Don't close yourself up to only yourself.

4. Be cheerful. Happiness goes a long way. Happy people are healthy people. Cheerfulness shows contentment and satisfaction with what God has given us.

5. Be understanding with those who become or currently are part of your life. You'll have differences of opinions and differences of ideas, especially with your mother and me. Try to see from the other person's side.

6. Be thrifty - not only with your money, but also with your time. Make the best of each day. Use your time wisely. Once it is gone, it is gone forever. Redeem the time. Set aside some moments each day to reflect on the goodness of God.

7. Be courteous - This shows respect for others.

8. Be patient - God didn't give us the mighty Oak trees at once! They are growing! Everything cannot be done at once. Patience is the doing what we can while waiting upon God, without any complaints or murmuring.

This does not complete the list of betterment ideas but if we work on these, what better lives we'll have.

Just like an individual who makes plans to go on a trip that the destination is entirely new, so will you need some help. The traveler must seek advice from someone who has knowledge of the proper route or go to a road map. Using the road map, you'll have to be able to transfer from paper to the road signs to go in the proper direction. The best and most accurate map to follow throughout your lifetime is God's word. Psalm 119:105, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." You can never go wrong if you pattern yourself after the principles of the Bible. There will never be any direction going in the wrong way, missing the proper exit. But, instead, a most happy and fulfilled life awaits for those who walk accordingly.

I hope that you have a good year.

Love, Dad