Week Two: Jesus the Savior

The Name this week:
Jesus - Yeshua - means "Yahweh is salvation"
Jesus Christ is God bending toward us, God becoming one of us, God reaching out in mercy, God humbling himself, God nailed to a cross, God rising up from the grave.
Jesus: Name above all names

Key Scriptures this week:

Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,

who daily bears our burdens.

- Psalm 68:19

Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife,

because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,

because he will safe his people from their sins.

- Matthew 1:20-21

Day One: God Reveals His Name

Scripture Reading: Matthew 1:18-25

Understanding the Name:

The name Jesus was common in first-century Palestine, but after Jesus Christ, it nearly disappeared as a given name. Jesus or Iesous in Greek, is equivalent to the Hebrew Yeshu, which is a contraction of the Hebrew name Yehoshua, which translates into English "Joshua." Jesus and Joshua both mean, "Yahweh is help" or "Yahewh is salvation."

Soter is the Greek word translated, "Savior." Hebrew equivalent is Moshia. The Greek "Jesus is Savior" would be Iesous Soter (yay-SOUS so-TAIR). See Acts 4:12.

Questions for reflection:

1. What comes to mind when you hear the name "Jesus"?
2. Though Jesus was a common name in first-century Palestine, God sent an angel to announce the name to Joseph. Comment on the significance of this.
3. Why do you thing Jesus' name is linked to the name of Yahweh, the covenant name of God in the Hebrew scriptures?
4. Describe what salvation means to you.

Week One: LORD, Day Five: Promises Associated with His Name

I completely missed posting yesterday, but the way this book is set up is that there are no readings for the weekend, so I'll do Friday's reading today.

Promises in Scripture

• Proverbs 3:26
• Proverbs 18:10
• 2 Peter 3:8-10
• Romans 14:10-12

Continued Prayer and Praise

• Meditate on God's self-description (Exodus 34:4-7)
• Pray this benediction, which includes the threefold repetition of Yahweh ("LORD") (Numbers 6:24-27)
• Remember that Yahweh is close to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18)
• Follow the Lord (Mark 10:42-45)
• Rejoice in the Lord (Luke 2:8-14; Philippians 4:4)
• Believe in the Lord (John 20:24-29)

Read the corresponding devotion in the book, Immanuel: Praying the Names of God through the Christmas Season, by Ann Spangler. Ordering information is at the bottom of the page.

Today's prayers for your family:

• Draw Me into a Closer Walk with You
• My Husband's Wife
• Becoming a Praying Parent

Week One: LORD, Day Four: Praying the Name

• Reflect on Ephesians 5:8-10.
• Praise God who gives us the grace to follow His Son.
• Offer thanks for the ways in which the Lord has already reshaped your life.
• Confess any tendency to resist the Lord.
• Ask God to make you eager to experience Jesus as Lord.

Read the corresponding devotion in the book, Immanuel: Praying the Names of God through the Christmas Season, by Ann Spangler. Ordering information is at the bottom of the page.

Today's prayers for your family:

• Lead Me into the Future You Have for Me
• My Husband's Future
• My Children Growing in Faith

Week One: LORD, Day Three: Praying the Name

• Reflect on Matthew 1:20-21 and John 8:54-59
• Praise God for foreseeing your need for a Savior.
• Offer thanks for His delivering power.
• Confess your continuing need for God's forgiveness.
• Ask God for a living understanding of what Jesus has done for you.

Read the corresponding devotion in the book, Immanuel: Praying the Names of God through the Christmas Season, by Ann Spangler. Ordering information is at the bottom of the page.

Today's prayers for your family:

• Change Me into the Likeness of Christ
• My Husband's Self Image
• Breaking Down Ungodly Strongholds in my Children

Week One: Lord, Day Two: Praying the Name

• Reflect on Exodus 3:12-15 and Exodus 20:2
• Praise God for revealing himself through powerful acts of deliverance.
• Offer thanks that God has freed you from every form of bondage.
• Confess any tendency to forget what God has done for your.
• Ask God to help you remember His saving acts in your life.

Today's prayers for your family:

• Transform Me into a Woman of Faith
• My Husband's Obedience to God
• My Children Walking in Obedience

I found a new book that I'm really excited about starting! It's Immanuel: Praying the Names of God through the Christmas Season, by Ann Spangler.

The book is laid out in 6 weeks: 4 weeks of Advent and the traditional 2 weeks (12 days) of Christmas. Readings are given for Monday through Friday. I will be highlighting the readings here. I'm going to go ahead & start the book this coming Monday, rather than waiting another week.

If you're interested in ordering your own copy there are two great sources to choose from:

Amazon.com has the book new for $10.19, eligible for free shipping on orders of $25 or more, and ChristianBook.com has it new for $10.99. To get to the book on Amazon, simply click on "My Amazon Store" in the links on the right & it will be the first item you see. Following is a book summary and link to CBD:

Immanuel: Praying the Names of God Through the Christmas Season By Ann Spangler / Zondervan Immanuel, Bright Morning Star, and Prince of Peace are only a few of Jesus' biblical names. What do they mean, and how do they reveal God's plan? Balancing prayer, reflection, and study, Spangler offers six weeks of Advent meditations showing how Christ's titles point to God's love, Jesus' birth, and the promise of his return. 144 pages, hardcover from Zondervan.

Today's prayers:

• Free Me From Ungodly Fear
• My Husband's Talk
• My Children's Rejecting Sexual Immorality