Tag Archives: Joseph

She Placed Him in a Manger

24 Wednesday Dec 2025

Posted by in Advent

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Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer

 Today’s Reading: Psalm 25:16-22

Listen to today’s reading by Jonathan Dent:

Lord Jesus,
whose birth we celebrate,
help me to be open and transparent before you.
Take away all my sins.
My hope is in you.
Protect me from the attacks of the enemy.
Deliver me from all my troubles,
my gracious Savior.
Amen.

— — — —


The Birth of Jesus

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree
that a census should be taken
of the entire Roman world. 
(This was the first census that took place
while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 
And everyone went to their own town to register.

So Joseph also went up
from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea,
to Bethlehem the town of David,
because he belonged to the house and line of David.
He went there to register with Mary,
who was pledged to be married to him
and was expecting a child.
While they were there,
the time came for the baby to be born,
and she gave birth to her firstborn,
a son.
She wrapped him in cloths
and placed him in a manger,
because there was no guest room available for them.
(Luke 2:1-7 NIV)*

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

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* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Pray for enduring peace in Israel and Gaza,
and continue to pray for peace to return to Ukraine and Russia!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

Also available from David Kitz

American readers click this link to purchase The Soldier Who Killed a King.

Canadian readers click this link to purchase The Soldier Who Killed a King directly from the author.

They Will Call Him Immanuel

23 Tuesday Dec 2025

Posted by in Advent

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Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer

 Today’s Reading: Psalm 25:8-15

Listen to today’s reading by Jonathan Dent:


LORD God,
in humility I come before you.
I need your help
and guidance every moment of the day.
Teach me your ways in every circumstance I face.
Lord Jesus,
you are my Good Shepherd.
Amen.

— — — —


Joseph Obeys the Angel’s Command

All this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had said through the prophet: 
“The virgin will conceive
and give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel”
 (which means “God with us”).

When Joseph woke up,
he did what the angel of the Lord
had commanded him
and took Mary home as his wife. 
But he did not consummate their marriage
until she gave birth to a son.
And he gave him the name Jesus.
(Matthew 1:22-25 NIV)*

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

bgbg_v4.3_1501818
* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Pray for enduring peace in Israel and Gaza,
and continue to pray for peace to return to Ukraine and Russia!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

Also available from David Kitz

American readers click this link to purchase The Soldier Who Killed a King.

Canadian readers click this link to purchase The Soldier Who Killed a Kingdirectly from the author.

Give Him the Name Jesus

22 Monday Dec 2025

Posted by in Advent

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Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer

 Today’s Reading: Psalm 25:1-7

Listen to today’s reading by Jonathan Dent:


LORD God,
this is my prayer:
Show me your ways,
LORD, teach me your paths.
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long (Psalm 25:4-5).
I pray in Jesus’ name.
Amen.

— — — —


An Angel Appears to Joseph

This is how the birth of Jesus
the Messiah came about:
His mother Mary was pledged
to be married to Joseph,
but before they came together,
she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.
Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law,
and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace,
he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this,
an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream
and said,
“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 save his people from their sins.”
(Matthew 1:18-21 NIV)*

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

bgbg_v4.3_1501818
* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Pray for enduring peace in Israel and Gaza,
and continue to pray for peace to return to Ukraine and Russia!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

Also available from David Kitz

Holy Week as seen from a soldier’s perspective

American readers click this link to purchase The Soldier Who Killed a King.

Canadian readers click this link to purchase The Soldier Who Killed a King directly from the author.

It Was to Save Lives

23 Thursday Oct 2025

Posted by in Psalm 3, Psalms

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Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer”
Today’s Reading: Psalm 3

LORD God,
save me from all my troubles.
I put my confidence in you.
You reach down to me
at the low points in my life.
You have never abandoned me.
Jesus,
I give you thanks in advance
for your help.
Amen.

— — — —

Then Joseph said to his brothers,
“Come close to me.”
When they had done so, he said,
“I am your brother Joseph,
the one you sold into Egypt!
And now, do not be distressed
and do not be angry
with yourselves for selling me here,
because it was to save lives
that God sent me ahead of you.
For two years now
there has been famine in the land,
and for the next five years
there will be no plowing and reaping.
But God sent me ahead of you
to preserve for you a remnant on earth
and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
(Genesis 45:4-7 NIV)*

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

bgbg_v4.3_1501818
* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Thank God for peace in Israel and Gaza,
and continue to pray for peace to return to Ukraine and Russia!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

New from David Kitz

James—the brother of Jesus—who was this man? What evidence do we have that this “brother of our Lord” even existed?

