December 27, 2024

Prince of Peace

December 10, 2013 by

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Each week during the season of Advent, our blogs will focus on a central theme which is associated with the coming of Christ—His Advent.  This week’s theme is PEACE. Christians throughout the world celebrate Advent. Some light candles or sing songs; some give gifts or  hang wreaths.  All of these are simple joyous ways of extending the celebration of Jesus’s coming beyond a mere 24 hours on December 25. Our prayer is that these devotionals throughout this season of Advent would help you to celebrate His first Coming and anticipate with HOPE and joy His second Coming.

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For a child is born to us…
And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6b

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Prince of Peace. Often times the Lord’s many names don’t mean much to us until we have experienced them personally–that’s never been the case with this name.  I’ve always favored Prince of Peace.  Don’t get me wrong, I like all of His names, but peace just sounds so calm.  The Lord’s peace is like no pill you could ever be prescribed.  It’s like no goose egg you could ever accumulate. It’s like no budget or plan you could conceive.  Philippians 4:7 best describes this peace, “…Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

I always wondered how a person could have peace when they didn’t understand their circumstances… until I experienced this peace for myself.  I’m the type of person who needs to know all the details and I need to know what all my options are and then I maul over (a fancy way of saying worry!) the problem until its over!  Then, and only then, do I have peace.

The day I was informed that my cousin was murdered was the day I understood Philippians 4:7.  I mean, what kind of plan do you make for that? What kind of options do you have?

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Since then I have leaned into a Lord Who promised, “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.  So don’t be troubled or afraid”  (John 14:27).

And a God Who says He “will keep in perfect peace all who trust in [Him], all whose thoughts are fixed on [Him]!” (Isaiah 26:3).

Do I understand this tragic situation?  Not a chance.  Do I have the Prince of Peace’s peace? Absolutely.  And it’s something I grasp for each day.  I grasp and hold tight to my Savior who, being God, saw it fit to come to Earth, lay in a manger, and die on a cross.  The Prince of Peace.

* * * * *

Lord, I am thankful that You knew one day I would need Your peace.  Your peace that penetrates all circumstances.  You are amazing and gracious.  Thank You.  In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

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Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus

December 8, 2013 by

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The first candle in the Advent wreath is the Candle of Hope.  This past Sunday my pastor referred to it, interestingly, as the Candle of Waiting.  How are “Hope” and “Waiting” related?  I think the link between the two is in one definition of the word faith—we have a need, and we turn to God to fill it.  In other words, we put our hope in His power and compassion, and we wait for His perfect timing.  David writes on this often in the Psalms:

Psalm 27:14
Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.

Psalm 130:5-6
I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.

This is one of the reasons I love the hymn “Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus”.  It perfectly describes not a tiny baby in a manger, but instead the Savior’s mission, His whole reason for being:  to deliver us from our sins, and from captivity (of all kinds).  All we have to do is wait for Him.

Come, Thou long expected Jesus,
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel’s strength and consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear Desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.

Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a Child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious Kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all-sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus ~ Prichard/Wesley; sung by Ashley Spurling

The hymn shows our relationship to God:  we are weak, and He is strong.  We are tired and can’t go it alone, so Jesus was born to deliver us, give us rest, and console us.  We are captive to sins and fears, so God sent His son free us.

I love the Christmas carols that show the innocence and fragility of a newborn baby, and how amazing it is that God poured Himself into such a fragile vessel.  This song is not one of those!  This is a song about a Hero, a Man with a Plan.  This carol shows Jesus’s purpose in His life’s ministry, and how He fulfills the promises God has made to His people.

I like the dual message in this hymn, as well.  “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus” is a Christmas carol, describing the birth of the Messiah — but it also is a plea for the second Coming!  We light the Candle of Hope—the Candle of Waiting—and we have faith that the Lord will keep His promises today, just as He kept them to Israel when he sent The Savior.  We have faith in the blood of the Lamb who washes our sins away, and we wait for Him to come again!  Hallelujah!

* * * * *

Please pray with me:  Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of Your Son.  Thank You for sending a Hero to save us from ourselves.  Strengthen our faith as we wait, and help us to continually seek You and praise You and be Your hand in this world.  Come, Thou long-expected Jesus, come!  In His Holy name, Amen.

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Hope In Christmas

December 4, 2013 by

SeekingHimLogo

 

Each week during the season of Advent  our blogs will focus on a central theme associated with the coming of Christ—His Advent.  This week’s theme is HOPE.
Christians throughout the world celebrate Advent. Some light candles or sing songs; some give gifts or  hang wreaths.  All of these are simple joyous ways of extending the celebration of Jesus’s coming beyond a mere 24 hours on December 25. Our prayer is that these devotionals throughout this season of Advent would help you to celebrate His first Coming and anticipate with joy His second Coming.

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But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:31

Hope is the feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. Over 2,000 years ago, Jews were hoping for the arrival of their Savior—the Messiah—Jesus Christ. Today, we have the same hope of Jesus’ return after His Resurrection. We, as Christians, are very expectant of His return. When Christ does return, we will have eternal life if we have accepted Him into our hearts. Today, instead of anticipating the birth of Christ, we are now anticipating His return.

During Christmas, hope is more abundant than at any other time of the year. Kids hope for the perfect gift from Santa. Adults hope for a better New Year or for a way to provide a nice Christmas for their families. Sick people hope for a cure for their ailments. Hope springs eternal. Everyone is hoping for something.

