Scripture: John 1:14, “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory… full of grace and truth.”

Devotional Thought: Christmas is more than a cozy story; it’s an eternity-altering event. God stepped into the mess, not with more rules, but with more relationship. Jesus didn’t send a memo from heaven; He moved in. And when He did, He brought with Him an unlimited supply of something we didn’t even know we needed: grace. Not as a concept. Not as a virtue. But as a living, breathing person.
When you feel overwhelmed, misunderstood, or off-center this season, remember: God isn’t far away. Grace moved into your neighborhood. Grace wore your skin. Grace knows your struggle.

Reflection:

• When you picture Jesus, do you see someone full of grace or full of expectations?
• Where in your life do you need to experience the presence of grace most?

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for showing up not just in a manger, but in my mess. Help me believe You are full of grace toward me, not disappointment or shame. Fill my heart with Your presence today.

Action Step: Write down three ways life feels messy or heavy this Christmas. Then, next to each one, write: “Grace lives here too.”

Scripture: John 1:16, “From the fullness of His grace, we have all received one blessing after another.”

Devotional Thought: Grace doesn’t run out. You can’t use it up or wear it down. Jesus brings grace upon grace, wave after wave, layer after layer. That means you don’t have to pretend you’re fine. You don’t have to fake joyfulness for the sake of the season. The real gift of Christmas is that Jesus meets us in our lack, with more grace. You don’t earn it. You simply receive it.

Reflection:

• Do you find yourself trying to “perform” your way into God’s approval?
• What would it look like to receive grace in your current struggle or weakness?

Prayer: Jesus, help me to stop striving and start receiving. I don’t want to live like grace is a reward. Let me experience Your unending kindness today and extend it to others.

Action Step: Set a timer for 3-5 minutes today. In silence, reflect on this truth: “From His fullness, I have received grace upon grace,” and think of all the ways Jesus has poured out His grace on you.

Scripture: Galatians 5:4, “You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.”

Devotional Thought: When grace is missing, everything feels harder. Small things become big things. People feel more challenging to love. Life becomes overly complicated, and our hearts become brittle.
The apostle Paul says that when we try to live by law, performance, perfectionism, and people-pleasing, we cut ourselves off from grace. We don’t lose salvation, but we lose connection. Joy fades. Peace shrinks. Bitterness grows.
But grace reconnects us, not just to God, but to life. It becomes the essential internal strength that allows you to breathe again. To forgive again. To love again.

Reflection:

• What’s more difficult than it needs to be right now? Could grace be what’s missing?
• Where do you notice yourself keeping score with yourself or others?

Prayer: Father, I don’t want to fall away from grace. Remind me that I don’t have to perform for You. Let Your grace give me the strength to live from peace, not pressure.

Action Step: Every time you catch yourself being harsh or rigid today, pause and remind yourself, “Grace is my strength.”

Scripture: John 1:17, “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

Devotional Thought: We love grace for ourselves, but we often struggle to give it to others. Especially the difficult people. Especially at Christmas.
But grace doesn’t mean excusing wrong. It means choosing not to make someone pay for it. Grace means showing undeserved favor, not because they’ve earned it, but because that’s what Jesus gave us.
You’re never more like Jesus than when you give grace to someone who “doesn’t deserve it.” It’s hard. It’s holy. And it just might be the most Christlike thing you do this Christmas.

Reflection:

• Who is hardest for you to extend grace to right now? Why?
• What fear or belief is keeping you from giving them grace?

Prayer: Jesus, I confess I withhold grace when I feel hurt or afraid. Help me see others as You see them. Fill me with the kind of grace that doesn’t keep score but chooses to love as You love me.

Action Step: Pray for the person who came to mind. Write down one way you can show grace to them this week, even if it’s simply not bringing up what they did.

Scripture: John 1:18, “No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son… has made Him known.”

Devotional Thought: If you want to know what God is really like, look at Jesus. He’s not angry. He’s not aloof. He’s not keeping a spreadsheet of your failures. He is the visible image of an invisible God, and what He reveals is grace.
So when this season feels stressful, strained, or disappointing, let grace be your center. Let it shape your words. Let it slow your reactions. Let it soften your judgments of others and of yourself.
Christmas is not about pretending everything is perfect. It’s about celebrating that grace showed up anyway.

Reflection:

• What would a grace-filled Christmas look like in your home, your mind, your schedule?
• What would change if grace was your first response, not your last resort?

Prayer: Father, thank You for showing me what You're really like through Jesus. I want to make space for grace this Christmas in my words, in my emotions, and in my relationships. Let grace be the most evident thing about me this week.

Action Step: Pick one relationship or environment (family, work, social) and commit to being a grace-giver in that space. Write down what that will look like in action.

