January Day 2

Genesis 3-4 - Adam and Eve had access to the tree of life before they sinned.  Apparently the tree of life would keep them from ever dying, but access was removed so that sin would not remain forever.  We now have access to eternal, never ending life through faith in Jesus.  In a way, the cross of death became the new "tree of life". God gave Cain a family and that family would live under the curse of sin to a greater degree as they multiplied and filled the earth.  God gave Eve another son and it would be through this family line that God would one day send a savior. 

Psalm 2 - Those who reject God as their Lord think they are gaining freedom from God, when in reality they are just becoming slaves to an evil master.  Freedom from God is slavery to sin.  

Matthew 1:18-25 - Because Joseph was righteous, he chose to show grace to Mary when he thought she had been unfaithful.  Being full of grace is a reflection of the character of Christ.  Giving love and forgiveness when a person deserves judgment is what Jesus did for us.  After an angel appeared to him in a dream and told him that Mary was telling the truth and what to do next, it says that Joseph did what God told him to do.  It is not enough to simply know what God wants you to do, you must do it, even if it doesn’t make sense at the time because there is no way what God told Mary and Joseph made sense to them.  They trusted God anyway.

Acts 1:12-26 - "They were constantly united in Prayer." This is the kind of community I want to see today.  Prayer is one of the most unifying practices of believers.  
Also - I think it is pretty significant that it mentions Jesus' mother, Mary, being there with them.  For those who wonder if Jesus really didn't sin, even as a teenager, don't you think it is pretty significant that his mother was a follower?  If anyone could have known of sin in his life, she would have.