Christmas Grace: 31 Meditations and Declarations on the Greatest Gift Ever Given

Book excerpt: We’re all intimately acquainted with the details of the Christmas narrative, right? Who doesn’t know of the startling announcement to young Mary, the Magi, the Bethlehem stable, and the shepherds keeping watch over their flocks by night? Yet, as David A. Holland reveals in this eye-opening new devotional, there is meaning, inspiration, life-transforming hope in these events that most believers have never seen. Like its predecessor devotional, Praying Grace: 55 Meditations and Declarations on the Finished Work of Christ, each day of this devotional illuminates a scripture or passage in a fresh and memorable way, leading readers to a deeper, fuller appreciation of all Christ accomplished for them, and of who they are in Him. Each day’s entry closes with a declarative prayer that trains believers in a profoundly powerful yet underappreciated form of praying—prayer by Word-based proclamation. Readers will discover: Why the familiar titles Wonderful, Counselor, and Prince of Peace don’t mean what we’ve assumed. What sign in the heavens the Wise Men may have seen, and how it may reveal the date of Jesus’ birth. What the miracle pregnancy of Mary’s cousin, Elizabeth, reveals about “slaying the giants” in your life. Key overlooked insights from the Christmas narrative that help you: rest in God’s faithfulness; overcome adversity; embrace and experience God’s good promises; and fall deeper in love with Jesus.