Jesus, the Savior of the world, came as an infant, grew to be a man, died on the cross for our sins, conquered death through His resurrection, and will one day return. So, this promise God is with you covers every detail and every little nuance of your life.
As we pray through the third advent candle, the candle of joy, may our hearts reflect on the beautiful message from the angel given to the Shepherds in the fields. The angel brought good news of great joy.
At Jesus’ birth, God lit the night sky to make his announcement. Can you imagine sitting in the dark, warming yourself by a fire, tuning your ear to the night sounds when an angel appears before you and the glory of God fills the night?
As we find ourselves in the season of celebrating Jesus’ birth and all He is to us, I pray that your heart would be softened to see the great, intricate works of our Mighty God. And may you will find yourself in awe and wonder at His works.
Peace is a high commodity these days. Desired by the masses, found by few. Often individuals believe if they can gather wealth, family, and a prominent position, peace will come.
Recently I had the rare treat of grabbing dinner with some of my closest girlfriends. We began discussing our upcoming holiday plans. Within minutes the topic of in-laws, family tension, and general dread over getting together with relatives in the upcoming weeks was brought up.
During the holidays, we are easily convinced with marketing strategies that we need to spend a lot of money to make holiday gatherings special, provide lavish gifts, and shop all the holiday deals.
Christmastime is a beautiful and holy time of year, causing us to pause and reflect on God’s rich love for us, soaking in all its wonders, but for the overwhelmed mom, going into this season can cause a surge of panic. As excitement and anticipation grow, so do the anxiety, frantic nerves, and seasonal stress.
Today as we pray through the first candle, hope, may we be reminded of the fulfilled promise of Jesus as the Messiah long awaited by the people of God.
Nothing could ever take away the Truth of Christmas. Jesus is the Truth. He was born on earth as a gift to us. It’s the greatest love story of all time. Let’s pray to fully embrace Him this Christmas.
We are often too easily swept away in all the magical traditions causing us to forget the true gift of the Christmas season. As we prepare our homes and families for Christmas, can we also prepare room in our hearts and minds?
When God allows for disappointment to happen in our life, we must remember that all things that come our way are meant to cultivate the fruit of the Spirit in us and conform us to the image of Christ, whether we were expecting them to happen or not. When we are disappointed, we are given an appointment to praise God no matter what.
Whether it is a pesky weeklong cold during the start of the fall weather, a chronic illness, or a serious disease. We or people we know are living life today with sickness. God did not intend for us to be sick in this world. Our bodies were perfectly designed to be healthy and strong. However, when we sinned and darkness entered the world, sicknesses came to be.
Feeling heartbroken is probably one of the worst pains we endure as humans. It’s an outwardly unseen injury, a wound so deep, no one else can remove the pain from us no matter how many sweet, comforting words they speak to us.
