Advent Day 9 - Adore Him

Week of PEACE

Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;
    make known among the nations what he has done.
Sing to him, sing praise to him;
    tell of all his wonderful acts.
Glory in his holy name;
    let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
Look to the Lord and his strength;
    seek his face always.
Remember the wonders he has done,
    his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,
you his servants, the descendants of Abraham,
    his chosen ones, the children of Jacob.  PSALM 105:1-6

There is no angst in these words.  Such adoration brings about a soothing sense of security and calming peace. Life can be challenging, so focusing on praise doesn't create space for selfishness, worry or discontent.  Singing is like releasing joy from your heart... bringing it forth in musical words.  

How do I love thee?  Let me count the ways: 

• Give praise
• Proclaim His name
• Sing to Him
• Tell of his wonderful acts 
• Glory in his holy name
• Seek Him and rejoice
• Pursue His strength 
• Remember His wonders, miracles and judgments

When we are so filled with praise, we cannot help making Him known.  
I love you Lord, and I life my voice, to worship you, all my soul rejoice.
Make joy my king, with what you hear.  May it be a sweet, sweet sound in your ear.  

Knowing this peace for all eternity is more than I can imagine!

It leads me to help others know this joy too!

"O Come Let Us Adore Him"... Christ, the Lord!

Advent Day 8 - Prince of Peace

Week of PEACE

For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the greatness of his government and     peace there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
    and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
    with justice and righteousness
    from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
    will accomplish this.  ISAIAH 9:6-7

Peace, the English translation of the Hebrew word Shalom.

Shalom - completeness, soundness, well-being.  Shalom implies a lack of conflict due to an absence of those things that cause conflict.  

My mind recalls the time in Israel's history
when the people asked for a "king" because 

they thought this would be the solution to their problems.  

So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.”  1 SAMUEL 8:4-5

The Lord knew this was a rejection of Him as their king, so through Samuel, the Lord warned the people what an earthly king would be like:

“This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants.  Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”  1 SAMUEL 8:11-18

The people refused to listen and insisted on a king like all the other nations who would lead them, and go before them to fight their battles. 

So began Israel's history with kings, most bad, only some good.  

What began as a united kingdom, soon became divided.  It is during this era that Isaiah prophesied.  The HOPE for the nations comes only from the PEACE, the SHALOM of the Lord, the one who is able to restore the nations from the mess.  Imaging the hope they felt knowing that the Lord had not abandoned them; He was still at work in their behalf.

During this Advent season, we can recognize that 

the Lord is still in the midst of the restoration process.  

Although there is brokenness and all that comes with it, we can be assured that the Lord is making all things new!  He is bringing SHALOM to individuals, families, neighborhoods, cities, countries, and the world through His people, the Church, as they live out mission, Jesus style!

Advent Day 7 - Beautiful Imagery

Week of HOPE

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
    one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
    from ancient times.”  MICAH 5:2

Never miss the "nuggets" - the rich treasure that the Lord communicates through His Word!

When I read and understand beyond the surface of the words, to the ways in which God's Word all ties together, I am consistently amazed!  These were ancient times when people walked days upon days to travel.  Manuscripts were copied by hand.  Not at all like today when just a few keystrokes can provide the information we seek!  

Bethlehem - means house of bread.  How appropriate that Jesus, the Bread of Life, would be born in Bethlehem, the town known as "House of Bread".

Ephrathah - means fruitfulness, to bear much fruit.  

The first reference to "Israel" appears in the encounter when Jacob wrestled with the Lord at the Jabbok River. (Genesis 32:22-32).  It was during this encounter that God changed Jacob's name to Israel, which means "he struggles with God."  Jacob was the father of twelve sons, from whom the twelve tribes of "Israel" would come.  

The Lord invites us to wrestle with Him, to struggle in understanding the depth of His love for us!

God spoke in imagery that the people would understand.

Today, if we slow down and take the time to dig, and wrestle,

He is faithful to bring us that same understanding!

The prophet Micah spoke between 750 and 686 BC, during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.  This prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus' birth:

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’”


Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”  MATTHEW 2:1-8

My people Israel - the ones who struggle with God.

The Lord welcomes the struggle - He is gracious and compassionate.

The struggle always leads to HOPE!

Advent Day 6 - Glory of the Lord

Week of HOPE

And the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
    and all people will see it together.
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”  ISAIAH 40:5

I can't quite fully imagine the glory of the Lord.  These words from Isaiah bring to mind another passage from Isaiah 6:1


In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple.

If just the train of his robe filled the temple, I can't fathom the magnitude of His being!  

Humbled by the thought, I try to reconcile the things I understand intellectually along with the way I sense His presence so personally, with the limitlessness of his being, and I am overwhelmed!  There are moments when I seem to grasp some element of this, yet they are fleeting.  

He knows each person individually...each person, for all eternity...it's beyond what I can even begin to imagine!  Concepts like holy, omnipotent, and eternal are not common terms in our culture, so trying to wrap our minds around this takes some reorientation.  In a society that teaches us to "be all that you can be," and "you deserve it", being humble and under the authority of another does not come easily.  

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”  REVELATION 1:7-8

One I came to know what the good and gracious nature of the Lord, it became easy.  Jesus said "My yoke is easy and my burden is light."  

His motivation isn't oppression, it's freedom! 

This Lord, this King, is always loving and always has your best in mind. His love has existed before the creation of the world (John 17:24).  In knowing Him, we can anticipate His glory with eager anticipation!