However, during the holidays, we should be hoping—not for a birth, but for a return—Christ’s return. Yes, we celebrate His birth during this season, and we celebrate the Resurrection during the Easter season. However, instead of being reminded about Jesus’ birth, we should be reminded that His birth signaled the hope for a reconciliation with God. His birth brought us the hope for an eternal life spent with God because God already knew that Jesus would die on the Cross for our sins. We should hope for the gift of salvation, not only for ourselves, but for those who have not yet received that gift to receive it. As Christians we need to be spreading the hope of Christ’s return.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son
so that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
John 3:16

John 3:16 gives hope to us that we will have eternal life in Heaven at the end of time if we believe in Jesus Christ. We have to have hope and faith that Jesus will return soon. This verse itself gives us hope that as believers we will spend eternity with God. This is the greatest gift that has ever and will ever be given.  We only have to accept the gift.

* * * * *

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your Son to us so that we may be reconciled with You. We cannot do it ourselves. We are not perfect nor will ever be. Your Son is perfect, and He brings hope to all those that believe in Him.  We pray in His Name.  Amen.

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Hope Came That Holy Night

December 3, 2013 by

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The Israelites watched and waited hundreds of years for The One Who would come as a Deliverer from their bondage. The Psalmist expressed this desire for help when he said, “Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!” (Psalm 14:7). They didn’t know when or how. They didn’t understand the exact Who or the complete why, but they continued to wait and hope.
Oh, the Hope that rang out across the world when baby Jesus’ first cry pierced through that silent, holy night in Bethlehem when He was born! I can’t help but think of Mary and Joseph on the first night they looked into the eyes of baby Jesus. They weren’t sure of all that the future would look like, but they had the words of angels to remember and hold on to. Through the words of angels that were spoken before Jesus was born, they knew they were picked by God for a divine purpose, and they both fully accepted their places in God’s Plan.
As Mary held that precious baby in her arms, did she fully realize the unending Hope He offered? When Gabriel had appeared to tell Mary about the birth of Jesus, he said, “You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name ‘Jesus.’ He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; His kingdom will never end” (Luke 1:32-33).  The angel had proclaimed a promise of Hope in Jesus!  And there on that holy night, Mary saw that Hope had come when this Child was born!
As Joseph looked down on this little baby boy looking back at him, I wonder if Joseph thought about what the angel of the Lord had said to him in a dream, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name of Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel-which means, ‘God with us’ ” (Matthew 1:20-23). The angel had proclaimed a promise of Hope in Jesus! And there on that holy night, Joseph saw that Hope had come when this Child was born!
As they both looked down on baby Jesus, I wonder if Mary and Joseph remembered the words from the Old Testament that prophetically spoke of the Hope that would come to the world: “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 increase 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 and 7). Through Jesus, on that holy night, Hope had come as the Savior of the world!!!
Worship Jesus with me, would you please, as we listen to my favorite Christmas song, “O Holy Night,” sung by Mr. David Phelps.

 


Dear Lord,
We love You, and we thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, on that divine holy night! He is our Hope to break us free from our bondage in sin and reign over us forevermore as King! Let us remember that Jesus coming as the Hope of the world is the reason for this blessed season, Christmas, and let us be thankful for His life, death, and resurrection on this earth. We give You all praise and glory!
In Jesus’ precious Name I pray,
Amen.

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Unswerving Hope

December 2, 2013 by

SeekingHimLogo

Each week during the season of Advent  our blogs will focus on a central theme associated with the coming of Christ—His Advent.  This week’s theme is HOPE.
Christians throughout the world celebrate Advent. Some light candles or sing songs; some give gifts or  hang wreaths.  All of these are simple joyous ways of extending the celebration of Jesus’s coming beyond a mere 24 hours on December 25. Our prayer is that these devotionals throughout this season of Advent would help you to celebrate His first Coming and anticipate with joy His second Coming.

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Hebrew 10:23 NIV

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess for he who promised is faithful.

Who is this Who is faithful that we should put all our hope on?  And what is hope?!?

Hebrew 11:1

Now faith is the substance of things (HOPED) for, the evidence of things not seen.

Hope comes when you are at zero (0) and you want to be at one (1).  How to get to one…you just don’t know how.  It is all dependent on an external force, an external factor to propel you to get to one (1).

In this world we hope for so many things and many of these depend on others.  As we have seen the scripture on Hebrew 11:1, faith is the substance of things hoped for, things that we would want to have!  Things we desire to own, but, as much as we desire things of this world and hope (believing) of owning them one day…let us also hope for an eternal life that is given by accepting Christ Jesus which is better and of much greater value.

When we hope for the better, rest assured that the Faithful One will make it a point we have it. God is the One who is Faithful.  He fulfils all His promises to us and therefore we “… hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for He is faithful that promised….)”

Psalm 119:74

They that fear thee will be glad when they see me; because I have hoped in thy word.

Testimonies follow when we hope in the Lord, and others will see His providing for us.

Psalm 130:5

I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.

Let us acknowledge God as our own Father and approach him as a father;  you will never regret the way your hopes are being answered.  God is our hope. He is our everything and in all things we praise Him.

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Father, we put our trust in You, and give our all to the glory of your Holy name.  AMEN!!!

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