Silence is Golden

Silence is golden. This is a staple that became popular in the late 80s to early 90s in many movie theaters. It was a statement to respect others so that everybody could enjoy the movie.

As we are continuing to prepare for Christmas, one of my favorite hymns is silent night. It is important to understand the importance of silence and that’s what we have in today’s reading.

At the beginning of Luke, the story starts with  the birth of John the Baptist. In these first verses we are introduced to Elizabeth, which is Mary‘s cousin and Zachariah. It sets up the lineage and the background of John the Baptist and Christ. It tells us that Zachariah is a priest that is in one of the highest orders during this time. This priesthood is a priesthood that originates when David builds the Temple, the order of Abijah.  Next Elizabeth is shown to have a direct descendent from Aaron and Moses. These two connections are very important to show that the priesthood that was established by ancient times from both Moses and from king David continues through with John the Baptist and Christ.

Zachariah and Elizabeth were both advanced in  age.  Some text and references state that Zachariah and Elizabeth were in their 50s.  While others show that by the time that John was born they were in the 80s and 90s . This also shows  their wisdom and earthly experience.

The next item is Zachariah has been randomly chosen during his time at the Temple.  This is  the only time in his life that he has been granted to enter the Holy of Holies and is doing this time that the angel Gabriel speaks to Zachariah. So this setup is showing us that with advanced age, wisdom, family lineage, being in the right time in the right place things lined up and we should plan accordingly and act in a certain way.

While Zachariah is performing his priestly duties, the angel Gabriel presents himself and Zachariah stands in awe as he has been given a message from God.  Instead of accepting it or reveling in the acknowledgment of it, Zachariah questions God‘s revelation for
him. Number one:  In the presence of God we need to be silent when he speaks to us. So from this visit Zachariah has been given a great gift, but how many times in our life have we been granted a special gift or special items or a blessing and we question it?

Not accepting God’s blessing in the manner in which it was exhibited, it was presented that Zachariah was given a consequence.  Zachariah is made to be silent for 9 plus months to up to a year.  We know that after his visit he goes home and Elizabeth conceived and has a child. We do not know exactly how long between him leaving the temple and her conceiving so nine months probably a year. During this time he cannot speak to anybody. He cannot communicate. So he has this knowledge and he cannot convey it to anybody. He has been given the opportunity to reflect and pray and meditate to God daily about the new joy that is coming into the world. Number two: sometimes the silence is not a punishment but a time for reflection and preparation.

As we have journeyed through these last several days of Advent we are preparing our minds and bodies for Christmas and the Christ-child. In the same way the anticipation of the early church and the Jewish people were expecting a change. During this time there was so much chaos and hurt strive that the world was so noisy. The Spirit of God was not awakened for everyone to experience and the Spirit did not dwell in us. This was a time of a lot of noise, a lot of chaos, and a lot of disorder. But when Christ came, that moment when Christ was born created a new silence for the world. This silence was one that had not been seen or experienced since the creation of the world. That’s why we can sit in reference to the song silence night. It is to this story of Zachariah and Elizabeth that we are able to grasp the meaning of silence in a better way. We are able to adventure and take some time and silence and prepare.

May the continuation of this Advent, allow you to have some silence for yourself. May this silence be a time that God can connect to you. May the silence bring you closer to your loved ones and acknowledge how much they mean to you. May you be blessed.

Lynden McGriff 

Waiting

I learned a hard lesson on my 9th birthday.  I dreamed of getting a light blue 3 speed bicycle that I had previously seen a neighbor riding.  My dad took me to the bike shop on my birthday to pick out my new bike.  As we looked at all the options it became evident that a light blue bike was not available to take home that day.  I had a choice, I could either order one and wait 10+ days for it to arrive or I could leave right then and there with a puke green “old lady” model.  In my immaturity, I chose that green bicycle.  I still remember the sinking feeling when I got home and rode around on that new bike, I felt remorse and yearning for what I really wanted… that light blue bike!  To this day I use this story with my kids.  We call it “green bicycle syndrome”.  When you want something so bad, but you settle for something less because you don’t want to wait.  This lesson taught me to wait for the best, not settle.  Waiting that 10 days would have been hard, but I can’t imagine how happy I would have been going to pick up my dream bike and riding it around the neighborhood.  I missed out on that enjoyment because I was not patient in my waiting.  Am I good at waiting now?  Nope, but I always have a reminder in that ugly green bike!

