And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: – Acts 2:17
I have a dream, do you? Many people have dreams, not only old men. They have dreams of different things. I believe many dreams are God given. Having a dream gives your life a sense of purpose.
You may have had a dream your whole life, a strong desire to be or do something special. Some people have many dreams.
Maybe your dream is to be successful in some way. Some may want to be a professional athlete, an actress or actor, a best-selling author, a doctor, nurse, or lawyer.
Some may have dreams of finding that special person to share your life with, having a family, or buying a home.
Some may want to build a business, or to become financially secure. There are endless things that people can build dreams around.
Some people’s dreams may be to change the world in some way, while other people’s dreams are personal.
Some dreams may take a short time to accomplish, while some may take years, or even a life time to see them come to fruition.
Some may start a movement, invent a product or service, or do something renowned to change the whole world and the way we live in the world.
Having a dream and seeing it come to pass can take a lot of hard work, determination, and passion. Just having a dream is not enough; you have to be willing to do what it takes to make it happen.
You may have to set goals to reach steps along the way to see your dreams come true. You may have to take some classes or other special training to learn to do the things you need to do to see your dream fulfilled.
Many times there will be opposition. You have to work through the opposition to see your dreams come to pass. Sometimes you may have to hang on for the ride, while other times it may seem like smooth sailing.
Whatever your dream is, dream big and do what it takes to make it happen.
Today’s Daily Bible Reading is from Matthew 24:1-35. In this Scripture, Jesus left the temple and His disciples came and wanted to show Him the buildings of the temple. Jesus tells them not one of the stones will be left intact; they’ll all be thrown down. Was He speaking literally?
Jesus went to sit on the Mount of Olives, and the disciples came to Him asking Him what the signs of His coming and the end of the world would be. Jesus warns them there will be many who will come claiming to be Him, but warns them not to be deceived. We have to be careful who we listen to. It is good for us to read our Bible, so we can know the truth for ourselves.
Jesus tells them there will be wars and nations will rise against nations, there will be famines, pests, and earthquakes. Does any of this sound familiar? Jesus tells them there will be persecutions, and people will turn against one another. Jesus compares these happenings to the labor a woman goes through when she is having a baby. The pains will get stronger and stronger until the baby is birthed.
Jesus says the gospel will be preached to all nations, and then the end will come. In Matthew 24:27-35 He tells them what will happen.
Jesus compares His coming to the fig tree and reminds us to watch for the signs. When we see these things happening Jesus is talking about we’ll know the time is drawing near. We are to watch and be ready for His appearance.
I know these Scriptures are heavy, but I want to encourage you to keep the faith, and anxiously await the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
If you haven’t accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, I encourage you to do it before it is too late. God loves you, and it isn’t His will that any should perish.
Daily Bible Reading:
Matthew 24:1-35
1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.
2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.
10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.
23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
25 Behold, I have told you before.
26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
Things to think about:
What did Jesus tell the disciples about the temple?
What did Jesus say for us to take heed to?
What did Jesus say about the gospel of the kingdom?
What is the significance of the fig tree?
Prayer of the Day:
Dear Heavenly Father,
As we read this Scripture, where Jesus tells the disciples about the end of time, help us not to be deceived. Help us to discern the truth. Help us to keep the faith. These are troubled times we read about and we need Your help to get through them. Help us to look forward to the day when we see the Son of Man coming in the clouds. In Jesus’ name, we pray. We love You, LORD. Amen.
PS. Thank you for coming to DeborahHBateman.com to study the Bible with us. Please come back again tomorrow and invite your friends and family to join us for Bible Study.
The Book of Matthew: Life of Jesus Christ is a Daily Bible Reading Study by Deborah H. Bateman, which takes you through the life of Jesus Christ. The book of Matthew is the first book in the New Testament of the Bible. It begins with the genealogy of Jesus Christ and His birth.
The Book of Matthew also goes into Jesus’ ministry on earth, including the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus’ parables, and Jesus’ final days, including His death, burial, and resurrection. The book concludes with the great commission.
The Book of Matthew: Life of Jesus Christ includes fifty-seven daily devotionals which contain a brief commentary, the Daily Bible Reading Scripture, a few questions to think about, and a prayer of the day. It is a great book for individual daily devotions or a group Bible study.
