ADVENT HOPE – FAITHFUL EXPECTATION

“I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in His word I put my hope.”  (Psalm 130:5)

In modern language, hope has become little more than a strong wish or a way of stating our preference. Hope, however, is a holy word, a powerful and exciting word. The word hope really means "faithful expectation." We hope, that is we faithfully expect that God is acting on our behalf to create, to save, and to sustain us. We claim an expectation for the future, even when the present does not provide proof that the future will be good; and we do so faithfully, within the relationship we claim with God in Jesus Christ. When we as faithful people say "hope," we should use the word with our feet firmly planted, our head held high, and our life relying on the God who will not let us go. We need to say "hope" as a prayer, as an affirmation of faith, and as a doxology to the living God. 

-- Randy Cross in “Born to Save: An Advent Study Based on the Revised Common Lectionary” 

#5233 

GOD’S INDESCRIBABLE GIFT

“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”  (2 Corinthians 9:15 NIV)

It seems strange that there should ever have been any doubt as to what gift it is which evokes this burst of thanksgiving. There is but one of God's many mercies which is worthy of being thus singled out. There is one blazing central sun which shines out amidst all the galaxy of lights which fill the heavens. There is one gift of God which, beyond all others, merits the designation of “unspeakable.” The gift of Christ draws all other divine gifts after it. “He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all -- how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32 NIV) 

-- Alexander Maclaren

#5232

EXPRESSING THANKS FOR GOD’S GRACE

“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do, and it gave Him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace He has poured out on us who belong to His dear Son.”  (Ephesians 1:3-6 NLT)

Paul says that God “chose us” to emphasize that salvation depends totally on God. We are not saved because we deserve it but because God is gracious and freely gives salvation. We did not influence God’s decision to save us; He saved us according to His plan. Thus, there is no way to take credit for our salvation or to allow room for pride. The mystery of salvation originated in the timeless mind of God long before we existed. It is hard to understand how God could accept us. But because of Christ, we are holy and blameless in His sight. God chose us, and when we belong to Him through Jesus Christ, God looks at us as if we had never sinned. All we can do is express our thanks for His wonderful love… Have you entered into this loving relationship with God? 

-- From the “Life Application Study Bible”

#5231

A LIFESTYLE OF THANKSGIVING - Part 2

When thanksgiving is a lifestyle, gratitude will fill us and pour out of us no matter what is going on around us. Remember that the mouth speaks only out of the overflow of whatever is in the heart. This lifestyle though is not something that we can build in the spur of the moment. It is an attitude that must be cultivated as a discipline. When the last thing we want to do is give thanks that is when we should remind ourselves of who our God is and pray with thanksgiving. The psalmist does the same thing in Psalm 42:11: “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.”

The Psalmist is determined to praise God even when he is troubled and distressed. He encourages himself to trust in God because he knows the character and nature of the Lord he serves. He acknowledges his situation but he chooses to dwell on God instead of the circumstance. That is why he so boldly declares, “I will praise Him because He is my Savior and my God.”

Prayers of thanksgiving are far more than just mere words. Gratitude and thanksgiving should dwell in our hearts so that they anchor our souls in the hope of God no matter where we find ourselves. Give thanks to the Lord because He is good and because His love endures forever. (Psalm 136:1) 

-- Adapted from Robin Haque

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A LIFESTYLE OF THANKSGIVING - Part 1

“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Thanksgiving is an integral part of Christian Living. According to 1 Thessalonians 5:18, we are to give thanks in all circumstances because doing so is the will of God for us. All circumstances. It’s easy to pray prayers of thanksgiving in good circumstances but what about thanks-giving prayers in bad situations, or even horrible ones? How can we be thankful then?

Thanksgiving is not done just by speaking words of thanks. Thanksgiving prayer, for the child of God, is an attitude. A person who is truly thankful for a gift or a blessing does not merely say the words, they will express their gratitude in other ways to the Giver that shows just how much they appreciate what was done for them.

In the same way, in our own lives, we can live lives that express our gratitude to the Lord who sustains us every single day. The season of life that we currently find ourselves in can be good or bad but God is the same. We are told to give thanks in all circumstances because doing so focuses our eyes on the God who is with us in all circumstances, instead of on the circumstances themselves. 

