International Christ's Fellowship, 4242 Interfaith Way, The Woodlands, TX (2026)

06/11/2026

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06/11/2026

June 11, 2026 "Sovereign Lord, As You Promised"
Scripture: Luke 2:25-32
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: 29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. 30 For my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”

Meditation:
Simeon was a righteous and devout man and was waiting for the "consolation of Israel", which refers to the Lord Jesus who would be a comfort to his people when he came because Israel was suffering under the brutal rule of Rome at the time. The Holy Spirit had revealed to Simeon that he would not die before he had seen the Messiah. Can you imagine the joy he felt when he saw Jesus in the temple for his purification rites? Simeon took Jesus in his arms and said 29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. He was relieved and excited to see Jesus because he had been faithfully waiting for Jesus to arrive before he could die. He calls Jesus 'salvation' and indeed Jesus means God saves. God had prepared Jesus to come for all nations; for the Jews and Gentiles. For the Jews because Jesus was a Jew and the Messiah came to the Jews first and they received the glory of God. For the Gentiles he is a light of revelation because they were not part of the covenant and did not know God's plan of salvation for them. The Bible doesn't say how long Simeon waited for the Lord but he faithfully waited. The long awaited Messiah, the Savior of the world, Jesus had finally come to the Jews and Gentiles. It is hard to faithfully wait on God's timing. Simeon waited and he was rewarded. (Isaiah 40:31) but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. God will reward those who patiently wait on him. Can you and I wait for God's timing?

"Lord Jesus grant me the patience to wait on your timing."

Blessings for Today:
Let us be reminded today that God loves you and me unconditionally; no matter what you have done, wherever you are, God will always love you. (Number 6:24-26) 24. The LORD bless you and keep you; 25 the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you 26. The LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace. (1 Peter 5:6-7) Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

06/10/2026

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06/10/2026

June 10, 2026 "As It Is Written In the Law of the Lord"
Scripture: Luke 2:21-24
21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived. 22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”

Meditation:
The purification rites included the consecration of the first born male and purification rites for Mary. Every first born Jewish son was to be consecrated to the Lord. (Exodus 13:1-2) The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether human or animal.” The meaning was to dedicate the first born male (human or animal) to God as a reminder that while the first born Egyptians were killed in the Exodus as the last plague, the first born of Israel are to be dedicated in the service of God. So Jesus was circumcised on the 8th day like all Jewish sons. The purification rites after childbirth included sacrifice of animals. Since Joseph and Mary were poor, they sacrificed a pair of doves or two young pigeons instead of a lamb.
So Mary, Joseph and Jesus upheld the Jewish laws and traditions. Just because he is the Son of God, Jesus didn't act like he was above the law. (Matthew 5:17-18) 17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Even though Jesus is the Son of God, he did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it. Ultimately, Jesus fulfills the requirement of the law that the wages of sin is death. And he overcomes death through the sacrifice of his own life, thereby fulfilling the requirements of the law. This story reminds us about the humility of Christ; even though he is God he did not consider himself above the law (some on earth today consider themselves above the law), and the poverty of his family reminds us of his humility on earth as well.

"Lord Jesus thank you for fulfilling the requirements of the law on my behalf, so that I can live."

Blessings for Today:
Let us be reminded today that God loves you and me unconditionally; no matter what you have done, wherever you are, God will always love you. (Number 6:24-26) 24. The LORD bless you and keep you; 25 the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you 26. The LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace. (1 Peter 5:6-7) Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

06/09/2026

June 9, 2026 "Spread the Word"
Scripture: Luke 2:16-20
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Meditation:
The lives of the shepherds were transformed forever. First, the angel of the Lord came an announced the birth of Jesus to them. They witnesses the host of angels singing praises to God. Then they obediently went see Jesus in Bethlehem, lying in a manger. After confirming the Good News, they did not linger there but went out to spread the word about the baby Jesus. All those who heard the testimony of the shepherds were amazed because first of all the news was shared with lowly shepherds, and also because of the fulfillment of the promises of God, exactly as it had been prophesied. Lastly they faithfully went back to shepherd their flock. They were not so inflated and puffed up about what had happened to them that they lost sight of their job, which was to care for the sheep. No doubt their lives were transformed forever, because they spent the rest of their days glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. When a person has an authentic God encounter, it will change their lives forever. Hopefully, those of us who have found God favor, been blessed to know and believe Jesus first hand, will also go out and testify to the world about Jesus. Also, hopefully we will be grounded enough to be faithful to our duties and responsibilities in life, although how we look at life and the world will have certainly changes as a result of our faith and salvation received from God.

"Lord Jesus thank you for reminding me of what I have received, as the shepherds did, the Good News about Jesus."

Blessings for Today:
Let us be reminded today that God loves you and me unconditionally; no matter what you have done, wherever you are, God will always love you. (Number 6:24-26) 24. The LORD bless you and keep you; 25 the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you 26. The LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace. (1 Peter 5:6-7) Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

06/08/2026

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06/08/2026

June 8, 2026 "Peace to Those On Whom His Favor Rests"
Scripture: Luke 2:13-15
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” 15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

Meditation:
After the announcement of the birth of Jesus by the angel, a heavenly host (army) of angels filled the night sky and praised God. 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” On "whom his favor rests" is εὐδοκία eudokia. The word means God's pleasure in election in granting faith to certain people who receive God's gift of mercy and grace that leads to salvation by faith. Peace is not promised to every because those who are not reconciled to God are still at enmity with (enemies of) God. (Romans 8:7) 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Humanity is in a condition of hostility toward God and is not at peace with God. Only those on whom God's favor rests, those that have received the gift of faith, according to God's pleasure are reconciled to God and are at peace with God. The shepherds were recipients of God's eudokia, had peace with God and responded in faith to go see the infant Jesus in Bethlehem. Believers are reconciled to God in a relationship of peace and are also ambassadors to the world, carrying forth the message of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:19-21) 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. As the ones who have received eudokia (God's pleasure and favor) let us also share the message of reconciliation with the world.

"Lord Jesus, thank you for granting me peace with God through your work on the cross."

Blessings for Today:
Let us be reminded today that God loves you and me unconditionally; no matter what you have done, wherever you are, God will always love you. (Number 6:24-26) 24. The LORD bless you and keep you; 25 the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you 26. The LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace. (1 Peter 5:6-7) Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.