ADVENT ~ Day 26

December 24, 2009

Scripture Passage:
READ 1 John 3:11-18

Today is our the last day of our Advent - that is, preparing our hearts, minds and souls for the day we celebrate the first coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Tomorrow, many will come to give honor, glory and thanksgiving to our God Most High for His greatest and most generous Gift to all mankind; His one and only begotten Son. And sadly, tomorrow, many will also come to celebrate, having no idea what this glorious and holy day means.

Therefore, let those of us who know Christ and God's abundant love, deeply meditate on the meaning of that awesome love today.

Our Father God's love for us is abundant: extremely plentiful; overflowing fullness, exceeding the bounds of our imaginations and goes beyond what any of us could ever deserve.

He didn't pay for us with the fleeting, rotting, things of this world. No, instead He paid for us with His very life. Our Lord Jesus, left Heaven; willingly bound and limited Himself in human flesh, lived among us, ate with us, cried with us, felt hunger and pains He had never felt in Heaven. Our Lord Jesus chose to to put Himself in our place and sit with us in our troubles. Jesus did not come rescue us only out of our troubles, for even we can do that for others (and only to a certain point). But He chose to sit in our troubles with us and felt our pain and suffering; then went far beyond, and suffered what we could never bear.

Often, we think the best way to intercede for others is to "fix" their problems. We think if we feed the hungry, clothe the poor, send money to dig wells to give drink to the thirsty we are sharing Christ's life and love with them. But are we? I say that we are not - at least not completely and not abundantly; not like Jesus, that is.

If we merely spare them or rescue them out of their earthly, physical troubles, while we sit in the comfort of our own homes; if we merely send money and sit quietly and pray; yet we do not physically go and sit in their troubles with them, sharing the Gospel of God's mercy and grace, fully demonstrated in Christ Jesus alone, then have we loved others as Christ has loved us - with abundance? I say we have not.

Let us do all these good things, but let us not neglect to go to the hungry, go to the poor, go to the thirsty and be the hands of feet of Christ by touching them, like He touched us. When you feed the hungry, give them a hug - a long, tight, Christ-loving hug. Then tell them the Good News of Christ. If you feed them without preaching the Gospel, then you have merely provided them with temporary relief from their physical pains, but have left their souls just as hungry and destitute as it was before. Therefore, you have accomplished nothing.

The homeless and hungry are not surprised anymore if someone feeds them and/or clothes them; no instead, they expect it. But they are surprised when you sit with them, when you hold them and stay by their side while they eat. No one but Jesus would do that. We say, "But they really smell bad." This is true, but you know what? Our sins are more putrid than the stench of a cesspool in the nostrils of our holy God and He touched us, kissed us and held us anyway. How do I know this for sure? Because we can give a homeless person a bath and their foul smell will be washed away with merely some soap and water. As a matter of fact, even if we all bathed in a cesspool, our foul smell can be washed away with soap and water, along with some other things God has created to help us get clean from the filth of this earth and our bodies. But I know for a fact that our sins are worse, more putrid than this because only the blood of Jesus could cleanse us, for Jesus cried out,

"My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as i will, but as You will."

~ Matthew 26:39

And we know for certain that truly, if there was any other way, God the Father would have more than gladly spared His one and only begotten Son, just as Jesus asked. But there was obviously nothing in all  of God's creation that was powerful enough, pure enough and  holy enough to clean the stench and filth of our sins -  only  the pure, perfect, holy and powerful blood of Jesus Christ, God incarnate is able to cleanse us from our abominable sins.

We so often think we have to go to some foreign land to be the hands and feet of Jesus. But look all around you. As Jesus said, we will always have the poor and hungry all around us; and we do.

There are plenty around here who are thirsty, and there are plenty here in America who are naked and who are need of the physical touch of Christ Jesus our Lord. And there are plenty of lost souls here in America that desperately need disciples of Christ to feed, give drink and clothe their cold, naked, hungry, thirsty dead souls.

So if you want to pray for someone, go to them and pray for them. Go to the abortion clinics and offer prayer to those who are there. Take Gospel tracts with you that do not water down God's truth, but opens the eyes  of their hearts that clearly reveal to them that they are sinners in desperate need of a Savior.

If we're going to do "good", then we must do it like Jesus, for we know, that no one is good, but God. Therefore, if we do "good" deeds, but not in the name of Jesus (meaning in His likeness, with His character), then we are not doing "good", but only something that might seem "nice". For if God alone is good, anything absent of God is absent of good.

Thought to ponder:

Gracious Lord God in Heaven, thank You for Your abundant love poured out on us in Christ Jesus our Savior! Thank You for despising us not, but loving us still. Teach us Father to love like you; without ceasing and without judgment or personal cares. Teach us Father to give our lives away, just the way Jesus did. As we come closer to celebrating the first coming of Your Son, Father, help us to remember why He came and how He came in humility and abundant love; and send us out with His heart.

May You be well pleased with our offering of abundant love for You, as we love others abundantly in Your Name. Amen

ADVENT ~ Day 25

December 23, 2009

Scripture Passage:
READ Galatians 4:1-31

Today, I'm combining my Word-Filled Wednesdays post with the Advent devotional, as the Key Verse for today's devotional has really impressed upon my heart who we really are - without Christ.

