Bethlehem's Warrior Baby

I am a fan of Ray Hawkins' devotion books and Bethlehem's Warrior Baby lived up to my expectations. I really like how Ray is able to explain complex theological concepts in a way that is easy to understand. \\r\\nThe devotions look at how Jesus' time on Earth fits into God's plan of salvation for the world. We read verses in both the Old and New Testaments to help us understand why Christmas is truly a time of great celebration. Jesus' birth is put into historical context. The prophesy and events recorded in the Old Testament pointing to Jesus' arrival as our Lord and Saviour are explored in the devotions. \\r\\nEach devotion starts with a Bible reading and concludes with a prayer. I highly recommend Bethlehem's Warrior Baby to those looking to gain a fuller understanding of who Jesus is and the true meaning of Christmas from a Biblical perspective. I also believe this devotion book would be useful for seekers and those wanting to learn more about Jesus and his role in God's plan of salvation. \\r\\nI received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.

Bethlehem's Warrior Baby is a nice little devotional that will take you through 31 days of focusing on Christmas, but not in the typical white washed, itty bitty baby way that most of us tend to think of Christmas. One doesn't often think of the Christ child coming to wage war, we often perceive the birth of the Lord as we see all baby's born, cute, cuddly and bringing joy. I liked having a new perspective on Christ's birth - that while He came as a baby, He came to wage a war against death, sin and Satan - for us. With Scripture readings, thoughts on the passage and prayers this book can be used after Thanksgiving and up through Christmas to focus on Christ's redeeming love. \\r\\n\\r\\n

This book of 31 devotions is a little gem. It would be ideal advent project in the lead up to Christmas. Each devotion has a short bible passage or two, a meditation on the text, a prayer and a gift (read - suggestion of how it could be applied. )\\r\\n\\r\\nThere are some great ideas and images in this short book. In the one titled someone is coming I liked the comparison of the coming of the Promised One coming at Christmas to a jigsaw needing all the interlocking pieces and also the idea of Christmas being God's 'invasion strategy' to take back what was lost by fall in Genesis 3. \\r\\n\\r\\nJust as interesting was the concept that 'God can be unsettling. ' In other words God doesn't always behave as we night ask or expect. He has His own plans and they are far better and more long-reaching than ours. It was good to have a fresh take on Abraham's call and 'tenacious faith' despite his 'high profile mistakes'. \\r\\n\\r\\nI liked the way Ray Hawkins separated the sentimental traditions regarding Christmas, which sees nativity sets with the magi at the manger, from the few biblical fact about these mystery men. \\r\\n\\r\\nIt would be a great book to read as a family in the lead up to Christmas and could bring up lots of interesting questions or just as an individual devotional. Well worth reading at any time. \\r\\n