SILENT NOGHT OF THE SOUL
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Posted:Dec 22, 2017 4:47 am
Last Updated:Jun 14, 2018 6:09 am 11114 Views
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Read: 2 Corinthians 5:14–21
Bible in a Year: Micah 6–7; Revelation 13
If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone; the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17
Long before Joseph Mohr and Franz Gruber created the familiar carol “Silent Night,” Angelus Silesius had written:
Lo! in the silent night a to God is born,
And all is brought again that ere was lost or lorn.
Could but thy soul, O man, become a silent night
God would be born in thee and set all things aright.
Jesus, thank You for being born into this dark world so that we might be born again into Your life & light.
Silesius, a Polish monk, published the poem in 1657 in The Cherubic Pilgrim. During our church’s annual Christmas Eve service, the choir sang a beautiful rendition of the song titled “Could but Thy Soul Become a Silent Night.”
The twofold mystery of Christmas is that God became one of us so that we might become one with Him. Jesus suffered everything that was wrong so that we could be made right. That’s why the apostle Paul could write, “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone; the new is here! All this is from God who reconciled us to himself through Christ” (2 Cor. 5:17–18.
Whether our Christmas is filled with family and friends or empty of all we long for, we know that Jesus came to be born in us.
Ah, would thy heart but be a manger for the birth,
God would once more become a on earth.
Lord Jesus, thank You for being born into this dark world so that we might be born again into Your life and light.
God became one of us so that we might become one with Him.
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HOME FOR CHRISTMAS
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Posted:Dec 21, 2017 3:36 am
Last Updated:Jan 2, 2018 5:28 am 8923 Views
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Read: Genesis 28:10–17
Bible in a Year: Micah 4–5; Revelation 12
I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. Genesis 28:15
One year Christmas found me on assignment in a place many of my friends couldn’t locate on a map. Trudging from my worksite back to my room, I braced against the chill wind blowing off the bleak Black Sea. I missed home.
When I arrived at my room, I opened the door to a magical moment. My artistic roommate had completed his latest project—a nineteen-inch ceramic Christmas tree that now illuminated our darkened room with sparkling dots of color. If only for a moment, I was home again!
A Light has entered the world to show us the way home.
As Jacob fled from his brother Esau, he found himself in a strange and lonely place too. Asleep on the hard ground, he met God in a dream. And God promised Jacob a home. “I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying,” He told him. “All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring”
(Gen. 28:13–14).
From Jacob, of course, would come the promised Messiah, the One who left His home to draw us to Himself. “I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am,” Jesus told His disciples (John 14:3).
That December night I sat in the darkness of my room and gazed at that Christmas tree. Perhaps inevitably I thought of the Light that entered the world to show us the way home.
Lord, no matter where we are today, we can thank You for preparing a place for us to be with You. And we have the presence of Your Spirit today!
Home is not so much a place on a map, as it is a place to belong. God gives us that place.
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BREAKING THE SILENCE
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Posted:Dec 20, 2017 2:22 am
Last Updated:Jan 2, 2018 5:29 am 6167 Views
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Read: Luke 1:11–17
Bible in a Year: Micah 1–3; Revelation 11
He will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah . . . to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. Luke 1:17
At the end of the Old Testament, God seems to be in hiding. For four centuries, the Jews wait and wonder. God seems passive, unconcerned, and deaf to their prayers. Only one hope remains: the ancient promise of a Messiah. On that promise the Jews stake everything. And then something momentous happens. The birth of a baby is announced.
You can catch the excitement just by reading the reactions of people in Luke. Events surrounding Jesus’s birth resemble a joy-filled musical. Characters crowd into the scene: a white-haired great uncle (Luke 1:5–25), an astonished virgin (1:26–38, the old prophetess Anna (2:36). Mary herself lets loose with a beautiful hymn (1:46–55). Even Jesus’s unborn cousin kicks for joy inside his mother’s womb (1:41).
Jesus, You are the gift of redemption and hope for us. Thank You.
Luke takes care to make direct connections to Old Testament promises of a Messiah. The angel Gabriel even calls John the Baptist an “Elijah” sent to prepare the way for the Lord (1:17). Clearly, something is brewing on planet Earth. Among the dreary, defeated villagers in a remote corner of the Roman Empire, something good is breaking out.
You have come to us, and we rejoice! Jesus, You are the gift of redemption and hope for us. Thank You.
Once in our world, a stable had something in it that was bigger than our whole world.
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EXTREME MEASURES
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Posted:Dec 19, 2017 5:16 am
Last Updated:Jan 2, 2018 5:29 am 6111 Views
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Read: Luke 19:1–10
Bible in a Year: Jonah 1–4; Revelation 10
The of Man came to seek and to save the lost. Luke 19:10
A few years ago, a friend of mine lost track of her young while walking through a swarm of people at Union Station in Chicago. Needless to say, it was a terrifying experience. Frantically, she yelled his name and ran back up the escalator, retracing her steps in an effort to find her little boy. The minutes of separation seemed like hours, until suddenly—thankfully—her emerged from the crowd and ran to the safety of her arms.