As I read our Scripture Passage today, my heart rejoiced in the fact that I am a child of The Promise. An adopted child, born of God, through faith in Jesus Christ's first coming, His virgin birth, His perfect sinless life, His atonement for my sins, His death, His resurrection and His second coming.

And then my eyes and heart stopped and rested on two verses: "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons." (Galatians 4:4-5)

I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that Jesus, the Son of God, left Heaven. In Heaven, Jesus was rightly worshiped and adored, He was unconditionally obeyed and lived in the splendor of His own glory. He left that, to come here and purposely allow Himself to be bound by human flesh. I don't know what Heaven looks like because there is nothing we know of here on earth that's even comparable, but I do know this for certain: When we all get to Heaven, we'll ask, "Jesus, YOU left this for me?" I am humbled and overwhelmed by this truth.

Have you ever tried to sing a praise song and worship God while you're still in angst about something here: Whether it's something with your spouse, your kids, friends, or just plain 'ol anxieties about how you think things ought to be? I have, and you know what? It doesn't work! When I get this way, our gracious Father is always so kind and gracious to remind me that I must first choose to mortify the desires of my flesh and resolve to know nothing but Christ crucified. It is only then that the same Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead, will also raise me to walk in step with Him (Galatians 5:25).

Thoughts to ponder:
Much like this little boy in today's Scripture-picture, we were once lost orphans, hungry and poor. But in God the Father's infinite love and abounding compassion, He chose to adopt us, to pay for us - with His own Son's blood. In order for this poor, hungry and homeless child to live with his adopted Father, he'll have to leave his worldly possessions and comforts behind. What do you think they would be? His dirty coat? His filthy clothes? Charms or trinkets he's collected to make him feel special? What about you? What natural affinities, natural comforts and natural attachments will you have to leave behind, both tangible and intangible, in order to live as if you are truly an adopted child of the King of kings?

Merciful Father, my glorious Love, You have captured my heart!

Why have you called me Your own? Why did you choose to touch me when I was stained with all my guilt? Why did you choose to wash me with the blood of Your one and only Son? Why Lord? Why such a great sacrifice, for such a lowly and wretched soul?

My eyes have never seen You. Yet my heart knows You. Thank You Father, for working the impossible in my life. Thank You for choosing me, so that I could choose You. May this Christmas be different. May my celebration of Jesus' first coming be founded in why He came. And may I live as if I believe You.

ADVENT ~ Day 23

December 21, 2009

Scripture Passage:
READ Isaiah 60:1-5

I've mentioned before that I am not the sharpest pencil in the pack, therefore I don't understand many things as other people do. Often it takes me quite some time to really perceive what someone is saying, as the meaning often seems to escape me.

Knowing this, when I was in high school, I used to carry a dictionary in my backpack, to have with me at all times. And back in the days when dinosaurs still roamed the earth (just kidding), pocket-dictionaries were not invented yet; well, not very good ones. So, the dictionary I carried around in my backpack was - you guessed it, the large, Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. Sure it was heavy, but I didn't mind because I pulled it out often to look up the words that people were using during conversations, as well as reading it during lunch and anytime I had available. I always had it with me when I read the Bible because it seemed that I would often find myself stuck on some of the simplest words, just like I did today. Today, I got stuck on the word, "upon". To be honest, I'm not really sure what that means. And it seemed it would be greatly beneficial to look it up so that I might gain full understanding of what our Father God is trying to teach me today.

upon (preposition) - in an elevated position on¹

According to the definition of the word "upon", today's key passage makes so much more sense to me and I pray that it will bless you as well.

You see, the Prophet Isaiah, by the leading of the Holy Spirit writes that the entire earth is covered with thick darkness. It was that way then, and I know we can all testify that it is also the state of the world even now. The world is filled with wickedness, self-centered, selfish, self-absorbed, treacherous, thieving, lying, God-hating, adulterous people who are under the power and deception of Satan. Yet, the Lord speaks this wonderful truth through Isaiah in the next statement, that while this is the true state of the world, God includes a "but". I love when God does that! Unlike us, when God says, "but" He's not going to make a statement of objection, but instead a statement of hope! Isn't our awesome Father so brilliant?!

I love this second statement, that starts with "but", that goes on to tell us the promise of the hope found only in Christ Jesus our Lord, "but the LORD will arise upon you, and His glory will be seen upon you."

Did you see that?! The LORD God Himself will be in an elevated position on us (specifically, His children)! He didn't say, He might, He said He will! The magnitude of this truth humbles me as I consider that Jesus made Himself nothing; took a lowly position among us; He put Himself under us in order to lift us up so that He will be exalted; that is, elevated in our lives. And so much so, that it will be evident to all people! Wow!

This promise of the evidence of Christ's resurrected life in all believers is amazing to me! And how does that come about? It is manifested in everything we do; whether we wash dishes, scrub toilet bowls, change diapers, cook meals, feed the homeless, preach the Gospel or clothe the naked. When any of us lives solely to demonstrate our love and gratitude to God, for the Gift of Jesus, then every breath we take, is breathed for His honor and glory.

Sometimes we often think that we have to do some "big" thing for God in order to feel that our lives matter. But the truth is, nothing we do is "big" in the sight of the Great I AM. Everything we offer is small in His eyes, but is made into something extravagant when we give our all to Jesus. In Jesus' hands, all things are made new and beautiful! What opinions and thoughts have imprisoned you and kept you from believing this truth? Will you choose to praise the Lord our God in spite of how you feel and defy the chains of your mind today?

