Advent Brings Hope

 

     Yesterday was the first Sunday in Advent. The season of anticipation and preparation is upon us. A  purple candle on the advent wreath is lit. This candle is typically called the "prophecy candle" or “hope candle.”  The prophet, Isaiah, as well as many others in the Old Testament foresaw the coming Messiah. He fills the world with hope.  a

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.  Isaiah 7:14

     This first candle represents a hope, an expectation, an anticipation of the coming Messiah. The prophets of old longed for His coming. The disciples and the followers of Jesus saw those prophecies fulfilled in their lifetimes. They walked with Him and talked with Him and He will come again one day soon.

     In the meantime, there is hope. We celebrate His first coming during this wonderful season of hope.

“But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in You.” Psalm 39:7

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

Lord,

We wait for You in hope. Prepare us for this season as we get ready to celebrate the miraculous birth of Jesus. Renew our hearts this season with the gift of hope. We also wait with hope for Your second coming. .

Amen

The Reason

 

     You may have seen or heard about the Advent tradition of reading through the Gospel of Luke beginning on December 1^st with Chapter 1 and ending on Christmas Eve with Chapter 24. It is always a good idea to revisit the Gospels and travel along through the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus. There is no better time than in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

     Refreshing our memories on all of the details of the life of Christ will lift us up, and fill us with renewed anticipation and expectation and celebration of all He has done and all He will do throughout our lives, and for the life ahead in our forever home.

     Maybe these verses will whet your appetite for more.

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the City of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger.” Luke 2:10-12

     The Son of God and His humble beginnings, leading to a life of service and sacrifice, leading to our redemption as He was raised to new life. Behold! A child is born. Glory to God in the highest!

Father,

Your Son brought new life and joy into this dark world. The brilliant star lit the night sky and led the shepherds and the wise men as they came to the miraculous sight of Jesus. Never let us forget. We anticipate the celebration.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Listen

 

     This week we talked about ways to regain our peace, our joy and prioritize our time with God. Studying and reading the Bible. What a precious gift this is. The word of God is alive and necessary for us to follow.

With my lips I recount all the laws that come from Your mouth. I rejoice in following Your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I delight in Your decrees. I will not neglect Your word. Psalm 119:13-16

     And we can pray.

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12

Pray continually. 1 Thessalonians 5:17.

This is the confidence we have in approaching God, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 1 John 5:14

     Finally, we can listen. The Holy Spirit of God resides within us as believers. The Spirit will open up the word of God to our hearts, will intercede with us when we don’t know how or what to pray and will relay God’s desires for us as we move through our days. We will notice His nudging, warning, guiding, teaching, and opening our eyes to opportunities. Listen to the voice within. The very Spirit of the living God is within you!

My sheep listen to My voice. I know them and they know Me. John 10:27

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes with us with wordless groans. Romans 8:26

     Read, pray, listen. He is our Lord and Savior and He always leads us in the best, richest, most satisfying ways. He is life, life to the full, the abundant, blessed life. And He is ours! Sit with Him. Hear Him. Be filled with peace and joy and rest.

Lord Jesus,

Keep us steadfast and trusting. Keep us less busy in order to keep You in first place where You belong. Please let Your Spirit guide us today and every day until we reach our heavenly home.

Amen

Love God, Love Others

 

     I feel better already. Thanks for reading this week. The Holy Spirit tends to lead me to what I need and I needed these verses and reminders this week. We all do. Think about the lives of our grandparents and great-grandparents. Can you imagine them witnessing our world today? It is no wonder we become stressed or anxious. We move too fast, use screen-time too much, get stuck in traffic, and, whew, on and on it goes. It is easy to see why we often lose our way.

     Jesus asks us to love the Lord our God with all of our hearts, our souls and our strength. Jesus summed up the greatest commandments for us.

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it; Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36-40

     Loving God first. It encompasses everything important in life and eternity. That love encourages us to love ourselves and others. Losing your way? Put priorities in order. And others will recognize Jesus through our love.

By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. John 13:35

     Let Jesus change your heart into one of love, peace and joy.

Jesus,

Let others recognize us as Yours. Only placing You truly first in our lives will fill us to the brim until we overflow with Your Spirit. Help us find time to be with You.

Amen

 

Choose What Is Better

 

     Do you remember the story of the sisters, Mary and Martha? Company was coming to their home, including Jesus! Oh my. I don’t know if hospitality is your gift, but it is not mine. I would love to be the one sitting in a corner, talking to one person, hoping someone else is handling the cooking and cleaning. Fretting over company comes naturally to me.

     Mary sat at the feet of Jesus, worshipping, listening, savoring time to be near Him. Her sister, Martha? She was doing all of the preparing, all of the work. Busy, busy, busy.  Cooking, cleaning, slaving away all by herself. Well, you can imagine her emotions. I would feel the same way.

     Here is the conversation between Martha and Jesus.

But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to Him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered. “You are worried and upset over many things, but few things are needed-or indeed, only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:40-42

     Jesus understood what needed to be done. He wants to be first, before all of “what we have to do!” Hospitality is a vital gift in the body of Christ. Welcoming, feeding, comforting, and opening our homes and churches are necessary and wonderful. But Christ reminds Martha of the first thing. Spending time with Him is most needed.

     Jesus, may be repeating your name, reminding you. Are you too busy with many things? Have you moved Jesus away from being the “better choice?”

Lord,

Keep us from becoming too busy with everything else. Show us how to sit at Your feet and listen and spend time with You and Your word. Help all of us to find the time, placing You first in our busy lives.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Come Away With Me For Awhile

 

     Jesus is talking to me about being still.  Let’s listen as we approach the Christmas season.

Then, because so many people were coming and going, that they did not even have a chance to eat, He said to them, “Come with Me by yourselves to a quiet place and rest for awhile.”  Mark 6:31

     Is life moving too quickly for you? Too much to do? Coming and going here and there? Too many details, social media, work, kids, Christmas preparations, life? I know the feeling. Even when we are not in our “too busy” mode, we find ourselves forgetting to spend time with Jesus.

     Our Lord is our place of peace and rest, the centerpiece of our souls. The details and scurrying can wait. In fact, He will help us move step by step in peace and joy, if we just let Him. He is our Rock, our Shepherd, our quiet place to rest.

     That sounds good to me right about now. You, too? Let Him take you by the hand, lead you to a quiet place to allow Him to nourish and refresh your soul. His word feeds our deepest needs. His love penetrates our weary hearts. His peace eases our distracted minds. Give it all to Him in a quiet place, even if it’s just for a few minutes.

     Let His peace wash over you as you sit in a quiet place and rest.

Lord,

Thank You for Scriptures that reminds us of all You have available to us. Keep us from being distracted from what should be the first things in life. Our very first and most vital need is to spend time with You. Lead us to that quiet place today.

In Jesus name,

Amen

 

Blessings and Grace

 

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things, at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:8

     Take in the blessings of God this week. Allow Him to fill the holes in your heart and bless you in all things at all times. Jesus loves you to the moon and back and beyond the stars. After all, He has washed your sins as white as snow. Take that love and the blessings of God and give some away. Count your blessings on Thanksgiving Day and every day. And don’t forget to pray for others and allow others to pray for you.

And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift.  2 Corinthians 9:14-15

     God’s gift of grace is meant to be shared. And prayer changes things. Prayer opens hearts and heals wounds and gives peace. I thank God for each one of you and I pray that God’s gifts be given to you abundantly so that you may overflow with joy.

Happy Thanksgiving! See you Monday.

Dear Lord,

Thank you for Your indescribable gifts. We take each one as a blessing from above and we ask to be given opportunities to give to others.

Amen