-- Adapted from Robin Haque

#5229

A THANK-YOU GIFT TO GOD

“Since God has shown us great mercy, I beg you to offer your lives as a living sacrifice to Him. Your offering must be only for God and pleasing to Him, which is the spiritual way of worship.”  (Romans 12:1 NCV)

When it comes to worship, who you are matters more than what you do. If you are someone who deeply loves God and wants to live a life that gives Him joy, everything you do can be a form of worship. From singing songs of praise to washing dishes or helping a friend, every moment of your life becomes a thank-you gift to God.

Giving these simple gifts or offerings comes naturally when you give God one big gift each day -- the gift of your life. In the Old Testament, people gave God their first fruits. This was a thank-you gift given to God in return for all He’d given them. They’d give the first and best portion of produce they’d harvested, riches they’d received, or the best animals from their flocks. After Jesus sacrificed His life for others, God asked people to follow His Son’s example by presenting Him with the gift of themselves.

You don’t have to die to give this gift. All you have to do is ask God to help you devote your body, mind, and heart to becoming who He wants you to be. That’s how you turn an ordinary life into a dynamic living sacrifice. 

-- From “100 Favorite Bible Verses”

#5228

AN ANALOGY FOR SIN

“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”  (Isaiah 53:6 NKJV)

D. R. Davies provided a helpful analogy when he observed that sin is more like the act of a traitor than the act of a criminal. The rebellion of a criminal against the laws of his country is quite limited. No matter how spectacular his crimes, he breaks only certain specific laws. A traitor, by comparison, commits the far more serious offense of contesting altogether the sovereignty of his country. Analogously, the sinner is distinguished, not so much by the particular laws that he has broken but by the fact that he denies altogether the right of God to rule.  

-- William F. May in “A Catalogue of Sins”

#5227

FINISHING THE RACE - Part 2

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”  (2 Timothy 4:7-8 NKJV)

The apostle Paul won the crown of righteousness because he finished well. The crown is awaiting all who are finishers. To finish the race means to be fully obedient to Christ all the days of my life. It means to humbly follow Christ and stay within the boundary lines He has set for us. It means to continue growing in purity of heart until the day I see Him face to face and become fully like Him (see 1 John 3:2-3). To finish the race means that I give myself fully to the work He assigned me so that when my life is done, I can say, along with Jesus, “I have brought You glory on earth by finishing the work You gave me to do.” (John 17:4 NIV).

Many Christians are not finishing well. But the power of Christ is available to counteract the pressures of this rebellious generation. Even where there has been failure, even when we stumble, God is able to pick us up, grant forgiveness, and give new purpose and power for living.

Commit yourself now to the way of endurance and overcoming. Like Paul, be a finisher.

-- Adapted from Ken Radke in “The Race Set Before Us”

#5226

FINISHING THE RACE - Part 1

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”  (2 Timothy 4:7-8 NKJV)

It has been estimated that 25 percent of all marathon runners never finish any given race. It’s such a grueling test of strength and will that just to cross the finish line is a great achievement.

Many people find their lives are the same type of grueling test. And with the rapid pace of society, its changing values, and increased pressure and stress, many drop out of the race. The Christian life is much like a marathon. There are many who finish poorly or not at all…

In his final days the apostle Paul wrote from a prison in Rome: “I have finished the race.” From the time he began the race until the end of his days, he was faithful -- not ashamed of Christ but testifying boldly for Him. We need to follow his example and be finishers in the race that is set before us. 

-- Adapted from Ken Radke in “The Race Set Before Us”

#5225

THE EFFECTIVE PRAYER

My relationship with God is part of my relationship with human beings. Failure in one will cause failure in the other. It isn’t necessary that it be a distinct consciousness of something wrong between my neighbor and myself. An ordinary current of thinking and judging -- the unloving thoughts and words I allow to pass unnoticed -- can hinder my prayer. The effective prayer of faith comes from a life given up to the will and the love of God. Not as a result of what I try to be when praying, but because of what I am when I’m not praying, is my prayer answered by God. 

-- Andrew Murray in “With Christ in the School of Prayer”

#5224

A PLEASING AROMA

“For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.”  (2 Corinthians 2:15)

I hadn’t seen Brad for a year. He’d been battling cancer, so when he arrived at our home, I was very happy to see him. The dark circles under his eyes were evidence of his recent radiation and chemo treatments. But he gave me a wide grin when I asked how he was doing.