Lord God, You noticed me, when no one else did. You loved me and cared for me, when no one thought to share. I stood there, like an outsider. Just a small, frightened, little girl. Dirty, ragged, poor and afraid. I saw many children playing. They were smiling and enjoying one another's company. And they were very involved in what seemed to be a very important and exciting activity. I stood there alone, and thought to myself, "I wish I could be with them! I wish I could join and participate! But I'm too small, dirty, and poor."

Just then, the Man standing there with them motioned to me with His hand and said, "Come! Come join us!" I was humbled and began to cry as I couldn't understand why someone as wonderful as Him, would notice someone as lowly as me. Then You told me Father, that THIS is Your Son, whom You loved and gave up, so I could participate, participate in Your glorious presence and miraculous work of transforming lives.

I wish I had the proper words to express my gratitude and love to You Father, for the Gift of Jesus. But I'm afraid that my words pale in comparison to Your mighty love. So I will trust that You listen to my heart and hear my spirit sing.

You are my Maker. You are My God. You are my Jesus.
I love you.

Printable Version

ADVENT ~ Day 19

December 17, 2009

Scripture Passage:
READ 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

What an incredibly uplifting passage! The Apostle Paul opens his first letter to the church in Thessaloniki with a greeting of mutual love, hope, grace and peace found only in God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Then Paul shares how he is so encouraged by the faith of the Thessalonian believers, that he is moved to give thanks to God for their work of faith, labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord, Christ Jesus.

What was it about these 3 things that caused the Apostle Paul to continually give thanks to God? Let's take a closer look.

1. work of faith: The way the Apostle Paul worded this is very significant. Notice here that Paul specifically writes, "work of faith", not "work to have faith". As we know it is clear in Scripture that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus, it is a gift of God, NOT by works, so that no man can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). We also know that the word "of" is an adjective that indicates: ownership, belonging, origin, or source of the noun it follows. Therefore, the "work" someone performs does not necessarily prove they have faith, instead a person's faith will be proved by the work that belongs to it. (James 2:18)
2. labor of love: The same truth that applies to "work of faith" applies here as well. The small two letter word "of" plays a huge role in what this phrase means. Labor of love, means that the labor performed originates, and is owned by love. And what is love? Well, the more accurate question is, Who is love? And we find the answer in 1 John 4:16 - "So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him." Therefore, according to Scripture, labor performed without God, is performed without love. What we as human beings call "love" is not true love at all. For most of us, love is only a feeling. And as feelings do, they come and they go. If we throw love into the category of feelings, why then are we surprised that it comes and it goes? We shouldn't be. Love is not a feeling, but an active choice. Does love include feelings? Of course it does. God is love and God feels. But love is stronger and greater than our feelings. That's why a labor of love is not capable of being manufactured by any human effort. We may have strong feelings, affections and warmth towards one another, but eventually, our "passion" will fade away and so will our labor that belonged to it. But all things from God are eternal and have everlasting effect.
3. steadfastness of hope: The Greek word used in this verse for steadfastness is: hupomone which means: constancy; endurance; in the NT the characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings; a patient enduring, sustaining, perseverance.¹ Now, let's take a look at what the word "hope" means. Unknowingly, most of us use its connotative definition (implied meaning: that something might happen), rather than its denotative definition (explicit meaning: that something is definitely going to happen). Truth be known, the word "hope" is synonymous with the word "trust". That's why God tells us to put our hope, that is, our trust in Him alone. When we hope in Christ, we're not saying we think He might come through for us; instead we are saying we know for certain He will. Therefore, steadfastness of hope means that hope owns our endurance, our patience, our loyalty even through the toughest trials and sufferings. And who is our Hope? His name is Jesus, and He is the Owner and Master of our hope; that's why it can be steadfast; because He alone does not fail at anything, but is victorious in all things! What an incredible promise!

This is what it all boils down to: it doesn't take a Christian to dig wells and provide clean water, or feed the hungry, visit those in prison, clothe the naked, mentor the under-privileged, or build homes or churches. While all these things are demonstrations of acts of kindness in which God's children should engage in, it doesn't take a Christian to perform these well-meaning deeds; as it has been proven that even unbelievers know how to show this kind of charity toward others.

We know this to be a fact as we look around our world and see multitudes of non-believers doing all these things. And while it doesn't take a Christian to perform these acts of kindness, it does take a Christian to perform works of faith, labors of love with steadfastness of hope. It also takes a Christian to perform such acts of kindness with great patience and endurance in the midst of sufferings, afflictions and any other hardships that may come their way; with humility. Only a Christian can balance the pain and sorrow of suffering, while still finding the joy in all their trials; without complaining (Philippians 2:14-15). Why? Because only Christ Jesus can miraculously balance these two opposites: joy and pain. Not that Christians always work this way. But my point is that we, as Christians are capable of living this way, but unbelievers are not; as this is only a supernatural work of God, in His children. And this is what causes the world to wonder, to wonder "Why?"

ADVENT ~ Day 10

December 8, 2009

Scripture Passage:
READ Psalm 25:6-15

Who can know the secret of God? Who is worthy or who does God trust with His secret? What kinds of people are chosen as God’s friends?

