Free Reading Plans and Devotionals related to Matthew 1:17

Are you feeling anxious this season? Overwhelmed? Craving a deeper friendship with Jesus? Allow your heart to open to the wonder of Christmas in this 15-day reading plan. Jesus the High Priest knows and loves you, and longs for you to ask sacred questions. This plan starts with an opening prayer, a passage of Scripture to read, a short devotional, questions for reflection, and ends with a prayer of response.

Ruth must surely be one of the loveliest stories ever written, telling an unforgettable tale of purity, faithfulness, innocence, loyalty, duty, and love. We read of ordinary people in Bethlehem facing everyday events, from loss and dislocation to marriage and family life. In all of this, however, Alistair Begg reminds us that no matter how dark our days may seem, God still protects His people and accomplishes His purposes.

In part one of this verse-by-verse break down of the Gospel of Matthew, we'll break down Matthew 1-4.

Our kind of Christmas isn’t working. The status quo of our holiday season pushes us into busyness, distraction, and exhaustion instead of the rest and relief that Jesus came to bring. This Plan redirects us to God’s kind of Christmas, where we slow down, catch our breath, read everything the gospels say about the birth of Jesus, and remember everything that is ours through faith in our Prince of peace.

Advent comes from the Latin adventus , meaning “arrival, approach.” During this season leading up to Christmas, we reflect on the longing of God’s people for the Messiah, which was fulfilled in the arrival of Jesus—God made flesh, Light from Light, wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. Advent has another purpose, too: drawing our spiritual gaze toward the future when, as we affirm in the Nicene Creed, Jesus “will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.” This resource will guide you through both aspects of Advent reflection.

In this 18 day plan, you'll take a dive into scripture and discover the true hope of Christmas.

The first four books of the New Testament are called “gospels,” which means “good news.” They are fundamental to the revelation of God’s eternal plan to redeem and save lost humanity. They are often called biographies for they each tell the story of Jesus, his birth, ministry, death, and resurrection. The good news of the Gospels is that Jesus has come, that he is both Savior and King, and people can know this is true because God has raised him from the dead. This section specifically focuses on the longest of the four Gospels, the Gospel of Matthew.

The Gospel of Matthew bridges the gap between the testaments, swinging back to gather up prophecies and going forward into the future, the first to mention the church by name. Matthew presents Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah and King. And though originally written to Jewish people, we can see Jesus Christ in a fresh new light through these 20 lessons from trusted Bible teacher, Dr. J. Vernon McGee.

What does Christmas mean to you? Spend 20 days recounting the Bible's Christmas story from Old Testament passages and the Gospels. Slow down, worship Jesus, and cherish Him by faith. Receive and rejoice in God's greatest gift. Jesus Christ is the Word made flesh to dwell among us. All who believe may be re-born to dwell with God now and forever.

This is a 21 day extract of the NIV Once-A-Day Bible which organizes the New International Version Bible, the world’s most popular modern-English Bible, into 365 daily readings. This Bible includes a daily Scripture reading from both the Old and New Testaments, plus a Psalm or a Proverb, followed by a short devotional thought written by the staff at the trusted ministry Walk Thru the Bible.