Author: Nathaniel Colt

Read: Genesis 22:1-14; 1 Peter 4:13

Remember when your teacher would read off the attendance list, and when your name was called, you responded, “Here”?

That was how Abraham responded one day when God called his name. “Here I am,” Abraham said. His words were clear: I am available.

But Abraham certainly couldn’t have been eager to accomplish the task God had for him: “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering.”

Yet Abraham proceeded to obey the Lord, making preparations for the sacrifice.

Many have wondered what he was thinking at the time. Why would God want his son dead? Wasn’t Isaac the start of Abraham’s many descendants whom God had promised him?

As the two climbed into the hills, Isaac carrying the wood strapped to his back, the boy asked what animal they would use for the sacrifice. “God will provide . . . the lamb,” Abraham said.

And the Lord did indeed provide a sacrifice, a ram caught in the thicket. Many centuries later, God again provided a sacrifice, a Lamb—in the form of a baby. He sent His only Son to earth to save humankind from death. That baby is the Lamb of God. We celebrate His birth on Christmas Day.

Read: Romans 7:7-12

Have you ever done the exact thing a parent or teacher told you not to do?

When we read the account in Genesis 3 of humanity’s first sin, which Adam and Eve gave in to, we see their swift and sorrowful expulsion from the Garden of Eden, an immediate separation from God’s presence. Eden was the place where people’s relationship with God flourished. It was where the Creator and His creation walked together in the cool of the evening (Genesis 3:8). No more could this be.

God was pure, and humans were impure. They simply couldn’t be together.

Yet God still cared. And loved. He used animal skins to clothe Adam and Eve, covering their nakedness and their shame. The death of the animals to provide their skins were the world’s first sacrifice to cover a sin, a glimpse at the final sacrifice Jesus paid to cover the price for the sins of the whole world. And it all started when He put on human skin to clothe himself and came to earth.

Without such a sacrifice to atone for sin, we might live eternally separated from God. But God is love (1 John 4:8); Christ’s sacrifice bridges the gap. With His birth, death and resurrection, He provided the way for us to come back into a relationship with Him.

Read: Luke 1:26-38, 46-55

How would you respond if a shining angel of God came to your home? What if he told you the plans and expectations you had for your life would be altered forever?

When Mary was told that she was going to have a baby, she was puzzled. In human terms, there was no way she could be pregnant.

“How can this be?” she asked.

Mary needed an explanation on how this defiance of natural law could work. And when the angel clarified, she surrendered herself to God, trusting that His plan for her life was best (Luke 1:46-55). Indeed, it’s likely the Lord chose Mary because of her great faith and her servant’s heart. God wanted to work through someone like her because her child would grow to offer His life in the greatest act of servanthood the universe had ever seen.

And Mary would live to see it all—everything from her son’s beautiful beginning to His violent death. His miraculous ministry, His arrest and trial, His death on the Cross that covered the sins of all, and His resurrected form. Mary couldn’t have known all the details about God’s design to redeem the world, but she knew that He was good and that His plans were trustworthy.

Read: 2 Samuel 12:13-25; Romans 8:28

King David and Bathsheba, a married woman, had an affair. It was not just a bad choice on their part. This affair sparked a storm of tragedy. David arranged to have Bathsheba’s husband murdered, and their child from the affair died shortly after he was born.

Yet even in this dark valley, God did not forget Bathsheba. Over time and after repentance, she had more children, and her son Solomon became one of the greatest kings in Israel’s history, the wisest ruler in all the land. Mary and Joseph are both descendants of David and Bathsheba, one through Solomon and one through another son, Nathan.

When Mary gave birth to baby Jesus, she may not have known that she, too, was giving birth to a king of the Jews, who is the King of all kings. What a great reminder that even in the darkness of sin and death, we can repent, and God can weave our imperfect stories into a complex and beautiful tapestry of redemption for ourselves and others.

Read: 1 Kings 3:5-13; Ecclesiastes 12:11-14; John 10:10

What if you could put literally anything on your Christmas wish list, and you were assured that you would actually receive it? Would you use that once-in-a-lifetime chance to become a better person—or just become better off? God gave a similar opportunity to Solomon when he became Israel’s new king:

“Ask for whatever you want me to give you” (1 Kings 3:5, NIV).

Many new rulers might have asked for more land or storage buildings full of gold. But Solomon recognized that the people of Israel were not his—they were the Lord’s. And, in a way, Israel’s territory wasn’t really his, either. It had been expanded and protected through the battles his father, King David, had fought and won.

So Solomon knew he would need great wisdom to manage the people and possessions God had entrusted to him. And that’s what he asked for: wisdom to do right.

