Author Archives: thechapelyouth

Devotional Passage: Luke 2:6-7 Today you’re going to read two verses that describe Jesus’ birth. Yes, Christmas is still a week and a half away. Don’t worry. You’ll revisit them. But it’s good to spend some time reading about this event now. Why? For starters, because we can’t read it enough, but there’s a secondContinue reading “God With Us: Day 15”

Devotional Passage: Luke 2:1-5 Timing is everything. Timing is the difference between a base hit and an out. Timing is the difference between a well-delivered joke and a lame attempt at humor. Do you slow down for that yellow light or speed up? Timing. Want to go to prom with your crush? Better make sureContinue reading “God With Us: Day 14”

Devotional Passage: Luke 1:67-80 This day’s devotional will be our final visit with Zechariah and Elizabeth. It’s interesting that they play such a prominent role in the Christmas story, isn’t it? The reason is that God’s plan all along was to have the respective ministries of John and Jesus be linked. John went ahead ofContinue reading “God With Us: Day 13”

Devotional Passage: Isaiah 9:6-7, Luke 1:32-33 Turn to Isaiah 9. Before you read this well-known passage, let’s make sure we’re good on the context. Isaiah was one of Israel’s most important prophets. Isaiah was God’s mouthpiece to warn God’s people that if they did not turn back to God, they would experience God’s judgment. ButContinue reading “God With Us: Day 12”

Devotional Passage: Luke 1:57-66 Take a moment and read Luke 1:57-66. Elizabeth is an older woman, way past her child-birthing years. The birth of her baby is a true miracle. And when we look at verse 58, the reactions of the people back this up. People are excited. They’re praising God as a result ofContinue reading “God With Us: Day 11”

Devotional Passage: Luke 1:46-56 One of the things about our faith that makes it so unique is that it is intimately personal and universally general. Huh? Seriously, though. It’s true. As individuals, we have this amazingly personal relationship with God. He knows us. He works in our lives for our good. We are His children.Continue reading “God With Us: Day 10”

Devotional Passage: Luke 1:39-45 There’s a feeling among people who don’t believe in God that Christianity is a “no fun club.” They look at Christianity as nothing but a bunch of rules to follow. Maybe you know people like this. They don’t know God. And what keeps them from being open to it is aContinue reading “God With Us: Day 9”

Devotional Passage: Matthew 1:24-25 Obedience is an interesting concept. It gets a bum rap. Just saying the word — “obedience” — kind of makes you shiver, doesn’t it? Thinking about obeying brings to mind your mom telling you to take out the trash or clean your room. It recalls images of life in the slowContinue reading “God With Us: Day 8”

Devotional Passage: Matthew 1:20-23 What are you scared of? Heights? Public speaking? Getting struck by lightning? Are you scared of snakes? Small spaces? Sharks? (If so, good. Sharks are insane, people-eating monsters. I mean, it’s true.) Different folks are scared of different things. (Heck, you may even have chiraptophobia, the fear of being touched.) ButContinue reading “God With Us: Day 7”

Devotional Passage: Matthew 1:18-19 Tension is an important aspect of great stories. Think about the last suspenseful movie you saw. There were most likely moments of tension throughout the movie. It’s the moment when the hero is being chased. Will he get away? Or maybe the hero is trying to download secret documents from theContinue reading “God With Us: Day 6”