The word secret is synonymous with the word mystery. A mystery is something that is hidden, something that is not revealed to everyone. Often when someone has a secret, they only tell those whom they trust; their friends. Secrets are only shared with people who have proven their faithfulness and love to the one holding the secret. Some people want to know a secret only for the sake of knowing, or for the sake of feeling important, being entertained, or even to use the secret to mock or torment someone else. Obviously, none of these reasons are good reason to want to know or share a secret.

Sadly, I must admit that I’ve often wanted to know a secret for some of these reasons. I’ve wanted to know a secret because it made me feel like I was “in the loop”, which made me feel special, important ,and put me on a pedestal of sorts. There have been other times when I’ve wanted to know a secret because I was angry or hurt by someone and I wanted to use the secret to get revenge. I wanted my offender to know how it felt to be hurt. You know the old adage, "give them a taste of their own medicine.” The irony of that phrase is medicine is used to heal, not hurt. Isn’t it peculiar that we use this phrase the way we do? I wonder how often we take the things that God meant for good and twist it to use it for evil. If only we would just stop and think about things, for just, well, just a minute; I think we’d all soberly realize how truly wicked are the things we conceive in our hearts and minds.

If we, as fallible, wicked human beings desire for others to honor our secrets; to never use them to hurt us or ever tell anyone else we haven’t already approved, then how much more should God, who is infallible, good, perfect and holy expect us to honor His secret?

But what is the secret of God that we are supposed to honor and cherish?

“but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as He announced to His servants the prophets.”

~ Revelations 10:7

“that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ,”

~ Colossians 2:2

“Now to Him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith – to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.”

~ Romans 16:25-27

The secret of God, according to His Word, is Jesus Christ our Lord, the only Savior for all mankind. No wonder the heavenly host sang and glorified God when the Lord and Master of our souls was born!

“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!' ”

~ Luke 2:13-14

According to these Scripture passages, God only shares His secret, His friendship, His covenant with those in which He is pleased. And who are those He is pleased to share this awesome Gospel of salvation? The answer is found in Psalm 51:16-17.

Therefore if you are one of the chosen of God, whom He has granted the gift of repentance that leads to salvation, and have pleased God by obeying His command and have come to faith in His Son with a broken spirit; a broken and contrite (repentant) heart, then God has credited Christ’s righteousness to you, and you ought to:

We know that some secrets are better when they’re shared. And the Secret of God, which is salvation in Jesus Christ alone, is most definitely a secret that is better when shared -- with the entire world!

Thoughts to ponder:

Do I daily put on the helmet of salvation and meditate on the magnitude of the high cost of saving my soul? Can God trust me with His Secret, the Gospel message of His Son, Jesus? Will I tell it based on my opinion of who I think God is (soft and fluffy, like Santa Claus), or will I tell it based on God's holy word; because God is love, He must hate evil and punish it? And can God trust me to do all this with His compassion, grace and mercy and not with my judgment about others or fears of personal rejection?

Sovereign, holy and righteous Father God in Heaven, may all glory, praise and honor be given to Your name!

Help us to rid ourselves of ourselves. Help us to love others enough to testify to them and freely share why the Babe was born in Bethlehem. It isn't just a nice, warm and fuzzy story. It's the miraculous story and incomprehensible story of Your ultimate love, fully demonstrated in the birth, life, death and resurrection of Your Son, Jesus the Christ.

Oh Father God, forgive us for not being faithful friends of Your secret! Forgive us Lord for our laziness! Me in particular! What a wretched woman I am! Release me Lord God from my fears as well as my lackadaisical attitude regarding the Lost. Impress upon my heart, sear it on my mind Father, the truth of the torment they will suffer for all eternity without Your Son!

Oh that I might be a trustworthy servant Father! I thank You gracious Father God, for making me Your friend, for making peace with me through Your Son. I thank You Lord for trusting me with Your Gospel. When you return Jesus, may You be well pleased to find many who are faithful. Amen.

ADVENT ~ Day 9

December 7, 2009

Scripture Passage:
READ Psalm 25:1-5

The Hebrew words for "ways" (derek) and "paths" ('orach), have virtually the same meaning: direction, road, way of living, manner.

In today's reading passage, King David is crying out to God in the midst of his distress. While it is obvious that David is under attack, he makes a strong proclamation of faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And then he humbly, yet boldly makes fervent requests for God to teach him the road, the way, and the manner of the Lord God Almighty. As we know, our Lord Jesus is The Way of God, revealed to us in the birth, death and resurrection of our Savior.

David even goes as far as stating his confidence in God's righteous judgment of those who reject His gift of salvation - whether witnessed here on earth, or ultimately, when Jesus will make a distinction between those who truly knew Him vs. those who only claimed it with their mouths, but their hearts testify against them; as their lives contradict what they professed to believe.

"His (Christ's) winnowing fork is in His hand, to clear His threshing floor and to gather the wheat into His barn, but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire."

~ Luke 3:17

Chaff is like our bodies - it is what encases that which is of great substance; our souls. And like chaff, our bodies, our earthly "tents" will one day return to the ground from whence it came. But our souls will live forever - somewhere; either in Heaven with God or in Hell with the demons.

The impetuous professions of false converts, who come to Christ, only in hopes for the betterment of their lives here on earth, are like chaff to God: useless and without substance; therefore, they are easily blown away in every direction, with whatever teaching the winds of the times might carry them.