Today’s Daily Bible Reading is from Matthew 2:1-11. I find it interesting to see what other people do as some of their family Christmas traditions. What are some of your Christmas Traditions? In this post, I am going to share some of my family’s Christmas traditions and a family favorite recipe that we fix every year during the Christmas holidays.
Christmas is a time when we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Probably at the top of the list as one of our favorite family Christmas traditions over the years has been being involved in our church’s Christmas drama that was called, “This Man Called Jesus,” and was performed for twenty-five years at the church.
My husband, children, grandchildren all played parts in the drama throughout the years. There are many people in our community and throughout the world who attended the drama and some came back every year to see it as part of their family traditions. The drama is no longer done at our church, but has become a community project that my family is still involved in. It is now called “Jesus Is His Name.”
At home, we decorate our tree and home in a festive manner as I am sure a lot of you do as well. It is always a fun family time of putting up the tree and getting the house ready for the Christmas holidays.
This year we started a new Christmas tradition of giving the children and grandchildren an ornament that they could keep and hang on their tree in the future as something to remember us by. I also wrote them a Christmas letter introducing the new tradition and reminding them to always celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.
When our children were growing up we always opened presents on Christmas morning, but now that they are grown and have children of their own, we open our presents on Christmas Eve. That way they are able to celebrate Christmas with their children on Christmas morning. We also have a nice Christmas dinner as part of our Christmas celebration. Over the past several years we have gone to our daughter’s house to have breakfast with her and watch her children open their presents. Then, we may drop by and visit other relatives and friends in the area.
We also have a big family party usually after Christmas with all of my extended family. Our house was the meeting place after my parents went to be with the Lord. Now that we have outgrown our house we started meeting at a community center. My brother, sisters, and their children and grandchildren all gather together for a meal and fellowship. Everybody brings finger foods, appetizers, or a covered dish and we all enjoy another day of celebrating together. Each family group represented at the party has their picture taken in front of the Christmas tree. We usually have about thirty or thirty-five people for this day of celebration. Of course that number continues to grow as the family grows.
We have special treats that we cook only during the holiday season. Over the years I have taught my daughters and now my grandchildren how to cook. One of our favorite things to make every year is Peanut Butter Balls. I only fix these during the holidays, so it gives my family something to look forward to. One of my granddaughters asked me if we could make them in the summer, and I told her she would have to wait until Christmas. I will share that recipe with you at the end of this post.
The wise men gave gifts at the birth of Jesus. Maybe this is where we developed the tradition of exchanging gifts.
Daily Bible Reading:
Matthew 2:1-11
1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
Things to think about:
What are your family traditions?
Which of your family traditions do you feel honor Jesus’ birth?
Are there any of your family traditions that does not honor the birth of Jesus?
How can we make our family traditions more about celebrating the birth of Jesus and less commercialized?
Prayer of the Day:
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for this Scripture where the wise men’s visit at the birth of Jesus is recorded. Help us as we go through the holiday season to always remember the true meaning of Christmas. Help us to center our celebrations around the birth of Christ. Help us to honor You in all that we do. Thank You for giving the precious gift of Your Son, Jesus, to be born into this world in order to save us from our sins. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Christian Music Video:
PS. Thank you for coming to DeborahHBateman.com to study the Bible with us. Come back again tomorrow. We will continue to study God’s Word together.
The Book of Matthew: Life of Jesus Christ is a Daily Bible Reading Study by Deborah H. Bateman, which takes you through the life of Jesus Christ. The book of Matthew is the first book in the New Testament of the Bible. It begins with the genealogy of Jesus Christ and His birth.
The Book of Matthew also goes into Jesus’ ministry on earth, including the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus’ parables, and Jesus’ final days, including His death, burial, and resurrection. The book concludes with the great commission.
The Book of Matthew: Life of Jesus Christ includes fifty-seven daily devotionals which contain a brief commentary, the Daily Bible Reading Scripture, a few questions to think about, and a prayer of the day. It is a great book for individual daily devotions or a group Bible study.
This is a recipe my family usually makes every year for Christmas. However, I haven’t gotten around to it yet this year. I usually make three or four recipes, so we can have plenty for all our Christmas gatherings.
