Luke Chapter 2 - ACC NT Study

(Verses 28-30)
28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
29 "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,

Simeon saw God's salvation, held Him in his arms, and his soul was at peace. While we cannot fully understand Simeon's experience, we can relate to it when we witness someone who accepts Jesus as Lord, followed by baptism. Seeing a new believer's baptism has a huge impact on us. The one being baptized, and those who are witnesses, share a moment when their souls are at peace simultaneously. And we witness salvation.

In a few words:
God's salvation is continually renewed for those who believe on Him.

Mark Chapter 2 - ACC NT Study

True friendship is clearly demonstrated:
(Verses 3-5)
3Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. 4Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. 5When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."

Jesus' power and compassion is also clearly demonstrated:
(Verses 10-12)
10But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . . ." He said to the paralytic, 11"I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." 12He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"

Jesus not only knew the heart of the paralytic, but the hearts of the others that carried him.

In a few words:
Have a heart to help others.
Have a heart that allows others to help.

Matthew Chapter 2 - ACC NT Study

I have always been confused about the Magi and the Shepherd's time frame when they visited Jesus. The Shepherds are not mentioned in the gospel of Matthew, but in gospel of Luke. Only the Magi are mentioned in Matthew. It is my understanding it may have been as long as two years after Jesus' birth before the Magi reached them. (The baby Jesus would have been the toddler Jesus)

Anyway, reading this Chapter makes me think how Joseph & Mary being obedient to God, face obstacles and dangers. In fact the paranoid King Herod is trying to have baby Jesus killed, as he is afraid of a New King taking over. (If he only understood what kind of King Jesus was meant to be.)
However God sends the new family guidance and protection. After the Magi's visit they are warned to flee to Egypt to escape the long arm of King Herod. Again they receive guidance with the information that King Herod is dead and they can return to Israel. And returning to Israel, once again they receive guidance from God that King Herod's son in Archelaus was reigning in Judah. At this time they move on to Nazareth and Jesus is known as a Nazarene.

This chapter of Matthew makes me realize that if a person is obedient to God's will, (whether it be serving in a new way, or stretching ourselves to learn new skills to help others, etc.) they can expect His guidance and protection.

In a few words:
Be available to serve God as He leads, and expect His Guidance and protection.