December 27
Scripture of the day: "And when eight days had passed, before His circumcision, His name was then called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb. And when the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, 'Every firstborn male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord'), and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, 'A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.'" Luke 2:21-24
Thought of the day: The firstborn male was required by the Law to be sanctified to the Lord by his parents ... and circumcised after seven days. A woman was required to offer a sacrifice of atonement thirty-three days after the birth of a son. Her sacrifice was to be a one-year old lamb ... and a young pigeon or turtledove. But if she couldn't afford the lamb, she could offer two turtledoves or two pigeons. Mary and Joseph offered a pair of birds. Read Exodus 13:2-12 and Leviticus 12:1-8 for these Laws.
Challenge of the day: The earthly parents of the Lamb of God couldn't afford a lamb for their sacrifice. Jesus was born into a poor family ... poor by human standards, but spiritually wealthy. As you continue your Christmas celebration gives thanks for your true wealth as a child of God and an heir through Him, Galatians 4:7. And if God has entrusted you with earthly wealth, offer an acceptable sacrifice from it to Him, Philippians 4:18. Are you offering an acceptable sacrifice in your giving? God doesn't ask you to give what you do not have. But don't offer a pair of pigeons if you can afford a lamb.
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