I could ask all kinds of questions about what you are waiting for right now (a new job?, a child?  a spouse? a call from the Dr?).  But for the first time since 1918 (the last pandemic) we all have one thing in common and are all waiting on the same thing!  We can’t wait for this pandemic to be OVER!  Now, will it truly ever be over and we go back to a “normal” life?  Probably not, but at this point we all want any glimpse of normal we can find!  It is easy to get impatient and frantic at times dealing with all the changes, but we see in Luke 1:5-13 a different example of waiting.

In this advent season we are waiting on the miraculous birth of Jesus.  Yet, when we look at the book of Luke, we see he did not start with the story of Jesus.  He started further back in God’s plan of preparation.  Luke begins in chapter 1 verse 5 introducing us to Zechariah and Elizabeth, a couple old enough to have quit expecting children.  

In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah;  his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron.  Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly.  But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive and they were both very old.

Luke 1:5-7

They probably wondered why God had not blessed them with children, why their faithfulness to God was unnoticed and unrewarded.  In their culture, childlessness was regarded as a curse for sin of some kind.  In verse 25, Elizabeth calls it her “disgrace.”  

As devout Jews, Zechariah and Elizabeth had long prayed and hoped for a child and certainly it seemed that God would never answer their prayers.  And then, one day,  Zechariah who was a priest and was on duty in the temple, heard an angel of the Lord speak to him and share the unexpected.  After such a long period of waiting, Elizabeth was pregnant.  Their hopes, longings and prayers were finally coming to fruition.

Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.  When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.  But the angel said to him:  “Do not be afraid, Zechariah;  your prayer has been heard.  Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.

Luke 1:11-13

What do we do in the waiting?  Do we become impatient and try to fulfill our longings on our own, as I did with the green bike?  Or do we, as Zechariah and Elizabeth did, wait on God to respond to our prayers and longings?  Zechariah was an Israelite priest and was on duty in the temple when he learned that Ezlizbeth was pregnant.  He was living out his life in service and in faith.  How do we live while we wait?  

Even though Zechariah and Elizabeth might have thought that God had given up on them and forgotten about their pleas, prayers and hopes.  God was faithful to them just as God would be faithful to the Israelites and their prayer for a Messiah in the coming of Jesus.  It was a beautiful reminder to them and to us that we can be assured that even when we have to wait for our hopes and dreams to come true, we can be sure that this does not mean that God is not active and at work in our lives.  

Do we remain active and faithful to God in the midst of our waiting?  Waiting for life to return to “normal”?  I love how the Bible is so good at reminding us through these stories that God is faithful and steadfast in caring for us, even if it is not on our timetable.  Including today, we have 13 days to wait till Christmas, the day we celebrate the promise of and fulfillment of the Messiah.  May we spend these days reading the promises of God and reflecting on His Word.  

Preparing His Way

A big component of Advent is the anticipation of our Savior’s birth; every year as our country engages in the usual festivities, we reflect and wait excitedly for the celebration of Christ’s birth. But whereas the other Gospels begin with the news of Jesus and His birth, Mark’s Gospel is notably more centered on Jesus’s works and services, focusing on Jesus as servant of God. Beginning with Jesus’s baptism and the start of His ministry, Mark writes in Mark 1:1-3 a recollection of the prophet Isaiah’s words in the Old Testament, saying: “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’”

John the Baptist had been preparing the way for Jesus very literally in this scenario – by preaching of the forgiveness of sins and baptizing the people in Jerusalem, he was preparing the hearts and minds of those around him for Christ’s arrival, when He could share His good news. In living this life of asceticism and committing himself wholly to teaching of the Lord, John prepared his heart to welcome and accept Christ when He was ready to appear.

In this season of anticipation, Mark focuses on this as a call to action: actively preparing for the Lord by clearing His way. We’re called to prepare the way for Christ’s return, to make His way as easy and clear as possible for His second arrival, just as John cleared the way for His first. There is much that needs done both within our hearts and shared with the world around us before Christ comes. Preparing His way and making His path straight is something we can all actively focus on this Advent season. By living in His word always (Psalm 1:1-3), continually diving into His word (Psalm 25:4-5), and sharing His word with all the world in need (Psalm 96 1-6), we help ready ourselves and the people of the earth for His return. By outwardly living the renewed lives Paul describes in Ephesians 4:25-32, we show the world a glimpse of Christ’s transformative love and ready it to accept His return.