Scripture: Matthew 1:3, “Judah, the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar…”

Devotional Thought: If you were writing a biography of the Son of God, you might be tempted to polish the family tree. Clean it up. Make it look impressive. But Matthew does the opposite.
He includes names like Tamar; stories marked by scandal, shame, and deep dysfunction. Why? Because Jesus didn’t come despite the mess. He came through it and for it.
This changes everything. Your messy story doesn’t mean you're unlovable; it makes you the kind of person Jesus came for. Your past doesn’t scare Him. It draws Him in.

Reflection:

• What parts of your story do you tend to hide or feel ashamed of?
• How does knowing Jesus came from a line of messy people shift how you see your own mess?

Prayer: Jesus, help me believe that my mess doesn’t repel You, it’s actually where You meet me with mercy. Teach me to stop hiding and start trusting.

Action Step: Write out this sentence and finish it honestly: “If Jesus came for people like Tamar… then maybe He came for someone like me, even though __________.”

Scripture: Matthew 1:5, “Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab…”

Devotional Thought: Rahab had a label: “the prostitute.” It followed her everywhere. But that label didn’t keep her out of Jesus’ family tree; it put her right in the center of it.
You may have a label too; something someone said, something you did, or something you fear will define you forever. But labels don’t get the final say. Jesus does.
Your sin doesn’t change His view of you; it only changes how you think He sees you. And that’s what mercy is for. It breaks the labels. It rewrites your identity.

Reflection:

• What “label” are you carrying that makes it hard to believe God could use you?
• How do you think Jesus would speak to or about you if He sat with you today?

Prayer: Father, I’ve let shame shape how I see myself and how I think You see me. But today, I choose to believe that mercy speaks a better word over my life.

Action Step: Cross out a negative label you've believed about yourself. Then write a new one based on mercy: “Beloved. Forgiven. Chosen.”

Scripture: Matthew 9:9, “As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. ‘Follow me,’ He told him…”

Devotional Thought: Matthew wasn’t just disliked; he was despised. A sellout. A traitor. Someone written off by religion and community alike. And yet, Jesus didn’t walk past him. He saw him. He called him. He invited him into a whole new story.
You may feel like your failure is the first thing people see when they look at you. But not Jesus. He sees past what you’ve done and speaks to who you can become. Mercy doesn’t ignore your past; it just refuses to let it define you.

Reflection:

• When you imagine Jesus looking at you, what expression is on His face?
• What’s one area where Jesus may be saying, “Follow Me,”  even in your mess?

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for seeing me, not as my worst moment, but as someone worth calling, redeeming, and loving. Help me follow You even when I feel unworthy.

Action Step: Take 5 minutes to imagine yourself sitting at the “tax booth.” Picture Jesus walking up. What do you hear Him say? Journal your thoughts.

Scripture: Matthew 9:12, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.”

Devotional Thought: We don’t go to the doctor when we’re fine; we go when something’s wrong. Jesus said the same thing about why He came: not to celebrate the self-righteous, but to rescue the broken.
And here’s the surprising truth: He’s not offended by your sin. He already knows. He’s not disgusted by your weakness. He came for it. The moment you admit your need is the moment mercy meets you. Jesus doesn’t come to shame the sick. He comes to heal them.

Reflection:

• Where in your life do you feel spiritually or emotionally “sick”?
• Are you more comfortable hiding that weakness or inviting Jesus into it?

Prayer: Jesus, You are the Great Physician, and I am in need. Heal what’s broken in me. Replace my shame with Your mercy and hope.

Action Step: Text or tell someone you trust: “I don’t have it all together, but I’m inviting Jesus into this part of my life: _______.”

Scripture: Matthew 9:13, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice… For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Devotional Thought: Religion says, “Clean yourself up, then come to God.” Jesus says, “Come as you are, mercy has already made a way.”
Matthew knew this firsthand. His life wasn’t changed by more rules, but by unexpected mercy. And that’s what he wanted you to see in Jesus’ story, from the family tree to the dinner table.
Jesus’ mercy wasn’t an exception. It was the point. Your sin doesn’t change God’s favorable view of you; it only changes your view of how He sees you. This Christmas, let that change back.

Reflection:

• Where have you been trying to earn God’s approval instead of receiving His mercy?
• Who is someone you need to start seeing through the lens of mercy, maybe even yourself?

​Prayer: Jesus, I don’t want to settle for sacrifice without mercy. Help me receive Your mercy and extend it to others. Let my view of You be shaped by grace, not guilt.

Action Step: Reflect on this thought and say out loud: “I am not beyond God’s mercy. His view of me is still favorable.” Then choose to show that mercy to someone else today.