Devotional - November, 29, 2023
Scripture: Isaiah 9:6 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.
As we head into Advent, we usually celebrate the weeks leading up to Christmas by lighting candles that represent hope, peace, love, and joy. But, there is another way to enter into this season. Some of you may remember lighting candles representing prophecy, Bethlehem, shepherds, and angels. In our services we will do the former, in the devotionals, we will do the latter. Isaiah wrote the memorable words used for this devotional hundreds and hundreds of years prior to the coming of Christ. It was the hope held by the people of God amidst all their tribulations and struggles. Their anchor was set, God would provide a leader, a Messiah, who would rule the world bringing guidance and peace to all. When He came, folks' expectation blinded their ability to accept Him or understand His mission, but it happened all the same ( John 1:5). Prophecy and hope go together. The prophecy casts the vision. Are we willing to accept the vision and believe it's message? At times, we are. We sail along with no hesitation or doubts about God whatsoever. At times, we do anything but... When doing the former, we assume we are doing well with God and when we do the latter, we are not. In actuality, our circumstances and actions are not the best determinate of our place with God. Sometimes doing the right thing can put us in difficult situations. Likewise, God knows we make mistakes and become afraid. God knows we get angry about our circumstances both personally and socially. But God does not judge us. Instead, God understands us (Psalms 145:8-9). The prophecies about Christ were promises the people of God could use to stabilize their life. An anchor to drop when they, or we, were being blown off course. They encourage us to reset the sails, to stay Godly, and not end up losing what we have in Christ. Are we perfect at doing this, no... But, God is faithful. Even when we were lost in our sin, not knowing anything, God still came for us to save us (Romans 5:8, Luke 19:10). The prophecies we have about Christ were given by a God who has that kind of love for people (John 3:16). God's love for us is so great, God had to tell us what was coming so we did not succumb to despair. With that in mind, never give up hope in Christ.
Pray with me.., Lord, you are our Savior. Your love and grace our hope. Thank you for keeping us encouraged. Be with our loved ones, we pray, bless them according to their needs. And yes, bless our church, that we may be the people you call us to be, in Jesus name, Amen.
God's peace,
Pastor Brian