This season of reflection and excitement centered around Christ’s return is always encouraging, as we marvel at how Christ’s way was prepared for His birth and ministry many years ago, and how even now we get to do the same for His second coming. The actions you take right now that reflect Christ’s impact on your life are important for demonstrating Christ’s redeeming love to the world, and for preparing the hearts of even more people for His return. Are you acting as a stumbling block for your fellow Christians through unloving words and actions, or are you helping His works, helping to keep His path straight as Isaiah’s words encourage us to be? Do you contribute to Christ’s ministry positively as John 13:35 asks us to? Take a moment of reflection this Friday on what you can do to help prepare the way of the Lord as Mark wrote about, and may these blessings of the Lord shine through you today.

Grace and Truth

Today’s reading is John 1:9-18

Since God made man there have been questions. Satan started creating them right away in Genesis 3:1 saying, “…Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?’” This lead to the Fall when sin came into the world. Today, we live in time when there are arguably more questions than ever due to all the craziness in the world coupled with the access to so much information through social media and the internet. Let’s name a few. Was there fraud in the presidential election? What is true and not true about Covid 19? Do masks work? Is the vaccine safe or not and should our family get it? Is global warming a threat and caused by man or just natural and normal climate change? These questions probably ignite feelings and opinions you believe to be truth. They might even invoke anger, and if they don’t, there are probably other ones I didn’t even want to list that would. Isn’t is also ironic that access to more information than ever only seems to bring more questions than answers.

From the start, man was curious and wanted to know the truth and believed some things to be true which were not. John 1:9-18 reminds us that advent is a time where we remember God gave us truth through His Son Jesus born in a manger in Bethlehem that first Christmas. He is the One and Only source of true light and the one and only source of truth (John 1:9). He is Truth.

We are also told by John in these verses He came with grace, and we know He ultimately showed us this grace through His sacrifice on the cross. Romans 5:8 reads, “but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” It is not by our doing or works that we are saved. It is purely by His grace which we do not deserve.

As I mentioned earlier, most all of us (including me!) have a lot of beliefs about what is true as it relates to what is going on in the world right now. Let us all remember this advent season that Jesus, the Word, is the only real Truth. We don’t need to look any further and for more information than is found in the Bible. Let us remind others of this as well. But, let’s also remember this advent that every time the Bible talks about grace and truth, grace always comes first. Again, Romans 5:8 tells us He gave us this grace when we didn’t deserve it. When we hear people talking or posting on social media about what they believe to be truth which we may not feel the same, let us model what Jesus taught and gave us by giving them grace first. I don’t see a lot of this grace from Christians these days. By giving this love and grace we can then point them to the Truth that is Jesus. They can then find for themselves what they are looking for this Christmas (but likely don’t know it) which is the grace and truth God gave us through that babe in a manger on the first Christmas over 2,000 years ago. Only in His grace and truth will they find peace.

Inextinguishable Light

John 1-8

 

“The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.”

 

This morning as we have entered the season of waiting and preparation, I am remembering the meanings of the Advent candles that Jacob shared with us at the beginning of Advent. Do you remember the meaning of the first one? It symbolizes the hope we find in Christ. We are currently living in the weeks made up of shortest days of the year. Here in the U.S. it is colder and darker than any weeks in our year. These weeks may feel darker than other years because of Covid, political unrest, and the divisions and anger so pervasive among people these days. We all feel the difference in our lives with the shorter days and general unrest among people. In the midst of this physical darkness and the spiritual darkness that feels more palpable than other years, John’s words are precious. In the darkest of days, the true light shines brighter than ever!

It was darker 2000 years ago than we think 2020 has been. Remember that God had not spoken to His people for more than 400 years. Matthew 4:16 tells us that God’s people were sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death. This was not God’s desire. When God first created people He was free to dwell with them. As sin grew, He moved to the temple for a bit of separation, to be set apart from the unholy. He was forced to move farther away from people as people turned further away from Him. He continued to call out to his people through their leaders, pleading with them to return to Him. When they rejected His leaders and took kings of their choosing He was left trying to get their attention with prophets and warnings about what was to come if they didn’t turn back to Him. And then He went silent. Can you imagine a society of people living for generations with no word from God? These people dwelled in darkness. They were at war, living in a distressed world and drowning in a sea of sorrows. Jesus came as light shining in the darkness. He came to bring comfort, joy and peace! He came to announce good news of great joy for all people! He came from heaven’s generosity, the perfect gift to all of us.

