The angel Gabriel was sent by God to Mary of Nazareth to deliver a message. Gabriel revealed that Mary was chosen for a special purpose, to carry the Son of God in her womb and be his mother. By the grace of God, she and Joseph became the parents of Jesus, the Savior of the world.

 

Although no other humans have been given the honor and responsibility of being the parents of Jesus, God’s grace is with you too! The Lord’s undeserved and unmerited favor enables you to understand who He is and what He wants you to know. God’s grace provides the gift of justification, forgiveness of sins, through faith in Jesus. The work of the Holy Spirit reveals the sanctifying grace of God transforming you in the way you think, speak, and act to enable you to mature, become more fruitful as a believer, and become more like Christ. You may not feel like it, but God’s favor found you and is with you. How will you respond?

 

*If you don’t have a Bible, consider downloading the YouVersion Bible App for free from the Apple App Store or Google Play for your smartphone or tablet. You can also use www.BibleGateway.com to look up and read various translations of Bible verses online.

 

For a full version of this Your Faith Journey devotional download the Worship Guide from the Avon UMC website: www.AvonUMC.com

 

The Your Faith Journey Bible verses for this week are listed below:

 

Sunday (12/13)

Today I am going to offer God ______________________________________.

 

During the worship service God revealed _____________________________________________________________________________________.

 

I am going to respond by ______________________________________________________________________________________________________.

 

Monday (12/14)

Read Joshua 1:1-5 and notice the promise God made to Joshua in verse 5. Jesus shared a similar promise with his disciples that is recorded in Matthew 28:20. Because of our faith in Christ, we are never really alone. Although we may feel alone when other people are not around, God is with us. Pray to the One who will “never leave you,” praising and thanking Him for who He is, His ongoing presence with us, what He has done for you, and what He is doing in your life right now.

 

 

Tuesday (12/15)

Read Isaiah 7:14. Just as most of the people of Jesus’ day and time missed the fact that God, Immanuel, was among them, we too can overlook the presence of the Holy Spirit at work within the world and within us today. What if there are signs all around us, but we don’t see them? Pray for God to enable you to see and perceive the signs of his presence with us here and now.

 

Wednesday (12/16)

Read Luke 1:26-38 and pray for God to reveal a word, phrase, or verse that is specifically for you for today.

 

Thursday (12/17)

Read Mark 10:23-27 and pray in response to what you read.

 

Friday (12/18)

Read Philippians 4:13 remembering that Paul is referring to Jesus, and pray with confidence that you can endure and persevere in whatever

circumstance or hardships you are facing because of the grace, mercy, strength, and peace of the Lord. Give your headache and concerns to God in prayer. Invite Christ to do for  you what you cannot do for yourself.

 

Saturday (12/19)

Reflect upon the past week, and re-read verses or phrases that stood out to you. The following questions may be helpful as you reflect:

How did you see, hear, or encounter God during this past week?

 

Who needs to hear about your experience sometime in the coming days?

 

 

*To download the entire Worship Guide, which includes the extended version of the Your Faith Journey Guide, go to www.AvonUMC.com.