365 Days of Praise
Preparing Our Hearts for Christmas
Over the next few weeks, as we approach the celebration of Christ’s birth, I invite you to join me in “Preparing Our Hearts for Christmas,” based on my devotional book by that name.
Blessings, sweet friends, as we prepare our hearts for Christ’s Mass.
We Can’t Wait!
“He’s coming with a sleigh and reindeer.” That’s what some parents tell their children about Santa and kids get excited in anticipation of his arrival. But hey, believers! The real gift-giver from above is coming in the clouds and not with a sleigh and reindeer. Rather, Christ will come with the armies of heaven following Him. (Revelation 19:14) Rather than wearing a human-made Santa suit, Revelation 19:16 describes Christ’s robe and what is written on it:
on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, ‘KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.’
Christ’s coming isn’t a fairy tale. It’s a fact. It’s incredible and beyond exciting. As Old Testament believers once looked forward to the day the Messiah would come, believers look forward to the day Jesus will return to earth in glory. How magnificent that will be!
Christ Jesus, LORD OF LORDS, we bow in worship and praise You, King of Kings.
I Get to Go Home
In the month of December, we anticipate the celebration of the birth of Jesus. He is a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes in a manger. Fast forward 33 years. Can you imagine His anticipation when, after pouring His teachings into people, and completing His mission to conquer death and sin, it was finally time for Him to get to go home – to return to His glory and heaven? He must have been giddy…about to explode in joyous anticipation. Hebrews 7:26 zeros in on the great divide between Jesus and us. “For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens…” High. Priest. Holy. Innocent. Undefiled. Birthed into a mess of sinners. What must His child’s holy heart have felt? What teenage temptations did Satan pile on Him? What spiritual battles did He fight alone, with no one in whom He could confide? We will never know the extent Christ suffered for us even before His scourging death. Then, He awoke from the grave. Alive. But still here. Until finally, Acts 1:9. It was time to go home! Can you imagine what the disciples experienced when Jesus was lifted up while they were looking on and a cloud received Him out of their sight? I can’t imagine it. I’ve tried. Put yourself in the scene. There you are. Jesus is telling you that you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be His witness. Mind-boggling. The Holy Spirit who was upon the “greats” like Moses and Elijah, is going to come upon you! Before you can get your mind around that, Jesus starts ascending, lifted up before your eyes. You’re in shock. His feet are literally off the ground. Your head is titled back. You look up and watch until you can no longer see Jesus who is gone…exalted above the heavens…home.
Heavenly Father, we can’t get our minds around Your majesty, throne, and what heaven is like. But, we’re so glad Jesus is with You, exalted above the heavens. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for all You have done for us – incredible!
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Be Like Jesus by Doing This
I wish I could be like Jesus. Have you ever had that thought? You wish you could heal your loved one. You wish you could speak and calm storms – literally and figuratively. There are many ways we cannot be like Jesus, but there is one way we can be like Him. We can be prayerful. Yes, Jesus prayed and we can pray often and fervently, privately and publicly, thanking our Father for our food, and praying over upcoming challenges and hard things to do. We can be like Jesus and teach others to pray as He taught the disciples in Matthew 6:9-13. If you wish you were more like Jesus, why not begin by being more prayerful? “Pray, then, in this way….” Matthew 6:9a.
Heavenly Father, thank You that although there are many ways we may not be like Jesus, you allow us to be like Him by being able to come to You in prayer. Thank You that we can pray. Quicken us to be more prayerful.
Your “Appointment” Pop Quiz
True or False: God is interested in our lives, relationships, families. True or False: God assigns individuals to particular tasks? True or False: God has set times in history. If you said true to all three you are absolutely correct. Do you have Scriptures to back up your answers? If not, meditate on the following in terms of your life. Let the reality of God’s hand in individual lives, relationships, times, places encourage you.
“So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the APPOINTED time of which God had spoken to him,” Genesis 21:2.
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have APPOINTED you a prophet to the nations,” Jeremiah 1:5.
“Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman to the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me.” Ezekiel 3:17
“And the LORD APPOINTED a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights,” Jonah 1:17.
“So the LORD God APPOINTED a plant and it grew up over Jonah to be a shade over his head to deliver him from his discomfort. And Jonah was extremely happy about the plant,” Jonah 4:6.
“He (Jesus) APPOINTED twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach,” Mark 3:14.
“Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the APPOINTED time will come,” Mark 13:33.
“And inasmuch as it is APPOINTED for men to die once and after this comes judgment,” Hebrews 9:27.
Yes, God appoints times, people, places, events, and more. What has He appointed you to do?
LORD GOD, You APPOINT people, places, times, and events. How exciting! I want to be a part! Appoint me.