Thinking of my friend who would have done anything to find her fills me with a renewed sense of gratitude for the amazing work God did to save us. From the time God’s first image-bearers—Adam and Eve—wandered off in sin, He lamented the loss of fellowship with His people. He went to great lengths to restore the relationship by sending His one and only “to seek and to save the lost”
(Luke 19:10). Without the birth of Jesus, and without His willingness to die to pay the price for our sin and to bring us to God, we would have nothing to celebrate at Christmastime.
Christmas is about God taking extreme measures to reclaim those who were lost.
So this Christmas, let’s be thankful that God took extreme measures by sending Jesus to reclaim our fellowship with Him. Although we once were lost, because of Jesus we have been found!
Heavenly Father, in the midst of all the joy of Christmas, remind me that the true meaning of this season lies in the depth of Your love. Thank You for sending Jesus to reclaim undeserving people like me!
Christmas is about God taking extreme measures to reclaim those who were lost.
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EVERLASTING HOPE
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Posted:Dec 18, 2017 3:27 am
Last Updated:Jan 2, 2018 5:31 am 5892 Views
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Read: Psalm 146
Bible in a Year: Obadiah; Revelation 9
Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God.
Psalm 146:5
The week before Christmas, two months after my mom died, holiday shopping and decorating sat at the bottom of my priority list. I resisted my husband’s attempts to comfort me as I grieved the loss of our family’s faith-filled matriarch. I sulked as our , Xavier, stretched and stapled strands of Christmas lights onto the inside walls of our home. Without a word, he plugged in the cord before he and his dad left for work.
As the colorful bulbs blinked, God gently drew me out of my darkness. No matter how painful the circumstances, my hope remained secure in the light of God’s truth, which always reveals His unchanging character.
Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God. Psalm 146:5
Psalm 146 affirms what God reminded me on that difficult morning: My endless “hope is in the Lord,” my helper, my mighty and merciful God (v. 5). As Creator of all, He “remains faithful forever” (v. 6). He “upholds the cause of the oppressed,” protecting us and providing for us (v. 7). “The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down” (v. 8. He “watches over” us, “sustains” us, and will always be King (vv. 9–10).
Sometimes, when Christmas rolls around, our days will overflow with joyful moments. Sometimes, we’ll face loss, experience hurt, or feel alone. But at all times, God promises to be our light in the darkness, offering us tangible help and everlasting hope.
Father God, thanks for inviting us to know and rely on Your unchanging character as the source of our eternal hope.
God secures our hope in His unchanging character.
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BIG WORLD, BIGGER GOD
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Posted:Dec 16, 2017 5:47 am
Last Updated:Jan 2, 2018 5:32 am 6340 Views
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Read: Colossians 1:12–17
Bible in a Year: Amos 4–6; Revelation 7
For by [Jesus] all things were created. Colossians 1:16 nasb
As we drove through northern Michigan, Marlene exclaimed, “It’s unbelievable how big the world is!” She made her comment as we passed a sign marking the 45th parallel—the point halfway between the equator and the North Pole. We talked about how small we are and how vast our world is. Yet, compared to the size of the universe, our tiny planet is only a speck of dust.
If our world is great, and the universe is vastly greater, how big is the One who powerfully created it? The Bible tells us, “For by [Jesus] all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him”
(Col. 1:16 nasb).
In our times of struggle, He powerfully offers us His peace.
This is good news because this same Jesus who created the universe is the One who has come to rescue us from our sin for every day and forever. The night before He died, Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 ).
When facing the large and small challenges of life, we call on the One who made the universe, died and rose again, and won victory over this world’s brokenness. In our times of struggle, He powerfully offers us His peace.
Lord, I’m grateful that You are greater than my mind could ever comprehend. Help me to trust You today.
God’s grace is immeasurable, His mercy inexhaustible, His peace inexpressible.
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MORE THAN A HEROE
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Posted:Dec 15, 2017 4:47 am
Last Updated:Dec 16, 2017 5:47 am 8487 Views
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Read: John 1:1–5, 9–14
Bible in a Year: Amos 1–3; Revelation 6
We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only , who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14
As Star Wars fans around the world eagerly await the release of Episode 8,
“The Last Jedi,” people continue to analyze the remarkable success of these films dating back to 1977. Frank Pallotta, media reporter for CNNMoney, said that Star Wars connects with many who long for “a new hope and a force of good at a time when the world needs heroes.”
At the time of Jesus’s birth, the people of Israel were oppressed and longing for their long-promised Messiah. Many anticipated a hero to deliver them from Roman tyranny, but Jesus did not come as a political or military hero. Instead, He came as a baby to the town of Bethlehem. As a result, many missed who He was. The apostle John wrote, “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him” (John 1:11).
Lord Jesus, You are our Savior, and we praise You for coming to die that we might live.