His LOVE endures forever

His love endures forever - 
“Give thanks to the Lord Almighty,
    for the Lord is good;
    his love endures forever.”
For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were before,’ says the Lord.  JEREMIAH 33:11B

Mission, Jesus style...the walk of faith... calls us to know Him personally and to be watchful, knowing we are loved and never need to be afraid of Him, to see His glory all around us. His motivation is love.  His goal is restoration.

This always brings HOPE!

Advent Day 5 - God With Us

Week of HOPE

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.  ISAIAH 7:14

I was pregnant with our first child when I was drawn to know the Lord, so this Scripture is always a tender reminder of the Lord's calling in my life.  I'm 28 years into my relationship with Christ and still amazed by the wonder of it all!  I didn't grow up in the faith.  I didn't have a major "experience."  I just knew God was inviting me to know Him.

I can't really explain it... there was just a gentle, yet persistent sensing of "get to know me." To the natural, human mind, this does not make sense, though something in my soul knew it to be real.  There is a certain element of mystery when it comes to faith.

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.  HEBREWS 11:1-3

Faith stands in the gap between fact and truth

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.  JOHN 1:14

Immanuel - God with us

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.  The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.  HEBREWS 1:1-3

Jesus - the living Word - Immanuel - God with us, lived a life of grace and truth. Through His earthly life, we have an example of God's best for humanity and the HOPE of the life to come.  We come to know the Father, through His Son, Jesus, by the working of the Holy Spirit it our lives.  

It is certainly a mystery full of HOPE!

Mission, Jesus style makes room for the Lord give birth to faith in people's hearts through His Word.  Spending time in His Word, recorded in the Bible, is how we get to know Jesus.  God promises:

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord,  JEREMIAH 29:13-14a

In this season of Advent, a time of waiting and preparation, 

will you spend time with the God who wants to spend time with you?

Advent Day 4 - My Son

Week of HOPE

I will proclaim the Lord’s decree:

He said to me, “You are my son;
    today I have begotten you.  PSALM 2:7

Many years before the birth of Jesus, these words were inspired in the Psalms.  He is essentially saying "You are my son; today I am declaring your lineage."

In this season of Advent we can remember the generations that were waiting for the Messiah...years later we hear the Lord declaring similar words over Jesus:

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”  MATTHEW 3:1-17

Some children are born into families, others are adopted.  In both circumstances, the children were hoped for and waited for with love.  How well I remember the months of waiting for each of my sons to be born, loving each of them before I saw their faces.  Children in God's family are no different.  The Father is actively pursuing those outside his family to come in, lovingly anticipating the joy of the whole family with each new adoption.  

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”  The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.  ROMANS 8:13-15

I am struck with a new thought!   I had always thought of my place in God's family as an adopted child, but in the wonderful mystery of God, we are more than adoptees, we are reborn into the family!  

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.  JOHN 1:12-14

Jesus serves as our example that regardless of our circumstances, we are loved and secure in the family of God.  The Lord invites us to call him "Daddy" (Abba), and approach Him with freedom and confidence, no longer in fear.  In Ephesians, Paul writes:

I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power...In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.  EPHESIANS 3:7, 12

In being part of a family, we learn the ways of the family.  In the family of God, it is the same. Those in the family have been reborn with a new Spirit and a new heart, so it is natural to learn new ways, which we can think of as new clothing...

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  COLOSSIANS 3:12

Mission, Jesus style calls us to spend enough time with the Father to know how holy and dearly loved we are, and help others know this too!  God brings HOPE to humanity through His Son, Jesus, called Immanuel (God with us).   As we live in this new clothing, we can share this HOPE with everyone, not as as an ideology or a religion, but out of the relationship that you have with the creator of the universe - Abba, Father.

Share His love with someone who needs to hear it today!

Advent Day 3 - God's Immediate Action

Week of HOPE

One thing to know for sure is that in the end, God wins!

So the Lord God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this,

“Cursed are you above all livestock
    and all wild animals!
You will crawl on your belly
    and you will eat dust
    all the days of your life.
And I will put enmity
    between you and the woman,
    and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head,
    and you will strike his heel.”  GENESIS 3:14-15

In the story of humankind, beginning with creation and written over the last ~4,000 years as documented in the Bible, it only took till the 3rd chapter for disunity to erupt.  When mankind, the jewels of God's creation created in His own image, chose to disobey, their relationship with God and with each other changed in that instant!  However, the Lord's response was immediate and definitive.

I try to imagine the pain and sorrow He experienced, though I am not able to fully comprehend it.  Amid the magnitude of the moment when evil entered God's creation that was good, and brought death to His human creations that were very good, the Lord acted decisively.  The battle was on!

We are living in the midst of this battle.  

Many times I wish this were not the case!  It's true...and I need to remind myself of truth:

God is always FOR US!  

The offspring of the woman (Jesus) would destroy the enemy (Satan), for crushing his head meant certain death. However, before the battle is completely won, the enemy will cause wounding, as implied by the striking of his heel.  

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.  For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.  For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.  But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.  Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.  For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.  For he “has put everything under his feet.”  Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ.  When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.

1 CORINTHIANS 15:20-28

One thing to remember for sure is that - in the end, God wins!

The Lord created life...

He will restore life...

this is GOOD NEWS!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
 in all your ways submit to him,    and he will make your paths straight.
                                                        PROVERBS 3:5-6