But for those who have come to Christ, with a grateful, humble and repentant heart, recognizing the magnitude of His holy sacrifice, cry out daily, not just for protection and salvation from trials, but for personal refinement and discipline through knowing God more, in order to love Him better.

"Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You I wait all the day long."~ Psalm 25:5

May we all learn to faithfully "wait" on the Lord; that is, intently watching Christ, fixing our eyes on Him, like a good waiter in a restaurant. A good waiter closely studies the one he/she is waiting on so that they may be ready in an instant to respond to any request being made of them. And when they are called, they rise immediately to serve with great joy and gladness.

Am I so close to the Lord that I can hear His every heart beat; His will and direction for my life? Do I daily cry out to God for personal refinement and discipline, or am I afraid of it? Do I see my life and those around me from a worldly/self-centered view, or from God's view?



Printable Version

In a time where all our minds are on what we want, what we'd like to ask for, how and with whom we will celebrate Christmas; let us remember God, who gave....

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because He has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the  judgment; the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the Light and does not come into the Light, lest His works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes into the Light, so that it may be clearly seen that His works have been carried out in God."

~ John 3:16-21

The message of John 3:16 is not the message of the modern day, man-centered Gospel. The message of John 3:16 is the same message God-centered Gospel from the same God of yesterday, today and tomorrow: it's a strong, righteous, good and pure message that should cause anyone to fear God, be utterly grateful for His salvation and humble themselves before such a righteous, good and merciful God. This is why I never share John 3:16 with anyone without verses 17-21. That way, I can be sure that the hearer is benefited by God's truth and provided with much grace in the light of God's truth and extravagant love.

So let all those, who are called by God, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light be different than the rest of the world, and instead of asking for things or looking forward to receiving or even giving to other people; let us, God's beloved children, let us give to God what is due Him:

praise,

honor,

glory,

and

thanksgiving,

every morning for His steadfast love,

and every night for His faithfulness.

and all God's people say:

AMEN

ADVENT ~ Day 6

December 4, 2009

Scripture Passage:
READ Psalm 24:7-10

From the time of Adam and Eve's sin, our Father God has been proclaiming the mystery of His gift of salvation, that is found only through faith in His one and only Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (Genesis 3:14-15)

The LORD of hosts, then repeated this mystery of salvation to Abraham, Elijah, Moses, King David, Isaiah, Daniel, Jeremiah, along with many other prophets and faithful servants of the LORD God Most High.

By faith, they all believed God's message of salvation to all people, whether Jew or Gentile. Because they believed God, and put their trust in the One whom they would never see on this side of Heaven, God credited Christ's righteousness to them, so that they too may enter into the fullness of His glorious presence for all eternity in Heaven.

The righteousness of Christ was not credited to them because of mere words, but their lives proved that their trust was in the coming Messiah of God, by the way they lived.

The prophets of old and the faithful servants of God truly lived as if they trusted every word that proceeded out of the mouth of the LORD. And God knew it. The Lord God sees our hearts and is not fooled or moved by words spoken only from fleeting, emotion-driven moments.

He is the King of kings, the Lord of lords. He is the Alpha and the Omega; the Prince of Peace; the Lion of the tribe of Judah; the Bright Morning Star; the Good Shepherd; the Bread of Life; the Word of God; the Way, the Truth, and the Life; the High Priest; the Rock of Ages; the Redeemer; the True Vine; the Son of God.

He is Jesus the Christ - the Revealer of the greatest mystery: the miraculous reconciliation of wicked and evil sinners, to a holy and good God.

"And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made together alive with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in Him."

~ Colossians 2:13-15

ADVENT ~ Day 3
December 2, 2009

Scripture Passage:
READ Psalm 24:1-6

Who is worthy to approach the LORD? He is Sovereign. He is good. By His might, He created the heavens, the earth and all that it is within it. Time cannot encompass Him. There is nothing in all creation that can overpower Him. He is self-sustaining. He is majestic. He is holy. He is glorious. He is perfect. He is righteous. He is just.

God is so awesome, so brilliant, so holy; and the magnitude of His righteousness is so pure and powerful, that the Bible says no man can see God’s face and live (Exodus 33:20)!

In our Scripture reading today, we find King David, perfectly assessing the level of righteousness a person must possess, in order to approach God, and not die.

“He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.”
~ Psalm 24:4

Well, that leaves me out! And not just me, but everyone I’ve ever known or heard of! There is not one person who has lived, is living and will live, that is qualified to fulfill all of God’s righteous requirements in order to be made acceptable, to approach His holy presence – except for the Person of Jesus Christ.

Jesus alone has:

• Clean hands: hands that have never shed innocent blood nor hated anyone in his heart. (Matthew 5:43-48, 1 John 3:15)
• A pure heart: a heart that has never conceived to break God’s Law (the Ten Commandments) or devised evil to lead himself or anyone else into sin. (Proverbs 20:9, Hebrew 4:15)
• Righteous worship: a soul that refuses to give reverence, honor or praise to false gods; instead, worships the LORD God alone, who is the Maker of every soul. (Ecclesiastes 3:11, Matthew 4:8-10)
• Honorable speech: a tongue that faithfully speaks the truth, will not boast, defends the rights of the poor, does not flatter and is full of the wisdom that comes from God. (Psalm 101:7, Isaiah 53:9, 1 Peter 2:22-23)

Our Lord Jesus was born of a virgin, in order to die, so that sinners might be born again, in order to live. He gave us His righteousness, because we had none of our own, for “none is righteous, no, not one.” (Psalm 143:2, Romans 3:10)

Therefore, let us give Christ His due honor and praise as we dedicate our hearts to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. And let us not forget what a precious time of Advent God has granted us by cleansing ourselves from the commercialism of Christmas, and fixing our hearts and minds on the reason why we, as Christians, celebrate.