Peanut Butter Balls
1 lb. confectioners sugar
2 sticks margarine or butter, melted
1 cup crushed graham crackers (I run mine through the salad shooter w/ the grate blade)
1 cup peanut butter-you can use crunchy or creamy whichever you prefer, I prefer crunchy, but the grandchildren prefer creamy.
1 tsp vanilla
Melt butter, stir in peanut butter until melted, add sugar, vanilla, and graham crackers crumbs. The mixture will be very thick. Form into balls. Melt 6 oz. chocolate chips with 1/4 bar paraffin wax over low heat in double boiler. Use a toothpick or spoon to dip balls into chocolate. Put on wax paper until set.
* Each recipe will make about 100 bite-size Peanut Butter Balls.
I like to mix the chocolate chips, using some semi-sweet and some milk chocolate.
You can do only milk chocolate, or only semi-sweet, or half of each, or I prefer 3 semi-sweet to 1 milk chocolate.
If you would like to see some of our other family favorite recipes please stop by my blog called Recipe for Life at: http://www.deborah-bateman.blogspot.com
May God bless you and your family throughout the holiday season and through the next year.
Today’s Daily Bible Reading is from Matthew 2:11. It’s that time of year again, the time when we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
I don’t know about you, but as for me, by this time of the holiday season I have about worn myself out. How did we get caught up in the hustle and bustle of it all?
We spend weeks or even months getting ready for the big day. We decorate our houses with Christmas trees, nativity scenes, wreaths, garlands, angels, and other Christmas decorations.
We go all over town looking for the perfect gifts for our loved ones. Then, we wrap all the gifts and place them under the tree and wait for the day when we get to open all the gifts we have purchased and prepared for our loved ones.
We spend hours planning, shopping, and cooking our family’s favorite Christmas goodies and meals.
We do all this and wear ourselves out to the point of exhaustion.
During the holiday season, do we really take the time that we should to reflect on the real reason for the Christmas season?
It is Jesus’ birth we are celebrating. How do you suppose He would like us to celebrate His birthday?
Do you think He would enjoy us spending time with Him?
I know on my birthday I enjoy my friends and family spending time with me acknowledging the celebration of my birthday, don’t you?
In Matthew 2:11 we learn that the wise men traveled to see baby Jesus. When they found Jesus, we are told that they bowed down and worshiped Him. They brought gifts to Him of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The celebration wasn’t about the wise men, or Joseph and Mary. It was focused solely on Jesus.
What are some ways that we can worship Jesus during the Christmas holiday season? We might attend church worship services, Christian Christmas programs, listen to Christian Christmas songs, or read the Christmas story from the Bible and reflect on the glory, majesty, and precious gift of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
How do you plan to worship Jesus during the Christmas holiday season?
Daily Bible Reading:
Matthew 2:11
11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
Things to think about:
In what ways do you worship Jesus during the Christmas holidays?
What are some ways that we can teach our children and grandchildren the true meaning of Christmas?
How can we focus more on Him and not as much on the other things that we have made Christmas about?
What are some ways we can share the love of Jesus with others during the Christmas season?
Prayer of the Day:
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank You for Your son, Jesus Christ. Thank You for sending Him to this world to be born of a virgin and to die on the cross for our sins. Help us during this Christmas season to focus more on celebrating His birth and less on all the other traditions that we have during this holiday season. Forgive us of the ways that we have made this time of year more about us and what we want and less about Him. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Christmas Music Video:
PS. Thank you for coming to DeborahHBateman.com to study the Bible with us. Come back again tomorrow. Please invite your friends and family to join us for Bible Study.
The Book of Matthew: Life of Jesus Christ is a Daily Bible Reading Study by Deborah H. Bateman, which takes you through the life of Jesus Christ. The book of Matthew is the first book in the New Testament of the Bible. It begins with the genealogy of Jesus Christ and His birth.
The Book of Matthew also goes into Jesus’ ministry on earth, including the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus’ parables, and Jesus’ final days, including His death, burial, and resurrection. The book concludes with the great commission.
The Book of Matthew: Life of Jesus Christincludes fifty-seven daily devotionals which contain a brief commentary, the Daily Bible Reading Scripture, a few questions to think about, and a prayer of the day. It is a great book for individual daily devotions or a group Bible study.
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