When Public Opinion Doesn’t Matter
We have to make a decision. We either believe what Jesus says about Himself or we don’t. In other words, we call Him a liar or we call Him God. Although we might want to be agreeable with people who insist there are many ways to heaven, that’s not what the Bible says. This is one time when public opinion doesn’t matter. No other prophet besides Jesus claimed to be the God. No other prophet was killed and rose from the dead as Jesus did; witnessed by hundreds. First Timothy 2:5 explains, “There is ONE GOD, and one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ.” If you don’t know Him, get to know Him. The account of His life and His teachings are recorded in the Bible. A good place to begin is the book of John. Pray before you begin reading, open your mind, heart, and spirit to receive Him.
Lord Jesus Christ, thank YOU for being the One God and one way to salvation. Open the hearts and minds of those who side with public opinion that there are many ways to heaven. Show them that You alone are the One God in whom there is deliverance from sin and deliverance to heaven.
When You Wish You’d Handled Something Differently
Have you ever wished you’d gone in a different direction than the one you took? Have you reflected on words you said and thought, “I wish I’d said that differently.” If so, Psalm 32:8 is an encouraging reminder that we can handle things better in future days. “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go…” Psalm 32:8 assures us. Yes, in addition to the Lord being our Savior and friend, He comes to us and says He’s willing to instruct us in the best way to go. That’s amazing, don’t you agree? We might wish for the top stock broker to advise us financially but not have access to him/her. We might wish for the most successful business person to be available to us, but not have a chance of getting an audience with them. But, here the LORD GOD is saying He’ll teach us. He’ll instruct us. Again, it’s amazing! He who has infinite understanding and an eternity of knowledge says He will show us the way to go forward. Why not pray now about a situation or relationship where you could use the Lord’s instruction to move you forward successfully?
Lord, You are infinite in understanding. Please instruct us today and quicken our ears to be quick to listen and obey. Thank you for the incredibly valuable gift of having access to You.
Check Your “Ask/Worship” Ratio
Lord, Most High God, forgive us for asking but not worshipping You with thanksgiving. Holy Spirit, prompt us to be grateful, thankful believers who worship more than we ask.
Praise God, Non Jews are “In,” Too!
Have you ever appreciated a Biblical truth but gained a deeper appreciation while reading the Bible? That happened to me while teaching Acts 10, the chapter where the Lord gave Peter a vision and told him to go to Cornelius’s house, a non-Jew, and share the message of salvation with his household. Peter, who once thought that God was the God of the Jews only, was illumined and led by the Spirit to say, “I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.” (Acts 10:34-35) Paul reinforced this miraculous good news in Romans 3:29, stating, “Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also?” If the God of the Jews had not extended the gift of salvation through Jesus to we who are not Jewish by birth, we would have been excluded from heaven for eternity. We would have suffered loss eternally. The good news is, the God of the Jews opened His arms and the pathway for non-Jews to be saved. Could I hear a hallelujah?
God of the Jews, we praise You for extending the glorious gift of salvation to we who are not Jews. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Remember “So That”
Does sin weigh you down? It often does me. As long as we’re in our earthly bodies, we’re going to sin. But, and this is big – because Jesus took our sins, we’re declared righteous and we’re also called to be righteous. In other words, sin is to be “dying off” in us as we purposefully draw close to Jesus, learn His ways, practice His teachings, and look at our sins through His eyes. The bottom line, we recognize we have an upward calling and we don’t want sin to be a part of our life. Here’s how 1 Peter 2:24 explains it. “…He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.” Jesus bore our sin in His body on the cross “so that…” Jesus suffered so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.
One thing God convicted me of as I meditated on this verse was this: If it was so important to Jesus that my sin be dead, then I should consider what I’m doing with any sin in my life. Am I careless with it and allow it to remain? Or, mindful of Christ’s sacrifice, do I stand against it so it dies and I live to righteousness?
If you follow the P.R.A.Y. format in Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion, or have been to one of my P.R.A.Y. with Passion Conferences, you recall that we can mindfully P.R.A.Y. and repent of our sin. We can ask God to help us conform to Christ’s image.
P. raise – Lord Jesus Christ, I praise you for bearing my sin in your body on the cross so that I might die to sin and live to righteousness.
R. epent – Forgive me for not looking at sin as you do – as something to be put to death.
A. sk – Help me stand against my sin rather than fan its flame.
Y. ield – Quicken my spirit to quickly yield to You when I’m tempted.
Friends, I’d love to have you join me any week on Wednesdays or Thursdays for our weekly Bible Study of John. Click here for more info.
Live outside of the Texas Hill Country? No problem! My weekly teachings and Listening Guides will be added HERE each week so you can follow along or use it for a group study.