Thoughts to ponder:
Am I living as if I truly believe that I posses the righteousness of Christ? Do I faithfully demonstrate to God, my love and gratitude for my salvation by setting my personal needs, comforts, ideas or even rights aside, so that others may see Jesus in me? If so, how? If not, what will I do today to remedy this situation?

Gracious LORD God in Heaven, with awesome compassion and abounding grace and mercy, You have cleansed my filthy soul of all unrighteousness with the pure blood of Your Son, Jesus the Christ.

Thank You Father for loving me when I was still Your enemy; hating You, by sinning against You. Thank You Jesus for suffering the wrath of God in my stead and imputing to me, Your righteousness, so that I might be made acceptable in the sight of the Father. Thank You Holy Spirit for faithfully sanctifying me by the washing of water with God’s word.

LORD, I commit to You this day, that Your work of salvation will take precedence in my heart, will be kept at the forefront of my mind, and will be the passion of my soul.

Thank You, heavenly Father, for this time of Advent. Help us to remain in a state of reverence, awe-inspired worship and gratitude as we prepare to remember Your Son’s first coming, as well as looking intently and eagerly with all our hearts, minds and souls daily for His second coming. Jesus, may Your name be praised, forever and ever, Amen.

Introduction to Advent

by Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts
Copyright © 2009 by Mark D. Roberts

Advent is a Christian season that lasts for about four weeks. It begins four Sundays before Christmas and ends on Christmas Eve, thus there is some variation in its length. (If you're unfamiliar with the idea of Christian seasons, you might find helpful a few pieces I've written: "Overview of the Christian Year,""The Colors of the Christian Year," and "The Christian Year and the Textures of Worship." I should mention that Eastern Orthodox Christians do not recognize Advent per se, but have a longer season that is rather like Advent. Their Nativity Fast begins in the middle of November and is a season for repentance and abstinence.

In our secular American celebration of Christmas, the Christmas season (or Holiday season, ugh) begins in the weeks prior to Christmas Day. Generally, this season starts in early December, though retailers have a bad habit of beginning Christmas in November (or even October). A couple of weeks ago, for example, I shopped in a J.C. Penney department store that was fully decked out for Christmas and was playing Christmas music non-stop while I shopped. Shame on them! In my rule book, you shouldn't listen to Christmas music or turn on Christmas lights until after you've finished the Thanksgiving turkey . . . at the earliest.


What is Advent?

The Christian season of Christmas actually begins on Christmas Eve and lasts for twelve days, ending on January 6. (No, the twelve-day season of Christmas did not start with the song. It was the other way around.) The time before Christmas is Advent, a season of preparation for Christmas. Christians prepare for celebrating the birth of Jesus by remembering the longing of the Jews for a Messiah. In Advent we're reminded of how much we also need a Savior, and we look forward to our Savior's second coming even as we prepare to celebrate his first coming at Christmas. Indeed, the word Advent comes from the Latin word that means "coming" or "visit." In the season with this name, we keep in mind both "advents" of Christ, the first in Bethlehem and the second yet to come.

If you're unfamiliar with Advent, I expect it might feel odd to think of the weeks before Christmas as something more than Christmastime. For most of my life, Advent played very little role in my pre-Christmas consciousness. As a child, I did have Advent calendars, sturdy, decorative paper displays with 25 little "windows," one of which I would open each day of December leading up to Christmas. My Advent calendar was a way to whet my appetite for Christmas, not that I needed much help to get ready for my favorite day of the year, mind you. I loved Christmas when I was young, partly because it celebrated the birth of Jesus, but mostly because it was a giant party in which I received lots of presents. In a sense, the Christian observance is a bit like my boyhood Advent calendars, though it has a much more serious purpose. It's meant to get us ready, not for a present-opening party, but for a transformational celebration of the birth of Jesus.


What Colors Are Used in Advent?

There are a few other things about Advent that you might find odd if you're unfamiliar with them. The strangest might be the Advent color scheme. We associate Christmas and the weeks leading up to it with typical Christmas colors: red, green, white, silver, and gold. Advent, on the other hand, features purple (or dark blue) and pink. The purple/blue color signifies seriousness, repentance, and royalty. Pink points to the minor theme of Advent, which is joy. The first, second, and fourth Sundays of Advent are "purple/blue" Sundays. Only the third is a "pink" Sunday. The pink, joyful color reminds us that, even as Advent helps us get in touch with our sober yearning for God to come to us, we know that he did in fact come in the person of Jesus. Thus our minor-themed waiting has a grace note of joy mixed in. If you've seen a traditionally-colored Advent wreath will recognize the purple and pink colors of this season (with the central, white, Christ-candle for Christmas Eve/Day). But if you're unfamiliar with Advent and happen to attend a church service in early December in a church that recognizes Advent, you might be startled to see lots of purple, a bit of pink, and no red or green. (Many churches combine the colors of Advent and Christmas, however, so visitors won't be completely perplexed.)










