Posts with the category “advent-devotionals”

God gave Isaiah a vision of the spectacular glory, and immediately Isaiah fell down and exclaimed that he was undone. This was the response of a sinful man before our holy God. We cannot endure His pr...  Read More

Christmas is a time for family and friends to celebrate the peace that Christ brought into the world (Luke 2:14). Sadly, many people find themselves estranged from someone they love during the holiday...  Read More

“Great” is a term we throw around a lot and apply to many different things. Maybe during this Advent season you'll see some dazzling Christmas lights, partake of a delicious holiday meal, or experienc...  Read More

"What do you want on your tombstone?" This was a popular commercial for a pizza company a few years ago, but it is still a great question for today. When you have passed away, how would you like to be...  Read More

How important is your family tree to you? For the Jew, family history and tribal position was everything. Therefore, it is not surprising that Isaiah uses ancestral language to describe the person and...  Read More

At first glance this story seems to be about sacrificial giving, but as we look closer, there is another dimension here. It seems to be more about the religious leaders than the poor widow! Jesus poin...  Read More

Religious groups of Jesus' day openly questioned him often. The Sadducees were one of these groups. They accepted only the first five Books of Moses and did not believe in angels, spirits, or the resu...  Read More

Here the reader encounters Isaiah, the tough prophet of God, looking forward to a day when the Messiah judges and reigns forever. This prophecy must have seemed a little far-fetched, because the power...  Read More

There is much in this Psalm to ponder. First, it’s a call for those whose help and hope is in the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth to continue praising and trusting Him (cf. Psalm 146:1-6). Take a ...  Read More

I love reading the stories when it's Jesus against the religious leaders. It's just like the TV shows where you know the good guy is going to win. So why watch it then?Because you have got to see how ...  Read More

The birth of Jesus took place; it happened. It’s not just a story or a fairy tale, it’s a fact. Even history books record that a man named Jesus lived in Israel. Sometimes a story can be heard so many...  Read More

It seems like every year the stores put out their Christmas trees and decorations earlier and earlier. Why? Because the spending during the Christmas season is what keeps many stores in business. The ...  Read More

People look forward to Christmas, giving and receiving gifts, getting together with family and friends, and enjoying good food. But sometimes people look forward to things that never come, a perfect s...  Read More

If you’re like me, there’s probably a whole list of things that need to be done to get ready for Christmas. There’s an entire storage rack in our garage that holds several tubs full of Christmas decor...  Read More

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

In the Old Testament, the Law required that a charge or allegation be verified by the testimony of two or three witnesses (Deuteronomy 19:15).  Jesus alluded to this in John 5:30-47, when he summoned ...  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 L...  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 made flesh in Jesus Christ is the greatest miracle of all time. God clothed Himself with mere dust in the womb of a young, virgin girl. This is beyond our comprehension. He who crea...  Read More

The “Christmas story” of wise men, shepherds, and the baby in the manger comes from Matthew and Luke. But John’s gospel presents a different birth narrative, one that crystallizes the glorious truth a...  Read More