Thanks for joining us on this journey of building a consistent habit of reading our Bibles every day. The Bible reading plan we are using this year can be found here: One Year Bible or here on the Bible app. As always, if you miss a day, don’t feel compelled to go back and catch up. Just skip it and start back on today’s date. I am reading the NLT this year, but feel free to use whatever version you prefer. Now here are some thoughts from today’s readings:
You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.
– Luke 1:31
The gospel really first came to Mary. A Son would be born and He would save the world from their sins. It’s beautiful news for the world, but for Mary, it absolutely wrecked her life. Think about it. If a girl at you Church claimed she was pregnant but was still a virgin, would you believe her? Mary’s soon-to-be husband wasn’t convinced, either.
Yet Mary received the news with joy. That’s how the gospel is supposed to work! Really receiving the gospel should wreck your life, but it should be the most beautiful kind of wreck! It should change what people think of you. It may ruin your reputation. You may lose relationships. But in the end, receiving Jesus is more than worth it. In fact, like Mary, we won’t even give the the losses a second thought because of the exceeding joy of knowing Him.
Spend some time in prayer today asking God to wreck you (or maybe RE-wreck you!) with the gospel. Jesus not only died for you sins, but then rose again and is with you this very moment through the Holy Spirit. Let that mess with you today. Let it affect how you think, what you think, the decisions you make, how you spend your time, and how you treat others. Ask the Lord to help you realize what a life changing reality the gospel truly is. Then, get ready. Because He will.
How has the gospel wrecked your life in a good way?