Starting tomorrow, Tuesday, December 2 2009, I will begin posting Advent devotionals until Christmas Eve.

Please join me and invite others, as we daily prepare our hearts, minds, souls and strength in devotion to  remember, honor, and worship the First Coming of the King of kings and the Lord of lords, our Master and Savior, Jesus the Christ.

Christian Advent holiday web theme set courtesy of Crystal Cloud Graphics.

ADVENT ~ Day 14

December 13, 2008

Scripture Passage:
READ 1 John 3:11-18

Our Father God's love for us is extravagant: excessively high, exceeding the bounds of reason and goes beyond what any of us could ever deserve.

He didn't pay for us with the fleeting, rotting, things of this world. No, instead He paid for us with His very life. Our Lord Jesus, left Heaven; willingly bound and limited Himself in human flesh, lived among us, ate with us, cried with us, felt hunger and pains He had never felt in Heaven. Our Lord Jesus chose to to put Himself in our place and sit with us in our troubles. Jesus did not come rescue us out of our troubles, for even we can do that for others. But He chose to sit in our troubles with us and felt our pain and suffering; then went far beyond, and suffered what we could never bear.

Often, we think the best way to intercede for others is to "fix" their problems. We think if we feed the hungry, clothe the poor, send money to dig wells to give drink to the thirsty we are sharing Christ's life and love with them. But are we? I say that we are not.

If we merely spare them or rescue them out of their troubles, while we sit in the comfort of our own homes; if we merely send money and sit quietly and pray; yet we do not physically go to sit in their troubles with them, then have we loved others as Christ has loved us - extravagantly? I say we have not.

Let us do all these good things, but let us not neglect to go to the hungry, go to the poor, go to the thirsty and be the hands of feet of Christ by touching them, like He touched us. When you feed the hungry, give them a hug - a long, tight, Christ-loving hug. Then tell them the Good News of Christ. If you feed them without preaching the Gospel, then you have merely "rescued" them from their physical pains, but have left their souls just as hungry and destitute as it was before. Therefore, you have accomplished nothing. The hungry are not surprised anymore if someone feeds them, no they expect it. But they are surprised when you sit with them, when you hold them and stay by their side while they eat. No one but Jesus would do that. We say, "But they really smell bad." This is true, but you know what? Our sins are like the stench of a cesspool in the nostrils of our holy God and He touched us, kissed us and held us anyway.

We so often think we have to go to some foreign land to be the hands and feet of Jesus. But look all around you. As Jesus said, we will always have the poor and hungry all around us; and we do.

There are plenty around here who are thirsty, and there are plenty here in America who are naked and who are need of the physical touch of Christ Jesus our Lord. And there are plenty of lost souls here in America that desperately need disciples of Christ to feed, give drink and clothe their cold, naked, hungry, thirsty dead souls.

So if you want to pray for someone, go to them and pray for them. Go to the abortion clinics and offer prayer to those who are there. Take Gospel tracts with you that do not water down God's truth, but opens their eyes to expose that they are sinners in desperate need of a Savior.

If we're going to do "good", then we must do it like Jesus, for we know, that no one is good, but God. Therefore, if we do "good" deeds, but not in the name of Jesus (meaning in His likeness, with His character), then we are not doing "good", but only something that might seem "nice". For if God alone is good, anything absent of God is absent of good.

Thought to ponder:

Gracious Lord God in Heaven, thank You for Your extravagant love poured out on us! Thank You for despising us not, but loving us still. Teach us Father to love like you; without ceasing and without judgment or personal cares. Teach us Father to give our lives away, just the way Jesus did. As we come closer to celebrating the first coming of Your Son, Father, help us to remember why He came and how He came; and send us out with His heart.

May You be well pleased with our offering of extravagant love for You, as we love others extravagantly in Your Name. Amen

ADVENT ~ Day 10

December 9, 2008

Scripture Passage:
READ Matthew 2:1-12

Our Advent devotional will be a little different today. As we draw nearer and nearer to Christmas, I've been praying and asking God to guide me to be more mindful of the celebration of our Lord Jesus' first coming. In an answer to my prayer, our sovereign Father led me to an article at CWO (Christian Women Online). This article provides wise counsel on how to refrain from spending like the heathens! :-) Just kidding.

Seriously, Marybeth shares how to keep from losing focus on why we celebrate, rather Who we celebrate and how we can keep our spending to a minimum by honoring God. She also gives us some great practical insight on how we can train our children to have a different mindset on the blessing of giving gifts rather than receiving them.

After I read this wonderful article, I asked my Favorite to read it and suggested we implement these ideas, but maybe next year (since we're already so close to Christmas). Well, my Favorite read it, and liked what he read so much he said we'll be implementing these ideas this year!

So, for today's Advent devotional, I'd like to share with you the splendid gift God shared with me through our sister Marybeth Whalen with her practical "how-tos" on how to keep Christ in our Christmas. After all, isn't that why God gives us gifts? So that we might share them with those we love - just like He did for us, when He gave us Jesus.