David Kitz digs deep into archeology, family dynamics, church history, and the biblical texts. What emerges from his research is a portrait of a decisive, pivotal leader who embodied the will and character of Jesus Christ.

But how did James—James the unbeliever—transform to become a leader who changed the course of world history? In these pages you will uncover the answer and rediscover for yourself the life-changing power of the gospel.

God Intended It for Good

06 Tuesday May 2025

Posted by in Psalms

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Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer”
by David Kitz.

 Reading: Psalm 105:16-22

Father God,
when bad news comes
give me a thankful heart
and a right perspective.
Your ways are higher than mine.
You know the end
before the beginning starts.
I choose to trust you,
Lord Jesus. 
Amen.

— — —

 His brothers then came
and threw themselves down before him [Joseph].
“We are your slaves,” they said.

But Joseph said to them,
“Don’t be afraid.
Am I in the place of God?
You intended to harm me, 
but God intended it for good 
to accomplish what is now being done,
the saving of many lives.
So then, don’t be afraid.
I will provide for you and your children.”
And he reassured them
and spoke kindly to them.
(Genesis 50:18-21 NIV)*

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

bgbg_v4.3_1501818
* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

A gripping read from David Kitz.
Is a return-to-Jesus revival possible in our time?
This book points the way forward.
For details click here.

Turning Pain into Purpose

06 Tuesday May 2025

Posted by in Psalms

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Today’s Devotion from Psalms 365 by David Kitz

Reading: Psalm 105:16-22
He called down famine on the land
and destroyed all their supplies of food;
and he sent a man before them—
Joseph, sold as a slave.
They bruised his feet with shackles,
his neck was put in irons,
till what he foretold came to pass,
till the word of the LORD proved him true.
The king sent and released him,
the ruler of peoples set him free.
He made him master of his household,
ruler over all he possessed,
to instruct his princes as he pleased
and teach his elders wisdom (NIV). *

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

Reflection
Here is a question for you. Is bad news always bad news, or is it good news in disguise?

Sometimes what initially appears to be a very bad change of circumstances can over time turn out for the better. The story of the patriarch, Joseph, illustrates this truth perfectly. No one would be foolish enough to call Joseph’s betrayal by his brothers a good news event. Being sold as a foreign slave in Egypt was in many respects a death sentence. How could something good or meaningful come from the life of an obscure young slave?

But that obscure young slave rose above his circumstances and changed the course of nations. His faith and actions more than three millennia ago still have ramifications for us today. How would Egypt have survived seven years of famine without the foresight and wisdom of Joseph? Would there be a Jewish nation today without the guiding hand of Joseph, who was strategically positioned at such a critical time in history?

What began as a bad news story, turned into the salvation of a nation. Joseph told his brothers, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Genesis 50:20).

Sometimes I wonder what thoughts, hopes and dreams sustained Joseph during his darkest hours. God most certainly was with him. He did not go down to Egypt alone. When we receive bad news, is it always genuinely bad? If God is with us in the hard times, great good may yet come from our most negative experiences. He is a redemptive God who turns darkness to light, mourning to gladness, and curses into blessings. Surely, this is why Paul admonishes us with these words: give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Response: Father God, when bad news comes give me a thankful heart and a right perspective. Your ways are higher than mine. You know the end before the beginning starts. I choose to trust you. Amen.

Your Turn: Over time has the Lord turned bad news to good news for you? How did that make you feel?

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

bgbg_v4.3_1501818
* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to begin the new year, and daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

RGB72PsalmsVol2

A gripping read from David Kitz.
4485 SHARABLE-2

To purchase or for a closer look click here.

Good News Disguised as Bad News

11 Monday Dec 2023

Posted by in Psalm 105

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Reading: Psalm 105:16-22
He called down famine on the land
and destroyed all their supplies of food;
and he sent a man before them—
Joseph, sold as a slave.
They bruised his feet with shackles,
his neck was put in irons,
till what he foretold came to pass,
till the word of the LORD proved him true.
The king sent and released him,
the ruler of peoples set him free.
He made him master of his household,
ruler over all he possessed,
to instruct his princes as he pleased
and teach his elders wisdom (NIV). *

2021-02-20a

Christ is our light in a dark time — photo by David Kitz

Reflection
Here is a question for you. Is bad news always bad news, or is it good news in disguise?

Sometimes what initially appears to be a very bad change of circumstances can over time turn out for the better. The story of the patriarch, Joseph, illustrates this truth perfectly. No one would be foolish enough to call Joseph’s betrayal by his brothers a good news event. Being sold as a foreign slave in Egypt was in many respects a death sentence. How could something good or meaningful come from the life of an obscure young slave?

