advent devotionals
Memorize: Psalm 139:14
I will praise You
because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made.
Your works are wonderful,
and I know this very well.
Read: Psalm 139:1-14, Psalm 104
Reflect:
Advent calls us to prepare for the arrival of our Savior Jesus Christ, yet often times our preparation is filled with the stress of planning and busyness. We don’t even take a full day to give thanks, as many race off Thanksgiving evening to find the deals. We race into December facing a to-do list of shopping, cooking, wrapping, and working...so that we can enjoy the birth of God's son?
Let’s think about this – Does our preparation have the wrong focus and the wrong feeling. Psalms 104 & 139 encourages us to pause in the midst of our preparation and consider the question, "Who am I preparing for?" Are we preparing for the arrival of Our Savior, or for the world's expectations of Christmas?
I hope today we choose to prepare for Jesus! When we do, our preparations are less about doing and more about being. We begin to prepare with praise to God for the intimacy that He has with each of us. We wake up each day with less attention on what needs done during Advent and more attention on what's been done through God's power.
Apply:
How does your thinking & planning change when you reflect on the power of your creator…your All-knowing, Ever-present God, who made you and wants an active, personal relationship with you?
Pray:
Father God, today I offer my praise for all that you have done, will do, and continue to do in my life. Help me to prepare for the things that matter and ignore the demands of this Adventseason that pull me away from you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
November 27
November 28
November 29
November 30
December 1
December 2
December 3
December 4
December 5
December 6
December 7
December 8
December 9
December 10
December 11
December 12
rejoice!
Read Zephaniah 3:14-17
Sing, O Daughter of Zion;

shout aloud, O Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,

O Daughter of Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has taken away your punishment,

he has turned back your enemy.
The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you;

never again will you fear any harm.
16 On that day they will say to Jerusalem,

“Do not fear, O Zion;

do not let your hands hang limp.
17 The Lord your God is with you,

he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,

he will quiet you with his love,

he will rejoice over you with singing.” [NIV]
Reflect:
If you asked an agnostic or atheist to describe Christians, would the first adjectives that came to mind be, “joyful” or “filled with joy?” Or, would they describe Christians as “judgmental” or “angry?”
In the New Testament, joy is one of the defining characteristics of Christians. And it’s not usually inspired by their circumstances, either! Consider the story of the night when Paul and Silas had been flogged and then thrown into jail in Philippi. There they sat in the stocks, their backs bloody and sore from the whipping they’d just received, but Acts tells us that, far from feeling sorry for themselves, ‘About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.’ (Acts 16:25).
Why is joy such a strong characteristic of Christian discipleship? First, we rejoice because we have been forgiven. In verses 14-15 we read these words:
Sing, O Daughter of Zion;

shout aloud, O Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,

O Daughter of Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has taken away your punishment,

he has turned back your enemy.
The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you;

never again will you fear any harm.
Imagine yourself as a condemned criminal coming into the courtroom to hear your sentence passed by a judge. There is no doubt about your guilt, and over your head hangs the probability of an enormous penalty that you will not be released from for the rest of your life. There is no hope of any relief, and you have resigned yourself to your fate. You take your place next to your attorney, and the judge asks you to stand. Then to your absolute amazement the judge says, “I have issued a pardon for this crime. You are free to go, and your record is clear."
According to the Gospel, this is what God has done for us. Do you believe this? This is truly at the heart of the message of the New Testament. Perhaps you feel like you are carrying a huge burden of guilt on your shoulders, but the Gospel says that you don’t have to carry it a moment longer. You can drop it at the foot of Jesus’ Cross, leave it there, and walk away free and forgiven. What a reason to rejoice!
Apply:
Do the unbelievers in your workplace, neighborhood or grocery store see your joy? Consider the pardon that you have been given, and then rejoice today!
Pray:
Dear God, I know that you issued a pardon when I accepted Jesus as my Savior and Lord. Help me to rejoice in that freedom so people can see my joy and want to know You.