More than a hero, Jesus came as our Savior. He was born to bring God’s light into the darkness and to give His life so that everyone who receives Him could be forgiven and freed from the power of sin. John called Him “the one and only , who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (v. 14).
“To all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become of God” (v. 12). Indeed, Jesus is the one true hope the world needs.
Lord Jesus, You are our Savior, and we praise You for coming to die that we might live.
At Bethlehem, God demonstrated that to love is to give.
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WITH GOD´S HELP
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Posted:Dec 14, 2017 3:29 am
Last Updated:Apr 27, 2024 6:19 am 14938 Views
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Read: Joshua 14.7–15
Bible in a Year: Joel 1–3; Revelation 5
So here I am today, y- old! . . . I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. Joshua 14:10–11
As I’ve grown older, I’ve noticed more joint pain, especially when cold weather hits. Some days, I feel less like a conqueror and more like some conquered by the challenges of becoming a senior citizen.
That’s why my hero is an older man named Caleb—the former spy sent by Moses to out out Canaan, the Promised Land (Num. 13–14). After the other spies gave an unfavorable report, Caleb and Joshua were the only spies out of the twelve whom God favored to enter Canaan. Now, in Joshua 14, the time for Caleb to receive his portion of land had come. But there were enemies still to drive out. Not content to retire and leave the battle to the younger generation, Caleb declared, “You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the Lord ing me, I will drive them out just as he said” (Josh. 14:12).
Father, thank You for giving me the strength to get through each day.
“The Lord ing me.” That’s the kind of mindset that kept Caleb battle-ready. He focused on God’s power, not his own, nor on his advanced age. God would him do whatever needed to be d.
Most of us don’t think of taking on anything monumental when we reach a certain age. But we can still do great things for God, no matter how old we are. When Caleb-sized opportunities come our way, we don’t have to shy away from them. With the Lord ing us, we can conquer!
Heavenly Father, thank You for giving me the strength to get through each day. me to do Your will.
I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13
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IT ISN´T ME
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Posted:Dec 13, 2017 5:21 am
Last Updated:Apr 27, 2024 6:19 am 18711 Views
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Read: 1 Corinthians 15:1–11
Bible in a Year: Hosea 12–14; Revelation 4
I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. Galatians 2:20
As one of the most celebrated orchestral conductors of the twentieth century, Arturo Toscanini is remembered for his desire to give credit to whom credit is due. In David Ewen’s Dictators of the Baton, the author describes how members of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra rose to their feet and cheered Toscanini at the end of a rehearsal of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. When there was a lull in the ovation, and with tears in his eyes, Arturo’s broken voice could be heard exclaiming as he spoke: “It isn’t me . . . it’s Beethoven! . . . Toscanini is nothing.”
In the apostle Paul’s New Testament letters, he also refused to take credit for his spiritual insight and influence. He knew he was like a spiritual father and mother to many who had put their faith in Christ. He admitted he had worked hard and suffered much to encourage the faith, hope, and love of so many (1 Cor. 15:10). But he could not, in good conscience, accept the applause of those who were inspired by his faith, love, and insight.
Father in heaven, without You we would have nothing.
So for his readers’ sake, and for ours, Paul said, in effect, “It isn’t me, brothers and sisters. It’s Christ . . . Paul is nothing.” We are only messengers of the One who deserves our cheers.
Father in heaven, without You we would have nothing. Without Your grace we would be hopeless. Without the Spirit of Your we would be helpless. Please show us how to give You the honor You deserve.
Wise is the person who would rather give honor than receive it.
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THE CURE FOR ANXIETY
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Posted:Dec 12, 2017 1:56 am
Last Updated:Dec 13, 2017 5:21 am 19728 Views
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Read: Philippians 4:1–9
Bible in a Year: Hosea 9–11; Revelation 4
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6
We were excited about moving for my husband’s job. But the unknowns and challenges left me feeling anxious. Thoughts of sorting and packing up belongings. Looking for a place to live. My finding a new job too. Making my way around a new city, and getting settled. It was all . . . unsettling. As I thought about my “to-do” list, words written by the apostle Paul echoed in my mind: Don’t worry, but pray
(Phil. 4:6–7.
If anyone could have been anxious about unknowns and challenges, it would have been Paul. He was shipwrecked. He was beaten. He was jailed. In his letter to the Philippian church, he encouraged his friends who also were facing unknowns, telling them, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (v. 6).
Paul’s words encourage me. Life is not without uncertainties—whether they come in the form of a major life transition, family issues, health scares, or financial trouble. What I continue to learn is that God cares. He invites us to let go of our fears of the unknown by giving them to Him. When we do, He, who knows all things, promises that His peace, “which transcends all understanding, will guard” our heart and mind in Christ Jesus (v. 7).
Dear God, what a blessing to know we do not have to be anxious about anything! Remind us that we can come to You and tell You about everything. Thank You for who You are and what You are doing in our lives.
God’s care for me eases my mind.
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