The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way”— “a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’”
TO PONDER
I guess it was around 17 years ago when we found out we would be first time parents. While we were overjoyed, the pregnancy was a huge surprise. It was our first year of marriage, with no family living in the same hemisphere, most of our friends being young, international University Students, so to say we had no idea what to do or how to prepare was a bit of an understatement.
The book “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” became part of our EDC (every day carry), reading and re-reading at every chance to try to learn how to prepare.
Yesterday’s verses were about the Angelic visitation to Zechariah the priest to announce the future birth of his son John (the Baptist) and today’s verses are quoting the actual call of that son, prophesied some 700 years before his actual birth… that’s a long preparation period. But I guarantee his parents were still not prepared and that’s even with John’s father, the priest, being somewhat of an expert in all the scriptures talking about the messenger who was to prepare the way for the promised Messiah.
We don’t hear anything about John’s life, his birth, childhood, schooling until we finally meet him as a, somewhat, crazy man living in a desert, dressed in clothes made from camel hair, eating locusts, holding up a sign saying “The Kingdom is nigh!”, as he baptised crowds of people in the desert.
One can only imagine what John’s parents were thinking when they saw John in his full camel fur wearing splendour, with bits of locust stuck in his teeth…
Again, we don’t know but I would expect they were proud of their role in preparing the one who was promised to be the one who was preparing the way for the saviour of the World.
As the church, we also have a calling; a preordained role to prepare for Christmas, just like John the Baptist. We probably feel unprepared, unsure, ready to flee to the desert with trepidation but we have the ultimate “What To Expect When You’re Expecting Christmas” book in the Bible telling us to love God and love others, sacrificially and wholeheartedly to prepare the way for the Christmas story.
PRAYER: God, I thank you for Christmas, the story of you, the Almighty, coming as a servant, becoming human, surrendering yourself to die an excruciating criminals death for the chance to call me your child. I ask you to help me step into my role as one called to prepare the way for Christmas to everyone I come in contact with. Amen.
Today's devotion written by Danny Brock, LifeWay WestSide
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
TO PONDER
This is the last daily devotion for 2024 before we hit the church season of Advent, a time of reflecting and preparing to receive the best gift ever given; God giving himself to us to, offering himself for us, in order to save and redeem us from our own foolish choices.
One of the best things about this gift is that it does not change. It does not wear out over time, or need new batteries every couple of weeks, or fall out of fashion like last years summer collection. God's love is an enduring love. God's grace and mercy is eternal. God's power and might are unfathomable. These things do not change.
In a world that seems to be experiencing significant change in various realms (political, economical, social, etc) a constant can be a really comforting thing.
I remember when I first moved out of home in country Victoria and headed for the big city (Canberra, not Melbourne). One of the you can see from anywhere in Canberra is black mountain and the 'Telstra Tower' at its peak. As I learned from one of my local Canberra friends while trying to find my way around this new city, if the tower was on my left, I was probably headed North, if it was on my right, I was probably headed south, and if I couldn't see it, I was probably closer to either to Goulburn or Gundagai and should probably turn around.
God's faithfulness and consistency is something I have learned to give thanks for regularly. When everything around me is changing and life seems all topsy turvy, It is a wonderful gift to know that my Heavenly Father is always ready and willing to sit with me and listen, to love me even when I know I have stuffed something up. Canberra's Telstra Tower, I know I can pull over for a second, look for God and he will get me on the right path again. That's a comforting thought and one I am very thankful for.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you that no matter what my life may look like or what challenges or changes I may be facing, I can have confidence that you will be there. That your love for me and your forgiveness and mercy toward me will never change or fail. Help me to live each day confident in your love and in your promises. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe
TO PONDER
I was having an argument with my two eldest children the other day. As a former mathematics teacher, it's one of my favourite arguments to have with young people when they start doing fun and creative things with geometry. I was trying to tell them that two things can be true at the same time using the example of squares and rectangles. Maybe you know where this is going, maybe you don't. So let me briefly explain, then I promise I'll get to the point.
The argument goes like this, I start the ball rolling by claiming that a square is a rectangle. Their immediate response is obviously, 'No dad, a square is a square, it can't be a rectangle!' Then we start to look a little closer. We talk about the necessary characteristics for a shape to be considered a square and those necessary for it to be considered a rectangle, and wouldn't you know it... A square ticks all the boxes for being a rectangle! I guess two things can be true at the same time after all.
I think there is sometimes a similar issue when it comes to the way we relate to God. There is no doubt or argument that we should be thankful for all he has done. And yet, I think many Christians today tend to offer a casual or even flippant, 'thanks God' like they would to a friend who who just paid for their lunch. Don't get me wrong, at certain times Jesus made a point of calling his disciples friends, and Hebrews 4:16 says since Jesus [our friend] is our hight priest who intercedes for us we can, 'come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need'. That's true. However, it is also true that God the Father should be approached and thought of with reverence and awe, and our verse today suggests that to worship God without recognising that, is not acceptable worship.
