Matthew 1:22

"All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him....."

Inspirational illustration of Matthew 1:22-23 -- All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" --which means, God with us.

"[The angel's assurance to Joseph that he should marry Mary] occurred to fulfill the Lord's message through his prophet: "Look! The virgin will..."

In a year of trouble, sorrow, isolation, and loss, our prayer is that you can experience the presence of Immanuel in your life! Phil Ware shares the Heartlight.org and VerseoftheDay.com Christmas prayer with all their readers.

What's going on here with our traditions? Rubel Shelly reminds us of what is most important and truthful and what is legend about the Christmas story.

"Dear Friend, If you listened carefully to My servants, the prophets found in your Old Testament, you heard strong hints and amazing promises of grace..."

Instead of a well-manicured life, and perfectly organized and aesthetic home, my heart is yearning for more connection with love... His love... and, to be part of His loving presence. Melissa Troyer comes to us again through the ordinariness of daily life and reminds us to listen for Jesus' presence and look for ways to be conduits of God's love.

Is there a link between our desire for Superman and our need for Jesus? Rubel Shelly comments and describes the difference between Superman and Jesus.

Advent is the celebration of Jesus' coming to earth as Immanuel, God with us in human flesh! Phil Ware shares Scriptures and James Nored shares an inspirational video regarding the blessings and significance of Advent, Jesus' coming to earth as God in human flesh as our Savior and Lord.

"Dear Friend, I want you to know Me. I'm not talking about knowing more about Me — although that is a good thing and something I invite you to....."

Our prayer is that the Lord Jesus and his abiding presence can be real to you during this special season of grace and joy. Phil Ware shares a Merry Christmas greeting from all of the Heartlight.org and VerseoftheDay.com family.

So how can I read the gospels as more than just daily Bible reading I check off my to-do list? Phil Ware begins a series of articles on the Immanuel Sayings in Matthew and this is done in coordination with Interim Ministry Partners and focuses on experiencing Jesus, or Immanuel.

"Dear Friend, You just have to love the apostle Levi! You may know him better as Matthew since that is the name of the first gospel in your New..."

Mary's simple life was about to come to a dramatic end! Phil Ware finishes the year 2012 with two powerful posts or articles about Jesus' birth and the people gathered around him, and emphasizes that God's greatest beginnings are found in hard endings.

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This is the Biblical account of Jesus' birth from Matthew 1 and Luke 2 from the NIV 11 version of the Holy Scriptures.

Can we really expect to meet Jesus! Phil Ware continues his series on The Andrew Effect and reminds us that Jesus promised to be present with us as we live out the four moves of the Andrew Effect.

Can we really expect to meet Jesus? The sad reality is that many folks give up on meeting and experiencing Jesus, personally. Phil Ware invites into the "Andrew Effect" and reminds us that Jesus promised to be present with us as we live out the four moves of Phil calls the Andrew Effect

"Dear Disciple, I know most of you hate tests! Some of those tests are medical tests which can be terrifying. Some tests are necessary to get you into..."

Like Mary, we don't know fully what we are committing to do, but we know that our ultimate destination is Jesus. Phil Ware reminds us of the gritty reality of Jesus' birth and Mary choosing to accept the challenge of being Jesus' mother and reminds us of our need to commit to have Jesus born in our lives.

I've bet you have had a bunch of these moments at Christmas! Phil Ware writes about Christmas, Joseph and Mary, and the "You've got to be kidding me!" moments in the life of Jesus.

The cycle of violence is heartbreaking — will it ever end? Phil Ware reminds us of the simple, yet powerful words found in the hard story of Jesus' birth and Herod's attempt to murder him at Bethlehem -- But Herod came to an end.

Are you walking down the hard road alone? Phil Ware continues to share his insights on experiencing Jesus as Immanuel.

"Dear Child of the King, When you open your Bible and you see the appearance of angels, know that the Father is up to something special in your world...."

How can God know experientially how hard life can sometimes be for us? James Nored and Phil Ware remind us to push past the glittering lights and see that God came to be one of us in the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.

What else can you say, but thank you? Phil Ware shares a collection of Scriptures that talk about the significance of Jesus' birth.