Marybeth Whalen is one of CWO's newest team members. She is also a writer and speaker for the Proverbs 31 Ministries and co-wrote a book with her husband entitled: Learning To Live Financially Free: Hard-Earned Wisdom To Save Your Marriage and Your Money.

Oh and please, please note that CWO is in a new format and you can now leave encouraging comments for all the writers. So please share the gift of encouragement with our sister Marybeth as I know God will bless you through her, just like He did for me. :-)

Glorious Father God in Heaven, thank You so much for this time of Advent! It's already been so wonderful to drink deeply into Your word and seek Your purpose for all things, even in our shopping and gift- giving habits.

Thank You for how differently You've gifted each of Your children so that we might together, form the Body of Christ Jesus, Your Son. Thank You for enabling us to appreciate Your gifts and to use them for Your glory!

May we continue in our striving to keep Jesus the motive for our Christmas.

WE CELEBRATE YOU JESUS, WITH EVERY BREATH WE TAKE!
Amen.

Today is the 8^th day of Advent


Why Advent?

by Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts
Copyright © 2008 by Mark D. Roberts

In my last post, I told the story of my Advent beginnings. When I started out as pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in 1991, for the first time in my life, I began to see Advent as a distinct season of the year and to experience its richness.

In the years following my Advent beginnings, my appreciation of Advent grew slowly and steadily. At some point I became aware of the purple and pink Advent color scheme, something we had not emphasized at Irvine Presbyterian Church. I remember when, sometime in the 1990s, we started using three purple and one pink candle in the church Advent wreath. It was a change for church members, who had been used to all white candles. But soon they appreciated the connotations of the colors. (Photo: The Advent wreath on the chancel of the sanctuary at Irvine Presbyterian Church)

I decided to go “whole hog” with Advent colors one year. I wore mostly purple ties during Advent. I put up an “Advent tree” in my office at church, which could be seen from the busy street in front of the church. I didn’t outlaw the use of Christmas colors in our sanctuary or anything like that, though our sacraments on the communion table and pulpit were purple. I’m sure some folks thought I’d lost a few of my marbles in my zeal for Advent colors, but, for me, it was a chance to emphasize Advent in my personal life as well as in my ministry.

Why did Advent matter so much to me? Among many reasons, two stand out. First, I found that observing Advent enriched my celebration of Christmas. Taking four weeks to focus on the hope of Christ’s coming made me much more joyful when I finally got to celebrate it. The more I got in touch with my need for a Savior, the more I rejoiced at the Savior’s birth.

Second, I found in Advent a solution to the age-old problem of secular Christmas vs. spiritual Christmas. If you’re a Christian, you know what I mean. We recognize that Christmas is, most of all, a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus. It’s a holiday that focuses on the meaning of the Incarnation. Yet, given the secular traditions of Christmas, we spend most of our time preparing, not for a celebration of the birth of Jesus, but for fulfilling the demands of the season. We have to buy lots of presents for lots of people and make sure they are all wrapped and delivered. We have parties to attend and parties to host. We have relatives who come to visit or, alternatively, we are the relatives who go elsewhere to visit. This requires lots of planning, not to mention the nuts and bolts of holiday travel. We have to send out Christmas cards, making sure our addresses are right and that they get on all the envelopes. If we have younger children, we may very well spend hours trying to assemble gifts that come with sketchy instructions written by someone for whom English is, at best, a third language. And so on, and so on, and so on.

Meanwhile, we hear our Christian leaders telling us that we’re spending too much time and money in secular celebrations, and not focusing enough on the real meaning of Christmas. Religious posters proclaim: “Jesus is the reason for the season.” But, in fact, Jesus faces heavy competition from retailers, relatives, and revelers. So what’s a Christian to do?

In my idealistic twenties, I thought about downsizing my celebrations of Christmas. At one point I tried to convince some friends and family members that we should make Christmas an entirely “spiritual” holiday, one in which we focus only on the birth of Jesus. Not wanting to be the Grinch, however, I didn’t abandon secular festivities or gift giving. “Let’s do that stuff on New Year’s Eve,” I argued. “Not only is this holiday very close to Christmas, but also, if we give gifts on New Years, we’ll be able to shop in the post-Christmas sales, and that will save a lot of money.” Ah, what logic! But nobody was persuaded, least of all my family members. The secular and familial Christmas traditions were too embedded in our lives and, I might add, greatly loved. So I abandoned my effort to de-secularize Christmas.

As I entered my thirties, I tried to emphasize the Christian aspects of Christmas in the days leading up to the holiday. But I seemed to be fighting a losing battle. I needed some way to focus my mind and heart. And I needed some new traditions that would help me. Then I discovered Advent. For some reason, observing Advent during December helped me to draw near to God in a way that I had not been able to do before. I still engaged in the secular celebrations of Christmas, happily so, I might add. But I also added several new practices that tuned my heart to resonate with the deeper meaning of the coming of Christ.

I know that many others have had a similar experiences to mine. Since 2004 I have been blogging about Advent. During the past four years I have received dozens of emails from people who have shared their own excitement for Advent. Some have grown up with Advent traditions. Most have “discovered” Advent later in life, much as I did. All have found that observing Advent enriches their celebration of Christmas and allows them to have a precious, peaceful, God-focused experience during what is often a hectic holiday season.


In my next post I’ll describe some of the Advent practices that I have found to be most helpful.

"Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith."
~ Galatians 3:23-26