The problem for most of us is that both are true. When we live, clothed in the righteousness of Christ, we have nothing to fear when we come to God in prayer and praise. And yet we also must remember that while we might now be called children of God, Our Heavenly Father is still the maker, creator, sustainer, and redeemer of all creation and is also worthy of our reverence and respect. When it comes to God, certainly more than one thing can be true at the same time.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, you alone are worthy of my thanks and praise. I'm sorry for the times when my attitude toward you does not reflect the fulness of who you are and you value and importance in my life. Please help me to see more clearly each day your powerful and might acts in creation, in those around me and also in my life so that I might always worship you with reverence and awe. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.
TO PONDER
Doesn't it feel good when someone says 'thank you' !? It means that someone has noticed your effort and appreciates what you have done. It makes you feel good.
Why would we imagine it is any different with God?
Obviously God doesn't need our thanks or praise, but it's not hard to imagine he might appreciate it when we acknowledge what he has done. But in order thank him, we need to be watchful for where he is at work.
To illustrate the point, it's confession time. My biggest struggle when it comes to parenting is the lack of thanks or recognition from my children for all the things that their mother and I do to provide for their needs. There's never a "thanks for dinner" it's more likely to be "Oh, I don't like that". They just don't see everything that happens for their clothes to be washed and folded in their wardrobes, for their school lunches to be ready in the morning and for the fridge and pantry to be stocked with food. And yet, on the rare occasion that they glimpse some of the effort that their parents go to in order to care for them and show their love for them and they actually do say thank you... well that makes it all worth it.
God doesn't need your thanks and praise, he loves you and will keep loving you, forgiving you, helping and supporting you, but the funny thing is, the more we notice it and give thanks for what he does, the more we start to see him at work in us and through us in every moment of the day and then all of life becomes something to be grateful for.
So watch, and when you see God at work, stop and pray. Pray a prayer of thanks to God for allowing you to see him at work. You might find you start seeing him at work more often.
PRAYER: Father God, so often I am too busy looking an my own agenda, my own work, and my own problems, that I fail to see all the ways that you are at work even in the midst of all that calling and drawing me to yourself, seeking to lift my burdens and give me your yoke which is easy and light. Please help me to be more watchful, help me to see and to give thanks for the amazing things you do in and around me each day. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
TO PONDER
The book of Psalms is like the Ancient Israelite version of a hymnbook. It contains the songs and poems they would use in worship and at different festivals and all sorts of other occasions. Psalm 100 is a "Psalm of Praise" and there were lots of reasons the people of Israel might praise God. However, this particular verse invites them to bring praise as they enter the temple, the place where God dwelt.
People would go there to be 'closer' to the presence of God and there were lots of ways people might approach the temple. If you were coming to repent, you would likely come with fear and trembling, hoping that God might find your sacrifice acceptable and you might leave the presence of God in one piece. If you were coming to offer a prayer or petition to God, that is, coming to ask God for something, it probably served you best to come to him with humility and reverence; to recognise that you are a worm and do not really deserve the opportunity to pester God with your petty requests. You might come angry and seeking God's judgement on those who have wronged you, there are certainly many psalms for that!
Spend some time reflecting on how you approach God. Do you see Him as the divine judge, ready to smite you for the slightest misdeed, and therefore come to him with fear and trembling? Perhaps you approach God as the genie in a bottle or something akin to Santa Clause, who if you have been nice and stayed off the naughty list, you can come and tell him what you want... the possibilities are endless.
But take a moment now to simply come into his presence with thanksgiving. Put aside your wish list, your fear, your worry, the injustices that have perpetrated against you, and just come to God and thank him for His love, mercy, grace and forgiveness. Thank him for giving his own life in place of yours. Identify and thank him for the blessings he has placed in your life (and there are some, no matter how bad things may seem). Thank Him for all that and come into his presence simply with joy and thankfulness, sit with those ideas and see what He wants to do next.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I thank you for all your goodness to me. For all the things I am aware of like my daily needs of food, shelter, friends and family. For your son Jesus and his death on the cross for my sake and my forgiveness. I also want to thank you for all the little things that I perhaps don't even notice. Please help me to notice and see those things so that I might have even more reason to sing your praise. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
TO PONDER
What would the kind of life described in the above text actually look like?
This passage of scripture makes it pretty clear that God's will for us, when we live 'in Christ', is that we would always rejoice, always be in communication with God in prayer, and have reason to be thankful in any circumstance. Well that sounds pretty swell to me, how about you?
So then, if it is God's will for us, and it sounds like a good deal, why do so many of us not experience that. I mean most of us would want to wouldn't we??? To have a deeply rooted joy that informs our actions and reactions in every circumstance (even when some selfish and inconsiderate driver steals the parking spot you have been patiently waiting for). To know that God is close and feel connected to Him and able to communicate with him at any and every moment and be confident of his response to our concerns and prayers - isn't that why we pray anyway? Thankfulness in all circumstances... well... maybe...
