Posts with the category “advent-devotionals”

Christmas Day is not just about family gatherings and exchanging gifts. It isn’t just about the Baby Jesus, meek and mild. It is about the Holy Son of God who existed for eternity in an intimate relat...  Read More

This prophecy from Isaiah sees a future with a restored creation.  The opening of blind eyes and deaf ears is precisely what Jesus did.  The healing of the lame and the mute were miracles Jesus showed...  Read More

The narrative of the birth of John the Baptist greatly affects the Christmas story. Without this narrative, the effect of a small baby who was Immanuel, God with us, would have very little effect. The...  Read More

It is a privilege to serve God’s purposes.  Mary was a simple, small town girl who loved God and was willing to be used by Him.  Because of her faith and acceptance of God’s calling in her life, we ha...  Read More

Mary was very surprised, perplexed, and afraid when she heard the words of the angel Gabriel.  Why would an angel greet her?  What did it mean that she was “highly favored” of God?  How was the Lord w...  Read More

In this mixed-up world, we equate material possessions with happiness.  But often those who have the most end up being the least happy.  According to Jesus, when we keep things for ourselves, we don’t...  Read More

It’s painfully ironic that Christmas, which ought to be a time of peace, joy, and celebration, is widely recognized as a time of stress, busyness, and depression.  At the core, I suspect our prioritie...  Read More

Are you a glass-half-empty or glass-half-full kind of person?  I admit that I have my cynical days, especially when I watch too much news.  It doesn’t take a genius to figure out something is broken i...  Read More

This psalm calls the people of God to worship Him. “Jerusalem” refers to all the people of God which at that time was Israel.  He watches over them and provides for them.  Nothing is done apart from H...  Read More

In the Old Testament, the Law required that a charge or allegation be verified by the testimony of two or three witnesses (Deut. 19:15).  Jesus alluded to this in John 5:30-47, when he summoned four w...  Read More

Isaiah describes the Messiah as a branch that will come from a shoot from the stem of Jesse, referring to the remnant of Israel and David’s line.  The rest of the passage describes the Messiah as havi...  Read More

The things that are spoken of in this passage are given and attainable only by those who are also bondservants and disciples of Jesus.  Without the indwelling of the presence of the Lord in our lives ...  Read More

Henry Ward Beecher once said, “A proud man is seldom a grateful man, for he never thinks he gets as much as he deserves.”  One of the keys to being joyful and content in life is humility, and one of t...  Read More

This beautiful psalm reminds us to sing praises to the LORD and to worship Him with a new song of music!  What a wonderful reminder in the season of Advent.  We praise Him with song and dance knowing ...  Read More

Whenever more than two people gather together, a discussion will arise. In Luke 22, the disciples selfishly asked who was the greatest. Jesus stated that while the world asks such questions, it is not...  Read More

Isaiah prophesied against the house of David because they tested God’s patience over and over again.  He prophesied that a virgin would conceive and give birth to a son and he would be called Immanuel...  Read More

The Advent season celebrates the reality that this glorious, heavenly King has rend the heavens and come down in Jesus Christ.  John made it clear that it was Jesus whom Isaiah saw sitting upon that t...  Read More

God is so concerned for our future that He makes this command “Do not put your trust in princes, nor mortal man, in whom there is no help.” He defines these men as those who “return to the earth” and ...  Read More

Who among us doesn’t appreciate a flashlight when we are confronted by the night? Jesus Christ did not just come to the earth as the Holy Baby in a manger.  He was born to die as our Savior so that yo...  Read More

This Psalm of David praises the Lord because everything in the world belongs to Him.  David reflected on bringing the Ark of the Covenant from Obed-Edom to Jerusalem.   He acknowledged the Lord as sov...  Read More

There will come a day when you and I will speak of the days before glory… the days before the King returned… the days before the Second Advent. But, for now we find ourselves caught in the middle of h...  Read More

As we draw close to the end of the year, it is important to ask the question of whether we are grateful to God for His greatness and His blessings, or whether we are resentful for how He has worked in...  Read More

The theme of the Psalm is expressed in verse 1.  David’s soul waited in silence and found rest in God alone.  God was his complete source of calmness when his world was falling apart.  He emphasized t...  Read More

Isaiah prophesied about a day in the future when Jesus Christ the Messiah comes and establishes His kingdom. This will be a time of peace and holiness when the nations flock to the mountain of the LOR...  Read More

Jesus told a story about a man who owned a vineyard. The workers rebelled, mutinied, and took over the land while he was away. After killing the slaves, the master decides to send his beloved son. The...  Read More

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic novel, The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne is forced to wear a scarlet "A" to identify herself as an adulteress.  Bearing the constant reminder of her transgression embl...  Read More

There are several applications we must not miss from this parable: First the foolishness of being unprepared to encounter God when he arrives.  Of course, God is always present.  But at special times ...  Read More

The miracle of God being made flesh in Jesus Christ is perhaps the greatest miracle of all time. God clothed Himself with mere dust in the womb of a young, virgin girl. This is beyond our comprehensio...  Read More

The joy of this day is that God the Father has done more than send his Son (v.7). He has also installed His King (v. 6). This One who came to earth in a humble manger as the Prince of Peace is now sea...  Read More

It is no surprise that Jesus quotes this verse when John the Baptist asks if Jesus is the Messiah promised by God (Matt 11:4; Luke 7:22). This chapter in Isaiah speaks of immense joy with the coming o...  Read More

The author of this Psalm remembers the redemption and restoration given by God. In the midst of a sincere longing for revival and rescue, he bears witness to the life-giving provision of salvation and...  Read More

I love that Mary went to the hill country, a pattern that we later see so much in Jesus' life. She was originally troubled at the saying of the angel when he told her she would give birth to the Son o...  Read More

Has the Lord ever asked the impossible from you? And if so, how did you respond? Listed below are some of his commands and potentially some of your responses:• "Love your neighbor..." But you responde...  Read More

The context of these verses is the impending judgment on Jerusalem and the foolish political alliance with Egypt (v. 18). The leaders of Jerusalem are ungodly, trusting in their own wisdom, rather tha...  Read More

Imagine for a minute the depth and dimension of the expectation illustrated in this prophecy of deliverance. The nation of Israel, after generations of fraill, ineffective human kings, longed for the ...  Read More

We have heard it. We know it. It's the most well-known Scripture of all time. Just ask the guy in the outfield holding the John 3:16 sign. It's the one Scripture that we can all recite—and we usually ...  Read More

This is a psalm of instruction and tells of the coming judgment on the great day of the Lord's return. We see that God is not impressed with our sacrifices if our hearts are not turned toward God. It ...  Read More

The purpose of Peter’s first chapter is to provide full confidence of one’s salvation. In the previous verses, assurance of salvation is found by spiritual growth of the characteristics listed. In tod...  Read More

In this passage Peter explained that God has given us everything we need for life and godliness (v. 3). He has even made us "partakers of the divine nature" (v. 4), which refers to our new birth. Then...  Read More

The words, "A person can receive only what is given them from heaven" gives us great insight into John’s character. He recognized that "all our righteousness is a filthy rag" (Isaiah 64:6). He underst...  Read More