This hope, this light in the darkness, this perfect gift is what we are preparing for and anticipating. He came so that everyone might believe. Those of us who know Him and already have relationship with Him are encouraged and refreshed when we take the time to anticipate His coming. It is a chance to re-center our lives. It is a time to take back the unhealthy patterns we have fallen into throughout the year. It is a time to renew our minds and set them back on His gift and His inextinguishable light in our lives and in our world. I came across the thoughts of a pastor in Minneapolis named David Mathis last week. I’m going to close with his words because they were so meaningful to me throughout this past week.

 

“Advent doesn’t pretend the darkness is gone. Our lives may yet grow darker. But Advent looks darkness square in the eye and issues this great promise for our season of waiting: darkness will not overcome the Light. It is only a matter of time.”

The Messenger

Malachai 3:1-6

I think often about who God created us to be.  I picture perfection.  Surrounded by God’s love, living in perfect peace and harmony.  There is no suffering, no hunger, no thirst.  Sounds a bit like heaven, doesn’t it?  Unfortunately, we’ve screwed it up.  While we can all point back to the Garden of Eden for evidence, we are all cheaters.  We are the adulterers of God’s love. I’ve known this since I was young.

As a child, I remember reading the book of Revelation with terror.  I was certain that I would be among the people that were caught up in the blood bath of God’s wrath and vengeance.  I could almost feel my teeth being gnashed.  Dealing with the fear of God’s retribution was impossible.  He is, after-all, sovereign, supreme, and the ruler of all things.  Even as a child, I was keenly aware of my inability to behave appropriately.  I could never measure up.

“Behold, I send my messenger and he will prepare the way before me” (Malachai 3:1).

I knew of Jesus when I was young.  I knew that he came to save me from my sins.  In fact, I was baptized so “poof,” I am saved, right?  I did what every kid did.  I invited Jesus into me to hear so that I could be free from God’s wrath.  I did not want to go to Hell.  If I am honest, that did nothing to remove the guilt and shame I felt for things I had done.  In my heart of hearts, I knew I would do them again.  I knew what I deserved.

But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. (Malachai 3:2).

Looking back on 45+ years of living with Jesus, I see where he has changed me.  Sometimes it’s taken the pain of fire and occasionally it’s been a gentle scrub, just like Malachai describes.

“He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years” (Malachi 3:3-4).

I am not yet finished.  At 50 years old, I am not yet who I was created to be.  So, I commit again to sit with the refiner, allowing him to purify me, slowly by slowly, as he did the Sons of Levi.  Today, I have a better understanding that my efforts will never be enough to satisfy the perfection of God.  Thankfully, One stands in my place.  Perfecting my offering.  I am able, at once, to sit in perfect love and peace.  It is the cleansing blood of Jesus that makes it so.

His Birth Leads to Our Salvation

My family spent the weekend decorating for Christmas.  We have crates full of lights, Santa’s, mangers, ornaments, wall hangings, lights, and many other Christmas knick-knacks.

We decorate because we want to welcome family and guests to our home.  We are preparing for their arrival.  We want them to have a memorable visit and commemorate the season by making memories with the right atmosphere.

As we enter Advent, which leads to the birth of Jesus, we are reflecting on the many verses in the Bible that foretold the coming of our Savior.  Jesus was referenced at least 23 times in the Old Testament.   Here are a few of the Old Testament references to Jesus.

  • Genesis 3:15 Christ is the Seed of woman and we are told He will one day crush Satan
  • In Exodus, we learn of the story of the Passover Lamb, and Christ is the sacrificial Lamb given for us
  • In Leviticus, we read of the high priests making sacrifices to the people, and Christ has become our High Priest
  • In Deuteronomy, Moses prophesied a prophet who would come that would be greater than Himself
  • Ezra depicts Jesus as the Lord of our fathers
  • Job says that the Redeemer is coming
  • Christ appears several times in Psalms, including when David describes Him as “the Shepherd”
  • Isaiah details Jesus’ birth in chapter 9:6 “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder, And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
  • Joel describes Him as the hope of His people
  • Amos tells us that Jesus is the judge of all nations
  • Obadiah warns of the coming eternal kingdom
  • Jonah offers a picture of Jesus being dead for three days, then coming back to life to preach repentance
  • Zephaniah says Jesus will be the king over Israel
  • Zachariah is the prophet who speaks of Jesus riding on a colt
  • Malachi is the one who calls Jesus the Son of Righteousness

For thousands of years, God prophesied the coming of Jesus through His prophets, and many people of Jesus’ time still got it wrong.  They were not ready. God prepared them for the birth of Jesus and yet many did not believe or recognize Jesus was the son of God.  They were either in denial or not prepared for Jesus’ arrival.