He said…, “God has been so faithful to me. He’s brought me to the point where I can work again. He’s put my cancer in remission. He’s even giving me my next breath!”

When Brad left that day, the fragrance of his life filled my house. The experience reminded me of Exodus 29:18, which says the priests consecrated their sacrifice as an “offering to the Lord, a please aroma, an offering made to the Lord by fire.”

[Do you find that you are] in the fire? Then live your life as an offering, a pleasing aroma to God. 

-- Anne Graham Lotz in “Fixing My Eyes on Jesus”

#5223

A DUAL RISK

“Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.”  (John 1:12 NIV)

Every commitment is a sort of gamble. But for the person experiencing the acute sense of risk that comes at the moment of making a decisive commitment, there is a dual risk: Not only the risk of exercising faith and making a commitment, but the equally acute risk of NOT exercising faith and making a commitment. It is what Sheldon Vanauken, in his book “A Severe Mercy” describes so well as the “gap behind” -- the sense that one cannot draw back from the risk that is to be taken, except at even greater risk.

Vanauken wrote, “The position was not, as I had been comfortably thinking all these months, merely a question of whether I was to accept the Messiah or not. It was a question of whether I was to accept Him -- or reject. My God! There was a gap behind me, too. Perhaps the leap to acceptance was a horrifying gamble -- but what of the leap to rejection?” 

-- Maxine Hancock in “Re-evaluating Your Commitments: How to Strengthen the Permanent and Reassess the Temporary”

#5222

A PRAYER FOR VETERANS DAY

Loving God, we remember all those who have served in our country’s armed forces to preserve the freedoms You have granted us. We ask Your blessing for the men and women who currently serve in the Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and National Guard. Bless also the family members who have made great sacrifices in order to make it possible for their loved ones to be on watch at home, or around the world, or to go into harm’s way.

For all those veterans who have been willing to lay down their lives for us, for the veterans of past wars who bear scars in their bodies and spirits, and for veterans who came home but couldn’t “fit in” with their families or communities anymore, we ask Your healing grace, gentle comfort, and abiding strength.

Keep all our veterans in Your care today. Grant them the peace they sought to preserve for others. Teach all Your people the ways of peace, so that those who have sacrificed so much will not have done so in vain. We pray all these things in the name of Your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

-- Adapted from “Litany for Veterans Day” by Eileen Norrington 

#5221

STOP, LOOK, LISTEN, AND TRUST - Part 2

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea… ‘Be still, and know that I am God.’”  (Psalm 46:1-2,10 NKJV)

Psalm 46 talks about earthquakes felling mountains, cities being destroyed, nations being in an uproar, kingdoms crumbling… The overall tone of the psalm is anything but quiet and still. One sentence, however, says to “be still” and the focal point of emotion changes from outside chaos to internal rest. That’s why the psalm was written as a song. It proclaimed a message everyone needed to hear.

Let the truth of this verse find a home in your heart today. When life gets busy or chaotic, it’s easy to get distracted. You wind up focusing on problems instead of the One who holds the answer to your problems in His hands. When that happens, stop. Focus on who God is and how much He loves you. Share your own heartfelt psalm of prayer with the God of power and compassion. Be still and know God is near. 

-- From “100 Favorite Bible Verses”

#5220

STOP, LOOK, LISTEN, AND TRUST - Part 1

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea… ‘Be still, and know that I am God.’”  (Psalm 46:1-2,10 NKJV)    

The Psalms are a tapestry of human emotions. The poetry of prayer weaves together anger, fear, joy, longing, despair, praise, and passion. This verse sums up God’s response to those prayers. Its truth is the thread of peace and comfort that runs through the entire book of Psalms, as well as the rest of the Bible -- and the life of every individual who walks with God. God’s answers to those who are emotionally troubled is brief and straightforward: stop and remember Who is on your side.  

-- From “100 Favorite Bible Verses”

#5219

IS YOUR ALL ON THE ALTAR?

You have longed for sweet peace,

And for faith to increase,

And have earnestly, fervently prayed;

But you cannot have rest,

Or be perfectly blest,

Until all on the altar is laid.

 

Refrain:

Is your all on the altar of sacrifice laid?

Your heart does the Spirit control?

You can only be blest,

And have peace and sweet rest,

As you yield Him your body and soul.