But that obscure young slave rose above his circumstances and changed the course of nations. His faith and actions more than three millennia ago still have ramifications for us today. How would Egypt have survived seven years of famine without the foresight and wisdom of Joseph? Would there be a Jewish nation today without the guiding hand of Joseph, who was strategically positioned at such a critical time in history?

What began as a bad news story, turned into the salvation of a nation. Joseph told his brothers, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Genesis 50:20).

Sometimes I wonder what thoughts, hopes and dreams sustained Joseph during his darkest hours. God most certainly was with him. He did not go down to Egypt alone. When we receive bad news, is it always genuinely bad? If God is with us in the hard times, great good may yet come from our most negative experiences. He is a redemptive God who turns darkness to light, mourning to gladness, and curses into blessings. Surely, this is why Paul admonishes us with these words: give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Response: Father God, when bad news comes give me a thankful heart and a right perspective. Your ways are higher than mine. You know the end before the beginning starts. I choose to trust you. Amen.

Your Turn: Over time has the Lord turned bad news to good news for you? How did that make you feel?

* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

BGBG_v4.3_150[1818]

Please pray for peace to return to Israel and Ukraine!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord.
RGB300Kitz2AWARD

                                                   To purchase or for a closer look click here.

Joseph, Son of David

17 Saturday Dec 2022

Posted by in Advent

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Today’s Scripture to mark the Advent of our Savior
Matthew 1_20 TWG

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “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 save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:20-21, NIV).

* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

BGBG_v4.3_150[1818]

Your prayers for the people of Ukraine are making a difference.

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild, and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.
Vol III 2021-07-17 at 8.15.36 AM

 

 

In Those Days

24 Friday Dec 2021

Posted by in Christmas

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I will praise the LORD!

Deer on Farm

Reading: Luke 2:1-7

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree
that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.
(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)
And everyone went to their own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea,
to Bethlehem the town of David,
because he belonged to the house and line of David.
He went there to register with Mary,
who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.
While they were there,
the time came for the baby to be born,
and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.
She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger,
because there was no guest room available for them.

* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

BGBG_v4.3_150[1818]

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer has won the 2021 Best Book of the Year Award and is an ideal gift to start the New Year for those who love God’s word. For a closer look at Volumes II and III click here.

Great Good from Negative Experiences

18 Thursday Feb 2021

Posted by in Psalm 105, Psalms

≈ 8 Comments

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Reading: Psalm 105
(Verses 16-22)
He called down famine on the land
and destroyed all their supplies of food;
and he sent a man before them—
Joseph, sold as a slave.
They bruised his feet with shackles,
his neck was put in irons,
till what he foretold came to pass,
till the word of the LORD proved him true.
The king sent and released him,
the ruler of peoples set him free.
He made him master of his household,
ruler over all he possessed,
to instruct his princes as he pleased
and teach his elders wisdom (NIV).*

img_20210204_1457314

Snow & ice formations — photo by David Kitz

Reflection
Here is a question for you. Is bad news always bad news, or is it good news in disguise?

Sometimes what initially appears to be a very bad change of circumstances can over time turn out for the better. The story of the patriarch, Joseph, illustrates this truth perfectly. No one would be foolish enough to call Joseph’s betrayal by his brothers a good news event. Being sold as a foreign slave in Egypt was in many respects a death sentence. How could something good or meaningful come from the life of an obscure young slave?

But that obscure young slave rose above his circumstances and changed the course of nations. His faith and actions more than three millennia ago still have ramifications for us today. How would Egypt have survived seven years of famine without the foresight and wisdom of Joseph? Would there be a Jewish nation today without the guiding hand of Joseph, who was strategically positioned at such a critical time in history?

What began as a bad news story, turned into the salvation of a nation. Joseph told his brothers, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Genesis 50:20).

Sometimes I wonder what thoughts, hopes and dreams sustained Joseph during his darkest hours. God most certainly was with him. He did not go down to Egypt alone. When we receive bad news, is it always genuinely bad? If God is with us in the hard times, great good may yet come from our most negative experiences. He is a redemptive God who turns darkness to light, mourning to gladness, and curses into blessings. Keep these thoughts in mind during the hardships of this current pandemic. Surely, this is why St. Paul admonishes us with these words: give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Response: Father God, when bad news comes give me a thankful heart and a right perspective. Your ways are higher than mine. You know the end before the beginning starts. I choose to trust you. Amen.

Your Turn: Over time has the Lord turned bad news into good news for you? How did that make you feel?

* New International Version, Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica

The first volume of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer by award-winning author David Kitz is now available. For a closer look at this 262-page daily devotional book click here.