Sometimes I do not want to be thankful. Sometimes I just want to throw my hands up in the air and say, "You know what God, I did not sign up for this. You want me to be thankful for this!!!" (insert your own personal trouble here).
It precisely at those times that I have to choose to live out God's will for me. Sometimes perspective helps, so let me see if I can offer some. When God created us, he created us in his image, for relationship and partnership with himself. When humanity turned its back on that offer of relationship and decided to sort things out for themselves, God could very easily have said, "you know what, I did not sign up for this. You chose to go it alone then have it your way". In fact, you might even say God did do this when he sent the flood. And yet even then, he saved Noah and his family. Through Noah's descendants can Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, from their the nation if Israel, from the line of King David - Jesus. God did not have to offer himself in our place, but he did anyway. There is no trouble I might face in this life that should be large enough to stop me, or you, from being thankful for that.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, you did not have to die for me, and yet out of your love for me you chose to die anyway. May this truth always cause me to be thankful regardless of my circumstances. Renew your spirit with me and help me to rejoice, pray and give thanks to you in every moment. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
All your works praise you, Lord; your faithful people extol you.
They tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might,
so that all people may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendour of your kingdom.
TO PONDER
Did you ever stop to think of thankfulness as part of your witness to Jesus? I know plenty of Christians who spend all day, every day, thinking about their sin and their insufficiencies before God and I have to tell you, they are some of the most miserable people I have ever met. Not exactly a walking advertisement for life in abundance and joy in all it's fulness.
If instead we can focus on all the wonderful things God has done for us, particularly in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, then we have , if not thousands of reasons to be happy and rejoice, to give God our thanks and praise.
If you, or your children, ever did 'show and tell' at school then you will get the idea. Show and tell is all about a student bringing a cool story of what they did on the weekend, or a cool new toy that they got for their birthday, something interesting that means a lot to them and telling all their friends about it. Some kids were great at it. They were clearly enthusiastic and excited about what they had to share and they engaged their classmates with every excited sentence. Others simply did it because it was their turn. Some of them had cool stuff to show, but they weren't interested in showing or telling you about it. Christians can be the same about Jesus.
How could you show and tell about the might acts the Lord has done in your life?
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, help me to tell of your wondrous deeds and help me to excitedly thank and praise you for all you have done in my life. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle.
Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
TO PONDER
This simple reality never ceases to amaze me; Jesus gave thanks for five loaves and two fish, even though by anyone's standards that was woefully little for so many, and yet he simply gave thanks and it was more than enough. I don't know how God did it, I don't think it really matters, the fact remains that in the face of an insurmountable lack of resources, Jesus gave thanks and suddenly what little he had became more than enough.
How often do you and I look at the little we have and think it is not enough. Perhaps you don't feel smart enough, young enough, old enough, or fit enough. Maybe you don't have enough, money, time, influence, or authority do do anything useful for the kingdom of God. If you have ever felt like that, you are in good company.
And yet, the fact remains that however little we may feel we offer in any situation, if God has placed us there, we can be thankful that he will make us enough if we can remember to be thankful that he is with us and will work things out for the good of those who love him. That means, he can make you the exact right person to meet the needs or answer the questions of others, even when you feel woefully under-equipped and ill-prepared. Maybe God might even use you to feed over 5000 people with his word of life. Wouldn't that be something?
What little thing has God given you to be thankful for?
PRAYER: Thank you Heavenly Father, for all your gifts, especially those that I sometimes take for granted and fail to thank you for. Help me to recognise all that you have given me and to give you thanks even for the small things. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
And to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.
TO PONDER
What's your definition of a quiet life? Lying on a hammock in a tropical paradise with an ice-cold drink of your choice, listening to the ocean’s waves lapping the sand, with not a worry in the world. That sounds pretty good to me!
Our verse for today tells us to strive to lead a quiet life but the meaning of this couldn't be further from the description above. Whilst a quiet life has the thought of peace, calm, rest, and satisfaction, it certainly doesn’t mean to be idle and to waste time. The quiet life we are instructed to ambitiously strive for allows us to really take the time and give our full attention to listen to God. It is our Christian duty to put the interests of others first, but we are to mind our own business and not meddle as 'busy-bodies' in the lives of others.
We should recognise the dignity and honour of the work God has given us to do. This is God's plan for us. God gave us His son in the form of a carpenter, Jesus' first disciples were fisherman and arguably the greatest human missionary Paul, was a tent maker. All workers! By diligently carrying out God's work, the non-Christians (outsiders) we engage with on our journey may be influenced to also become followers. If God is the centre piece of our life, we have all we need and we will not be dependent upon anything in this world.
What steps can you put in place today to assist you to live a quiet life?
PRAYER:Heavenly Father, thank you for the advice for living a 'life of work' that you have provided for me through the scriptures. Thank you that we have been able to focus together on my ‘living a life of work’ this week in my devotion time with You. Help me to continue to willingly live a quiet life in Your name. Amen.
Today's devotion written by Shane Burdack, LifeWay Epping