What we know for sure is that Jesus will come again.  His return is referenced in at least eleven books of the New Testament which include Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, Romans, 2 Peter, Jude, Revelations, John, 1 Corinthians, and Thessalonians.  Christ is coming again, and we should prepare for His arrival.  When Christ comes back for the second time, judgment will be brought to those that believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and to those that do not.

What we know is that we worship a loving God.  He sent His only Son to live amongst us on earth, to suffer and die so that we may live eternally with Him in Heaven. Our God seeks a relationship with us through His love and care for us.  He wants to be our resting place in times of challenge and strife and relieve us of our burdens.  We live on earth not for this world but for our next life, in Heaven with our Savior. Our Lord is very clear though, we will not reside with him in Heaven if we do not believe that Jesus died on the cross to forgive our sins.  We must repent of our sins by asking God for forgiveness.

Let us reflect during the Holiday Season of not only Jesus’ birth but also of Jesus’ return.  He will come to the earth to judge and separate the believers from those who do not believe.  Matthew 13:49 tells us “So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”

Jesus provides us the path for a happy and blessed life on earth as well as He saves us from hell.  His birth meant our salvation from a life of eternal damnation.  Let’s use this Holiday Season to remember that Jesus’ birth was the beginning of the promise of eternal salvation in Heaven.

Heavenly Father, Thank you for the birth and sacrifice of your son Jesus.  We praise you for your desire to love and be close to us.  We recognize our sinful nature, and we repent and ask for your forgiveness.  Please wash over us with your grace and peace, to provide an understanding like no other.  Please move us to you, oh Lord, to see what we are supposed to see, hear what we are supposed to hear, and act on what we are supposed to do.  Amen

Harmony

Have you spent more time outdoors in the past year? Camping, hiking, and fishing have exploded as people are looking for available activities. Our own family has spent more quality time in nature exploring and learning. I find myself lost in bird watching, monologuing baby racoons, and identifying animal tracks – like never before.

This summer the nature adventures may have gone next-level when “animals eating human meals” became a focal point (I blame a book I read called a Day in the Life of Squirrels). In a nutshell, think “feeding swans spaghetti”, and planning a taco Tuesday for the opossum.

It’s been such a fun family activity and we have all enjoyed these silly little goals and sightings in nature (the kids especially).

It will come to no surprise that on a challenging day in the current world, my daughter and I were in town and came upon a grey squirrel. He carefully dragged a sweet potato fry out of a carry out container in a garbage can. We followed Grey Squirrel a couple of blocks and watched him make his way to a safe place up in a tree to indulge in his trophy. Walking hand in hand back to the car (after spending way too much time watching Grey Squirrel savor his sweet potato fry), my heart was full. In that moment it felt like God gave us Grey Squirrel as a little nod. He put a distraction in our path and a smile on our face. We couldn’t have planned or planted this ‘animal food goal’ better if we tried! It was something so small but it sure blessed us that day.

I admit that all of this sounds so incredibly goofy (borderline crazy?) but for us, nature and animals have been a source of peace. Getting outside has brought us harmony and a symbol of escape from worldly challenges.

As I began preparing for this week’s passage of the foreshadowing of the Messiah, of course verses 6-9 stood out. It’s a perfect picture of the harmony between the relationships of living things, both humans and animals. Right now, the swans mostly hiss at the idea of a Lady and the Tramp spaghetti moment. But this passage gives me hope that one day, harmony will be restored, as it was originally designed in the garden of Eden. Jesus, in his righteousness, will bring relationships together in a way that only he can. He can heal like no other. He has dominion over all. At his name every knee will bow.

Maybe, just maybe, God wrote this desire on our hearts. He gave us this family activity and space to yearn for harmony. He gave us time to experience his creation, the life he breathed into existence at his very word.

At the same time that he gave us a heart for harmony and unity, he also created us uniquely and each with a different person. Without the perfect wisdom, understanding, might, and fear of the Lord, we can never strike this balance like Jesus can. Until his return, I get to work on relationships here, looking to the Word for examples of love, and patience. Grace and forgiveness. Humility and long suffering.

With our Messiah, he makes a way for us to have perfect harmony in eternity.