God was pleased by the request, so He gave Solomon both remarkable wisdom and incredible wealth. But as the years of King Solomon’s reign passed, the wealth and power he had attained corrupted him, also hurting his relationship with God. Solomon realized that the things he valued were ultimately meaningless without doing right in God’s eyes.

But God brought Good News. Many centuries after Solomon’s life, his descendant Jesus arrived. Jesus entered our world of meaningless pursuits and showed us the way to His kingdom—an abundant life of joy and peace for those who follow Him..

Read: 2 Samuel 12:13; John 3:23-38

Have you ever had to admit to doing something awful? That unpleasant feeling you get before you confess something is actually a gift from God—He helps us recognize our sins through the work of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit convicts us of sin and nudges us toward confession, repentance and better behavior.

And sometimes the Holy Spirit works in a sort of partnership with a person. This is what happened during King David’s reign. Nathan, a prophet of Israel, bravely challenged the king for abusing his authority.

As King David heard Nathan’s rebuke, David recognized the sin of what he’d done. And he repented. When David confessed, though he still had to suffer the consequences, God’s grace was present.

Over time, the Lord guided and mended David’s heart, helping him to better serve God. David and his wife Bathsheba eventually had a son named Nathan—the same name as the prophet who called out David’s sin and helped bring him to repentance.

This boy, Nathan, may have been a continual reminder to David of God’s grace and faithfulness. God wants us to remember that, too, because He included Nathan in Jesus’ family line. We can see God’s grace everywhere—even in a name buried in a rarely-read list of other names—including the clearest sign of God’s grace: Jesus. He became human to show us how to live and to save us from our sin.

Read: Joshua 2:3-14; 2 Corinthians 5:17–19

“What do you do?” That is one of the first questions a lot of people ask when they first meet someone. We often make quick judgments of others based on how they look, where they live or what kind of job they have.

Many probably judged Rahab. She lived a life of poor decisions, probably some from others that affected her and some of her own. The results of these decisions and actions caused people to not respect her. But unknown to them, perhaps she wanted something more.

When Israelite spies arrived to scout out Jericho, Rahab offered to protect them. She had heard stories of the God of Israel, the loving Lord of all creation who would forgive her and love her. So Rahab protected the Israelites from Canaanite soldiers, giving major assistance to the spies’ mission. Because of her help, Israel gained significant intelligence for their battle against Jericho. As a result, she was welcomed into the nation of Israel.

Her actions showed evidence of her newfound faith in the God of Israel.

This woman, who lived the type of life that caused her to be an outcast, found acceptance with God’s people. And God’s love for her was so great that He included her in the lineage of Christ. As we prepare for Jesus’ birth, we can remember that Jesus didn’t come only for “good” people; He came for everyone—including those who have made really bad decisions and have messed up. Rahab’s story reminds us that God can redeem anyone and that He uses the most unlikely of us in His plans.

Read: Ruth 1:16-17

Have you ever wanted to completely quit on something?

It might have been tempting for Ruth, a Moabite, to move away from her Israelite mother-in-law, Naomi. After tragedy struck and Ruth lost her husband, she had an opportunity to start over, to return to her hometown and try to rebuild her life. Naomi even said it might be best if Ruth really did leave because she was in a tough place herself. Naomi’s own husband had recently died, and she had no way to provide for her daughter-in-law.

Wouldn’t most people prefer a familiar life over a new country and culture? But Ruth was committed to her mother-in-law and her well-being, so she decided to remain loyal to Naomi and embrace Naomi’s people and God. They returned together to Bethlehem, the eventual birthplace of Jesus. Many women in Bethlehem said Ruth treated Naomi better than seven sons!

Because of her faithfulness and hard work, Ruth met and married a kind Israelite named Boaz. And so Ruth was welcomed into the nation of Israel. But her loyalty was rewarded in an even greater way—she is part of Jesus’ ancestry! Ruth’s story again demonstrates God’s interest in pursuing and redeeming outsiders. God used her life to bring about the eventual birth of Jesus—the ultimate Pursuer and Redeemer.

Read: Matthew 1:19-25; 2:13-15

A new King was coming! The Son of the Most High! Good news for everyone, right?

For Joseph, engaged to Mary, the news that his fiancée was going to have a baby was probably shocking. They were not yet husband and wife!

But one night an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and explained how and why Mary had become pregnant. Joseph believed God—that He had chosen Mary to be the mother of the Messiah. Joseph, a humble carpenter, realized he would play an important role in God’s mission to save humanity. And so Joseph chose to protect Mary and provide for her and the child.

After Jesus was born, an angel showed up again in Joseph’s dreams, guiding the new father and his family to safety and provision. We never learn what Joseph said in response to these dramatic events, but his swift obedience to the Lord demonstrates a strong, quiet character—and an example for us all.