 

Would you walk with the Lord,

In the light of His word,

And have peace and contentment alway?

You must do His sweet will,

To be free from all ill,

On the altar your all you must lay.

 

Oh, we never can know

What the Lord will bestow

Of the blessings for which we have prayed,

Till our body and soul

He doth fully control,

And our all on the altar is laid.

 

Who can tell all the love

He will send from above,

And how happy our hearts will be made;

Of the fellowship sweet

We shall share at His feet,

When our all on the altar is laid.

 

-- Elisha A. Hoffman, 1900

DEVELOPING CONVICTIONS

“All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of the Lord endures forever.”  (1 Peter 1:24-25a NIV)

Reading the Bible can be compared to flying over a city in an airplane or helicopter. We see the general layout of the city: major buildings, rivers, parks, and other landmarks. We miss much of the detail…

Whereas reading can give us an overview, Bible study opens up the details of a passage and how it relates to the whole teaching of Scripture. We compared reading as an aerial view of a city. Bible study is like driving through the city, learning street names and locating the supermarket, bank, and post office. We learn to be “at home” in the city -- we know our way around. Bible study puts the teachings of Scripture together for us so that we get a clear picture of specific truths. Bible study develops convictions…

Bible reading and Bible study each play a distinctive role in sharpening and deepening our Christian lives and ministries. 

-- From “Growing Strong in God’s Family: A Course in Personal Discipleship to Strengthen Your Walk with God”

#5217

THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS LIKE YEAST

Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.” (Matthew 13:33 NRSV)

Yeast makes bread rise because of the bubbles of gas that it produces. When the yeast is mixed throughout the dough, the bread rises and has the proper rough and airy texture. But if all of the yeast is lumped together in one small part of the dough, the bread won’t rise evenly and will have big, empty holes in it.

Even so, the church -- the people of the Kingdom -- must be intimately involved in life, in the world, in the flour of humanity. When we have clustered ourselves together, fearfully barricaded behind sanctuary walls, we have created great, empty holes in God’s world that are filled with nothing but hot air. But if we, who call ourselves yeast, are willing to become so involved in the pain, the despair, and the laughter of life that our main concern is enabling people to grow into all that they can be -- then God’s bread will become perfect in quality, with yeast permeating every part of the dough.

Being involved with life -- intimately mixed through and through it -- sounds dangerous. Yeast dies in the oven, having lost itself to the creation of something new. May we also be willing to lose ourselves. 

-- Mike Hodge

#5216

RESENTMENT AND BITTERNESS

Do you have a whole in your heart? Perhaps the wound is old. A parent abused you; a teacher slighted you… And you are angry.

Or perhaps the wound is fresh. The friend who owes you money just drove by in a new car. The boss who hired you with promises of promotions has forgotten how to pronounce your name. Your circle of friends escaped on a weekend get-away, and you weren’t invited… And you are hurt.

Part of you is broken, and the other part is bitter. Part of you wants to cry, and part of you wants to fight. The tears you cry are hot because they come from your heart, where there is a fire burning. It’s the fire of anger. It’s blazing. It’s consuming. Its flames leap up under a streaming pot of revenge.

And you are left with a decision. “Do I put the fire out or heat it up? Do I get over it or get even? Do I release it or resent it? Do I let my hurts heal, or do I let hurt turn into hate?... Resentment is the deliberate decision to nurse the offense until it becomes a black, furry, growling grudge…

Unfaithfulness is wrong. Revenge is bad. But the worst part of all is that, without forgiveness, bitterness is all that is left. 

-- Max Lucado in “The Applause of Heaven”

#5215

AN ACT OF WORSHIP

“But a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him.”  (John 4:23)

One of the ways we get to worship God is through the giving of our tithes and offerings. We worship when we give our hearts back to God through singing His praises, when we surrender our will to God’s ultimate design for our lives through prayer, and when we offer our tithes to Him for His glory through giving. Through financial giving we praise God for the blessings of having the financial resources to offer back to Him that which He has already given us.

Think about the relationship this has to singing. God has given us voices that, when utilized through spirit and truth, we offer our praises back to Him through the voices that He has already bestowed upon us. In the same vein, God has already blessed us with financial resources to live our lives, and through giving the tithe back to God, we praise Him in an act of worship. The emphasis is not on the money. The emphasis is on our hearts in worship. 

-- Kim Arnold

#5214