What a day that will be! And I’m not talking about animal food goals – but true harmony among all people and all living creatures! The absence of sin and the enemy creating enmity. Perfect. Freeing. Peace.

As we look toward celebrating his birth this month, we can also praise him for the perfect harmony he brings!

Isaiah 11:1-10 The Righteous Reign of the Branch

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,
and faithfulness the belt of his loins.

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
    and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;
    and a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall graze;
    their young shall lie down together;
    and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra,
    and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den.
They shall not hurt or destroy
    in all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.

In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.

Promise and Purpose

These days we spend a lot of time dreaming of the things we’d do, the plans we’d love to make “if only…” Most of these thoughts return to the same conclusion: Not right now. Can’t go there. Can’t do that. Can’t see them.

Sometimes it feels like we are just wasting away in the waiting.

If you’re struggling right now to find purpose and meaning, you’re definitely not alone. Confession: The times I’m most frustrated usually come from my own misalignment, with my wants prioritized first, with invalid expectations, thinking something is deserved or guaranteed. It is the realization that I want to do things I cannot do, but then: Do I want these things out of an incorrect view of my purpose or God’s purpose for me?

We were not created for our own purpose, we were created for God’s purpose, for him. He had a plan and you are part of it.

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. (Colossians 1:16)

Rick Warren eloquently states:

“God was thinking of you long before you ever thought about Him. His purpose for your life (to know Him, share Him with those that don’t know Him, become more like Him, and spend eternity with Him) predates your conception. He planned your purpose before you existed, without your input! …. The purpose of your life fits into a much larger purpose that God has designed for eternity.”

This same God who made you and me for a purpose, made everyone else for a purpose, for eternity’s sake. Thousands of years ago he made a promise to King David as to his purpose: King David was to be in the lineage of an eternal throne, for his offspring to be on the throne for all generations.

I will establish your offspring forever,
    and build your throne for all generations. (Psalms 89:4)

God promised this many years before the birth of Christ, but the amount of time between the promise and the realization of the promise is not the point. The point is God is faithful to keep his promises and in the fulfillment of this promise, we have another promise fulfilled regarding our purpose: Eternity with God. Eternity is a real word with real meaning.

And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” (Matthew 12:23)

Yes indeed, Son of David. The Christ. Son of the Living God. King. Redeemer. Restorer. Savior of the World. Living without him in this life is one thing, but there are no greater stakes than that of the next life. Free will, our choice.

To move forward, I pray that you take a step backward and read Jennifer’s post from yesterday titled “Hope“.

Hope

Today’s reading:  Deuteronomy 18:15-19

The book of Deuteronomy, written by Moses, was aimed at reminding the Nation of Israel (2nd generation), what God had done for them and to convince them to rededicate their lives to following him.  Remember the first generation of God’s people, who Moses led out of slavery in Egypt?  The group of “stiff-necked” people who wandered the desert grumbling?  God let this first generation of his people wander the desert for 40 years until they all died off.  Then, before Joshua led the 2nd generation across the Jordan River and into the Promised Land, Moses stopped to remind them of how God had delivered their ancestors and to make sure they were clear about God’s playbook for their lives (the law).  Before they entered the Promised Land, Moses was responsible to get the God’s people back to following God’s ways.

Deuteronomy 18:15 is the key verse in this passage.  Fourteen hundred years before his birth, Moses identified Jesus as a primary part of God’s plan.  He is the prophet God promised to raise up, the hope for our world.  This verse is so important, it is referenced two other times in the Bible – in Acts 7 when Steven was making the case that Jesus was God’s son, and again in Act 3 when Peter was calling on the Jewish nation to recognize what they had done to their long-awaited Messiah and repent.

The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your fellow Israelites, and you must listen to that prophet (Deuteronomy 18:15).

Do you believe Jesus was God’s son?  Have have you put your faith in him?  Is he your hope?  As we move through the 2020 Advent season, how do we keep our focus on Jesus as the perfect and complete gift God sent to earth for us?  Jesus lowered himself, came to earth as a human, yet lived a perfect and sinless life.  Even so, he was willing to take all our sins upon himself and offer his body as the sacrifice that paid the price for our sins.  It is only through faith in Jesus that we have a way to spend eternity in God’s presence.  Let me tell you, a better source of hope does not exist!

If you haven’t confessed faith in Jesus Christ and accepted him as Savior and Lord of your life, I pray the 2020 Advent season offers you the opportunity to get to know him.  Draw near to God and He will draw near to you (James 4:8).  I promise you won’t regret it.