Isaiah 7:14 - call him Immanuel

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

This promise is written over 700 years before it is fulfilled in a manger in Bethlehem. Can you imagine what Isaiah as thinking as he wrote this? Unfortunately, Isaiah never saw the fulfillment of this passage. We get discouraged because we feel that we have a promise from God and after a few weeks nothing has happened. But Christmas is the record of God's faithfulness. Therefore, Advent is the season of waiting for the promises of God. It is in the waiting that our hearing becomes attuned to the voice in the Scripture. Our hunger for God and our yearning for His promises produce in us a passion for our Father's power in the world that we live in. Let this season fuel your soul to hunger and thirst for righteousness, for you shall be filled!

Today's commentary by:
Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, Grace NYC

What do you think? Discussion at: http://facebook.com/DailyBibleVerse

Luke 1:76-77 - For you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him

And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins,

Zechariah was speaking to his newly born son who would become John the Baptist. Notice what he prophetically speaks to John and ultimately to us: We come to the knowledge of salvation when we understand our sin and the need for forgiveness. We can talk of Jesus being our Savior, but do we realize that means we are not able to change ourselves and need to be rescued? The good news becomes good when we truly realize the state of our souls before God. The birth of John the Baptist reminds us that we are more flawed than we want to admit, but more loved than we could dream. This exposes our fallen nature while embracing the love of God. This empowers us with salvation.

Today's commentary by:
Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, Grace NYC

What do you think? Discussion at: http://facebook.com/DailyBibleVerse